Johnathan Robinson

Both a Must Have AND a Disappointment… Still 5 Stars

Revisado: 08-24-22

Don Bluth is a complicated figure in the animation industry. He both deserves credit for jump starting Disney into the renaissance, but also helped lead to the oversaturated decline. He preserved lessons learned from the Nine Old Men but also implemented a lot of the wrong lessons from them, focusing on overlap, technique and over design rather then story.
As a 90’s kid an a current animation professional, I feel I have reevaluated Bluth’s work with a more critical eye. There is a lot that one can say about the work not holding up as well as his Disney rival films made of the same era.
But regardless, without Bluth, animation would’ve had an altered path very different from our own. To hear HIS story, in his own words, has been invaluable. Bluth sheds light on the triumphs and pitfalls in his career. One of my favorite stories was his interview with Disney. I think anyone who works in animation can relate to this story. His enthusiasm for NIMH, American Tale, etc was infectious. For that, having his story makes this book a MUST HAVE.
Yet, it is also disappointing because, for a book about an animator, one of the most famous/best, it is surprising how little he talks about his choices, technique, etc.
Not to say this should have been Don Bluth’s Illusion of Life, but I feel his choices for poses, overlapped actions, etc. there was no discussion.

This book is a MUST for animation fans and professionals. Hearing his story about his return to the Walt Disney Animation Studios, and the animators/young professionals wanting to meet him and thank him, reminds me of my friends and how we would react to Bluth in our animation studio.
Even though I spoke harshly of Bluth, his films made profound impacts on my life and I thank him. I just wanted more.

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Insightful and Filled with Valuable Perspective

Revisado: 12-08-21

Like many of us during 2020, I felt a doom/gloom attitude about the future of the world’s prospects post pandemic. In many ways, those fears are still there.
But Fareed writes both with hindsight in mind and from the perspective of living through it. I’ve always enjoyed hearing his perspective on things because his positions are scattered, sometimes contradictory and worldly. It’s something that many individuals born in the USA have lost sight of.
While the references are dated, I think his insight is still valuable a year later in not losing the good things that has come from human civilization.

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Outdated but still informative

Revisado: 09-30-21

It’s interesting listening to the time capsule of information from 2014. Despite the age and dates references, it’s still incredibly informative and brings unique perspectives on geopolitics.

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Leaves You With More Questions Then Answers

Revisado: 06-02-21

If you are reading this review, you are probably a big Star Wars or Indiana Jones fan. And like most fans, your relationship with Lucas is a complicated one. On one hand, his creative spark on franchises we all have grown up with have left permanent marks on pop culture forever. On the other hand, his desire for complete control over everything, from the history of making the Star Wars films and minimizing the influence of others to his refusal to listen to criticism when making the Special Editions/Prequels.
I have noticed the tide in the fandom has shifted a bit in how one characterizes Lucas in the creation of Star Wars. In an age when film historians are re-examining the history of film and how women have always been silenced, I notice more people want to give more credit to the contributions Marcia Lucas made in making the film. After all, she won the Oscar for it. While the biography does get a bit of armchair psychology with Lucas, it does feel like after the divorce, the story of his life gets into much more broad strokes. Leading up to the divorce, the biography was granular in details which was exciting. But it seems like those years from 1983-2016, so much of his life was cut out. Grant it, he wanted to spend more time with his family but it also feels like there are missing pieces in the puzzle for his complete denial to the artists and craftmen/women who helped make the first trilogy possible and actively erasing them with the release of the Special Editions (the biographer never addresses the fact Lucas refused to release the theatrical cut with the Special Editions).

If you want to get more insight into the man, this is a good jumping off point. However, if you want a history of Star Wars or Indiana Jones, look elsewhere. Most of the information can be found in the "Empire of Dreams" documentary.

There are great sources on the internet, looking to examine how it was a team effort in making Star Wars, not just Lucas himself.

