That long overdue post
I've planned to make a post later today where I'll talk about movies I've watched recently (Blade Runner, Ghost in the Shell (the first one, from 1995), Angel-A, Total Recall) and I'll probably say a few words about Brave New World that I finished reading something like last week. - Me on October 10th
I guess it's about time I do something, the plus side is that since then I also watched Alien, The girl who Leapt Through Time and Paprika, and I'm also gonna add some videogames and music recs.
-Movies-
Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982):
Blade Runner is a 1982 American neo-noir dystopian science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is a modified film adaptation of the 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick.
The film depicts a dystopian Los Angeles in November 2019 in which genetically engineered replicants, which are visually indistinguishable from adult humans, are manufactured by the powerful Tyrell Corporation as well as by other "mega-corporations" around the world. Their use on Earth is banned and replicants are exclusively used for dangerous, menial, or leisure work on off-world colonies. Replicants who defy the ban and return to Earth are hunted down and "retired" by special police operatives known as "Blade Runners". The plot focuses on a desperate group of recently escaped replicants hiding in Los Angeles and the burnt-out expert Blade Runner, Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), who reluctantly agrees to take on one more assignment to hunt them down.-Wikipedia
My first thought was "wow, this movie is beautiful", I really wasn't expecting that from a 1982 movie. I watched the 2007 Final Cut, and apparently it was remastered, but nothing was added (if I'm wrong someone correct me), the special effects are breathtaking. I especially enjoyed the art direction, it's in the future but everything looks old, and it's night most of (or all? I don't remember) the time, it also rains a lot, and I think it's part of why it's all so convincing, it's much harder to make a convincing futuristic universe when it's supposed to look brand new. But regardless, it was a prowess to make it look so good. The composition is also omgsobeautiful, every shot looks like an art picture, there's a lot of work on the lighting, smoke effects, the décor and the costumes are very nice too. There's a heavy and kind of sick atmosphere, which is to be expected in a dystopia and given the story, and I enjoyed it. The story, of course, really got me because I like SF with deep reflection about humanity, there are dark themes and no one is perfect, I like that. Some scenes are unsettling and I don't think the main love story is very healthy, but it's not presented as such (it's just shown, with no judgement) so I have no problem with that. I haven't seen that many Ridley Scott movies, I saw Gladiator a while ago, it was good, Legend kind of traumatized me as a kid but I have no memory of it whatsoever, I only remember it as "the movie I was scared of that was just after The Neverending Story on the VHS". I'll rewatch it someday xD. I also saw Alien, I'll talk about it a bit further down. And I heard about his upcoming movie Exodus, I don't know what it will be like, but for now it mainly looks severely miscast, I mean, Joel Edgerton, a white blue-eyed guy playing Ramses II? Same goes for the rest of the main cast, I don't know if it's more racist of lazy, because they just didn't feel like looking for good actors that would match the roles physically, actors that I'm sure exist in the US.
Oh and I now have the ending theme as my ringtone xD
Ghost in The Shell (Mamoru Oshii, 1995):
Ghost in the Shell (GHOST IN THE SHELL/攻殻機動隊 Gōsuto in za sheru / Kōkaku kidōtai, lit. Ghost in the Shell / Mobile Armored Riot Police) is a 1995 anime science fiction film based on manga of the same title by Masamune Shirow. The film was written by Kazunori Itō, directed by Mamoru Oshii, animated by Production I.G, and starred the voices of Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Ōtsuka and Iemasa Kayumi.
The world has become interconnected by a vast electronic network that permeates every aspect of life. Much of humanity, including the protagonists, has direct access to this network through cybernetic bodies, or "shells", which possess their consciousness and can give them superhuman abilities.
Ghost in the Shell follows the hunt of the public security agency Section 9 for a mysterious hacker known as the Puppet Master. With the assistance of her team, Motoko Kusanagi tracks and finds their suspect, only to be drawn into a complex sequence of political intrigue and a cover-up as to the identity and goals of the Puppet Master.-Wikipedia
Once again, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed with that kind of themes. It revolves a lot around the definition of humanity, can a totally artificial body have a "soul" (a ghost as it's called in this universe, it's the only thing that still differenciates a full android and a human, since mostly everyone has artificial parts), what makes up who we are (I really liked the discussion between Kusanagi and Batou, when she explains that all the enhancements she went through are part of her). Kusanagi has a totally artificial body except her brain and wonders a lot about her identity because of that. The wikipedia article says it's also centered around gender identity but I think it's mostly about humanity, they quote an article that reads a lot in the first joke of the film, Kusanagi saying it's her "time of the month" which is impossible because her body is artificial. I think it's not so much about feminity but more about being an organic/artificial being that lies the joke. The end of the movie IS about reproduction but I still don't see it as a gender question, but the continuation of the question of being human while not being organic anymore. Also an article that equates "unable to menstruate" and "male" makes me cringe a lot (and I'm not even talking about gender identity here, but even when only considering biological sex, there are other reasons for being unable to menstruate than being male).
