tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43747707492831792002024-03-05T08:00:31.571-08:00chewable newtYour daily dose of music, movies, and riboflavin.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger232125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374770749283179200.post-29560513451905111672017-03-20T23:32:00.001-07:002017-04-04T20:38:34.034-07:00Pawns of Fate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqhQpdbd1B0y54ldak_fRnuZfA6EnnOVnbS2TuHdyDHVTKnRgiBJU3BTDiiCfHChct2KaOe_kcoPh7-thSwYHmZISv1H1ix04f6lG841Tn51EDXEu48jeD8PloS8IRNfjGWKafuDwxL4k/s1600/Creighton%2527s+Set.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqhQpdbd1B0y54ldak_fRnuZfA6EnnOVnbS2TuHdyDHVTKnRgiBJU3BTDiiCfHChct2KaOe_kcoPh7-thSwYHmZISv1H1ix04f6lG841Tn51EDXEu48jeD8PloS8IRNfjGWKafuDwxL4k/s320/Creighton%2527s+Set.jpeg" width="164"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhkcdyezbAwHVFgwFcFvUzp9g-Mv1UAa2KfIEGnI3LXuuNPovwO0ccti0cmkIKlAu0zcSoLKCdGKPtRtT4ifS3HeaFz44W-t3s31Vf4JOb31936x5r9jF1JA-AL19dAa7UcIaea-znu6k/s1600/Mild_Mannered_Pate.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhkcdyezbAwHVFgwFcFvUzp9g-Mv1UAa2KfIEGnI3LXuuNPovwO0ccti0cmkIKlAu0zcSoLKCdGKPtRtT4ifS3HeaFz44W-t3s31Vf4JOb31936x5r9jF1JA-AL19dAa7UcIaea-znu6k/s320/Mild_Mannered_Pate.png" width="142"></a></div>
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<i> Fair traveler, I know that you must have a story. Why else would you visit such a place?</i></div>
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By it's own admission, Dark Souls II is murky<i>, </i>i've seen many struggle to make sense of the lore, but one thing i noticed, every single person misunderstood what was going on between Creighton and Pate.</div>
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<a href="https://chewablenewt.blogspot.com/2017/03/pawns-of-fate.html#more">#readmore - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374770749283179200.post-17221060107401203012017-01-07T06:50:00.000-08:002017-01-07T06:50:09.030-08:00over twenty-sixteenLast year, was just a year, deal with it.<br>
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best album:<br>
<b>Danny Brown </b>-<b> Atrocity Exhibition</b><br>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2E_fbmDH2_A" width="640"></iframe><br>
Danny Brown is punk rock, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/live/2016/jun/02/the-avalanches-release-first-new-music-in-16-years-on-triple-j-live?page=with:block-574fb13ae4b00d22af5df81e#block-574fb13ae4b00d22af5df81e">just ask the Avalanches</a>.<br>
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<a href="https://chewablenewt.blogspot.com/2017/01/over-twenty-sixteen.html#more">#readmore - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374770749283179200.post-54005063902952409942016-02-20T07:44:00.000-08:002016-02-20T14:49:51.225-08:00Prometheus II: Paradisio<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7XzqCUbiPc4" width="640"></iframe></div>
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What other than this could happen to Shaw when she finds god?<br>
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</div><a href="https://chewablenewt.blogspot.com/2016/02/prometheus-ii-paradisio.html#more">#readmore - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374770749283179200.post-39011611460532461742016-02-14T06:04:00.000-08:002016-02-14T06:04:35.679-08:00You met me at a very strange time in my life.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLcobvsKiqm53Lx1_kkyGgSp5jE5CX2uQ-gkhEitlPRK1aSWamdff-aO9YBI1ivpNP5b3ISHHtQGb0gFT3jVU4aMQjqMX_qAwUmFKi2vrfvAWSUWugJGsZyEWLkJ6KuUIlSSMTzjWAAcU/s1600/life2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLcobvsKiqm53Lx1_kkyGgSp5jE5CX2uQ-gkhEitlPRK1aSWamdff-aO9YBI1ivpNP5b3ISHHtQGb0gFT3jVU4aMQjqMX_qAwUmFKi2vrfvAWSUWugJGsZyEWLkJ6KuUIlSSMTzjWAAcU/s640/life2.png" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<a href="https://chewablenewt.blogspot.com/2016/02/you-met-me-at-very-strange-time-in-my.html#more">#readmore - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374770749283179200.post-6538159992093940952016-01-21T19:29:00.000-08:002016-02-01T07:51:19.258-08:002015, still no hoverboards.The future is still however, fantastic, as is the soundtrack.<br>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Hey QT</b></span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1MQUleX1PeA?rel=0&controls=0" width="640"></iframe></div>
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A song right out of anime, that's an advertisment for a semi-fictional drink?</div>
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This is extremely my shit.</div>
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<a href="https://chewablenewt.blogspot.com/2016/01/2015-still-no-hoverboards.html#more">#readmore - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374770749283179200.post-13075363716822094642015-04-29T11:24:00.000-07:002015-04-29T11:28:34.129-07:00Only what you take with you.<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><i>When I was a child, I spoke like a child, thought like a child, and reasoned like a child.</i></span></b>
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<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZzHEgMbna77AuSmnHnLyDklEbl0jrzi3WFDDmktk7p8ezRp0iFFyFTjfSfkwlcCwHFPFZN91odY4_XP5BDFnEpep6qHByMIjk0EUZhc_7pCLEfqHyVvIMGK-YRC_Z2_OE2OjCSKdgbik/s1600/star-wars4-movie-screencaps.com-3810.jp" height="136" width="320"></td>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifxiFNL2LwpmHVJDLLBtsJvpDKTfVwoCbdROscmIgV6RVAPOCgdpHRJGxVc-pzY_UYurHxlFOI-7JlKpz7bDIdD1jCgasHpRPfAI5Evd1I7q_r_CPCFdlUDHZ11ApKlDOWm2BC2WLjKvo/s1600/star-wars4-movie-screencaps.com-3839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifxiFNL2LwpmHVJDLLBtsJvpDKTfVwoCbdROscmIgV6RVAPOCgdpHRJGxVc-pzY_UYurHxlFOI-7JlKpz7bDIdD1jCgasHpRPfAI5Evd1I7q_r_CPCFdlUDHZ11ApKlDOWm2BC2WLjKvo/s1600/star-wars4-movie-screencaps.com-3839.jpg" height="170" width="400"></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: small;"><i>When I became a man, I gave up my childish ways. </i></span></b>
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<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4lZ1nYaOCcRrXSD7N6J5RP2ScLuKkOqNxfQsxyE40GLhl3e0eM9krzkJCn9cADg09eMIBhnDzIkE6np4UuwnM04jkUBAzTcdeCkvNTOuFA21KGzK_Usqq_wY6pSrMHqzIXxTsZQa_I5U/s1600/star-wars6-movie-screencaps.com-13469.jpg" height="136" width="320"></td>
<td><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJx3RsOnfKIc-BbnMBbPAit-vVkpZSa5WF4gS409SNVBf8eyZHP1qWm_isIY3RyorFS20Td4k-kIlYz9QEoNKIXLtN0sqB6BA5mbwTlD4BaSIk_NrV-4VMfRO1lvEBqDuYqTt_mb2BPi4/s1600/star-wars6-movie-screencaps.com-13470.jp" height="136" width="320"></td>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsLecOHugWnfA_nw2AV9xFuXLbyWXkhrMidwIvIyYA90VQ5hTHbPdxQ1E7cj7rAkOzW4NBMt_XWToMoQeNOUwOqD1NlEZE021ZDlW-VGgi76cGpCCe7CPdt1Ib8xSxgVDUK_fGu-ziPRg/s1600/star-wars6-movie-screencaps.com-13476.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsLecOHugWnfA_nw2AV9xFuXLbyWXkhrMidwIvIyYA90VQ5hTHbPdxQ1E7cj7rAkOzW4NBMt_XWToMoQeNOUwOqD1NlEZE021ZDlW-VGgi76cGpCCe7CPdt1Ib8xSxgVDUK_fGu-ziPRg/s1600/star-wars6-movie-screencaps.com-13476.jpg" height="170" width="400"></a></div>
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There's a great anecdote, about how Alec Guinness met a young boy that claimed he had seen Star Wars over a hundred times. Guinness, a smart man, realizing that Star Wars was just a fairytale, or more cruelly a tale of "secondhand, childish banalities", tried to make the child promise him to never again watch Star Wars. <br>
<a href="https://chewablenewt.blogspot.com/2015/04/only-what-you-take-with-you.html#more">#readmore - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374770749283179200.post-46244896633571932392015-03-03T23:33:00.002-08:002016-02-01T06:15:36.144-08:002014 was a year.Let's talk about music, and maybe some movies, yeah?<br>
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<b>Wannabe</b> by <b>FEMM</b></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vwfNPtnPl4E" width="560"></iframe></div>
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Far East Mention Mannequins, or FEMM are a Japanese pop group, that seems to be a commentary on the artificial nature and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNtuAvGvRo8">sexism</a> inherent in pop music. i do quite love that their album is entitled "Femm-Isation"</div>
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<b>Hello Kitty</b> by <b>Avril Lavigne</b></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LiaYDPRedWQ" width="560"></iframe> </div>
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i'm guessing Japanese pop culture was in last year? This song is odd, as it seems to be Lavigne, trying to embrace Ke$ha style party fun, and giving it a cutesy Jpop coat. It doesn't really work as it's more embarrassing to listen to than <i>Your Love Is My Drug</i> but it is interesting, and a total guilty pleasure.</div>
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<b>Ultraviolence</b> by <b>Lana Del Rey</b></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T5xcnjAG8pE" width="560"></iframe></div>
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This album is a far cry from the hip hop influenced <i>Born To Die</i> and fits more into a dream pop daze, it is however absolutely lovely and contains some of Lana's best work to date. i chose <i>Brooklyn Baby</i> as it's just an adorable song that often recedes in my mind. What more could one want than a lovely woman to sing while you play guitar?<br>
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</div><a href="https://chewablenewt.blogspot.com/2015/03/2014-was-year.html#more">#readmore - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374770749283179200.post-44764950607622007182014-02-24T06:07:00.000-08:002015-04-24T04:36:49.284-07:002013 was a mighty fine year.i'd like to share some of my favourite music from last year.<br>
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<b>Tennis Court </b>by<b> Lorde </b></div>
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"It's a new art form, showing people how little we care" Cynicism is the enemy, being detached, apathetic, it's everything wrong with art these days. i don't have too much to say about Lorde, everyone already knows her, and her message, as it appears in every one of her songs. i just feel this is the best off her album. </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/GinJuHGnPkw" width="640"></iframe></div>
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<b>You Can't Be My Girl</b> by <b>Darwin Deez</b></div>
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When i first saw Darwin, i thought he looked that way because he was playing the loser outsider in this video. but soon found that's how he always looks: "Darwin Deez is a band/guy. If you go to a Darwin Deez show, you’ll see
me on stage with three other instrumentalists/friends. The music we
play is authentic, homegrown, minimal pop/rock that I write from the
heart, baby ... i write and play all my songs on a 4 string electric guitar in my own
tuning. my parents are baba lovers like pete townshend. lovers of meher
baba." The video is quite an interesting message, being super imposed into all these different stock scenes where he doesn't belong, portraying his guitar solo as violence and anger. Just a great lonely guy song. "I think I love you are horrible" is one of my favourite lines in recent memory.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/q604eed4ad0" width="640"></iframe></div>
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<b>Yeezus</b> by <b>Kanye West</b></div>
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Yes, the entire album. Kayne is the most important living musician right
now, and this is by far his best album, only ten tracks long and each one completely devastating. And i mean, just, holy
shit.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWTuQ5J0AMxWJ7dIO_orQblzinjbJKdaDBjNIsqfudV3073rixVCzXJ8DIgvMensklznl92bcFW_JS_J0NEh1kQ3UuAbsj3hyooh8brrFMeyCLKIYqCBRidAfSJ9im1dznp_97t0qJgY/s1600/kanye-west-2013-vmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSWTuQ5J0AMxWJ7dIO_orQblzinjbJKdaDBjNIsqfudV3073rixVCzXJ8DIgvMensklznl92bcFW_JS_J0NEh1kQ3UuAbsj3hyooh8brrFMeyCLKIYqCBRidAfSJ9im1dznp_97t0qJgY/s1600/kanye-west-2013-vmas.jpg" height="305" width="400"> </a></div>
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</div><a href="https://chewablenewt.blogspot.com/2014/02/2013-was-mighty-fine-year.html#more">#readmore - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374770749283179200.post-64933012985455394132014-01-18T11:36:00.000-08:002015-04-24T05:28:40.926-07:00The Tale of a Mighty Fine Lady<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/n3xwSP-kDiE" width="640"></iframe></div>
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<i>The Woman Called Fujiko Mine</i> is a fun and intriguing anime. For not only does it capture the style and humour of the original Monkey Punch manga, it also takes some terrible cliches and drops them on their heads. And i feel it is worth mentioning the director and the overseeing writer of the series are both women.</div>
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Going in, i knew absolutely nothing about this series, other than it focused on Fujiko Mine, the trailer i posted above, and the art in the first episode on youtube were enough to sell me on it. i mean, how goregous is that art style? How fantastic is that <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42nRARQSGDA">soundtrack</a>?</div>
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The gist of the story is bringing the gang together and getting to know
them, and mostly learning the story of Fujiko.Which basically turned out to be that of sexy lady thief in the 1960s.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39MhFQihiGFxuccpHP5woCUnyt8ZJE6skFDkyJczir27b8LFKY2kSiq8cIPcqUpwYkn15Gyj2PzWdJzm_Hc04aquLMTVmaUF5qgcd3zsgYyOr7-hQLX6u6Wzku59s2ZPbSmEsM3h3wxE/s1600/Lupin-III-A-Woman-Called-Mine-Fujiko-009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg39MhFQihiGFxuccpHP5woCUnyt8ZJE6skFDkyJczir27b8LFKY2kSiq8cIPcqUpwYkn15Gyj2PzWdJzm_Hc04aquLMTVmaUF5qgcd3zsgYyOr7-hQLX6u6Wzku59s2ZPbSmEsM3h3wxE/s1600/Lupin-III-A-Woman-Called-Mine-Fujiko-009.jpg" height="360" width="640"></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hi-diddle-dee-dee, goddamn, a pirates life for me.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div><a href="https://chewablenewt.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-tale-of-mighty-fine-lady.html#more">#readmore - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374770749283179200.post-87114698128373050452013-10-06T03:43:00.001-07:002015-04-24T05:36:48.899-07:00The Moonchild is upon us.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-dtgSLJ-gaDJ2HeNJMNbTPDemHx7yZ7bnr3Rlk1QI_L1Oa12MEpDU5zNuueha_bYfm_X8m8FBu3QC3bjqaDSE_andCs0XvwMjFNbbsilhAQQXFaYiPm_dB4xynbPwCQrGZgTd29fZk0/s1600/IMG186-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk-dtgSLJ-gaDJ2HeNJMNbTPDemHx7yZ7bnr3Rlk1QI_L1Oa12MEpDU5zNuueha_bYfm_X8m8FBu3QC3bjqaDSE_andCs0XvwMjFNbbsilhAQQXFaYiPm_dB4xynbPwCQrGZgTd29fZk0/s640/IMG186-2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The League of Extra Ordinary Gentlemen: Century 2009 (2012)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWOfCkHBhj-C4l7rQTMryvIY9TvZ4ZvvkpIL2fm-OTY4RebvDgkR89Dd0-vtdhpZVg5MhxjowDm-oiIIh6nSqBB2WAJzbrqSX9C6iOXKsAiDD4f09hROpfsknFgwxcTPyEgWJhSBQJlA/s1600/rs_560x415-130830150852-1024..miley-cyrus-twerk-vma.ls.83013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcWOfCkHBhj-C4l7rQTMryvIY9TvZ4ZvvkpIL2fm-OTY4RebvDgkR89Dd0-vtdhpZVg5MhxjowDm-oiIIh6nSqBB2WAJzbrqSX9C6iOXKsAiDD4f09hROpfsknFgwxcTPyEgWJhSBQJlA/s1600/rs_560x415-130830150852-1024..miley-cyrus-twerk-vma.ls.83013.jpg" height="474" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MTV Video Music Awards (2013)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neil have foreseen the future. Some terrible new aeon is upon us.<br />
<br />
Actually if i read <b>Century</b> correctly, i think it just means women are about to rule the world.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374770749283179200.post-19520229740947372312013-07-16T09:26:00.001-07:002013-07-16T11:13:38.978-07:00Girl, you'll be a woman soon.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPWjKk8-MB6uf2FbLrJ88yCjolbbJF5u-7t_2CVApfLZJ5RSXcNjBDMX-hIyes1RkVGfCzqqUfxX2sM24AO7jbjpAzAgF3jrD6Bbfl1-Z1Ga0wUa4bb3vQQ9n1j3klLE4Yx1HtorCPto/s1600/tp101_0375.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZPWjKk8-MB6uf2FbLrJ88yCjolbbJF5u-7t_2CVApfLZJ5RSXcNjBDMX-hIyes1RkVGfCzqqUfxX2sM24AO7jbjpAzAgF3jrD6Bbfl1-Z1Ga0wUa4bb3vQQ9n1j3klLE4Yx1HtorCPto/s640/tp101_0375.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Audrey Horne in <i>Twin Peaks</i> "Northwest Passage"</div>
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Directed by David Lynch (1990)</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"</span><b>He's got emotional problems. Runs in the family.</b><span style="font-size: large;">"</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp0PJM_vi1QJnbg6mshYcvhzndDDeEbeKLs7L9O_IqF39FWwak9ZuJbX8zkwu_1lpKLaz_W59MKkSJtxKSr4ellFs72XXm8GPXKbFWJik2ai1KnpmiYxG9fVqT2DTssYZrKxKFlTh6vbI/s1600/stoker-1910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp0PJM_vi1QJnbg6mshYcvhzndDDeEbeKLs7L9O_IqF39FWwak9ZuJbX8zkwu_1lpKLaz_W59MKkSJtxKSr4ellFs72XXm8GPXKbFWJik2ai1KnpmiYxG9fVqT2DTssYZrKxKFlTh6vbI/s640/stoker-1910.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aBG0vMlRRQEM5sqjZOTbxcHwSjAe-u6VumyXGDaV-cL5ysSoFuIJ6DKZUs-TO0v_PUmNwX97abrzZH9uDT-0YQhzV1c8UJSHvScvR7NjXDaf7_opqM4dPz8Utm_-1VkZsRXJBZe4g9M/s1600/stoker-1927.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3aBG0vMlRRQEM5sqjZOTbxcHwSjAe-u6VumyXGDaV-cL5ysSoFuIJ6DKZUs-TO0v_PUmNwX97abrzZH9uDT-0YQhzV1c8UJSHvScvR7NjXDaf7_opqM4dPz8Utm_-1VkZsRXJBZe4g9M/s640/stoker-1927.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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India Stoker in <i>Stoker</i></div>
