(probably misspelled title) lol
I'm a big fan of fantasy, always have been too. I've watched many fantasy films that take place in magical worlds full of magic creatures, but I've oddly never made the effort to watch Pan's Labirnyth. We watched a few minutes in class and I can only make a few assumptions. It is a Del Touro film - the same guy who did the Hellboy movies. I'm not entirely sure if the girl imagines the creatures like in "Bridge to Tarabithia" (which I hated) or if the creatures were always there and in her "backyard" like in Spiderwick. Whatever it may be- the visuals and character design (especially the fawn) make me want to check this film out.
Monday, December 3, 2012
Pulse: A Japanese Film
I usually don't watch any foreign films due to the annoying habit of reading the subtitles more than actually watching the actual movie. I've made an exception with Ghost on the Shell 2, but we've watched another Japanese film in class that may be worth my time down the road. "Pulse" is a low budget Japanese horror film involving ghosts an the internet. I can't say much more since I only was able to watch only a fraction of it, but during that time the inexpensive film had a good enough storyline going for it for me to watch the full version in the future.
One funny thing I noticed in the film was a similarity between the horror film "The Messengers". In Pulse, the boy that hung himself appears where he committed suicide - before this (what I believe to be blood)stain on the wall. In the Messangers, the farm wife's ghost emerges from a growing water stain on the wall. Makes me wonder if the Messangers( which I believe is newer) referenced Pulse.
One funny thing I noticed in the film was a similarity between the horror film "The Messengers". In Pulse, the boy that hung himself appears where he committed suicide - before this (what I believe to be blood)stain on the wall. In the Messangers, the farm wife's ghost emerges from a growing water stain on the wall. Makes me wonder if the Messangers( which I believe is newer) referenced Pulse.
Short Story: Jack
"Jack" is a bizzare short story - but rather interesting nonetheless. To me it seemed like a cross gene - somewhere between fantasy, horror, and a bit of sci fi. It is a retelling of Robin Hood of sorts. Though, it doesn't reveal it till the end of the story, the narrator is the guard where the Robin Hood equivalent of Jack is held. In the story, Jack is a skilled thief in a world where the punishment is a "remaking" for example your limbs could be replaced with animal parts or engines if you did wrong. Throughout the story, the narrator tells his tales of how he supported Jack and tortured those who sold him out - in the end Jack is killed and the narrator reveals himself. Overall an interesting read and perhaps worth looking into the author's other works later.
Bloodchild...
I have mixed feeling about this strange short story we reviewed in class. I'm not a huge fan of sci- fi stories or films - my favorites limited to only a handful. Perhaps its the fact that most of the time the setting is in the future that none of us have experienced and we are forced to guess. Or it is perhaps other planets, high tech themes, or anything of the sci- fi genre are hard for me to read thus understand.
Bloodchild takes place on another planet where humans live among these "caring" aliens. For these aliens to reproduce, they put their grubs inside a "host" human (a male) and the grubs grow - eating their way out. The story gets a bit gory with an alien caretaker digging the grubs out of a dying man while the alien's human family observes or helps - which amazes me because it seems that they are all used to this like it's just an everyday thing. Bloodchild mostly references the theme of human pregnancy and the idea that the baby is a "parasite"; in reference to the fact that we grow inside our mother's womb, feed from her, etc.
I didn't get the chance to finish this story, and I'm not sure I like it well enough to even give it another chance. It isn't necessarily the gore, just mostly the idea of not knowing exactly what these aliens are or any really detailed descriptions. I always like stories that give you a clear view of the setting and concept.
Bloodchild takes place on another planet where humans live among these "caring" aliens. For these aliens to reproduce, they put their grubs inside a "host" human (a male) and the grubs grow - eating their way out. The story gets a bit gory with an alien caretaker digging the grubs out of a dying man while the alien's human family observes or helps - which amazes me because it seems that they are all used to this like it's just an everyday thing. Bloodchild mostly references the theme of human pregnancy and the idea that the baby is a "parasite"; in reference to the fact that we grow inside our mother's womb, feed from her, etc.
I didn't get the chance to finish this story, and I'm not sure I like it well enough to even give it another chance. It isn't necessarily the gore, just mostly the idea of not knowing exactly what these aliens are or any really detailed descriptions. I always like stories that give you a clear view of the setting and concept.
The Aquatic Uncle - a short story.
During class we read the Aquatic Uncle, which was surprisingly entertaining. I loved the face that it let the main character's identities, the fact that they were frogs, a bit of a secret. The story is defiantly for evolutionist, with the narration of the concept, the story of the fish becoming brave enough to surface and live on land (becoming land creatures in general) while the uncle loves the benefits of the water (aquatic environment) and chooses to stay a fish. The story is a bit humorous of how it turns out in the end with the narrator's fiance' listening to the Uncle's statement and stories of life under water and choosing to run away with him instead. Overall, a good entertaining read.
Bladerunner...
While on the topic of Cyberpunk, our class watched Bladerunner. I'm personally in a state of mixed feelings about it. Since I was unable to view the whole film, which was the latest final cut, I settled for a 2007 DVD. Bladerunner can get you pretty hooked in the beginning with Harrison Ford's character on the case of a "Replicant" committing murder and the reveal of other Replicants on the same path. However, and this may just be the 2007 version, at one point the storyline gets a bit fuzzy and it tends to lose some of its best assets that it had going. In the scenes toward the end, I was left with the thought of "is there anymore to this?". The ending itself was a complete cut off - done in a way that if a person was watching the film for the first time - they would conclude that it had a sequel. And on occasion, there were a few parts (that were pretty random in themselves) that were added into areas of the movie that would defiantly not needed at all. Despite this, I would be wiling to give Bladerunner another try - only to watch a more recent version of course.