Anyway, great themes and questioning of humanity and the feeling of self (the Puppet Master is able to hack ghosts, so basically people's spirits, and to implant memories). The animation is good too, it's pretty close to what I remember from the Stand Alone Complex series (I need to watch the whole thing), and the music is... ♥
Total Recall (Paul Verhoeven, 1990):
Total Recall is a 1990 American science fiction action film directed by Paul Verhoeven, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside, and Ronny Cox. The film is loosely based on the Philip K. Dick story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale". It was written by Ronald Shusett, Dan O'Bannon, Jon Povill, and Gary Goldman, and won a Special Achievement Academy Award for its visual effects. The original score composed by Jerry Goldsmith won the BMI Film Music Award.
In 2084, Douglas Quaid is an Earthbound construction worker having troubling dreams about Mars and a mysterious woman there. His wife Lori dismisses the dreams and discourages him from thinking about Mars, where the governor, Vilos Cohaagen, is fighting rebels while searching for a rumored alien artifact located in the mines. At "Rekall", a company that provides memory implants of vacation, Quaid opts for a memory trip to Mars as a secret agent. However, during the procedure, before the memory is implanted, Quaid starts revealing previously suppressed memories of actually being a secret agent. The company re-sedates him, wipes his memory of the Rekall visit, and sends him home. On the way home, Quaid is attacked by his construction co-workers and is forced to kill them. He is then attacked in his apartment by Lori who reveals that she was never his wife and that their marriage was all just a false memory implant and she's an agent sent by Cohaagen to monitor him. He is then attacked and pursued by armed thugs led by Lori and Richter, her real husband and Cohaagen's subordinate.-Wikipedia
The theme is great, and the plot very intelligent, but the movie... I don't know, I think seeing it after Blade Runner probably didn't help, because what prevented me from getting inside the movie the most were the special effects, and the general design of the future. And it's not that Mars having no atmosphere, its sky should be black, but really the décor and all that. A lot lies in the design, that is really "the future as seen in the 90s" (the design of the cars omg), and at some points I kind of screamed "obvious blue screen". There's also that I'm not a big fan of Schwarzenegger, and it was also the first time I saw one of his movies in original version, I didn't know he has an Austrian accent, so for a the most part I couldn't tell if it was just the accent or if he actually acted badly. I'm still not sure. There were also some special effects involving body parts that were very over the top and threw me off, like when the helmet breaks on Mars (no spoiler, it happens at the very beginning) with the eyes going out of their sockets and stuff. Oh and the very end was SO heavily emphasized, like "LOOK AT MY INTELLIGENT PLOT OMG". Yeah, we got it, you even introduced it mid-movie. So yeah, I think I should read Philip K. Dick's books instead. He also wrote Minority Report. As for Verhoeven, Yuè told me I should watch Robocop and I think I will because it has very good critics, but so does Total Recall so...
Angel-A (Luc Besson, 2005):
Angel-A, directed by Luc Besson, is a 2005 French fantasy and romantic drama film featuring Jamel Debbouze and Rie Rasmussen.
Andre (Debbouze) has just returned to Paris in the hope of making some easy money, give up his life of petty crime, and start his life over as an honest man in America. In Paris for only a few hours, Andre finds himself dangling high over the edge of the Eiffel Tower, begging for his life from a man he hoped never to see again. With his underworld dealings catching up to him, Andre is given 24 hours to find 20,000 Euro to pay off his debts and save his life. Frantically trying to find ways to avoid certain death, Andre turns to the police begging them to place him safely behind bars for a couple of nights. They laugh at his pathetic attempt and throw him to the streets. Andre is left with nowhere to turn and with his deadline fast approaching, he despairingly climbs onto the ledge of a bridge and gathers the resolve to jump into the river. But, he is not alone. Beside him, a beautiful and mysterious woman (Rasmussen) is a moment away from throwing herself into the Seine. Despite Andre’s attempts to persuade the woman to climb back over the railing, she lets go and jumps into the water. A split second later, he too jumps into the water.