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Directed by Chan-wook Park (2013)</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">"<b><span style="font-size: small;">Just as a flower does not choose its color, we are not responsible for
what we have come to be.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Only once you realize this do you become free,
and to become adult is to become free.</span></b>"</span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374770749283179200.post-35772131827404836872013-07-11T05:20:00.000-07:002015-04-24T05:36:12.185-07:00Black rainbows in the eyes of God.<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Q1ertVYn750" width="640"></iframe><br>
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To understand where this movie is coming from, there's a few things you should watch first: </div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<br>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://youtu.be/AqSZhwu1Rwo">New Age Cults!</a></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KA5CEUZH1AA" width="480"></iframe><br>
The aesthetics of 80s synth pop<br>
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<a href="http://youtu.be/4LgLGK9-WC4">The death of God and birth of Mother Earth from Begotten</a></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5_vVGPy4-rc" width="480"></iframe></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The Philosophy of Carl Sagan<br>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IuhgBvOWb_k" width="640"></iframe><br>
Sci-fi psychedelia of Saul Bass<br>
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</div><a href="https://chewablenewt.blogspot.com/2013/07/black-rainbows-in-eyes-of-god.html#more">#readmore - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374770749283179200.post-89149177228069043482013-06-30T19:51:00.000-07:002013-07-11T04:01:49.043-07:00Do you know the difference between love and obsession?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
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"Let us imagine an individual trying to
perform some simple manual task - </div>
</blockquote>
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<br /></div>
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<img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqeHlymNYD4FDuJICZ-RPnFKjtDe2VdwFMvnTmW60jFQtusgr8Xudi3smsLYLUIJPTtGV0jXiGhnZeaPaAG2vCnyLh6jpEHd9RNW7n0_bHqYbOv9B7svnFTG4SGWIKjT14HFZOZlu-3Qs/s640/drive229.jpg" width="640" /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
- say, grab an object which repeatedly
eludes him;</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfYsWMI6QItJIo1kc5wY6KbwNI4GjT5KEZb4yeEHzpFKN-s3rVENrPWKQHuNPR9npImQEMsDZnoDY-PyIBW1yq8DXq2w_F97DgUxjqzwtBBkXNCTqJNFC4YCIaESqL1GFoBjpZTy65Vc/s1280/drive183.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivfYsWMI6QItJIo1kc5wY6KbwNI4GjT5KEZb4yeEHzpFKN-s3rVENrPWKQHuNPR9npImQEMsDZnoDY-PyIBW1yq8DXq2w_F97DgUxjqzwtBBkXNCTqJNFC4YCIaESqL1GFoBjpZTy65Vc/s640/drive183.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
the moment he changes his attitude, starting to find
pleasure in just repeating the failed task,</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7PI6P2zm9ACpJpQSLlDF1TTWKwSkQFq9XaBrGbprWIezUmHkRK9-7na40IAyGb-fPFMJcBULzLzJ_9ESVGDrSwFQ6c5W4x6FHIaimgWJylqBYYpiDD4vz50qb60lKf-EEPRtIOxNTwkw/s1280/drive232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7PI6P2zm9ACpJpQSLlDF1TTWKwSkQFq9XaBrGbprWIezUmHkRK9-7na40IAyGb-fPFMJcBULzLzJ_9ESVGDrSwFQ6c5W4x6FHIaimgWJylqBYYpiDD4vz50qb60lKf-EEPRtIOxNTwkw/s640/drive232.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFmtsqRnUgE7EfNYd34uznO14o4bqYprDfpdD7akdfPg0_YZkUCiZkcng60Rk1Njgt9OSpStJqLlZm16JiukWccWgeHsQO9xzhAK1aCKXNNxeNnOTCrsJA1LvIxJdJGkTb2j2fkc4IWSg/s1280/drive231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFmtsqRnUgE7EfNYd34uznO14o4bqYprDfpdD7akdfPg0_YZkUCiZkcng60Rk1Njgt9OSpStJqLlZm16JiukWccWgeHsQO9xzhAK1aCKXNNxeNnOTCrsJA1LvIxJdJGkTb2j2fkc4IWSg/s640/drive231.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUuXXGAg6N_-ivV5FJFrk5orTDbsxwyBZHLTeR4dIkPHKRgBQRYRZh_RJrf5k6s9tyJ2R94p-HN4x7_VUptstm040Ww-tNeULQ5UqJSnxYaY9vgEn_5oJwYwSAOa1Cv_dsTH6jn8VGWrs/s1280/drive241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUuXXGAg6N_-ivV5FJFrk5orTDbsxwyBZHLTeR4dIkPHKRgBQRYRZh_RJrf5k6s9tyJ2R94p-HN4x7_VUptstm040Ww-tNeULQ5UqJSnxYaY9vgEn_5oJwYwSAOa1Cv_dsTH6jn8VGWrs/s640/drive241.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
squeezing the object</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsK1tvCxAJokucffh13hbNlJ-d0cGbJPSsZgw09wwJYTY2gnMRmhVSR-jVbZU-Sjas8yUEZkBGsBP_XJ7wmLoh_h0vBEXQ-PoD0lCw6e2RlC-SquIEns9-fPbrCxgGa6f2P5nKW8bNTPI/s1280/drive194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsK1tvCxAJokucffh13hbNlJ-d0cGbJPSsZgw09wwJYTY2gnMRmhVSR-jVbZU-Sjas8yUEZkBGsBP_XJ7wmLoh_h0vBEXQ-PoD0lCw6e2RlC-SquIEns9-fPbrCxgGa6f2P5nKW8bNTPI/s640/drive194.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
which,
again and again, eludes him,</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW4f_epU1_KEtELXOUFB031DI88ltOC_JYAm-twpEsPq3UCXDhn4ix3pTdYiy1Ex_DrOfLOhqPV8vuLQqKu_95JA59EcJb0GpNdpYrTc0Xp3536dn_wWE8hlZpiK9aWQZupQoDVKtw6e0/s1280/drive085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW4f_epU1_KEtELXOUFB031DI88ltOC_JYAm-twpEsPq3UCXDhn4ix3pTdYiy1Ex_DrOfLOhqPV8vuLQqKu_95JA59EcJb0GpNdpYrTc0Xp3536dn_wWE8hlZpiK9aWQZupQoDVKtw6e0/s640/drive085.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
he shifts from desire to drive."</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9lRLFeNMJriVXt-R0xoi3Y8RHKSrS84_xq70dlAy8GmPsGe-6bs_u26xDG5WluKZ812NBsjz49SAw009ebVwpxiOegeXX7uYig385MBPvMHBQHyLLQIDFk74L90gUPhmPAfOXwh2xvgI/s1280/drive437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9lRLFeNMJriVXt-R0xoi3Y8RHKSrS84_xq70dlAy8GmPsGe-6bs_u26xDG5WluKZ812NBsjz49SAw009ebVwpxiOegeXX7uYig385MBPvMHBQHyLLQIDFk74L90gUPhmPAfOXwh2xvgI/s640/drive437.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2qMZqFEsr5fBkq2ZGv9n2uEjq79wX1aIZkIcdX38o-_Ky8R0CHtAoKKlh07upmeo02f1XX7o7fgP2z72Oosfi5mcZWs1yPFsmugLOPE3v2LtzSdGfYd0BHcWAOdvb6MukrJwa7rd_Fk0/s1280/drive449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2qMZqFEsr5fBkq2ZGv9n2uEjq79wX1aIZkIcdX38o-_Ky8R0CHtAoKKlh07upmeo02f1XX7o7fgP2z72Oosfi5mcZWs1yPFsmugLOPE3v2LtzSdGfYd0BHcWAOdvb6MukrJwa7rd_Fk0/s640/drive449.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> - <b>Slavoj Žižek, <i>The P</i></b></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b><i>arallax View </i></b>(2006)<b></b></span></span></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374770749283179200.post-110767481014523782013-06-07T09:39:00.000-07:002017-02-06T17:06:43.876-08:00Uraveling Isaac<br />
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The Binding of Isaac is not only one of most entertaining video games i've ever played, it's also by far one of the most interesting. i've heard this game described as a Roguelike meeting The Legend of
Zelda, and while the dungeons and enemies are like Zelda, and the random
nature of the floors and items is Roguelike, i feel that's just the
setting, or the structure, To me the heart is how you attack, how you play, it's
reminiscent of old arcade games like Asteroid or Centipede, there's even
elements of both in the games enemies. And that is what drew me into
the game. But not the only reason to love it. The story of Isaac, is somewhat based on that of the binding of Isaac in the Bible, God tells a parent that they must sacrifice their child to him. The story itself isn't the important part, but how it is presented however is.<br />
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You get told the story through the drawings of Isaac, this game is in his imagination, not to say that his mom isn't really trying to kill him, we see in the first ending, after he finishes the drawing of him defeating her, she really does burst into this room with a knife. So i imagine Isaac, much like the biblical one, gets saved by an act of God, in this case, his mother getting brained by the Bible. In all subsequent endings, we see Isaac pulling things out of a chest, i imagine the chest his mother locked away his "wicked things" in. The first thing he takes out is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fez_%28video_game%29">fez</a> that allows him to play Judas, which is a pretty funny burn honestly.<br />
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But this just further illustrates the point that Isaac has a strong imagination and likes to play dress up. As we see from the loading screens however, this causes the other kids to tease him. The loading screens are a really fun and brief glimpse into the life of Isaac, we see Isaac crying in the fetal position, surrounded by darkness and evil, he has various thoughts that make him cry, kids teasing him for dressing up as a girl, getting pantsed in front of a girl, people busting down the door while he's in the bathroom, falling to his death in his magically appearing cellar door, or and of course, hyperventilating inside of his chest.<br />
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And that's' the heart of the game, as you'll notice, every room of game is shaped like the inside of a chest. The last character you unlock is ???, and while Eve is just Isaac in a wig and make-up, just as Samson is Isaac in a Rambo gear, ??? isn't Isaac in a costume, he's Isaac's ultimate fate, alone and blue in the face. He's dead son, ran out of air. Suffocated. It's also worth noting how many of his memories involve him getting pantsed or otherwise exposed. His clothes are apparently part of his wicked ways, so Isaac spends the entire game cold and shamed, lying naked on the floor.<br />
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Enough of the story though, let's get into the real meat of the game:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is the only instruction the game ever gives you. </span></td></tr>
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A game that doesn't hold your hand is a godsend in this day and age.<br />
Sometimes items you pick up are nice enough to give you hints of what they might do, most of them just like to make jokes, and from what we already know, the joke is always on Isaac. As you can perhaps tell from the sketches on the floor, tears are Isaac's only defense. The power-ups you gain are things that would increase your tears, everything from onions, dead pets, a rock to the head, and the one i find the most tragic, a hand mirror with the description "My reflection"<br />
There are roughly five types of items, alterations (i feel calling them upgrades or power-ups would be dishonest), space bar items, trinkets, familiars, and orbitals.<br />
At any time you can have up to three orbitals circling Isaac, these act like a shield, anything that hits them won't hit you, some do damage when contacting enemies, one even fires when you do.<br />
Familiars are followers, most of them are just additional tears, but some drop items, others give extra lives, a few attack of their on volition, then there's The Holy Water which is completely useless.<br />
Trinkets have random effects, from having a chance to act like another item, changing room drops, or even giving you a chance of getting bombs, hearts, keys, or extra money whenever you pick up a coin. They were added with the Wrath of Lamb expansion, and can be both useful or a hindrance depending on your goal. With the exception of The Tick, you can always swap one out with for another.<br />
Space bar items, i tend to think of as "OH Shit!" items. Tammy's head is a good example, when you hit space to hold up the head of your dead cat, tears shoot out of you in all directions. Not all space bar items do damage, some can change your tears for the duration of the room, others can give you a shield of make you invincible for a short time, they all have a charge though, and to recharge you must clear rooms with enemies, some recharge after one room, most seem to be three rooms, some even take up to six. Combat items tend to recharge quickly, the already mentioned Tammy's head only takes one room, while items that make you fly or invulnerable, usually have the max six charge needed.<br />
And now on to the most important items, alterations. Any alteration you pick up is permanent, though some can over-ride others.These items can change your stats, charge your space bar items, let you fly, change your attack from tears to urine, nearly anything you can think of. The one constant with these items though, is they all physically alter Isaac in some way (save for a few health ups. but considering they're dog food and spoiled milk with names like "Lunch" and "Dinner" they just serve to give us a bit more insight into the life of Isaac.)<br />
Let's take a look at some screen shots of my most recent Judas run:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here in the womb, Isaac has transformed to a flying demon that shoots giant bloody tears.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">By this point, Isaac had become a tiny cat, roughly the same size as his orbitals and familiars.</span></td></tr>
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Or to really display how crazy things can get, enjoy this animation from a random Isaac run:</div>
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In the penultimate ending, having already pulled everything out of the chest, we see Isaac reading the Bible that saved him earlier. He then looks up at his mirror with a troubled look and watches as his reflection changes into a demon. Now in his mind, he feels his mother was right, with a sad look on his face he locks up the last wicked thing in the chest, himself. i mention this because it is interesting how twisted Isaac can be by the end, no longer a scared naked boy, but an avenging angel with a conjoined twin growing off his face, or a cybernetic demon twice the size he started, sometimes you can even be just a floating head. The point is items, even those from God, change Isaac, no matter what you do, you're a monster by the end.</div>
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In a recent <a href="http://edmundm.com/post/51416553970/binding-of-isaac-fast-facts-now-they-need-to-do">tumblr post</a>, game creator Edmund McMillen brought up that the annoying pile of guts boss known as Gurdy, was originally supposed to be a pile of dead Isaac's. And goes on to point out that even though they strayed from it in a few cases, all the enemies are supposed to be twisted versions of Isaac. This is most apparent with the Gapers, they're just zombie Isaacs with blood streaming from their eyes. They then start rotting and swelling becoming Muligans, creatures that explode into flies when killed, from there they become Hives, even worse for wear and now actively spitting flies for defense. The final stage seems to be the Swarmer, a decrepit face being flown around aimlessly by the flies that live off it. Other than the psyche of Isaac, the enemies represent death and decay. Though it is presented in the way a kid understands it. Flies spawn from poop and rotting things, maggots are a separate creature. My pet cat Guppy isn't really dead because he has nine lives...</div>
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As you can see from the gif i posted earlier, at the end of The Womb, you fight It Lives!, Isaac in fetal form, a boss that starts out being called Mom's Heart. You destroy past Isaac, the one mom loved. After this feat, you can move on to heaven or hell, or as they're called The Cathedral and Sheol. After defeating Satan in Sheol, you get the ending of Isaac hopping in the chest, flashing as every character and a demon to boot, though not ??? obviously. After defeating Isaac in The Cathedral you get the ending of him reading the Bible and it making him feel like he's wicked. The sad glance at the chest. As for The Chest, well i need to bring up the neat progression the game has first. You get the game's first ending is the first time you beat Mom. Later you move into the womb and fight the already mentioned Mom's Heart, which after you defeat it enough times turns into "It Lives!" Defeat that enough, Sheol opens up, with Wrath of Lamb Expansion you can also unlock The Cathedral. Now the first few times you beat The Cathedral you gain a piece of a Polaroid, fortune telling machines throughout the game tell you a cryptic "Bring Him The Photo" And once you get all the pieces, Mom starts dropping a Polaroid trinket, take it to Isaac and you get access to The Chest. The Chest, on top of having rooms full of multiple bosses, is unique in that you can't bomb any of the doors open. The place is difficult, Isaac's make believe won't let him escape, he is confronting reality in the form of ???, his own mortality. After defeating ??? we get a series of photos being placed inside the chest, they show Isaac's family being happy, his until now unmentioned father shown there smiling with Isaac and his mother. Then there are shots of Isaac dressing up like his mom, Isaac cowering from his shadow which looks like an evil demon, Isaac's mom coming after him with a knife, and the last photo seems to be Isaac and his mother watching his father leave.</div>
