If you’re new to Directorama, you ought to start here at the beginning.

So, this is it. The very last episode of Directorama, the filmstrip. The website will live on as my personal blog where I’ll occasionally publish random thoughts and film-related cartoons whenever inspiration strikes me. I hope you all enjoyed this series as much as I loved putting it together. Watch this space for news about a Directorama Complete book collection and my upcoming short film Out of Sync (the Facebook page can be found right here).

An enormous Thank You should go out to Keith Uhlich, my patient editor at The House Next Door, for spotting all those embarrassing spelling errors and putting up with endless “minor revisions” (even long after the publishing date). You were the best partner in crime I could hope for, my friend!

I told you it’d get ugly…

Next week’s epilogue will be the very, very last strip. To make up for it, it’s a double episode. Be sure to bring a box of tissues.

NEXT WEEK: If you think this means the future of cinema is secured, think again!

Out of Sync update: Last Saturday we shot preliminary footage for my upcoming short film. The first three shots are in the can (figuratively speaking, considering we’re shooting this on the RED). The weather was absolutely wonderful–let’s hope the light will match with what we’re going to shoot next. Principal photography is on July 7 and 8!

To be kept in the loop and see pictures of the cast, visit Out of Sync’s Facebook page and become a fan.

Responsible adults… As if! Looks like the complete meltdown of moviedom is just around the corner.

NEXT WEEK: Death Unleashed! No more delays. Within seven days from now, Smithee’s MacGuffin will be revealed.

It’s pretty clear by now that everyone at Heavenly Muse Inc. is thoroughly fed up with Smithee’s abusive behavior. Something’s gotta give. Just four more episodes to go… I’ve already finished sketching and I can’t wait for all of you to see how it ends!

Next week, Smithee will be taking extreme measures to prove his point!

For those who don’t know: I’ve started a Facebook fanpage around my upcoming short film Out of Synch. Everyone who joins in will receive special updates and assures himself of the earliest viewing possible! Here’s the link:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Out-of-Synch/102874433759

The countdown to movie armageddon has started. In five weeks from now, this strip will see its (bitter?) end. Relieved? Disappointed? Let me know.

For more information on what I’ve been up to lately and what has made me decide to pull the plug, check this post.

One of the other ideas I had for this episode was for Smithee to ask the God of Pay TV for a “proper” ending to The Sopranos, but that would imply he’s got some form of taste.

I’m going to take a little break with Directorama, but don’t worry: the funny little men in the orange robes will be back real soon to complete the second season story arc. Meanwhile, I’ll be sure to keep posting interesting stuff to keep you entertained. Watch this space for a very special Making Of post on a commercial I’m currently directing. Also, I recently dug up a twenty-year-old comic of mine that I intend to color, translate to English and publish.

For a daily dose of Peet, you can find me on Facebook (I’ll accept any Directorama fan as a friend, as long as you introduce yourself). Current status: I’m re-reading Alan Moore’s Watchmen (who isn’t?).

I finished this week’s episode before the Oscars began. Figured it was a safe bet. First thing this morning (in the Netherlands the Academy Awards take place at night) I logged on to the IMDb and found out that Heath Ledger did indeed win. Well-deserved…

Nothing more to say.

Of all the posthumous get-togethers I’ve thought up for this strip, this is the one I most eagerly wish to join.

Tex Avery’s quick wit and absurdist invention (especially during his time at MGM) has made me cry of laughter innumerable times, and Chuck Jones‘ Roadrunner is the best Albert Camus-approved antidepressant in the world. Some of you may be less familiar with Ward Kimball, but he’s a personal hero of mine. As the most idiosyncratic of the legendary Nine Old Men, he introduced 50s modernism to Disney, without ever losing a healthy appetetite for old-school “hurt gags” (which his über-modern peers at UPA so despised). Shorts like Toot Whistle Plunk and Boom (1953) and Mars and Beyond (1957) belong to the very best animation ever produced.

Click on the titles for more information on Waltz With Bashir, Persepolis and Wall-E. Honorable mention: Sita Sings the Blues.

As far as Alan Smithee’s soft spot for a certain CGI Barbie is concerned: the less said the better.

Alan Smithee turns out to be quite the connoisseur, doesn’t he?

NEXT WEEK: Smithee’s “poetic musings” on animated films.
Can you see a pattern evolving here?