With much effort, he hauls her limp, soaked body to the shore and tries to coax her back to life. Sitting alone on the quay with a seemingly lifeless woman in his arms and hitmen on his tail, Andre desperately hopes for a miracle. About to give up on the mysterious woman, Andre is relieved when she finally opens her eyes. Her name is Angela. As a thanks for being saved, Angela pledges her life to Andre, doing anything and everything she can to help him. Confused as to why such a gorgeous woman should want to help him, Andre is skeptical. Only when she delivers the money he so desperately needs does he begin to trust her and agree to accept her help.[...]-Wikipedia
The story is not necessarily the big forte of the movie, but it's not that bad either, despite being pretty cliché. I appreciated seeing Jamel in a non-comic role, too, he's actually pretty good! The big appeal of the movie, however, is the aesthetic, which isn't a big surprise with Besson. It's all in black and white with very nice camera angles, it looks very unreal and some of the places seen have clearly been chosen to look good in the movie. So yeah, not a must-see, but it was nice. I'm neither of those who hate nor those who idolise Besson, I enjoyed The Fifth Element a lot, so did I Leon, and I need to rewatch Nikita but I think I liked it, I didn't like Lucy that much, but it isn't as bad as some say.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (Mamoru Hosoda, 2006):
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (時をかける少女 Toki o Kakeru Shōjo) is a 2006 Japanese-animated science fiction romance film produced by Madhouse, directed by Mamoru Hosoda and written by Satoko Okudera. Released by Kadokawa Herald Pictures, the film is a loose sequel to the 1967 novel of the same name by Yasutaka Tsutsui and shares the basic premise of a young girl who gains the power of time travel, but with a different story and characters than the novel. Riisa Naka voices Makoto Konno, a teenager who inadvertently gains a mysterious power. She learns from her aunt Kazuko Yoshiyama-protagonist to the original story-that she has the power to travel through time. Makoto begins using the time-leaps frivolously to fix problems.-Wikipedia
A very nice take on time traveling, it's not about saving the world but eating teppanyaki twice and singing karaoke endlessly. Until it gets out of hand of course. It was really cool, with blievable characters, who have flaws and depth, the animation was very nice, too. I already saw Summer Wars and Wolf Children by Mamoru Hosoda, I loved both (especially Wolf Children), I'm totally keeping an eye on him.
Paprika (Satoshi Kon, 2006):
Paprika (パプリカ Papurika) is a 2006 Japanese animated film co-written and directed by Satoshi Kon, based on Yasutaka Tsutsui's 1993 novel of the same name, about a research psychologist who uses a device that permits therapists to help patients by entering their dreams. It is Kon's fourth and final feature film before his death in 2010.-Wikipedia
With that icon it's pretty obvious I liked it, the plot involving dreams made me love it, and made for some very psychedelic moments and great scenes. The characters were nice, at first I thought there was a lack of female characters, but it's actually pretty realistic in a research field and there aren't that many characters to begin with, plus the woman is central and very respected, so yeah, it's cool. I already knew Satoshi Kon was great (it's sad he passed away), I watched several episodes of Paranoia Agent when it aired on Nolife, I need to watch more of his work. And the music is awesome. I've been listening to it on a loop. The opening will probably make you want to watch it o/
Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979):
Alien is a 1979 science-fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott, and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. The film's title refers to a highly aggressive extraterrestrial creature that stalks and kills the crew of a spaceship.-Wikipedia
(As if anyone didn't know the plot of Alien). I watched it with Alice for Halloween, it was cool, but I guess making jokes during the movie didn't help the scary atmosphere work... It looks great for a 1979 movie, honestly, the creatures really look organic, except for that one time when we burst out laughing because the baby Alien was so obviously on rails xD. I need to make a gif out of it some day.
-Video Games-
I'm gonna be quicker here, because damn that's already long. First I played Limbo, a creepy puzzle platform game that I looooooooooooooved, it's all in black, white and shades of grey, with complex puzzles, there's a lot of die and retry but it's never frustrating, and there's a hidden (very hard) level and eggs hidden in various places that you need to finish the game at 100%. To finish the game at 100% you also need to do it in one run without dying more than 5 times, which isn't easy.