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Two of the most powerful items in the game are related to his parents, the first is Mom's Knife, a weapon of little range but devastating power, you even put on Mom's dress while welding it. Perhaps wicked Isaac caught Psycho on TV one night. The next, which is rather difficult to unlock, is Daddy's Love, it's part pun on the Daddy Long Legs boss, part metaphor for Isaac's relationship with his father. While you have this item, there is a shadow following Isaac around, when you enter a room with enemies, the shadow moves and a spider leg stomps down on them, usually killing them in one hit (the games AI actually gets a bit confused if it doesn't kill them). Even though his father isn't there with him, his father still loves him, is still looking out for him. No really, he can beat you up!</div>
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The most havoc you can wreak however, is by transforming into Isaac's dead cat Guppy. As i mentioned Isaac seems a bit in denial that Guppy is dead, when you die, the game brings up Isaac's diary-cum-will, leaving all the cool items you grabbed on that run to Guppy.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">No man please, i freakin' hate Gurdy.</span></td></tr>
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When you become Guppy, your face and body change into that of a cat's (and it's adorable), you gain spectral flight (if you didn't already have a flight ability) and you spawn insane amounts of kamikaze flies every time you fire on an enemy. Have a fast enough fire rate and your swarm will clear the room for you. Having completely unlocked everything in this game, i usually tend to strive for becoming Guppy every run. So much fun.</div>
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i imagine Guppy is the most powerful partly because he's a bit hard to unlock (you have to gather three of four Guppy parts) but mostly because i imagine Isaac loves that cat more than anything else in the world. He has no friends, his mother is crazy, and his dad is gone. Just a boy and his cat.</div>
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(i suppose there are also the uber-powerful <a href="http://supermeatboy.wikia.com/wiki/Dr._Fetus">Dr. Fetus</a> items, but that's just <a href="http://bindingofisaac.wikia.com/wiki/Ultra_Pride">Edmund's ego</a>)</div>
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All in all, this game is a brilliant look in the mind of a lonely and troubled boy, he spends all day lost in his imagination because he has nowhere else to go. And i just love the way it's presented, even ignoring the various endings, you learn so much about this poor boy from the items he picks up, and the effect they have on him. i fear some people may write this game off, because it's full of immature jokes and internet memes. However, what else would you expect to find inside the mind of a little boy? It's all videogames, memes, and things that make him cry.</div>
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The gameplay itself is also top notch, the controls are tight, like Super Mario Bros. tight. Nearly every time i die, i know it's my fault and not game's, nearly. i won't lie, it is an insanely buggy game, spiders randomly slip through cracks and Mr. Maw will slingshot across the room without warning, and there are things that just plain don't work. Edmund however is addressing this, and completely redoing the game, and adding all sorts of new things, and while part of me is looking forward to a harder and better crafted game, part of me will miss the bugs you can exploit in this one. </div>
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One useful technique, that i think was a feature and not a bug, and hope will be in the remake, is repeatedly beating the same boss with the help of Guppy. See, you can pick up Guppy's tail, which makes drops change into loot chests, or Guppy's Head which is a space bar item that summons flies, however you can also just pick up Guppy's dead body. This item is seemingly useless at first, and rightly avoided by beginners, but can be used beautifully with the right knowledge. Guppy gives you nine lives, but takes you down to one heart each time you die. So what good are nine lives if you only have one heart? Well, if you kill yourself in a boss room, you'll spawn outside of the room, and the boss will respawn when you enter again. Normally you're only going to do this in the early levels, but after defeating a boss ten times, the drops stack up, ignoring the stat up items, the health drops alone should put better off than you were before picking up Guppy. So this might be a bug as it seems exploitative as hell, but on the other hand it takes skill, and what other use could Guppy even have?</div>
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And if you're interested in more of the wonky mechanics of this game, be sure to check out<a href="http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL00B14FEA9CCAE647"> Xaiter's excellent Let's Play.</a> Nearly every trick i know, including the Guppy trick, i learned from this LP.</div>
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Bugs and all, The Binding of Isaac is one of the best videogames i've ever played, and if you haven't played it, you're doing yourself a great disservice.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374770749283179200.post-49148404020622162822013-02-28T22:47:00.000-08:002013-07-11T04:02:06.968-07:00CoupletsFor the past few years on my <a href="http://dosomecrimes.tumblr.com/">tumblr</a>, i've been posting the lyrics to songs that have something in common one after another. They share the same idea, the same phrasing, or there's something vague that links these songs together.<br />
i don't have a special tag for them or anything, so i'm gathering them here, and will likely continue making a new post every time i feel i have enough to post.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The follies of growing up:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h4>
As we get older and stop making sense</h4>
<div class="caption">
Talking Heads - Girlfriend is Better - 1983</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h4>
We let our hair grow long, and forget all we used to know</h4>
<div class="caption">
Arcade Fire - Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels) - 2004</div>
</blockquote>
Now granted, <i>Neighborhood #1</i>, seems to be more a childish utopia of living in tunnels of snow "Then we think of our parents, well, what ever happened to them?" Though Girlfriend is Better is hardly a bastion of maturity: "I got a girlfriend with bows in her hair and nothing is better than that" They both convey a sense of loss while growing up. And it's true, people forget the joys and horrors of being a child, adults make no sense.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Baby it's cold outside:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h4>
Why keep me cold, when it’s so warm inside?<br />
Come on baby, your love is too good to hide</h4>
<div class="caption">
J. Geils Band - Give It to Me - 1973</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h4>
‘cause it’s cold outside, when you coming home?<br />
‘cause it’s hot inside, isn’t that enough?</h4>
Crystal Castles ft. Robert Smith - Not In Love - 2010</blockquote>
The original <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp4-hosv0Us">Platinum Blonde</a> and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZwnSSY2Ofw">Crystal Castle</a>s versions of <i>Not in Love</i> have the lyrics "hot" for both lines. And well, while being hot all over is good too, i prefer Robert Smith's revision. It taps into something completely different. The warmth of you woman, of us, will keep us safe from the cold world, so hey have sex with me. i do love the end of <i>Not in Love</i> where he finally succeeds "<b>We</b> are not in love" Emphasis mine.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Snu Snu:</span><b><br /></b>
</div>
<blockquote>
<b>I was lost in a jungle, couldn't find my way</b><br />
<b>And I saw a naked landing, staring at me, oh yeah</b><br />
<b>She was swinging up and down, on a vine</b><br />
<b>Eating with her hands and looking so, so fine</b>
<br />
<br />
Rocket From the Crypt - Tarzan - 1998
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h4>
Saw her in the Amazon<br />
With the voltage running through her skin<br />
Standing there with nothing on<br />
She gonna teach me how to swim</h4>
<div class="caption">
MGMT - Electric Feel - 2007</div>
</blockquote>
In the second verse <i>Tarzan</i> goes on to say how she taught him how to monkey. And has the brilliant chorus "You could be my Tarzan, I can be your Jane" It also has two of my other favourite lines "Can I get feral with you?" and "You make the tiger go wild!"<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Late nights, women, and booze:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h4>
“It’s getting late,” she said.<br />
She touched my face.<br />
“Let’s stay out late as we can.”<br />
We’ll drive around the lake, just a little too fast.<br />
My eyes on the lights, her hand on my shoulder.<br />
Yeah, windows down, the wine in our heads.<br />
The city lights just blur, the city lights just blur.</h4>
<div class="caption">
Minus the Bear - Monkey!!! Knife!!! Fight!!! - 2002</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h4>
Stay out super late tonight, picking apples, making pies.<br />
Put a little something in our lemonade, and take it with us.<br />
We’re half awake in a fake empire, we’re half awake in a fake empire.</h4>
<div class="caption">
The National - Fake Empire -2007</div>
</blockquote>
I find it interesting how both songs repeat the last line. Seems the same sentiment, though i do prefer The National's version as it doesn't advocate drunk driving... i could also tie <i>Monkey!!! Knife!!! Fight!!!</i> in with M83's <i>Midnight City</i> "Waiting in a car, waiting for a ride in the dark..."<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Something personal:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h4>
When I was a child I had a fever, my hands felt just like two balloons.<br />
Now I’ve got that feeling once again<br />
I can’t explain you would not understand, this is not how I am.</h4>
<div class="caption">
Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb - 1979</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h4>
I’m the boy with the gun, in the glass in my hand.<br />
I’m the boy with the gun, you wouldn’t understand.<br />
You wouldn’t understand, you wouldn’t understand.<br />
I’m wasted, I’m not jaded, I’ve just felt this way before.</h4>
<div class="caption">
Pinehurst Kids - Switch - 1997</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbghFX6Qx5Ap5m7JUzQ-uEKbaud_47eMUatl4FcXDE9xHbw5GOFnUEiWoPh9YoC6AjJqlAG-j1rfupSqxeL2gO2JINLVsD0zLHcoFWTxPw052MlVUE6-SdrBnI8xm2mPb0W1ryJzzM5zY/s1600/1757265431-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbghFX6Qx5Ap5m7JUzQ-uEKbaud_47eMUatl4FcXDE9xHbw5GOFnUEiWoPh9YoC6AjJqlAG-j1rfupSqxeL2gO2JINLVsD0zLHcoFWTxPw052MlVUE6-SdrBnI8xm2mPb0W1ryJzzM5zY/s320/1757265431-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
What it means, i cannot say, but it is something intimate, something vague, more like a feeling.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Condescension <i>is</i> sexy:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h4>
Well I only call you darling, ‘cause I know how much it bugs you.<br />
And darling, some habits are so hard to break .</h4>
<div class="caption">
the dismemberment plan - Respect is Due - 1997</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h4>
You’re so cute when you’re frustrated, dear</h4>
<div class="caption">
Interpol - PDA - 2002</div>
</blockquote>
Heh.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Must be Italian:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h4>
Destroy everything you touch, today, destroy me, this way.</h4>
<div class="caption">
Ladytron - Destroy Everything You Touch - 2005</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h4>
Hello, destructor! I’m yours for the destroying.</h4>
<div class="caption">
Electric Six - Hello! I See You! - 2011</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
Bret Easton Ellis posted the following on his twitter not too long back:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"And what have you learned about me?" she asked. "That you can hurt me," he replied, very much in love. </blockquote>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Rashomon Effect:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h4>
This conversation is ending, starting right now.<br />
The version of truth that you’re sending, will not be allowed</h4>
<div class="caption">
Knapsack - Skip the Details 1998</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h4>
Yours is the only version of my desertion, that I could ever subscribe to.<br />
That is all that I can do.</h4>
<div class="caption">
Interpol - PDA - 2002</div>
</blockquote>
Nothing is objective, especially the truth. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Windows to the soul:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h4>
Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t find me attractive<br />
Look me in the heart and tell me, that you won’t go<br />
Look me in the eye and promise no love’s like our love<br />
Look me in the heart and unbreak broken, it won’t happen</h4>
<div class="caption">
Tegan and Sara - Where Does The Good Go? 2002</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h4>
Try telling me off.<br />
Try slamming the door and telling me I’m not worth your time.<br />
Or the breath I’m breathing.</h4>
<div class="caption">
Margot & the Nuclear So and So’s - Vampires in Blue Dresses - 2006 </div>
</blockquote>
i love the desperate way "Or the breath I'm breathing" is sung, like the air is being sucked out of his lungs. i've known people that have feared nothing worse than eye contact, the fear that someone might discern their true feelings. Eye contact is powerful though, from Lady Gaga's <i>Monster</i> to Tonic's <i>If You Could Only See</i>.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Words, words, words:</span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h4>
You stuttered like a kaleidoscope<br />
‘cause you knew, too many words.</h4>
<div class="caption">
The Magnetic Fields - Take Ecstasy With Me - 1997</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h4>
You’ve got a big mouth, with big words spilling out.<br />
Come here, give me a kiss, with vocabulary lips.</h4>
<div class="caption">
Thunderbirds Are Now! - Better Safe Than Safari - 2005</div>
</blockquote>
i often know not what to say, but can express it twenty different ways. <br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
On consistency:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>He grabs me by the hand, drags me to the shore <br />
And says "Maybe you don't love me, but you'll grow to love me even more" <br />
And I, well I'm not surprised </b><br />
<br />
Tegan and Sara - My Number - 2000</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h4>
I want a house on the beach, and you in my dreams.<br />
I need water, yeah, and a love, love, love, love.</h4>
<div class="caption">
Tegan and Sara - Time Running - 2002</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h4>
I want the ocean right now<br />
I want the ocean right now<br />
I get so jealous <br />
That I can't even work</h4>
<div class="caption">
Tegan and Sara - So Jealous - 2004</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b><br />
Imagine me there my heart asleep with no air<br />
Begging ocean please, help me drown these memories</b><br />
<div class="caption">
<br /></div>
<div class="caption">
Tegan and Sara - Hop A Plane - 2007</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h4>
So it's been so long since you said,<br />"Well I know what I want, what I want is right here with you."</h4>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="caption">
Tegan and Sara - The Ocean - 2009</div>
</blockquote>
<br />
After <i>Sainthood</i> came out and i heard <i>The Ocean</i> i immediately tied it to <i>So Jealous</i> and <i>Time Running</i>. <i>My Number</i> didn't come in until later, which is funny because it was the very first song i ever heard by them. It does help that it seems a song about being in over your head in a relationship "It's a silly time to learn to swim when you start to drown" <i>Hop A Plane </i>i didn't notice until i happened to be playing it putting all these quotes together. Offhand i can't think of anything from <i>Under Feet Like Ours</i> and i haven't listened to their new album enough to catch anything, but i wouldn't be surprised. Not to imply this is some narrative, i don't which sister wrote what, but it is obvious the ocean is very important to them, symbolically and actually.<br /><div class="caption">
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374770749283179200.post-80051848180179490712013-01-19T21:56:00.000-08:002013-06-09T08:48:22.002-07:00Bi-polar Film Reviews There is a problem in America with how society view and reacts to mental illness. Too often the attitude is "get over it" and from this i can speak from personal experience. Telling someone that's depressed to just cheer up, is about as sympathetic as telling someone with a broken leg to just walk it off. Something else i've had to do, by the way. Ah, the days before cellphones... but i digress.<br />
<br />
There is hope however, social awareness about mental illness is on the rise, and certain taboos about shrinks, drugs, or just being "crazy" are fading away. Slowly, but they are fading.<br />
<br />
Last year in particular had a pretty great push in this direction in the form of two movies.<br />
They both deal with how society treats mental illness, but go in completely opposite directions.<br />
<br />
This first movie is :<br />
