Viva La Revolución

THE MOOTS POINT 1.3 - THIS MIGHT HURT A LITTLE.

Chris Coots writes…

FILM REVIEW

Sicko directed by Michael Moore

The Nitty Gritty: The infamous Michael Moore sets his sights on the highly profitable American health care industry, weaving HMO horror stories of the middle class and insured with visits to western nations that offer free universal healthcare; tragedy and hilarity follow.

Culture: It’s (mostly) without politics and it’s already shaking the foundation. Like his other films, Sicko has balls. But it feels less like a personal vendetta and more a human plea for change. It is still one-sided, basic propaganda – but with a heart. Everyone will have an opinion on its motive and execution, I will just leave you with Moore’s closing words from the film. “We’re all in the same boat. No matter what our differences, we sink or swim together. That’s how it seems to be everywhere else. They take care of each other, no matter what their disagreements. You know, when we see a good idea from another country, we grab it. If they build a better car, we drive it. If they make a better wine, we drink it. So if they’ve come up with a better way to treat the sick, to teach their kids, to take care of their babies, to simply be good to each other – then what’s our problem? Why can’t we do that? They live in a world of we not me. We’ll never fix anything until we get that one simple thing right. And powerful forces hope we never do, and that we remain the only country in the western world without free universal healthcare."

2008

a sure sign this election cycle will be unlike any previous

the hook is catchy too.

THE MOOTS POINT 1.2 – OPPOSITES. UNATTRACTIVE.

FILM REVIEW

Eagle vs. Shark directed by Taika Waititi

The Nitty Gritty: Set in modern day New Zealand, it’s a tale of two socially awkward misfits and the clumsy methods they employ in searching for companionship and fulfillment. Lily the hopeless romantic works at a burger joint and she’s crushing hard on mulleted and insensitive video game clerk Jarrod. After Lily gets unjustly booted from her job, she throws caution to the wind and crashes Jarrod’s “come dressed as your favorite animal” party. Sparks fly, but just as Lily is willing to risk everything for love, Jarrod becomes more interested in carrying out ultimate vengeance on a Samoan bully from his high school past. Road trip. Awesome.

Culture: Comparisons have been made to Napoleon Dynamite, and rightly so. The respective films feel like international stepsiblings in regards to art direction, musical score, and out-of-left-field quotability. But while Napoleon jumped on the scene as a breath of fresh air (and quickly became annoying) Eagle vs. Shark lives in a different realm – embracing grown-up issues (suicide, revenge, depression, death of parents) with the same cartoonishly hilarious visuals. It’s less a breath of fresh air, and more strange. So strange is this tale of losers in love, so desperate and deranged are the heroes’ efforts for acceptance, that the film feels more an anarchic tragedy in waiting than a lighthearted comedy about outcasts looking for love. The bizarre content and inconsistent stop-animation interludes might distract the viewer from what the story is really about; amid the weirdness, the characters rise above their loser status, romantic ideals and revenge fantasies, thusly, learning to have faith in who they are. After all, even lonely people can get to know each other.

BEST NEW MARKETER

Scott Goodson writes:

Strategy magazine just released their 2007 Cannes issue, featuring Vic Bertrand, CEO of Mega Brands on its Cover as one of the best and brightest new marketers of the year. The article focuses on Mega Brand's recent successes as a direct result of the brand strategy and creative work created and led by the Mega team at StrawberryFrog.

FROGTALENT WORLD

Scott Goodson writes:

When it comes to building a company where talent thrives, I've been a long believer that actions speak louder than words. Sure there are ways to make people happy, such as bonuses, raises and higher titles and like other responsible firms we do this. But more than that, it comes down to details like creating an environment where people feel that they can make a difference. This does not mean anarchy or a lord of the flies’ kind of office setting. It simply means to be the captain of the ship, to believe in talent and add inputs to build and focus talent further. What is more wonderful and inspiring? At the Frog we spent the first 6 years not entering any award shows and instead putting all that investment back into staff, doing annual agency trips to the world's most inspiring destinations for team building, a Frog Conference for education and for inspiration, to spend time with other members of the Pond who you normally don't meet on a daily basis. Below are some of the places we've been. Istanbul, Iceland, Marrakech.

THE MOOTS POINT 1.1 - CONVERSATION BEHIND THE WALL

Chris Coots writes…

FILM REVIEW

The Lives of Others directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

The Nitty Gritty: In 1984 East Germany, an idealistic Stasi Captain is assigned to spy on a popular artistic couple who are suspected of Western learnings and a general disloyalty to the GDR. As layers unravel and the true motive for the assignment is revealed, the Stasi Captain’s empathy for the couple grows and he begins to doubt the integrity of the regime he so firmly believed in. A story grounded in humanity as much as it is in history, The Lives of Others wraps you up in an emotional torrent of secrets, denial and strained love for both person and place.

Culture: Winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film, this story presents a timely perspective on a society that monitors and makes statistics of its population. Where can the line be drawn in trying to protect the ideals of a nation/organization/movement? Where is the revolutionary heart without its respective oppression? What do we have left to fight for when we win?

Pond Party

Paul Wachter writes:

Last Thursday, Frogs gathered at our Madison Avenue penthouse pond to celebrate the agency's hard work over the past year and all the new faces around the office. It was the largest event of its kind, with close to a hundred people in attendance. The audience was a gentle mix of colleagues and friends.

The weather for the party was beautiful, with the deck door left open for Hugger, our agency dog, to run in and out. StrawberryFrog is actually one of only seven advertising agencies in the country that allows dogs at work (except for seeing eye dogs).

Bins full of fried chicken and corn bread were consumed at the party. The tempo of the evening was kept by three Brazilian musicians playing drums and guitar. The "Silver Top," a drink created by Coots in honor of our ECD's birthday, both loosened our tongues and warmed our hearts.

Earlier in the day, the agency presented Kevin with a short birthday film. The presentation culminated with a gift of baller neon yellow and mustard colored Nike sneakers. Here's a slide from the film, poking fun at Kevin's outrageous sock attire.