I also tried Fly'n, and it's pretty cool, it has good game mechanics, but the controls aren't very intuitive, which gets frustrating quite fast, I stopped for now, I'm not fully convinced. However I love the design, it's very cute and colorful.
And finally, I reinstalled World of Goo and replayed it, it's just as good as the first time ♥ it's a puzzle game in which you build structures using goo balls and you have to reach a pipe that will suck the remaining goo balls that are on the structure, you have a number of goo balls to get at each level. It's very fun and I re-finished it in about 4h30, I didn't remember the solutions because I first played it back in 2009, I had a great time.
-Music rec-
I found a YT channel about metal music, which made me discover a couple of bands I didn't know, and as an Oomph! fan, I fell in love with Eisbrecher, another indus German band.
I guess it's about time I do something, the plus side is that since then I also watched Alien, The girl who Leapt Through Time and Paprika, and I'm also gonna add some videogames and music recs.
-Movies-
Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982):
Blade Runner is a 1982 American neo-noir dystopian science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is a modified film adaptation of the 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick.
The film depicts a dystopian Los Angeles in November 2019 in which genetically engineered replicants, which are visually indistinguishable from adult humans, are manufactured by the powerful Tyrell Corporation as well as by other "mega-corporations" around the world. Their use on Earth is banned and replicants are exclusively used for dangerous, menial, or leisure work on off-world colonies. Replicants who defy the ban and return to Earth are hunted down and "retired" by special police operatives known as "Blade Runners". The plot focuses on a desperate group of recently escaped replicants hiding in Los Angeles and the burnt-out expert Blade Runner, Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), who reluctantly agrees to take on one more assignment to hunt them down.-Wikipedia
My first thought was "wow, this movie is beautiful", I really wasn't expecting that from a 1982 movie. I watched the 2007 Final Cut, and apparently it was remastered, but nothing was added (if I'm wrong someone correct me), the special effects are breathtaking. I especially enjoyed the art direction, it's in the future but everything looks old, and it's night most of (or all? I don't remember) the time, it also rains a lot, and I think it's part of why it's all so convincing, it's much harder to make a convincing futuristic universe when it's supposed to look brand new. But regardless, it was a prowess to make it look so good. The composition is also omgsobeautiful, every shot looks like an art picture, there's a lot of work on the lighting, smoke effects, the décor and the costumes are very nice too. There's a heavy and kind of sick atmosphere, which is to be expected in a dystopia and given the story, and I enjoyed it. The story, of course, really got me because I like SF with deep reflection about humanity, there are dark themes and no one is perfect, I like that. Some scenes are unsettling and I don't think the main love story is very healthy, but it's not presented as such (it's just shown, with no judgement) so I have no problem with that. I haven't seen that many Ridley Scott movies, I saw Gladiator a while ago, it was good, Legend kind of traumatized me as a kid but I have no memory of it whatsoever, I only remember it as "the movie I was scared of that was just after The Neverending Story on the VHS". I'll rewatch it someday xD. I also saw Alien, I'll talk about it a bit further down. And I heard about his upcoming movie Exodus, I don't know what it will be like, but for now it mainly looks severely miscast, I mean, Joel Edgerton, a white blue-eyed guy playing Ramses II? Same goes for the rest of the main cast, I don't know if it's more racist of lazy, because they just didn't feel like looking for good actors that would match the roles physically, actors that I'm sure exist in the US.
Oh and I now have the ending theme as my ringtone xD
Ghost in The Shell (Mamoru Oshii, 1995):
Ghost in the Shell (GHOST IN THE SHELL/攻殻機動隊 Gōsuto in za sheru / Kōkaku kidōtai, lit. Ghost in the Shell / Mobile Armored Riot Police) is a 1995 anime science fiction film based on manga of the same title by Masamune Shirow. The film was written by Kazunori Itō, directed by Mamoru Oshii, animated by Production I.G, and starred the voices of Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Ōtsuka and Iemasa Kayumi.
The world has become interconnected by a vast electronic network that permeates every aspect of life. Much of humanity, including the protagonists, has direct access to this network through cybernetic bodies, or "shells", which possess their consciousness and can give them superhuman abilities.