<b>Excision</b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rWJHOdjuOlY" width="640"></iframe><br /></div>
<br />
Originally this trailer had Nine Inch Nails' Closer, but they didn't really have the rights, so they had to pull it, but honestly, i feel the music here is better, less cliche anyway. Speaking of music though, the song from this film's credits (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3u1NVACaaM" target="_blank">Waterflower by Pacific Ocean</a>) is really beautiful, reminds me of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z51od0LHq2E" target="_blank">the paper chase</a> in a way.<br />
<br />
i'm not sure what to make of the trailer, it doesn't convey the film in the best way, almost trying to sell it as perhaps an average teenage drama (and in a way, this is true) However the first time i saw it, i knew i needed to see this film. i mean come on, look at those beautiful and disturbing dreams of sex and violence, and John Waters as a priest!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8QDFnYJN1ytFtfGe2Dgo6-CJyMv_0XGOX4MdjnkHpZEPLbYIwIWGpfLOsTBY2nuPlLy6M9Z4x6uRRfysnVCQxfJ2JZgpEkS-As_dCtWsjDjB1ePsMdvFYFeo1IMopBrSFCDrL_hzSwrM/s1600/tumblr_me02tepN2p1rdq2opo1_500.gif" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8QDFnYJN1ytFtfGe2Dgo6-CJyMv_0XGOX4MdjnkHpZEPLbYIwIWGpfLOsTBY2nuPlLy6M9Z4x6uRRfysnVCQxfJ2JZgpEkS-As_dCtWsjDjB1ePsMdvFYFeo1IMopBrSFCDrL_hzSwrM/s1600/tumblr_me02tepN2p1rdq2opo1_500.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh, like we all haven't had this fantasy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
AnnaLynne McCord gives a fantastic performance as Pauline, a teenage girl with some normal teenage problems, but also some really serious mental problems. And the tragedy of this film, is she's on some level aware of how troubled she is, and repeatedly calls out for help, only to be ignored. This sort of thing happens every day.<br />
<br />
Pauline's younger sister has cystic fibrosis, so most of the attention is going to her, society treats physical illness more importantly than we do mental. And it seems to be implied that since they're saving money up for the sister's lung transplant, they're not really willing to send Pauline to a psychiatrist, so instead they send her to a priest.<br />
<br />
There's this really interesting dichotomy in that every time Pauline acts out as a normal teenager, it's a huge drama, you know "Why must she be so unreasonable?" but every time she acts out, in really troubling ways, it's ignored, by family, classmates, teachers, everyone. As mentioned great moments of tragedy come from her moments of clarity, realizing how she's acting.<br />
<br />
Pauline has aspirations of being a surgeon, while being delusional to how it all works, and sister needs a lung transplant, so, you might be able to guess how this film ends.<br />
How it plays out, however, is truly astounding, i've never seen a film end so brutally, so horrifyingly, so fucking tragic, it's almost beautiful.<br />
<br />
While her mother is out, she drugs her father and ties him up, then drugs her sister and the girl across the street, takes them to the garage, and well, cuts them open and switches their lungs, all the while completely oblivious to the fact that she just murdered them.<br />
<br />
Now i might just be speaking for myself here, but i have this real existential horror of the body. Not my body, not your body, i'm not talking Cronenberg body horror here, i mean <i>the body</i>, one that is not living anymore. There's just something absolutely terrifying to me, about being in a room with what once was a human. And to me, that horror is perfectly realized in this film when Pauline's mother walks into that garage.<br />
<br />
i must take an aside to commend both the writing and Traci Lords performance, from the trailer i was afraid Pauline's mother, would just be some two-dimensional bitch, but she does try in her own misguided way, and she really does have depth.<br />
<br />
So when her mother walks into the garage, Pauline is just so proud of what she's done, and everything that her mother has been ignoring comes rushing to her, she charges at Pauline in a rage, but just ends up embracing her, the film ends with them crying and screaming.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKWcY3XEoOAckrVHYYQdqgE0quQru9J8jBrV6gBZ-50K3dNXPnpDL_HQzOOgKxxQIxGQg2r4fxefoAk-0pr4Qa4GeMy1ChXe4W8IBwuXH5nj6RYuX5tPWWJefKvkHrAEr1czzk3vMgZu4/s1600/638.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKWcY3XEoOAckrVHYYQdqgE0quQru9J8jBrV6gBZ-50K3dNXPnpDL_HQzOOgKxxQIxGQg2r4fxefoAk-0pr4Qa4GeMy1ChXe4W8IBwuXH5nj6RYuX5tPWWJefKvkHrAEr1czzk3vMgZu4/s1600/638.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
By far one of my favourite horror films.<br />
<br />
<br />
The next film is a much lighter, romantic comedy:<br />
<b>Silver Linings Playbook</b><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/EI_3ywJLQio" width="640"></iframe><br /></div>
<br />
This film is actually generating Oscar buzz, which is interesting, i just thought it would be quietly ignored by the majority of people, but like i said, awareness of mental illness is on the rise.<br />
<br />
So first up, i also wanted to see this movie based on the beginning of the trailer, the scene where he's ranting to his parents about Hemingway. i can relate to that, and many other things in this film. Though embarrassingly, i somehow missed this movie was by David O. Russel until his name came up in the end credits, which is funny because<b> I <3 Huckabees</b> is on my favourite films, and definitely my most watched.<br />
<br />
So handsome Bradly Cooper plays Pat, a man who lived most of his life without knowing he had any issues with mental illness, until he caught his wife cheating on him, which caused him to snap and nearly kill the guy. His wife pulls a restraining order on him, and he's ordered to spend some time in a psychiatric hospital. The film opens with his mother checking him out, it's been long enough for the court, but they ignore the doctors that think he should stay. She's well intentioned anyway.<br />
<br />
Pat is in denial of many of the problems he has, and is trying to get better for all the wrong reasons, he wants to get back with his wife, he wants to be better <i>for her.</i> <br />
<br />
He then meets the also troubled Tiffany, played by the lovely Jennifer Lawrence. They have an interesting chemistry, they're drawn to each other but also drive each other crazy, drawing out whatever each of them is ignoring about themselves. Eventually they come into an agreement to enter a dance competition, and it all comes together and a cute and romantic way. And i'm not dismissing the film, it really is cute and romantic, it's just the means of coming together isn't as important as the meaning. Like Chuck Palahniuk has said, <b>Fight Club</b>, could have just as easily been Knitting Club, or anything else really.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJaYtsMQzH7M40AJY4o9xFSEVrnnRDxJQ9zZyTMP0qYYp-bkw17Vwnbx5kZwjo79gDzWGVD8VaW3EuSTlwXOv47F8eNCzQKY5U-h5Qby5KwhU4KvryBKjRy-uodw4HWBnomABeWyoTTAE/s1600/Silver-Linings-Playbook-1984905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJaYtsMQzH7M40AJY4o9xFSEVrnnRDxJQ9zZyTMP0qYYp-bkw17Vwnbx5kZwjo79gDzWGVD8VaW3EuSTlwXOv47F8eNCzQKY5U-h5Qby5KwhU4KvryBKjRy-uodw4HWBnomABeWyoTTAE/s400/Silver-Linings-Playbook-1984905.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tea and cereal. Cereal and Tea.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
i did like that Pat almost messed it up by waiting so long to reveal something to to Tiffany, all because he wanted to be romantic, it's just a fun moment with a touch of realism.<br />
<br />
i've heard a lot of bitching and moaning about the end of this movie, how it's some unrealistic Hollywood Happy Ending, and you know, that's bullshit. The entire film is about two people trying to get better, overcome their problems, accept their illness, and move on from the past. The final scene of the two of them being and cute and cuddly, it isn't a happy ever after, no more than it's some foreboding sign of doom. The scene takes special care to show their ring fingers, they're no longer wearing their wedding rings. That's huge, it's symbolic, the movie has showed us that there is no such thing as normal, everyone has problems (and the various healthy and unhealthy ways they deal with them). There is no happily ever after, but there is happy. They're not magically absolved, they're just happy. And i like that a lot.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigKqxHRhi-u2MFopesyoKf68yOmFvgugJnI-01-fMruQXj1X4Vqfke-d56i-LlYeahF3wRvT8ya9qMby-P8KD-rab0sSGU-7pSrj46YnFJ6Ou-VD3-B6pg9ig_Z7IeZvghRPKO5ldH_Rg/s1600/silver-linings-playbook.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigKqxHRhi-u2MFopesyoKf68yOmFvgugJnI-01-fMruQXj1X4Vqfke-d56i-LlYeahF3wRvT8ya9qMby-P8KD-rab0sSGU-7pSrj46YnFJ6Ou-VD3-B6pg9ig_Z7IeZvghRPKO5ldH_Rg/s1600/silver-linings-playbook.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I hope this means Chris Tucker is returning to acting.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The acting must also be mentioned, phenominal performances by everyone, Cooper, Lawrence, Tucker, Oritz. Though honestly, De Niro gave probably the best, he seems a bit unsure over what to think about everything going on with Pat, but is still trying to be a loving father, and he's completely in denial about his OCD and other issues, the two do eventually admit that Pat is a lot like him though. But the moment that really sealed the performance for me was when he was sitting on Pat's bed, crying to his son, about how he wanted to be there to help his son, and how he was afraid to admit he wants his son to be there to help him as well, it was touching.<br />
<br />
It's just a fantastic movie. <br />
<br />
And while i'm not as angry as Pat was with the ending of A Farewell to Arms, it did bother me that of all the mentions of Metallica, there was none of their music featured in the film. And i don't even like Metallica! So here, take out your stress in unhealthy ways to this:<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/uebInqG1pJI" width="480"></iframe> </div>
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i hope i've made the case, not only to why these were two of my favourite films from 2012, but why they're important films as well. Mental illness is just a fact of life, it isn't something that's going to go away if you ignore it, and seeing these two films taking on the issue was really refreshing.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374770749283179200.post-72579284744432411632013-01-07T02:52:00.003-08:002013-07-11T03:38:05.483-07:00Fuck the Cabin in the Woods<div style="text-align: center;">
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So at the end of this film, an Elder God rises from the pit, destroying the cabin and everyone in it, and then it turns to the camera, and destroys it and the audience watching the film.</div>
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That was me, i am the Elder God, i have nothing but contempt for this film and the people that enjoy it, and i want to see them burn.</div>
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No really, not only is this the worst film of 2012 (which i'm just amazed something managed to be worse than <b>MiB3</b>), it's one of the worst films i've ever seen.<br />
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The best way i've come up with to describe this film is it's an ironic episode of <b>Scooby Doo</b>. Scooby Doo is only fun, only charming because of how sincere it is. The same is true of horror movies, the last thing the horror genre, or any genre needs is this self aware, cynical bullshit.<br />
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It's often toted that this movie is somehow a deconstruction of horror movies, however, my question is; How can you deconstruct something without even understanding it? Sure Cabin in the Woods points out that there are character archetypes in horror movies, and that everyone get murdered, but that's not deconstruction. It's just stating what the horror genre is, it's about as meaningful if i were to say "Everyone dies at the end of a Greek Tragedy"<br />
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The main influences on this film seem to be <b>The Evil Dead</b>, and <b>The Texas Chainsaw Massacre</b>. Hell, the main monsters of the film, The Buckner Family are described as "Zombie Torture Redneck Family" which is just combining the monsters from the two. The problem is, Goddard and Whedon seem to have completely misread these films, viewing them as comedies, or worse, films that deserved to be mocked.<br />
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A laugh a minute, i tell you what.</div>
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Let's talk about the Buckers for a bit. Now, they come out into the world like part of a gameshow, yet our meddling teens are terrified of these things, and the scenes are shot like conventional horror. There is however, no weight attached to any of this, never do you fear these redneck zombies, they're just gross looking and dumb. And there's nothing particularity funny about them either, they're just killing the kids. So what is the tone? When people think of Evil Dead, they're most likely really thinking of <b>Evil Dead II</b>, which is a mix of comedy and horror. But the thing is, it never forgets it's a horror movie, and it's very sincere in both the jokes and the gross. The original Evil Dead is a straight up horror movie, the only thing funny about it is Bruce Campbell's acting. That's part of why Evil Dead II works so well, Sam Raimi realized what he had with Bruce's charmingly bad acting. Cabin is uninteresting horror until those behind the cameras think they've won. There's a "joke" where the one guy is talking about how he feels for the Virgin, but then fuck her, booze! This is the detached irony i'm talking about, "Oh how deeply I care, <b>NOT</b>!" It's fucking juvenile. Anyway, during the wrap party, we see our heroine getting the tar beaten out of her like a cartoon character. And i ask "Why?" It's far too over the top to be horrific or to fear for her, and we already get the Crew are uncaring assholes, so it doesn't add to that. It's just more unfunny schlock. <br />
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Another really weird thing about the Buckners is that the film goes out of its way to tell us that they're different from other zombies. The woman didn't win the pool because she bet on vanilla zombies, not torture redneck zombies. So the movie is telling us that monsters in movies are different. But then there's the purge scene. Shaggy and the Virgin release all of the terrible monsters unto the compound. And we see that the film makers understand nothing about the symbolism of these creatures, they're all treated exactly the same. So despite what the movie told us, it's showing us that yes, zombies and torture redneck zombies are in fact the same. We see a bat rip some dudes head off, then we see a unicorn impale someone (ugh). It's the same senseless violence with every monster. The worst offender is probably the Angry Molesting Tree. For fuck sake. i get it, a girl was raped by the forest in Evil Dead, but what is wrong with you that you'd concieve of making it into the cutesy joke? Angry "Molesting" Tree. It also shows the movies reluctance to go into horror, the unpleasant. Rape isn't funny you see. Nothing worse than a horror movie that's afraid to be, well, horrific.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlAGW6OyHd6MsJP02dHO1NoVIkIGIGUn2aZ93kBOGr5cjPk1FTgNymtde0K0P9PdAMuiADlW6aPgLjpD_n8ZP3rVscrWsZP4fFne-GDb8qXXT6JhMLSzynVu1SxS3M4BwdiM3VPo1xetQ/s1600/tumblr_mb7np5YLGG1qcix5eo1_1280.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlAGW6OyHd6MsJP02dHO1NoVIkIGIGUn2aZ93kBOGr5cjPk1FTgNymtde0K0P9PdAMuiADlW6aPgLjpD_n8ZP3rVscrWsZP4fFne-GDb8qXXT6JhMLSzynVu1SxS3M4BwdiM3VPo1xetQ/s640/tumblr_mb7np5YLGG1qcix5eo1_1280.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The closest to horror this film ever gets.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The merman is another problem with the tone in this film, one of the two main guys watching over the teens really wants to see the mermen, he's disappointed that no one ever picks the conch. Well during the purge, guess what monster is coming right for him? Of course this movie being what it is bungles the joke and he's disappointed to see it, we get a sad trombone "Oh come on!" When really, he should have been elated to see it, his dream is finally coming true, the merman in action. He knew he was dead at this point, would he preferred to have been eaten by the giant snake?<br />
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i suppose more than ironic Scooby Doo this makes the movie <b>TV-Tropes: The Movie</b>. It's not about anything, it's just data to collate. Look at <a href="http://thecabininthewoods.wikia.com/wiki/Monsters" target="_blank">this nonsense.</a> An index of all the monsters, stat cards of their origins and attributes. Not a word on what they mean, because in this film they're just a name on whiteboard.<br />