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Emotional, Insightful and Profound

Revisado: 04-29-21

Obama’s presidency was a time that was hopeful, optimistic but disappointing in someways. Like many millennials, I came of age during the War on Terror and informed me on my politics. Wishing for change to the status quo on our endless wars and our internal conflicts with each other.
Enter Obama, my first vote for a president when I turned 18. I felt so optimistic about our future and hoped he would propel us to a new era in American History. 8 years later, we all know what happened.
This memoir I believe really brings everything into perspective. I feel this allows all of us, those who agreed or disagreed with his decisions to really understand his rationale.
On top of that, he is an incredible writer. He vividly recounts events while also bringing historical context to all the events in his presidency.
Highly recommend for those who want to understand Obama, several years after his presidency.

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Prophetic, Old But Very Insightful

Revisado: 04-25-21

I am not connected to China in anyway on a personal level. I have never been to China and have only traveled to Taiwan as a layover.
My context in understanding China is through the American lens.
In these highly tensing of relations between the US and China, I wanted to explore their history outside of the daily news.
The Great Courses really outdid themselves with this series. Engrossing yourself in a subject that one is not super familiar with from someone whose not just an expert but also at the crossroads in the subject matters history.
The UCLA professor really did an amazing job giving context to all the cornerstone events in China’s history in the past 200 years.
Understanding China with context is so important as we enter the next round of decades.
However, it’s published date does make it somewhat out of date. Recent events such as democratic backsliding with Hong Kong, Trumps presidency, Silk Road initiative, COVID-19 and the new tense relations post Trump does change the landscape for the final lecture.
Despite that, the lecture series is amazing in giving full context on past historical events which still give a clear picture on events happening even today.
Highly recommend

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A Pretty Sweeping Biography of the Hollywood Icon

Revisado: 03-12-21

Chaplin is one of the most controversial figures in all of Hollywood. His legacy towers in the lore of the old Hollywood system and how his persona, glossed up for the 1992 bio-pic, this book definately does not shy away from the shadier side of his life.

The book does a good job of balancing his genius but also his betrayal and abuse of other. The contradictions of the man are fascinating and it's a good crash course in the material.

I feel though it does seem somewhat dated in it's approach. The copyright, I believe, was 1996 and it would be interesting to see how Chaplin would be written in the post #MeToo era.

My biggest gripe is the narration. It's very boring/slow and lacks any passion.

Other then that, I would recommend to anyone wanting to learn more about the details of Chaplin's life.

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A Good Start to a Larger Discussion

Revisado: 12-23-20

I’ve only recently become a fan of Matt Yglesias and Ezra Klein during 2020. They quickly became my favorite podcasters because I felt they did a great job of bringing nuance and context to interesting topics.
So when Matt was pitching around his book on the Vox podcasts, I was genuinely excited.
And while it is a good read, it still feels like it’s only scratching the surfaces of a lot of topics. For example, on Joe Rogan’s podcast, he really drilled Matt about the issues that would arise with farming. At first, I thought it was just Rogan needlessly drilling Matt on a topic that he himself is more interested then the subject of the book.
That said, having listened to his chapter on the topic of farming, Matt does seem to gloss over a lot of issues that could arise such as the loss of foreign buyers of our own resources which comes with extra taxes, etc.

THAT SAID.... it still was an inspiring topic and I would recommend to anyone to listen to it.
I just wish it was longer and he could really dive into making something like this work rather then a mere thought experiment.

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A MUST for Disney Fans

Revisado: 10-14-20

As someone who has read about Disney History for years, I found this book to offer such incredible windows into a forgotten history. Highly recommend

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A good start for people wanting to learn how to be more insightful travelers

Revisado: 08-18-20

I have been lucky to have traveled to every continent on our planet and I find the advice and insights Livermore provides are great stepping stones to start your journey.
Keep in mind, when talking about particular regions, he uses broad brushes to describe the cultures (and he says so multiple times).
For me, as someone who has traveled with purpose and sense of eagerness to learn how other cultures lived, it was nice to hear how my instincts were validated by research and university studies.
For someone who wants to learn more about how to be a better traveler, I’d highly recommend it!

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