Ghost in the Shell follows the hunt of the public security agency Section 9 for a mysterious hacker known as the Puppet Master. With the assistance of her team, Motoko Kusanagi tracks and finds their suspect, only to be drawn into a complex sequence of political intrigue and a cover-up as to the identity and goals of the Puppet Master.-Wikipedia
Once again, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed with that kind of themes. It revolves a lot around the definition of humanity, can a totally artificial body have a "soul" (a ghost as it's called in this universe, it's the only thing that still differenciates a full android and a human, since mostly everyone has artificial parts), what makes up who we are (I really liked the discussion between Kusanagi and Batou, when she explains that all the enhancements she went through are part of her). Kusanagi has a totally artificial body except her brain and wonders a lot about her identity because of that. The wikipedia article says it's also centered around gender identity but I think it's mostly about humanity, they quote an article that reads a lot in the first joke of the film, Kusanagi saying it's her "time of the month" which is impossible because her body is artificial. I think it's not so much about feminity but more about being an organic/artificial being that lies the joke. The end of the movie IS about reproduction but I still don't see it as a gender question, but the continuation of the question of being human while not being organic anymore. Also an article that equates "unable to menstruate" and "male" makes me cringe a lot (and I'm not even talking about gender identity here, but even when only considering biological sex, there are other reasons for being unable to menstruate than being male).
Anyway, great themes and questioning of humanity and the feeling of self (the Puppet Master is able to hack ghosts, so basically people's spirits, and to implant memories). The animation is good too, it's pretty close to what I remember from the Stand Alone Complex series (I need to watch the whole thing), and the music is... ♥
Total Recall (Paul Verhoeven, 1990):
Total Recall is a 1990 American science fiction action film directed by Paul Verhoeven, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin, Sharon Stone, Michael Ironside, and Ronny Cox. The film is loosely based on the Philip K. Dick story "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale". It was written by Ronald Shusett, Dan O'Bannon, Jon Povill, and Gary Goldman, and won a Special Achievement Academy Award for its visual effects. The original score composed by Jerry Goldsmith won the BMI Film Music Award.
In 2084, Douglas Quaid is an Earthbound construction worker having troubling dreams about Mars and a mysterious woman there. His wife Lori dismisses the dreams and discourages him from thinking about Mars, where the governor, Vilos Cohaagen, is fighting rebels while searching for a rumored alien artifact located in the mines. At "Rekall", a company that provides memory implants of vacation, Quaid opts for a memory trip to Mars as a secret agent. However, during the procedure, before the memory is implanted, Quaid starts revealing previously suppressed memories of actually being a secret agent. The company re-sedates him, wipes his memory of the Rekall visit, and sends him home. On the way home, Quaid is attacked by his construction co-workers and is forced to kill them. He is then attacked in his apartment by Lori who reveals that she was never his wife and that their marriage was all just a false memory implant and she's an agent sent by Cohaagen to monitor him. He is then attacked and pursued by armed thugs led by Lori and Richter, her real husband and Cohaagen's subordinate.-Wikipedia
The theme is great, and the plot very intelligent, but the movie... I don't know, I think seeing it after Blade Runner probably didn't help, because what prevented me from getting inside the movie the most were the special effects, and the general design of the future. And it's not that Mars having no atmosphere, its sky should be black, but really the décor and all that. A lot lies in the design, that is really "the future as seen in the 90s" (the design of the cars omg), and at some points I kind of screamed "obvious blue screen". There's also that I'm not a big fan of Schwarzenegger, and it was also the first time I saw one of his movies in original version, I didn't know he has an Austrian accent, so for a the most part I couldn't tell if it was just the accent or if he actually acted badly. I'm still not sure. There were also some special effects involving body parts that were very over the top and threw me off, like when the helmet breaks on Mars (no spoiler, it happens at the very beginning) with the eyes going out of their sockets and stuff. Oh and the very end was SO heavily emphasized, like "LOOK AT MY INTELLIGENT PLOT OMG". Yeah, we got it, you even introduced it mid-movie. So yeah, I think I should read Philip K. Dick's books instead. He also wrote Minority Report. As for Verhoeven, Yuè told me I should watch Robocop and I think I will because it has very good critics, but so does Total Recall so...
Angel-A (Luc Besson, 2005):
Angel-A, directed by Luc Besson, is a 2005 French fantasy and romantic drama film featuring Jamel Debbouze and Rie Rasmussen.