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Then symbolism, the hierarchy of the film all falls apart at the end. So we have the kids, they're the actors, we've got cameras everywhere and the Crew behind them, directing things, doing the special effects, essentially writing it. Then we've got Sigourney Weaver as the Director, she's in charge, get it? And what bizarre commentary that the director is a unseen and non-influential force behind a movie until things go wrong. Then there's the Elder Gods, you know, me giving you the middle finger. The Director claims they're going through this horrorshow to appeal to these gods, so one would think they're the audience, this vicious cycle of cliche stories will continue as long as we demand them. Well, firstly i'm annoyed anyone thinks that horror movies are anyway lacking in creativity or originality. And secondly the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Temperaments" target="_blank">Four Temperaments</a> is something really weird to rage against. This isn't cliches in horror movies, this is basic human story telling that Cabin seems to have a problem with. Anyway, as mentioned at the beginning of the review, after the kids fail to appease the Elder Gods, they break free, first destroying the kids and the cabin, and then breaking the fourth wall, and coming out for the audience. So, The Audience Will Eat Itself? i imagine the film is trying to say, "Hey guys, only you can prevent bad movies." But the decision of using the audience surrogate in the film to deliver that is beyond me.<br />
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This isn't the worst film i've ever seen because it fails at being either a horror or comedy, it's not even trash because it fails to say anything interesting about either genre. What i've really got against Cabin is its lack of sincerity. Take the scene with the cute little Japanese girls defeating the demon, "Fuck you!" the crew member impotently screams. This the ideology of the movie, sincerity and happiness are things to be met with contempt. If the movie is saying only we can prevent bad movies, it doesn't give us an idea as to what a good movie would be. The kids at the end, they destroy the world because they can't think of anything better, they can't turn the evil into a cute animal. If they had actually joined with the monsters (the Cenobites looked sympathetic) and done something new, something with meaning, it might have been an interesting movie. But no, fuck the world, let's get high. Once you stop being a teenager, you should have grown out of the "edginess" required to tell the totality of history of humanity to suck it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_qlnU99p-xXUyM8s84QAxA9EjrKM67SxHOGkQzXBMErC6zv2ByPd1L6u8USOMagBl18XK3BZfp57nhaP9QC_E_5koslu1iA31dwuyTalNP_HwVIrQMLDLiXJ_ZuHzS11aYpNRSh_Wr4/s1600/whedon-goddard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD_qlnU99p-xXUyM8s84QAxA9EjrKM67SxHOGkQzXBMErC6zv2ByPd1L6u8USOMagBl18XK3BZfp57nhaP9QC_E_5koslu1iA31dwuyTalNP_HwVIrQMLDLiXJ_ZuHzS11aYpNRSh_Wr4/s1600/whedon-goddard.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No Donny, these men are nihilists.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374770749283179200.post-27687413558267428482012-12-27T10:34:00.000-08:002013-02-01T21:56:25.248-08:00Twenty twelve in song2012 was the quite the year for music, so here's a few songs that stood out to me.<br />
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<b>Cartoon and Cereal</b> by <b>Kendrick Lamar</b> featuring Gunplay<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/c8Qxtzk-bK8" width="420"></iframe><br />
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Probably the most emotional song of the year, its just a hard hitting song, i mean damn. i'm honestly disappointed this wasn't on <b><span class="mw-headline" id="2012.E2.80.93present:_good_kid.2C_m.A.A.d_city">good kid, m.A.A.d city</span></b><br />
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<b>Vodka & Ayahuasca</b> by <b>Gangrene</b><br />
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Favourite video of the year by far, it's just ridiculous. Also, i never really thought of psychedelic rap as thing, but i really dig it. Dat bass.<br />
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<b>Born to Die</b> by <b>Lana Del Rey</b><br />
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Oh how i love Lana Del Rey, Born To Die is most likely my favourite album of the year. It just seems a somber rebuttal of #YOLO, it's less let's do stupid shit because we're young, and more, let's enjoy what time we have. i mean, she does end up dead in the video, that's not on accident, it's showing how dangerous being reckless is, and how unfortunately love isn't always enough. Lana takes on this very Lolita like persona, most obviously in the song <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jANrlIuqcUw" target="_blank">Off to the Races</a>, which in not only does she sing in a <a href="http://loveline.wikia.com/wiki/Little_Girl_Voice" target="_blank">Betty Boop voice</a>, it directly quotes the book. It's a story of a young troubled girl getting into older, bad men. And how they get her into drugs, money, and sex, and there's this very tragic tone to it all. <br />
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<b>Eula</b> by <b>Baroness</b><br />
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i never knew metal could be this pretty. :3<br />
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<b>Terrorist Threats</b> by <b>Ab-Soul</b> featuring Danny Brown and Jhene Aiko <br />
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This is probably my favourite song of the year, not only was it my introduction to Ab-Soul, but it features everyone's favourite Danny Brown, and he fucking kills it on this track. Just a great political song. "I ain't trying to be nobody's chattel" <br />
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<b>God Wants Us to Wait</b> by <b>The Magnetic Fields</b><br />
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This is the first Magnetic Fields album i've really enjoyed since I. But this song just sums up everything that's fantastic about them. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jf_l3EGQvL8" target="_blank">Andrew in Drag </a>is pretty fantastic too, and has a beautiful video.<br />
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<b>Niggas in Poorest</b> by <b>Yasiin Bey</b><br />
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Just want to say first, there have not been nearly enough songs by Yasiin Bey this year. i love the line "Don't get caught up in no throne" in both what it means politically and a dig at the Jay-Z/Kanye album. Definitely looking forward to more Top 40 Underdogs.<br />
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<b>How to be a Heartbreaker </b>by <b>Marina and the Diamonds</b><br />
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Best pop song of the year right here, really catchy and upbeat. i like it because it's all about how to use men, but then it gets serious and reveals it's all a ruse so her heart doesn't get broken, that perhaps using people is bad?! It's that kind of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cr-SqRWImmI" target="_blank">awareness</a> that has always made Marina one of my favourite artists. i also love it because it's honestly the only video by a female artist that sexualizes men more than the artist that i can think of.<br />
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<b>Die Young</b> by <b>Ke$ha</b><br />
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Similar in a way to Born to Die, but not as somber, i read somewhere that Ke$ha almost didn't want to record the song, for fear that it'd be misinterpreted. It's just a cute song about finding love and enjoying the night, even if the consequences might not be so great. "Stripping down to dirty socks" is seriously one of my favourite lyrics of all time. It's like when she giggles after saying "I like your beard" in Your Love is My Drug, adorable.<br />
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<b>Smoking like the Barrel of a Gun</b> by <b>Candice Gordon</b><br />
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Awesome voice. She screams like a girl, and it rocks.<br />
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<b>Go Hard</b> by <b>Kreayshawn</b><br />
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Oh, Kreayshawn. While i have no comment about the rest of the album, i love this song, it reminds me of weird 90s pop songs, like something that would be in the soundtrack to Tank Girl. Something like that anyway. i want a whole cutesy album of songs like this.<br />
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<b>Hit Me</b> by <b>Mystikal</b><br />
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Man, i thought James Brown was dead.<br />
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<b>play</b> by <b>iamamiwhoami</b><br />
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i actually did a bit of a <a href="http://chewablenewt.blogspot.com/2012/04/in-due-time.html" target="_blank">write up</a> on this earlier in the year, <b> </b>but this song and video, this is pop music, this is entertainment. It's a beautiful work of art. kin fits nicely in both my favourite albums and movies of the year.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374770749283179200.post-80770330159159989362012-12-12T02:27:00.001-08:002013-07-11T03:38:44.039-07:00Batmania Rising<div style="text-align: center;">
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This review has been sitting in my queue, only partially written for the past few months, and in all of the time of reflection and thought on this film, the most I can come up with is "Batman pays for his sins, except not really."</div>
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This movie cribs a lot from Frank Miller's the Dark Knight Returns, in that it starts out with older versions of Bruce and Gordon, both completely miserable with the world they've created. i suppose the distinction, the Nolan twist, other than there being no crime in this film, is that they realize they're to blame. It's a fun angle.</div>
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Now the plot focuses on Talia al Ghul and her goon, her front, Bane, coming to Gotham to finish her father's plan, and to make Bruce pay. And it almost works. Hi-jacking some magical fission device Bruce had developed in his peace-time boredom, the new League of Shadows holds Gotham City hostage and turns it into a beautiful anarchy, or as Žižek had to say:</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;">...the prospect of the OWS movement taking
power and establishing people’s democracy on Manhattan is so patently
absurd, so utterly non-realist, that one cannot but raise the question:
WHY DOES THEN A MAJOR HOLLYWOOD BLOCKBUSTER DREAM ABOUT IT, WHY DOES IT
EVOKE THIS SPECTER? Why even dream about OWS exploding into a violent
takeover? The obvious answer (to smudge OWS with accusations that it
harbors a terrorist-totalitarian potential) is not enough to account for
the strange attraction exerted by prospect of “people’s power.” No
wonder the proper functioning of this power remains blank, absent: no
details are given about how this people’s power functions, what the
mobilized people are doing (remember that Bane tells the people they can
do what they want – he is not imposing on them his own order).</span></blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="color: #f3f3f3;"> This is why external critique of the
film (“its depiction of the OWS reign is a ridiculous caricature”) is
not enough – the critique has to be immanent, it has to locate within
the film itself a multitude signs which point towards the authentic
Event. (Recall, for example, that Bane is not just a brutal terrorist,
but a person of deep love and sacrifice.) In short, pure ideology isn’t
possible, Bane’s authenticity HAS to leave trace in the film’s texture. <i>This</i>
is why the film deserves a close reading: the Event – the “people’s
republic of Gotham City”, dictatorship of the proletariat on Manhattan –
is <i>immanent</i> to the film, it is its <i>absent center</i>.</span></blockquote>
<a href="https://boitempoeditorial.wordpress.com/2012/08/08/dictatorship-of-the-proletariat-in-gotham-city-slavoj-zizek-on-the-dark-knight-rises/" target="_blank"><i>Dictatorship of the Proletariat in Gotham City</i> by Slavoj Žižek </a><br />
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Despite Bane and his forces having a military presence, they only exist to make the corrupt of the past rule pay. Another influence on the story was Dicken's <i>A Tale of Two Cities</i>, so "death by exile" is as much a guillotine as it is great joke.</div>
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Even if you don't agree with such politics, just look at how the characters are portrayed.</div>
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Bane is angelic, his voice is other-worldy, but it's light, it's authoritative, it's almost downright Connery at times. He commands a group that would die at his whim, without an objection. He punishes the rich and corrupt, gives the city back to the people, and is powered by love.<br />
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Batman is demonic, speaks like a bear, defends the lie of the corrupt police, protects the rich, and is fueled only by his hatred of the poor.<br />
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There's also the great bit that Talia is trying to continue in her father's footsteps, while Bruce has done nothing but destroy his father's legacy, literally in the case of the train system.<br />
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i also love that the fission device Bruce developed to help the world would be the downfall of Gotham. Honestly though, i feel the film would have been better had the bomb plot not involved a secret countdown, they should have just used the bomb as they said they would, and then only start the countdown once Batman showed his ugly mug. It would just reinforce how terrible Batman is for Gotham.<br />
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This was also by far the funniest of the Nolan Batmen films, jokes and silly stuff abound, Bane was a complete blast to watch and listen to, and the climax of the film was stolen from the 1966 Batman movie:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzVusVEyhtYLRVpVgKuUF6r0_m7KwEShd3-3qGmAgYhJLBf1ZoL8eOhkLUZpTN_8r7B43vemhgIGw4k7jhHp4vCcRcG-atcSILs6ybGzr45HZr754HPNYZMBOkXpVQOfqwZtqBuiGmikg/s1600/batman_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzVusVEyhtYLRVpVgKuUF6r0_m7KwEShd3-3qGmAgYhJLBf1ZoL8eOhkLUZpTN_8r7B43vemhgIGw4k7jhHp4vCcRcG-atcSILs6ybGzr45HZr754HPNYZMBOkXpVQOfqwZtqBuiGmikg/s1600/batman_6.jpg" width="100%" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Literally the last twenty minutes of the film.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
As for the end itself... it was odd. It doesn't quite drag on as long as <i>Return of the King</i> did, but close enough. And honestly they could have cut away before it showed what Alfred was looking at, just him smiling. Hell it should have been cut like that, the arguments over whether he saw Bruce or not would be hilarious. When it comes to film endings though, i'm a bit cruel (<i>Beyond the Black Rainbow</i>, <i>Excision</i>, and <i>Prometheus</i> are all great examples from this year of endings i love, not surprisingly they're my favourite films of the year as well)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
As mentioned in my revisit of the <i>Dark Knight</i>, this film continues the trends of ending on lies. Batman isn't dead, and now a celebrated hero. Gordon is a hero The rich and corrupt win. But then there's Robin, and Robin was amazing, honestly my favourite part of this film, was when everyone in the audience cheered when they revealed that was his real name. It's just something i never could have anticipated happening. A crowd cheering about the Boy Wonder, fantastic. So maybe there is hope for the future, Robin was sick of both the law and Batman, and now with the resources of an eccentric billionaire, perhaps he can do what Bruce failed to do, any good.<br />
<br />
Over all it was a pretty decent, a bit heavy handed even for Nolan, and Catwoman's objectification wasn't quite as bad as the Black Widow's, but still not anything positive. On the plus side, Bruce and Selina's games were amusing, and Bane as already mentioned was a blast. What i loved about him, is that he was a man of myth, only talked about in about in half truths and exaggeration. He's kind of like a god, only strong as the people that believe in him. Once it's revealed that he isn't the mastermind (i do love that Bruce doesn't remember any of his teachings, the figure head of the League is never really the leader) nor was he mythical child that escaped the pit (he straight up tells the singled minded Bruce he didn't see daylight until he a man), he is promptly shot out of the film by Han Solo. Because much like Bane, Darth Vader was just a henchman, and the whole voice/machine head.... The point is, i laughed.</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374770749283179200.post-743863835469705812012-08-07T11:17:00.000-07:002013-07-11T04:33:30.737-07:00Spooks spooked, goblins gobbled, UFOs K.O.edThis is something i've been thinking about all year, but it seems i should bring it up now that Dan Aykroyd insists that the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/02/ghostbusters-3-bill-murray_n_1733482.html" target="_blank">third Ghostbusters</a> will be coming without Bill Murray.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
It's time to make the third one. - Aykroyd</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Mostly i want to talk about how wrong he is. (With or without Murray)</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Not that i'm against sequels or anything, it's just the movie will be severely out of place if made now.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
You see, <i>Ghostbusters </i>was a film built on the zeitgeist of the 80s.
