Sita Sings the Blues is Champaign Urbana comic strip artist and animator Nina Paley’s inspired animated vision of the Ramayana—the ancient Indian epic of Hindu mythology—intercut with a modern-day story about the director's own failed relationship with a man who goes to work in India. The film thrillingly blends numerous visual styles, influenced by Indonesian shadow puppets, commercial Hindu iconography, and classic Hollywood animation from the likes of Max Fleischer and the UPA Studios. Jerry Beck of Cartoon brew calls it "Visually beautiful, extremely entertaining, it has so much going for it I really can't think of anything I'd change about it. Imagine Betty Boop in a Bollywood musical!”
Directed by Chicago native Bruno Vesota, The Brain Eaters shows us strange things happening in Riverdale, Illinois. A huge, seemingly alien structure has been found jutting out of the earth. Sent to investigate the origin of the mysterious object, Senator Walter Powers discovers that parasites from the center of the earth have infiltrated the town, taking control of the authorities and workers, making communication with the outside world impossible, and leaving the responsibility of stopping the invasion up to Powers and a small group of free individuals.
The Brain Eaters draws on 1950s Cold War hysteria, but it also had some interesting back story. Producer Ed Nelson, who also stars in the film, created the parasites himself using little wind-up toys covered with fur from an old coat and pipe cleaners for antennae. The producers of the movie were sued by Robert A. Heinlein, who claimed the plot stole several elements of his novel, The Puppet Masters. The suit was settled out of court.
These films showcase Illinois directors and demonstrate the breadth of the horror and thriller genres.
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