Otis Frampton's Blog

A good cop having a bad day.

Drawn and colored in Photoshop CS4 using a Cintiq 21UX.

-Otis

Five years ago I put together a list of 10 "Desert Island Films", movies that I considered my absolute favorites. I thought it was time to re-assess the list and see if any changes needed to be made. It turns out that two films dropped off the list. One of them was a suprising choice to get the axe. Okay, not completely surprising.

It turns out that for the first time in my life I can honestly say that not one "Star Wars" film is on my list of all time favorite movies. The last time I tried to watch one, "The Empire Strikes Back", I couldn't even make it halfway through. The prequel trilogy has simply done too much damage to the story of the original trilogy for me and the magic is gone. So "Empire" gets the axe from my list of Desert Island Films.

The film I'm replacing "Empire" with is a very surprising one for me. I didn't expect to like "Marvel's The Avengers", much less love it. But love it I do. A lot. I have seen it about 20 times since last summer (I actually watched it twice in the last week) and it never fails to bring me the same joy I felt after that first viewing last May. It may be premature to add it to a top 10 list so soon after its release, but I feel fairly safe in my choice. I love this movie, every second of it, all the way through the credits and right up until Thor takes that giant bite of shawarma.

The other change to the list comes in the form of swapping out one Hayao Miyazaki film for another one. In 2008 I was uncertain of which film to choose. I knew I had to include one of them and I had four to choose from that I thought I liked equally. It turns out that there was a clear winner and it wasn't the movie I had chosen five years ago. Last year I had the chance to see any of the Miyazaki films on the big screen during a theatrical retrospective of his films at a local cinema. I only had time to see one and I chose "Kiki's Delivery Service". So "My Neighbor Totoro" gets bumped for "Kiki".

So here is my revised list of 10 "Desert Island Films" (in alphabetical order):

Marvel's The Avengers

Casablanca

The English Patient

Kiki's Delivery Service

Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Rear Window

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

When Harry Met Sally

The eight films that remain on the list all safely retain their slots. I've watched them all at least once since 2008 and I even saw two of them at retro showings on the big screen last year. I could sit down and watch any of these films right now and they would feel as fresh as they were on the day I first saw them. Feel free to list yours. Not the 10 movies that you think are "the best", but the films that mean the most to YOU.

There are no "best" films, anyway. In the end, there are only stories that mean more to you than other stories.

-Otis

This is a commission. The buyer said "give me an image that could come from Star Wars Episode VII with the characters on Tatooine". This is what I came up with.

Jedi Knight Leia, Han Solo, a wookiee and Jedi Master Luke Skywalker getting ambushed by thugs in Mos Gamos.

Enjoy.

Drawn and colored in Photoshop CS5 using a Cintiq 21UX.

Go HERE to see WIP photos of this piece.

-Otis

2012 was, in my opinion, something of a strange year for films. It saw the release of my favorite super-hero film of all time (and knocking 1978's "Superman: The Movie" from the top of that list is quite a feat) and it finally gave me the follow-up to 2001's "The Lord of the Rings - The Fellowship of the Ring" that I've been waiting for. But it was also filled with movies that either disappointed me greatly ("John Carter", "Snow White and the Huntsman", "Skyfall", "The Bourne Legacy") or simply left me shrugging my shoulders with disinterest upon leaving the theater ("Brave", "The Amazing Spider-Man", "Prometheus", "Cloud Atlas"). But at least the Christopher Nolan "S.W.A.T.Man" film series came to an end this year so that maybe someday we'll finally see a really good live-action Batman film hit the big screen. I'm still hopful...

Ultimately, it was a year where there were very few bright spots, so much so that two retro-releases earned a spot on my list of film faves for 2012.

So here are the five films that I enjoyed seeing the most in a movie theater this year...

Casablanca 70th Anniversary Release

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Marvel's The Avengers

Raiders of the Lost Ark IMAX Release

Wreck-It Ralph

****

Previous Film Fave Entries:

-Otis

This is a warm-up piece featuring Gollum from "The Hobbit".

Drawn and colored in Photoshop CS4 using a Wacom Cintiq 21UX.

-Otis

As some of you know, I've been hired to draw a back-up story for a graphic novel based on "Chosin", a documentary film by .

Well, it turns out that the graphic novel is not the only new project that will have ties to that film. Brian and co-director Richard Meyer have announced a new Kickstarter campaign to help finance an animated movie based on the Battle of Chosin.

I'm proud to be involved in the campaign in a very small way (my comic story as well as original sketches will be offered as Kickstarter rewards) and I wish Brian and Richard success in their effort to create this animated film.

Please go to the Chosin: An Animated War Film Kickstarter page, watch the video and throw a few duckets into their virtual hat so that the story of the Marines of the Battle of Chosin can be told in this new animated film.

Thanks!

-Otis

This is a digital commission featuring Black Widow from the movie "Marvel's The
Avengers".

This piece was drawn and colored in Photoshop CS4 using a Wacom Cintiq 21UX.

-Otis

This is a digital commission featuring Hawkeye from the movie "Marvel's The
Avengers".

This piece was drawn and colored in Photoshop CS4 using a Wacom Cintiq 21UX.

-Otis

I thought I'd get in on the Cyber Monday Sale action today by cutting the prices of some of my Big Cartel Store items in half. That's right...half!

You can snag a signed copy of "Draw, Monkey!", my 2012 convention sketchbook, for just $5.00! And the first six people to order a copy will get a piece of original artwork featured in the book. I only have about 30 copies of the book left and when I'm sold out, the book will not be reprinted (I'm already working on my 2013 convention sketchbook, more info on that soon...). So if you want a copy this is your last and best chance to get one.

And today only you can buy a page of original artwork from my webcomic "The Song of Xanthia" for just $20.00!

This is a one day only Cyber Monday sale, so shop away!

-Otis

This is a warm-up piece featuring Baby Doll from "Sucker Punch".

Drawn and colored in Photoshop CS4 using a Wacom Cintiq 21UX.

-Otis