Ghost movies were rampant and New Age spirituality was on a rise.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi9fhx9sbPe-K0wi0M2P9g3YEimFNcdCyWpUp4f_C9SjYNlWSuZOYK5YaC4Rk4d7st4cSjNIvwB4UpIGoHCQa_FvUAaCvdRDnB9zYjVpXq25VxMsHQTA8tizz0Pi51fiSUV7GbIOPcjrY/s1600/Ghostbusters0052.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi9fhx9sbPe-K0wi0M2P9g3YEimFNcdCyWpUp4f_C9SjYNlWSuZOYK5YaC4Rk4d7st4cSjNIvwB4UpIGoHCQa_FvUAaCvdRDnB9zYjVpXq25VxMsHQTA8tizz0Pi51fiSUV7GbIOPcjrY/s640/Ghostbusters0052.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The film came on the heels of <i>the Shining</i>, <i>the Fog</i>, <i>Poltergeist</i>, and countless other films not nearly as interesting. Not to mention everything that came after, culminating at 1990's <i>Ghost</i>.<i> Ghostbusters II</i>, opinions on he quality aside, was still set in the times of the paranormal.</div>
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These days however, ghost movies seem few, there aren't as many shows about hauntings either, the big topic today is, well:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4TqA_p2yNeRX2RLWPDwtfWfYugieDEE9SLWB77ut58kcFFvAQeILsHrqbanieL7fDN6MdVbFXAaIvVfnGx8iYQ6yueQr0KmxAQWR-EuP_O2wTNlHN9eLF0QqfQOKRHA9GsSbBmMJKuY/s1600/ancient-aliens-guy-big-hair-giorgio-tsoukalos.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="279" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4TqA_p2yNeRX2RLWPDwtfWfYugieDEE9SLWB77ut58kcFFvAQeILsHrqbanieL7fDN6MdVbFXAaIvVfnGx8iYQ6yueQr0KmxAQWR-EuP_O2wTNlHN9eLF0QqfQOKRHA9GsSbBmMJKuY/s320/ancient-aliens-guy-big-hair-giorgio-tsoukalos.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hamburgers</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The biggest movie series right now is probably Transformers, a series about robotic cars from outerspace, then there's <i>Cowboys & Aliens</i>, <i>Skyline</i>, <i>Battle: Los Angeles</i>, <i>Battleship</i>, <i>Prometheus</i>.... and that's what, the last three years? <i>Ancient Aliens</i> nearly has its own channel at this point.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
So instead of busting ghosts, a movie today should feature a group fighting aliens, and i know what you're thinking<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/e8HKYDpWwi0" width="640"></iframe></div>
<br />
But you'd be wrong. You see, i thought of all this before i had even heard of <i>the Watch</i>, and even if i hadn't, that just looks like some aggressively unfunny comedy that happens to involve aliens. i mean shit, compare that long rambling "I'd fuck an old dude" joke to this:<i> </i><b> </b></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Ray</b>: Everything was fine with our system until the power grid was shut off by dickless here.<b> </b></div>
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<b>Peck</b>: They caused an explosion!<b> </b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Mayor</b>: Is this true?<b> </b></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Venkman:</b> Yes it's true. This man has no dick. </div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: left;">
i'm guessing all that movie is about is no one takes them seriously, and then they save the day, the end.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
But you see, there's another issue that <i>Ghostbusters </i>plays around with, namely classism.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVyT0jz_wBQsqhCIfCclCIfN8qB3oaeMar4taRvFXTlgXyHlkzqdU_zhjJpzi_LBPUhN4RZIO77hvdSAm73jEk9_NI6DjsVaQbk4gz_qgykOEwoaND5BloFz5vkUYpBn1RPcRRgYM-xLE/s1600/Ghostbusters0448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVyT0jz_wBQsqhCIfCclCIfN8qB3oaeMar4taRvFXTlgXyHlkzqdU_zhjJpzi_LBPUhN4RZIO77hvdSAm73jEk9_NI6DjsVaQbk4gz_qgykOEwoaND5BloFz5vkUYpBn1RPcRRgYM-xLE/s640/Ghostbusters0448.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The design of the Ghostbusters is brilliant, they dress like exterminators, drive in a hearse style ambulance, and work out of a run down firestation. They're the unsung heroes of society, i mean, it's no coincidence all of their clients are wealthy. Walter Peck is the primary antagonist, he's a government man, the enemy of the blue collar workers (which, despite their PhDs the Ghostbusters are presented to be). Just look at the simple scene where he goes to shut down the containment unit, the guy in the hardhat doesn't want to shut it down, and the cop calls Peck a pencil neck. It's Peck's fault the apocalypse starts. Damn the man.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJCgu6quCo0NX9k1aXfMUNg1gg4bg-Y4PicuXJfkDrkvzJ9tS_Z8jcqVYZHpkx2DE0a5IcAR4dfcgs1F-DoIOyPcalTH8jldkQErvre-e_9LxIJ6MRW9-MByw8DN3LbgPkf2aN9nSKPTE/s1600/Ghostbusters1354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJCgu6quCo0NX9k1aXfMUNg1gg4bg-Y4PicuXJfkDrkvzJ9tS_Z8jcqVYZHpkx2DE0a5IcAR4dfcgs1F-DoIOyPcalTH8jldkQErvre-e_9LxIJ6MRW9-MByw8DN3LbgPkf2aN9nSKPTE/s640/Ghostbusters1354.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.</i></td></tr>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
So, a new movie would have to have a ragtag group against some aliens, and also deal with some socio-poltical issues of today, and when this all clicked in my mind, i realized, this film had already been made:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/cD0gm7dHKKc" width="640"></iframe> </div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
Yes, <i>Attack the Block</i> is the modern day <i>Ghostbusters</i>. You've got a group of inner city kids, it examines how they were brought up, how they live, how society views them, and the main antagonist is a drug dealer, oh and there might also be some aliens running about.</div>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr0yaNetWZP0669X1hoXQpj1Y1v0H2TdNKM8Q_4e3471vBP-aoxlGUFpbMaY7BKOgex7VesivNkVna4x9FTU8ohTJXjhpkGTHTtGIksDZAioimxiInEYIHUquWwqGtqZIsuzxgDylqNPU/s1600/tumblr_lyp020NCTi1qbce2uo1_500.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr0yaNetWZP0669X1hoXQpj1Y1v0H2TdNKM8Q_4e3471vBP-aoxlGUFpbMaY7BKOgex7VesivNkVna4x9FTU8ohTJXjhpkGTHTtGIksDZAioimxiInEYIHUquWwqGtqZIsuzxgDylqNPU/s1600/tumblr_lyp020NCTi1qbce2uo1_500.gif" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ray. It's looking at me.
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</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
i have a feeling this isn't incidental, that Joe Cornish came to the same conclusion as me, that this is what was needed, hell, he even threw in a namedrop to the Ghostbusters. And while i wouldn't say <i>Attack the Block</i> is as great of a comedy as <i>Ghostbusters</i>, it's still a damn fine film, and one of my favourites.</div>
</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374770749283179200.post-72367487361416072352012-08-04T02:59:00.002-07:002013-07-11T04:28:50.579-07:00How I learned to embrace anarchy, and love the Bat-man.i feel i've come a long way since starting this blog, i've matured (somewhat!), i've read, watched, and listened to so much art, and have learned to appreciate it in ways that never would have occurred to me before.<br />
<br />
There's a somewhat infamous internet forum poster, that claims <i>Watchmen </i>was the movie that "broke" them, that it got them to see the art of film, recognize and interpret the symbols and subtext, and so on. There is more to a film than what lies on the surface. My best guess to the film that broke me was <i>Enter the Void </i>"This is us, this is now" were my words, <a href="http://chewablenewt.blogspot.com/2011/03/enter-void.html" target="_blank">well close enough anyway</a>. Since that film, i've written fewer reviews, but i feel, they're hopefully more well thought out than "i didn't like it because plot" or "comics books" and more thinking on what the movies are about, and why they do the things they do.<br />
<br />
The first film i reviewed on this blog, would be <i>the Dark Knight</i>, i've reviewed it twice actually, once after <a href="http://chewablenewt.blogspot.com/2008/07/dark-knight.html" target="_blank">first seeing it</a>, and then watching it again <a href="http://chewablenewt.blogspot.com/2009/01/dark-knight-revisited.html" target="_blank">months later</a>. i also used it to contrast <a href="http://chewablenewt.blogspot.com/2009/01/death-of-batman.html" target="_blank">Batman's death</a> in <i>Final Crisis</i>. And now, i'd like to talk about for the forth time. Because, what can i say, i love Batman.<br />
<br />
Mostly, i'm interested in returning to TDK because of how bad my previous reviews were. "Not my Batman" seems to be my only point, and it's not even really a point, and certainly not anything i agree with now.<br />
<br />
Let's start with <i>Final Crisis</i>:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKLkG27FkNzJMuBXaG36odwNlQvxshft7ewiEedP5GQh2nFRRjDoFwxgtBvR-5NlKjYorfXi19GtVSuZzyaq9PVuy2NPjxvd3fsxPmiUSWoEOjPJ8NkC_QX2KCMgOyNMq3aaLeFbPdmM8/s1600/3197545635_d2731a6053_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="506" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKLkG27FkNzJMuBXaG36odwNlQvxshft7ewiEedP5GQh2nFRRjDoFwxgtBvR-5NlKjYorfXi19GtVSuZzyaq9PVuy2NPjxvd3fsxPmiUSWoEOjPJ8NkC_QX2KCMgOyNMq3aaLeFbPdmM8/s640/3197545635_d2731a6053_b.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pew pew</td></tr>
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Previously i talked about how, in this scene, Batman dies by gun, the very act of picking up a gun and killing someone is the end of Batman, he knows this, hence the chuckle before the beam hits him. Now what i failed to realize is that at the end of <i>the Dark Knight</i>, Batman also dies by gun.<br />
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Dent has taken Gordon and his family hostage, Batman shows up, trying to save them all, but Dent wants to make the men responsible for all that has happened pay, he flips his coin and shoots Batman who falls down, dead. He then flips his coin again, to choose the fate of Gordon's son, but something comes back from the dead in the guise of Batman and kills Dent before the coin lands. This is shown to be pointless, as the coin lands "good" side up. Batman was gunned down, and whatever was left was let to come back and kill. i like it. Not really sure why i had such an objection to Dent dying anyway, it makes sense for his character, he wanted to share his pain, nothing else matters. Perhaps just some objection to the world feeling smaller, i mean seeing Crane in all three films was a joy, but i failed to realize Dent was more than just a freak of the week. He was a half-dead man, a tarnished symbol, the other side of Batman.<br />
<br />
Now i also complained about Bruce being a whiny baby.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDWx0FD7mlIVmjM_bykNnKfuIX9KYij6cI4j3HRYO3pYpU-fnqoQDkYiquXa1Ef10Bta8LQUq2WOTa8z5-SZUPpY7YRgeQfejjDl05t2oCHBLsb3HZQsC9uujRRZ9SFYxdVSd7jiC5LsY/s1600/5b1c26f880d42faf_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDWx0FD7mlIVmjM_bykNnKfuIX9KYij6cI4j3HRYO3pYpU-fnqoQDkYiquXa1Ef10Bta8LQUq2WOTa8z5-SZUPpY7YRgeQfejjDl05t2oCHBLsb3HZQsC9uujRRZ9SFYxdVSd7jiC5LsY/s1600/5b1c26f880d42faf_large.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My childhood crush was going to wait for me!</td></tr>
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Batman is childish though, and this complaint is weird, because it's kind of what i love about him. You can go on about how fascist and classist Batman is, and you'll probably be right, but the most important thing is that he's a childhood fantasy. "I want to beat up the bad guys" says ten-year-old Billy. Bruce Wayne never stopped being eight years old, that childhood fear, confusion, and rage, it's all he is. This is why Rachel is so important to him, she was part of that childhood, his first love, his only love. This is true of Batman outside of this movie as well, i mean the reason he hangs out with a young boy isn't because he's sexually attracted to Dick, no, he's best friends with a kid because that's all he really is. Not to say Batman has never been portrayed as gay, but for the most part, i don't think Batman has a sexuality, he's too busy playing Cops and Robbers.<br />
<br />
i was right about one thing though, that the Joker is the star, and that he is the man who laughs at how ridiculous Batman is.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFB4s3HGATcfAl74hCEB7NsM8OV6nIBR5aUDJIyPcSsBx8WaJWqfdGyYmg8nDKwtg1BMe26z5lWvyCI3PmJlj3KoGuxJ9dDbYJbOYDZHmXN49mywnrDkunjbx7pzKWRnuK-1sT04VnRvE/s1600/5ec42279-9ede-a059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFB4s3HGATcfAl74hCEB7NsM8OV6nIBR5aUDJIyPcSsBx8WaJWqfdGyYmg8nDKwtg1BMe26z5lWvyCI3PmJlj3KoGuxJ9dDbYJbOYDZHmXN49mywnrDkunjbx7pzKWRnuK-1sT04VnRvE/s400/5ec42279-9ede-a059.jpg" width="375" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ha Ho He Ha</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
i actually have a reason for posting that meme. Batman is a superhero that can't escape his origin, to the point where "My parents are dead!" is also a meme. He's forever a kid bound to the death of his parents, now the Joker on the other hand, he's a man with no origin. When he offers multiple explanations for his scars, Nolan is quoting Alan Moore's <i>the Killing Joke</i>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I mean, what is it with you? What made you what you are? Girlfriend killed by the mob, maybe? Brother carved up by some mugger? Something like that, I bet. Something like that... Something like that happened to me you know. I...I'm not exactly sure what it was. Sometimes I remember it one way, sometimes another... If I'm going to have a past, I prefer it to be multiple choice! Ha ha ha!</blockquote>
<i>The Dark Knight</i> really is the same deal as <i>the Killing Joke</i>, the Joker trying to prove he can make anyone mad like him, in the comic he goes after Gordon and fails, in the movie he goes after Dent and wins. And it's interesting because i've heard people argue that he loses because the people on the ferries don't blow eachother up, but as the Joker says, it was never going to come down to a fist fight between him and Batman, that was all a fun distraction, Dent was a main event. The Joker succeeds in ruining the holy trinity of Gotham. The White Knight is sullied, Dark Knight is dead, and Gordon, he lost everything he believed in.<br />
Though it is interesting in how low key the movie plays the Joker outsmarting everyone, he flat out lies about the locations of Dent and Rachel, Batman goes to get Rachel, but finds Dent instead, so suddenly, this is the plan, Batman has always been going to rescue Dent, and in my experience, the audience goes along with it, without realizing anyone has been duped. The disappointment on their faces is amazing.<br />
<br />
One really fantastic scene is Alfred's "Some men just want to watch the world burn." speech, he's so caught up in his sense of duty, the status quo of colonialism, that he fails to realize that the bandit is eliminating a currency that's being used to enslave his people, and that Alfred himself, was the one that failed to understand what he was up against. The further irony of this speech of course is that Alfred and his men are the ones that burn down the forest.<br />
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There's a theme of communication being a weapon in this film, i already talked about the Joker's misinformation, he does something similar when he burns the cash "I'm only burning my half" If you want to understand, let me drink the bottom half of your milkshake. But more than that, Batman and the Joker directly use cellphones as weapons. Batman gets his sonar ears all over the city and Hong Kong, and the Joker blows a dude up with his one phone call.<br />
<br />
Of course, Batman's wiretapping brings comparisons to the Patriot Act and the War on Terror, breaking the law for "the greater good." And sure, it exists, that scene of Batman standing on the rubble is very clearly an homage to the aftermath of 9/11. However, the argument against that, is twofold. Firstly, that has always been Batman's M.O. He's beyond the law, he does things that cops can't (and shouldn't) do. Fox's objection seems to be based less on liberty, and more on spirituality. "This is too much power for one person." This <span class="st">deus ex machina, turns Batman into a god, he's everywhere at once, hearing everything, look as his eyes glow white with his divine judgement. <b>I Am Become Batman</b> Secondly, the Joker has no ideology, he's not fighting for religious, social, or political beliefs, he has none. As he says, he's a dog chasing cars (though again, he lies when he says he has no plan). And him calling himself a dog is rather important.</span><br />