Ghost in the Shell... Now I'm A Fan
I've been through the library many times and always noticed the DVD Ghost in the Shell sitting among the library's vast collection of films. I'm not really a big fan of Manga or Anime with an exception for Myasaki's beautiful movies with intriguing characters. However I've recently made another exception. While on the subject of Cyperpunk, we were shown a clip from Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence. After watching, despite it was in Japanese, I was in awe by the story and not to mention animation. Leaving class, I finally made the effort to pick up Ghost in the Shell. After watching, I was hooked. It's storyline is strong, well thought out and incredibly complex, making it a mature animated film. Not only for the story, the movie has some of the best animation (I'm saying this for the whole series) I've seen despite being done made in 1995. The visuals are fantastic and every little detail is never overlooked. Another thing I really liked about this was the role of Major Motoko Kusinagi, the main protagonist - a beautiful cyborg that pretty much kicks major ass throughout the whole series. It seems, after watching a few Japanese films such as Myasaki's, the female plays the main role.
If I had anything negative to say about Ghost in the Shell, it's sequel, and series, I would note the fact that the series doesn't exactly follow up the movie. In the first movie, the setting in a Bladerunner type environment in the year 2029. Section nine is after the "Puppetmaster" who hack into people's e-brains in order to control them to do "his" crimes. It turns out that the "Puppetmaster" is actually project 2501, an entente born in the sea of information. In the end, after a battle, the Puppetmaster merges with the Major just before her body as well as the cyborg the Puppetmaster is in are destroyed by section 6. (note the angel image just before they are destroyed). The Major is then replaced in the body of a young girl, the only thing Batou could place her in, and then the Major vanishes. In the Stand Alone series however, the Major is back, in her original cyborg body you see in Ghost of the Shell while fighting with section nine on the case of the Laughing Man (and the independent 11 in S.A.C Gic series) All this, takes place in 2030 to 2032. In Ghost of the Shell 2, the Major doesn't actually "appear". During the duration of the film set in 2036, the Major is listed as missing and Batou and Tougasa are trying to solve the case or Locus Soulus and their sexoids (these robot geisha dolls that are fused with the souls of young girls kidnapped by the Yakusa) The only time the Major makes herself known is when she takes over one of the dolls via satellite to fight with Batou. And recently, I've come across a third Ghost in the Shell installment called Stand Alone Society, with the Major's original cyborg body and role while taking place in 2034.
Other than that, I would say that Ghost in the Shell and its series is well worth the watch. Though it is gory in some parts, has language, and scenes of intense action - it still has a good balance with more whimsical themes ( for example the Tashikomas) I would highly recommend watching all the films and series - even if you're not a fan of Manga and Anime.
If I had anything negative to say about Ghost in the Shell, it's sequel, and series, I would note the fact that the series doesn't exactly follow up the movie. In the first movie, the setting in a Bladerunner type environment in the year 2029. Section nine is after the "Puppetmaster" who hack into people's e-brains in order to control them to do "his" crimes. It turns out that the "Puppetmaster" is actually project 2501, an entente born in the sea of information. In the end, after a battle, the Puppetmaster merges with the Major just before her body as well as the cyborg the Puppetmaster is in are destroyed by section 6. (note the angel image just before they are destroyed). The Major is then replaced in the body of a young girl, the only thing Batou could place her in, and then the Major vanishes. In the Stand Alone series however, the Major is back, in her original cyborg body you see in Ghost of the Shell while fighting with section nine on the case of the Laughing Man (and the independent 11 in S.A.C Gic series) All this, takes place in 2030 to 2032. In Ghost of the Shell 2, the Major doesn't actually "appear". During the duration of the film set in 2036, the Major is listed as missing and Batou and Tougasa are trying to solve the case or Locus Soulus and their sexoids (these robot geisha dolls that are fused with the souls of young girls kidnapped by the Yakusa) The only time the Major makes herself known is when she takes over one of the dolls via satellite to fight with Batou. And recently, I've come across a third Ghost in the Shell installment called Stand Alone Society, with the Major's original cyborg body and role while taking place in 2034.
Other than that, I would say that Ghost in the Shell and its series is well worth the watch. Though it is gory in some parts, has language, and scenes of intense action - it still has a good balance with more whimsical themes ( for example the Tashikomas) I would highly recommend watching all the films and series - even if you're not a fan of Manga and Anime.
Read The Hobbit.
Admittedly, before attending Stelling's Lit. or Horror, Sci fi, Fantasy class I had never read or watched any of The Lord of the Rings movies or books. When the Hobbit was an option for a class read, I took the opportunity to finally get into Tolken's work. I finally picked up a copy at the Bookstore, a graphic novel of the Hobbit. I must say, It is a very enjoyable read! I really loved the graphic novel version, the beautiful oil painted cover and watercolor illustrations made the book not only more appetizing but an easier read. Being in a comic format you would think that most of the text from the original would have been omitted, but it was well adapted. Though still lengthy for a standard graphic novel, it had enough of the story along with the illustrations to still be able to understand and know what The Hobbit was about. Since reading, I have slowly taken the time to watch the movies and I'm now looking forward to The Hobbit's trilogy in theaters!
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
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