<span class="st"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcoxxzekP1OSohxER-82fJPt7cuYRkBPeUUTliJsa8QRiALdE2IWctvL3NeeWINNlBtC7M9WBYttGb4lU9NJtoOR6WUeYkVjpKWDZ_ed14sNmsK7KD9Cs6dgY7mR23mr_SystjHc4oLjI/s1600/joker-cop-car-heath-ledger-snapshot20080504111707.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcoxxzekP1OSohxER-82fJPt7cuYRkBPeUUTliJsa8QRiALdE2IWctvL3NeeWINNlBtC7M9WBYttGb4lU9NJtoOR6WUeYkVjpKWDZ_ed14sNmsK7KD9Cs6dgY7mR23mr_SystjHc4oLjI/s640/joker-cop-car-heath-ledger-snapshot20080504111707.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bow wow wow, yippie yo, yippie yay.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span class="st">Not only is that short car ride my favourite scene in the movie, it's by far the most beautiful.</span><br />
<span class="st">Batman comes up against dogs a lot in this movie, at the start with the drug dealer's dogs (which leads to the great quip about the armour being good to protect against <i>cats</i>), at the end with the K9 units, and everything in the middle with the Joker.</span><br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Two-Face</b>:
The Joker's just a mad dog. I want whoever let him off the leash. </blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0V3dNnsBLoOlZQtNFEb6P04UgnL71C5ILpbJaYtpuYr2VeUUorgEYhTS8ojbwJQj_GLYWIdx6YQU0kkmtQxUJLcxxT_1rfmwC5Md3h3lC-rKUESbNAQ3IUhCDpv74MJ0stNLi3jz6GPY/s1600/wilddog.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0V3dNnsBLoOlZQtNFEb6P04UgnL71C5ILpbJaYtpuYr2VeUUorgEYhTS8ojbwJQj_GLYWIdx6YQU0kkmtQxUJLcxxT_1rfmwC5Md3h3lC-rKUESbNAQ3IUhCDpv74MJ0stNLi3jz6GPY/s400/wilddog.png" width="400" /></a></div>
Now the better translation of that, or at least more interesting, is "A stray dog sees only what it chases."<br />
Though i'm not bringing up Kurosawa's <i>Stray Dog</i> to compare to the Joker, but instead Batman and Dent.<br />
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<i>Stray Dog</i> is about a rookie cop chasing down a thief that stole his gun, by the end, we find out after returning from war, both men had their belongings stolen from them, both wanted to retain a sense of balance, but one became a cop, the other a thief. Remember, Dent tells Gordon to come to the place where his family died.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>The Joker</b>:
Why don't we cut you up into little pieces and feed you to your pooches?
Hmm? And then we'll see how loyal a hungry dog really is. It's not
about money... it's about sending a message. Everything burns! </blockquote>
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How wonderful is Burroughs voice? </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Batman</b>:
Then why do you want to kill me?
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>The Joker</b>: I don't, I don't want to kill you! What
would I do without you? Go back to ripping off mob dealers? No, no, NO!
No. You... you... complete me. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Batman</b>:
You're garbage who kills for money.
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>The Joker</b>:
Don't talk like one of them. You're not! Even if you'd like to be. To
them, you're just a freak, like me! They need you right now, but when
they don't, they'll cast you out, like a leper! You see, their morals,
their code, it's a bad joke. Dropped at the first sign of trouble.
They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you. When
the chips are down, these... these civilized people, they'll eat each
other. See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve.
</blockquote>
That right there leads me to believe that Nolan read some Grant Morrison, as there's this in <i><span class="kno-fb-ctx" style="font-size: small;"><span style="left: -5px; position: relative;">Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth</span></span></i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Dr. Adams:</b> The Joker's a special case. Some of us feel he may be beyond treatment. In fact, we're not even sure if he can be properly as insane.
<br />His latest claim is that he's possessed by Baron Ghede, the Voodoo loa.
<br />We're beginning to think it may be a neurological disorder, similar to Tourette's syndrome.
It's quite possible we may actually be looking at some kind of
super-sanity here. A brilliant new modification of human perception.
More suited to urban life at the end of the twentieth century.
<br /><br />
<b>Batman:</b> Tell that to his victims.
<br /><br />
<b>Dr. Adams:</b> Unlike you and I, the Joker seems to have no control
over the sensory information he's receiving from the outside world. He
can only cope with the chaotic barrage of input by going with the flow. That's why some days he's a mischievous clown, others a psychopathic killer. He has no real personality. He creates himself each day. He sees himself as the Lord of Misrule, and the world as a theatre of the absurd.
</span><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></blockquote>
And it is interesting to see Nolan give his version of popular comic stories, i already mentioned the twist on the Killing Joke, but the twists on the Long Halloween are also interesting. In the movie, Dent <i>is </i>the killer of the corrupt, it's <i>Gordon </i>in the SWAT suit, and Dent survives the courtroom scene unscathed <i>by chance</i>.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh79IlLnOPhSBWI33GCpAUGvVWWW7Mg_7kku51ygUZd239iXPsoWRvuVWGb7yL2rrlxCD5EZzHr-wW3lEH_rrLIDPPgfHzZCbRhzYN7trQLLkQHcA7wEnJQ6z1AjFJI-7Po_s9yAOzEIy4/s1600/batman-darling1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh79IlLnOPhSBWI33GCpAUGvVWWW7Mg_7kku51ygUZd239iXPsoWRvuVWGb7yL2rrlxCD5EZzHr-wW3lEH_rrLIDPPgfHzZCbRhzYN7trQLLkQHcA7wEnJQ6z1AjFJI-7Po_s9yAOzEIy4/s1600/batman-darling1.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Puppy love.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
i love the contrasts between the Joker and Batman, one hides his face, wears black, and clings to the edges. The other paints his face, is flamboyant, and stands out in the open. Batman is ridiculous in the Nolan films, from his bear voice, to his bulky suit, and tank-cum-motorcycle. And i think that's the point, the very idea of Batman is absurd. Every film ends with a lie, Begins with Batman's cop-out on how it isn't murder, Knight with covering Dent's crimes, and Rises, well, we'll get there. What Batman did in the first film, created the situation in the second, Sons of Batman running around with guns, the gangsters agitated, yet still untouchable, and of course, the Joker. The thing is, what brings down the mob, the corruption, and psychotic vigilantes, is the Joker. He is literally the hero of the story, and it's fantastic and weird.<br />
<br />
Not that i'm saying the Joker is a good guy here, he's not, but neither is Batman.<br />
<br />
Not sure if i've mentioned this before, but i love comparing this movie to Burton's <i>Batman</i>. In that film, we see the origin of the Joker, his rise, his insanity, his insights, the film follows him. Batman shows up every now and then, when not brooding in the empty mansion. It made Batman more fantastic in that film, and it makes the Joker amazing in this film. The same idea, used in a different way. <br />
<br />
Seems like i'll have to give <i>Batman Begins</i> another chance now.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374770749283179200.post-46174387865809546762012-07-24T11:12:00.000-07:002012-07-24T11:20:56.810-07:00Wubstep weapons.<div style="text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: left;">
Pomplamoose are an interesting group, they make cutesy covers of songs, and get a lot of flack for it, mostly "because hipsters"</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
You know, that word i've seen used to describe OFWGKTA fans, graffiti artists, people that wear hats...</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
If someone doesn't like them, that's fine, but i find it interesting that people spit vile over this band, like somehow being cute is affront to them. It's bizarre. i love that they exist, because, <a href="http://sketchamagowza.tumblr.com/post/26312704662/cutestuff" target="_blank">there ain't nothing wrong with being cute</a>.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
That said, this cover of Danny Elfman's Batman theme owns. They're literally using dubstep as a weapon to defeat evil agents in suits. I love it.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374770749283179200.post-2790976371369984042012-06-29T06:36:00.000-07:002013-06-09T08:56:49.697-07:00Fire from the skies.<i>Prometheus </i>is a film about a group of people following an alien signal to a mysterious planet full of dead aliens.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEItFy0c58Nc5jdYHle-qwWY1wEMSiHZ0sh-GJZcBRLpsI1haHpPJt4zJ5DNuqVGdf7UI0Pfj5l26fuR1qPN7P-W74WLejiuPXrzLFMt85xJSLdzADvPFpgvwUGjMx32fXibG0GGQH14I/s1600/pewpew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEItFy0c58Nc5jdYHle-qwWY1wEMSiHZ0sh-GJZcBRLpsI1haHpPJt4zJ5DNuqVGdf7UI0Pfj5l26fuR1qPN7P-W74WLejiuPXrzLFMt85xJSLdzADvPFpgvwUGjMx32fXibG0GGQH14I/s640/pewpew.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMs_ae9ZmJ8PLKrJVqGigg-AcYB2NKN-ybcXnKXBmWFIQ8cq8_xb-ZwDcwK-yRXhJmPngc3sInUZWq-CFXSVIcTpDhHS7QuT0cgAtV_fotR_mxzmGdtzzXcVExHdFLn0Ujo2T77_emSCw/s1600/giant.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMs_ae9ZmJ8PLKrJVqGigg-AcYB2NKN-ybcXnKXBmWFIQ8cq8_xb-ZwDcwK-yRXhJmPngc3sInUZWq-CFXSVIcTpDhHS7QuT0cgAtV_fotR_mxzmGdtzzXcVExHdFLn0Ujo2T77_emSCw/s640/giant.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
Oh.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2VnSSGn2PeLk7VmQjlADmiIKboxrtkeFM2W9ogdealwdE5V6SF2lTjZb8p0L7_0B4KsmsL9EoRrQmRtBVL_wGtdqWrPNDMY9r0v-QGpHmy3Wl_UGN-HF9U2jcdje4VMUADG58e3VGgTc/s1600/alien-1636.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2VnSSGn2PeLk7VmQjlADmiIKboxrtkeFM2W9ogdealwdE5V6SF2lTjZb8p0L7_0B4KsmsL9EoRrQmRtBVL_wGtdqWrPNDMY9r0v-QGpHmy3Wl_UGN-HF9U2jcdje4VMUADG58e3VGgTc/s640/alien-1636.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<br />
Oooooh.<br />
<br />
Seriously though, <i>Prometheus </i>is one of the best sci-fiction films i've ever seen! (Well, since <i>District 9</i> anyway!) i had never been so excited to see a film before, nor have i ever been this excited about a film after seeing it.<br />
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Just a quick aside, i love that trailer, it's right up there with <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3orQKBxiEg" target="_blank">this Watchmen trailer</a>. It even sounds like it's sampling the same Pumpkins song. Both of them just give me chills everytime i watch.<br />
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Now there's a lot going on in <i>Prometheus</i>, a lot, and i don't mean plot wise, i already covered that part. This film is not only a commentary on <i>Alien</i>, but on the things that created <i>Alien </i>and the things created from <i>Alien</i>. It's a movie about quoting movies.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Well what do i mean by this? Think of David (Michael Fassbender), when we first meet him, alone on the ship, what is he doing? He's watching <i>Lawrence of Arabia</i>, he dyes and brushes his hair so he'll look more like O'Toole's Lawrence. When they arrive on the planet and find a deserted building, he says "There is nothing in the desert, and no man needs nothing." When questioned, he responds "Oh, it's just a quote from a film I like."</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Even later, after discovering the black goo, he quotes the film once again, "Big things have small beginnings."<br />
<br />
The movie opens like <i>2001: A Space Odyssey</i>, we see the sun rising over the Earth. In <i>2001</i>, a black monolith appears, and causes changes in the monkeys, setting them on the course to be man. In <i>Prometheus</i>, we cut to an Engineer, a statuesque god. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUPnAlIWuTWv8FuA0pIlQxWZNKwBYn23Km2g_uYrThD0iW8GNJbbqtYMn9tT1Bv_ATqj3mNkC1zzFhbHXs53fI2c_HbF9BcpEQKIMrQ8BrgzA393G5UfMq0FHL-H8ddOA3bar_mjFRxUA/s1600/xFmfg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUPnAlIWuTWv8FuA0pIlQxWZNKwBYn23Km2g_uYrThD0iW8GNJbbqtYMn9tT1Bv_ATqj3mNkC1zzFhbHXs53fI2c_HbF9BcpEQKIMrQ8BrgzA393G5UfMq0FHL-H8ddOA3bar_mjFRxUA/s400/xFmfg.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh Rexy, you're so sexy.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
He drinks the black goo, we see it burn through his veins, his DNA breaks down and reforms, creating new life. Again, something alien, setting the course of man. This scene tells us everything we need to know about the goo, it is the fire of the gods. And after that there's a neat shot of Shaw (Noomi Rapace), uncovering the truth, along with us, who witnessed it, in some cave in Ireland. Not sure if that's quoting another film or not. But i like it.<br />
<br />
Not all of the film quoting is direct, it's not all like the Weyland hologram being right out of <i>Jurassic Park</i>, or crushing Fifeld's head being right out of <i>Aliens</i>, there are more genre references, things that operate with a film logic. Two teens get lost in the woods, do drugs, and die. Wielding an axe to thwart off some unstoppable killer (and goddamn do i love that space-axe). And just little things like that, though my favourite moment in the film is when David directly quotes <i>Blade Runner</i>, but more on that later. Now do all these elements make it a bit of a patchwork Frankenstein's monster? Well, sure! Why not? Quotes or not, the film still stands on it's own two feet, whether you find them gruesome are not is up to you.<br />
<br />
Now, i've read a lot of complaints, and i mean a lot, more than any person should, about this film. But i did notice two common things in all of the complaints, either the people weren't paying attention to what was on the screen, or people were expecting this to be another Alien<b>® </b>film. The second group are judging the film based on their own expectations, rather than just watching the film for what it is. The other group griped of plot holes. There are none in this film, seriously, none. There are unanswered questions sure, but don't look to the sequel for answers, that's not how it works. This isn't a big middle finger to the audience like <i>Matrix: Reloaded</i> was, this is similar to <i>District 9</i> or <i>Skyline</i>. They end on new beginnings, what happens next isn't relevant to the story we were just told.<br />
<br />
We're visually shown what the black goo is, repeatedly, we don't need a
scientific understanding of it, it is the stuff of the gods. People
question why Fifeld (Sean Harris) the guy making the map got lost, well,
same reason the Millburn (Rafe Spall) the biologist got killed by a
snake, or the Janek (Idris Elba) the captain, being dies flying, or Vickers (Charlize Theron) the nihilistic
unbeliever (she's the Ellen Ripley of this film), gets crushed by a chariot of the gods. There's a theme, of hubris, the inadequacy of human knowledge, there is a reason only the true believer survives.<br />
<br />
i'm a bit surprised people were unsure of what to expect from this film:<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">i made this back in January</span></td></tr>
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Oh hey, he quoted a movie!<br />
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Now let's talk about faith and aliens, obviously Daniken's <i>Chariots of the Gods</i>, a painfully racist diatribe about how aliens came down and taught primitive man society and culture, was an influence on in this film, the whole pictographs of giants showing humans the way. Daniken was maybe inspired by the equally racist HP Lovecraft, specifically the story <i>At the Mountains of Madness</i>, which involved horrible and uncaring aliens starting life on Earth. Come to think of it, it also had a geologist who did little geology and got lost in an alien ruin.... And they dissect a god in it! (It's worth noting that Guillermo del Toro scrapped his adaptation of the Lovecraft story after seeing what was going on in this film) So honestly the racism of the influences makes the gods themselves being marble Greek statues hilarious. More white, than white. You see it's a... nevermind.</div>
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There's also this Space Jesus story going around, that since they're on this planet on Christmas, and something bad happened on this planet 2000 years ago, and the ship was heading to Earth. A lot of people are assuming this means, they were going to kill us because we killed Jesus. And i can't help but to feel this is more hubris, that because these gods created us it must be all about us, we never see what happened on this planet. It might have nothing to do with us, the ways of gods are not the ways of man. It's odd because people seem to think <span style="font-size: small;">i<span style="font-size: small;">f <span style="font-size: small;">Space Jesus w<span style="font-size: small;">as true, than this </span></span></span></span>movie is proving the Christian faith right. i don't remember the part of the bible where God was some alien that killed himself billions of year ago. Or Jesus being freakishly pale, tall, and bald. This movie is about humans being wrong, <i>so wrong</i>.</div>
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Now Vickers straight up calls Shaw and Holloway (Logan Marshall-Green) true believers, that's why they're on this trip for Weyland's immortality. Now Holloway isn't a true believer, he's just an asshole that reminds Shaw of her father, also he's an archeologist that's disappointed in finding a tomb. The father thing is important, her father died of malaria according to what David saw in her dreams, Holloway dies of what looks like an alien disease. But really, fire of the gods. Shaw however, does believe, she's happy and enthused, she's found god, turns out god doesn't really care for us, and likely wants us dead, whoops. But at the end, David is worse for wear, defeated, he wants to go home (It's like that movie again!) But Shaw wants to go on, she still has her faith. And like i've mentioned, what she may find out there isn't important, it's that she goes out looking. It's very existential, hopeful.</div>
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Now hope, there's an interesting thing. After Prometheus gave mankind fire, the gods decided to punish mankind, they gave Pandora a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pandora%27s_box" target="_blank">box</a>, but really, box is a bad translation. What they gave her was a vase.</div>
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Like i said, there's a lot going on in this film. But among the horrors, hope was in that jar, hope is what humanity has, and it's beautiful.</div>
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Now i want to talk a bit about my favourite part of this film. Weyland and co. have gone and woken up this slumbering god, he stands confused, watching, waiting. Weyland demands David to ask him for immortality, Shaw pleads to ask him why they don't love us. Both of these questions are stupid, but i'll get into that later. So David obeys his father, he has to, and for the benefit of Weyland he quotes <i>Blade Runner</i>, "Give me more life Father/Fucker." Now this god, reacts by lovingly caressing David face, and it's beautiful. He then rips David head off and bludgeons Weyland with it. It's not an easy thing to meet your maker.<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"></span></div>
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Now, what's going on here is Weyland, a man who has done so much for humanity, has created a new lifeform in David, a son he doesn't consider real, created life in the form of his daughter, whom he loathes, this arrogant old man, goes up to a god, gods whom sacrifice themselves to create new life, and asks them to be immortal. The Engineer literally beats Weyland on the head with his legacy, his immortality. That is why his question was dumb.</div>
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As for Shaw's question, well we only have to look to David. David is treated like shit by his creators throughout the entire movie. Weyland tells him he has no soul, Holloway belittles him at every turn, it's repeatedly pointed out that he's not human, just a robot. </div>
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<b>Holloway</b>: What we hoped to achieve was to meet our makers, to get answers why they made us in the first place.<br />
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<b>David</b>: Why do you think your people made me?</div>
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<b>Holloway</b>: We made ya 'cause we could.<span id="goog_656379848"></span><span id="goog_656379849"></span><br />
<b>David</b>: Can you imagine how disappointing it would be for you to hear the same thing from your creator?</div>
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<span class="st"><b>Holloway</b>: [<i>laughs</i>] I guess it's a good thing you can't be disappointed.</span></div>
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<span class="st"><b>David</b>: Yes.</span></div>
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The thing is, we see David react to these jabs, he looks hurt, he is hurt, humans are hurt by Egineers, what do they care, we're just humans.<br />
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David is a such a wonderful character, he's got this fantastic childlike glee about him. Which could be tied into this meta quality about him in that he almost seems aware
he's in a movie. i mean sure he's following his father's orders because
he has to, but he wants his father dead, he wants to be free. Our god
frees him from his. It's just that in his actions, it's like he's
enjoying the hell out of being in a space horror film "Oh look aliens,
ghosts, and slime, and joy!" <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">:3</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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Look at the conversation with Holloway, how he asks him if he's prepared to do <i>anything </i>to meet his makers, before poisoning him with the black goo. Or how he pulls a Vincent Price impersonation and won't let Shaw see her child in the sonogram machine. Now the child, there's something to talk about. The squidbaby in a sense, is the child of Shaw and David. i can't help but think that's how David might view it anyway, he was fascinated with her, he couldn't understand her, her faith. It's part love, part science experiment. There is a lot leading up to this, we only see him watching only her dreams, he rescues her from the storm, her boyfriend yells at her, David asks her if she's alright, she thanks David. She doesn't treat David as something less. At the end of the movie when he comes out and says he doesn't understand her, she responds it's because he's a robot, it doesn't seem hateful, nor does he seem hurt. He'll never understand her, she'll never understand the Engineers. And yet they go on.<br />
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As for squid baby, the abortion scene made me break out into a cold sweat, i don't think anything has bothered me that much in a movie before. Considering the thing looked like it had ovaries when it was fully grown, i'm wondering if it was less her child and more her uterus. The machine was set to only deal with men, she set it up to remove foreign objects. So, she removes her womanhood, but in the end is saved by it.<br />
The climax of the film is hilarious by the way, a giant vagina engulfs the phallic marble god, they wriggle around for a while, and then a new life form is brought screaming into the world sometime later. <i>Oh my</i>. Because at its heart, the horror of this film, is sex and creation. We see a god torn apart to create life, there's the sexual ending and all its goo. But the horror isn't restricted to heterosexual, Millburn and Fifeld have some homoerotic stuff going on. Millburn has a crush on Fifeld, there's the cute little helmet bump when they get in the rover, he leaves when Fifeld wants to, he tires to impress Fifeld by showing no fear in front of the freaky alien cobra. Which was a mix of yonic and phallic, i might add, but what's worth mentioning is that it phallic bit goes down Millburn's throat and acid goo gets all over Fifeld's face. Yep. My favourite "sex is gross" scene though, would have to be when Holloway and Shaw get it on, not only does it fade to black, but the next morning, Shaw is lying naked in bed, with a sheet over her crotch. "Wouldn't want to offend my lover with my vagina!" Which explains why she removes it, then uses her new found powers of creation to defeat god. As Weyland said, we're the gods now.</div>
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</b>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374770749283179200.post-68735054712102655642012-06-16T01:47:00.000-07:002013-07-11T03:39:53.589-07:00Galaxy defenders my ass.<div style="text-align: center;">
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Nothing about <i>Men in Black 3</i> is fun. It's a dark, sadistic, racist, and generally depressing film. And it's all just a terrible shame.</div>
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The first film is tons of fun, it's loving, it's bright, it's got some dark moments, but mostly in the form of dark humour. It's got a sarcastic old man showing some smart ass rookie the ropes, great buddy cop dynamic, and Vincent D'onofrio is hilarious in every scene he's in. Through fantastic physical comedy, he's able to project that he's too big for his skin, every movement is a laugh. It's a brilliant performance.</div>
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The MiB themselves are portrayed in a kind light, they welcome aliens to Earth, treat them kindly, they mostly act to keep them safe and secret. The only time they act with aggression or violence are when the aliens are putting humans in danger.</div>
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Now, in MiB3, the agency is shown to be a bunch of racist cops, they shoot first and never ask questions. We're greeted with some Chinese people, dressed in medieval Chinese clothes, but what's this, they turn out be gross slugs, whom the MiB kill on the grounds they're not human. Later we meet a mystic wearing a turban, but surprise, he's not a middle-eastern man, he's got a huge alien head under that turban. Then there's a really odd scene, with J back in the 1960s, he steals a car and gets pulled over by some racist cops because he's a black man driving a nice car. He erases their memory and says shame on them for assuming he stole the car, even though he did, and drives off. Him and K have been, and continue harassing and killing aliens for the sole crime of being alien the entire movie, the movie is condoning this.</div>
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This is a huge contrast to the first film. Take for example the beginning, the MiB tell the INS to fuck off, welcomes the Mexican immigrants to America, and then deal with the real dangerous alien, peacefully (well until he tries to kill the INS agent). If that were the K from MiB3, he would have let the INS take the Mexicans, and probably tell a racist joke, after shooting the alien dead of course.</div>
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Note also this scene:</div>
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Reggie is breaking the law, K stays kind and cool, both agents congratulate him on being a new father and let him go on his way. Also the World Trade Center is in the background.</div>
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Now, i can't say that MiB3 is bringing to attention horrible attitudes and racism in the wake of September 11th, but it certainly is built on those things. This movie is condensed xenophobia.</div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>K:</b> All right, kid, here's the deal. At any given time there are
approximately 1500 aliens on the planet, most of them right here in
Manhattan. And most of them are decent enough, they're just trying to
make a living.
<br /><b>J:</b>Cab drivers?
<br /><b>K:</b>
Not as many as you'd think.
</blockquote>
i'll let you imagine how that conversation would play out in MiB3.<br />
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Now the next issue i have is with Boris the Animal, played by renowned funnyman Jemaine Clement. i bring up the fact that he's known for being funny, to point out how unfunny Boris is, not that they try to make him funny mind you. He's evil, he kills, he growls, he has a bug for a hand that shoots needles. He's also the last of his species and drives around on a ridiculous space motorcycle.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiTpD7ppkQ5TJ5I1mPZwQApgui3Yp9Lh5YJb3wuZiGm2zfo3PZyQLy5xNDB0fiM0AxNIFX7o61fXGETEuY6Z0PwjujiIqbhHM7SXVRogTmrKMdgT6DfYddVb33jOk_OWyO1YFc6Yl8IYY/s1600/lobo_528_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiTpD7ppkQ5TJ5I1mPZwQApgui3Yp9Lh5YJb3wuZiGm2zfo3PZyQLy5xNDB0fiM0AxNIFX7o61fXGETEuY6Z0PwjujiIqbhHM7SXVRogTmrKMdgT6DfYddVb33jOk_OWyO1YFc6Yl8IYY/s400/lobo_528_poster.jpg" width="393" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bring back Sheriff Lobo.</td></tr>
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The thing about Lobo, he's a parody, he's not meant to be taken at face value. i've heard rumours that some comic books have taken him seriously, which i don't doubt, but i've been lucky enough to not encounter, until Boris anyway. No offense to Jemaine, but it's not like he gets hired because of his ungodly acting talents, he gets roles because he's awkward and hilarious, why are we casting someone like that for a role that has zero humour? Edgar the Bug, killed people sure, but i already went over what he a joy he was to watch as he did so. Just watch the restaurant scene in the first film, he kills those two guys, while hunched over, a look of evil glee on his face, and then stomps out of the restraunt like Frankenstein's monster. It's a fun thing to watch. Boris on the other hand, blows a hole in space prison, holds on with his ugly claw feet, and let's the woman that freed him get blown out into space, he then bounds around the moon awkwardly, all with zero expression on his face.<br />
And tying back to my main point of this film being racist and fucked up, all the problems are caused because K didn't kill Boris back in the 60s. So guess who gets exploded into a pile of goo at the end of the movie?(Before he even shows his true self i might add!)<br />
It's a big fuck you to everything the first film stood for.<br />
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Oh yeah, this film hates art as well, while back in the 60s it's revealed that Andy Warhol isn't real, no he isn't some alien like Elvis, he's an undercover MiB agent, who hates art, and is only doing whacky stuff so he can blend in with the aliens. The undercover agent even tells J he's a moron for liking his work. Yeah, sorry, wrap it up art, you've been had. Not that it would really matter if somehow, for some reason, art was created as a joke, but it just seems to be this snide "Haha, we fooled those artsy intellectuals, what a bunch schmucks!" And that tied with the xenophobia, just wears me out.<br />
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No idea why they thought such a downer of a ending would be touching either.<br />
You sucked all the fun out of my summer MiB3.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4374770749283179200.post-34750717913718880152012-06-07T18:18:00.000-07:002012-06-09T00:50:59.070-07:00the goods<div style="text-align: center;">
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There are no words to express how happy this has made me</div>
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i must resort to cutesy emoticons:</div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue",Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">:3</span></span> </span></div>
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CD, DVDs, vinyls, and undies for days.</div>
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