Andre (Debbouze) has just returned to Paris in the hope of making some easy money, give up his life of petty crime, and start his life over as an honest man in America. In Paris for only a few hours, Andre finds himself dangling high over the edge of the Eiffel Tower, begging for his life from a man he hoped never to see again. With his underworld dealings catching up to him, Andre is given 24 hours to find 20,000 Euro to pay off his debts and save his life. Frantically trying to find ways to avoid certain death, Andre turns to the police begging them to place him safely behind bars for a couple of nights. They laugh at his pathetic attempt and throw him to the streets. Andre is left with nowhere to turn and with his deadline fast approaching, he despairingly climbs onto the ledge of a bridge and gathers the resolve to jump into the river. But, he is not alone. Beside him, a beautiful and mysterious woman (Rasmussen) is a moment away from throwing herself into the Seine. Despite Andre’s attempts to persuade the woman to climb back over the railing, she lets go and jumps into the water. A split second later, he too jumps into the water.
With much effort, he hauls her limp, soaked body to the shore and tries to coax her back to life. Sitting alone on the quay with a seemingly lifeless woman in his arms and hitmen on his tail, Andre desperately hopes for a miracle. About to give up on the mysterious woman, Andre is relieved when she finally opens her eyes. Her name is Angela. As a thanks for being saved, Angela pledges her life to Andre, doing anything and everything she can to help him. Confused as to why such a gorgeous woman should want to help him, Andre is skeptical. Only when she delivers the money he so desperately needs does he begin to trust her and agree to accept her help.[...]-Wikipedia
The story is not necessarily the big forte of the movie, but it's not that bad either, despite being pretty cliché. I appreciated seeing Jamel in a non-comic role, too, he's actually pretty good! The big appeal of the movie, however, is the aesthetic, which isn't a big surprise with Besson. It's all in black and white with very nice camera angles, it looks very unreal and some of the places seen have clearly been chosen to look good in the movie. So yeah, not a must-see, but it was nice. I'm neither of those who hate nor those who idolise Besson, I enjoyed The Fifth Element a lot, so did I Leon, and I need to rewatch Nikita but I think I liked it, I didn't like Lucy that much, but it isn't as bad as some say.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (Mamoru Hosoda, 2006):
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (時をかける少女 Toki o Kakeru Shōjo) is a 2006 Japanese-animated science fiction romance film produced by Madhouse, directed by Mamoru Hosoda and written by Satoko Okudera. Released by Kadokawa Herald Pictures, the film is a loose sequel to the 1967 novel of the same name by Yasutaka Tsutsui and shares the basic premise of a young girl who gains the power of time travel, but with a different story and characters than the novel. Riisa Naka voices Makoto Konno, a teenager who inadvertently gains a mysterious power. She learns from her aunt Kazuko Yoshiyama-protagonist to the original story-that she has the power to travel through time. Makoto begins using the time-leaps frivolously to fix problems.-Wikipedia
A very nice take on time traveling, it's not about saving the world but eating teppanyaki twice and singing karaoke endlessly. Until it gets out of hand of course. It was really cool, with blievable characters, who have flaws and depth, the animation was very nice, too. I already saw Summer Wars and Wolf Children by Mamoru Hosoda, I loved both (especially Wolf Children), I'm totally keeping an eye on him.
Paprika (Satoshi Kon, 2006):
Paprika (パプリカ Papurika) is a 2006 Japanese animated film co-written and directed by Satoshi Kon, based on Yasutaka Tsutsui's 1993 novel of the same name, about a research psychologist who uses a device that permits therapists to help patients by entering their dreams. It is Kon's fourth and final feature film before his death in 2010.-Wikipedia
With that icon it's pretty obvious I liked it, the plot involving dreams made me love it, and made for some very psychedelic moments and great scenes. The characters were nice, at first I thought there was a lack of female characters, but it's actually pretty realistic in a research field and there aren't that many characters to begin with, plus the woman is central and very respected, so yeah, it's cool. I already knew Satoshi Kon was great (it's sad he passed away), I watched several episodes of Paranoia Agent when it aired on Nolife, I need to watch more of his work. And the music is awesome. I've been listening to it on a loop. The opening will probably make you want to watch it o/
Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979):
Alien is a 1979 science-fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott, and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. The film's title refers to a highly aggressive extraterrestrial creature that stalks and kills the crew of a spaceship.-Wikipedia
(As if anyone didn't know the plot of Alien). I watched it with Alice for Halloween, it was cool, but I guess making jokes during the movie didn't help the scary atmosphere work... It looks great for a 1979 movie, honestly, the creatures really look organic, except for that one time when we burst out laughing because the baby Alien was so obviously on rails xD. I need to make a gif out of it some day.
-Video Games-
I'm gonna be quicker here, because damn that's already long. First I played Limbo, a creepy puzzle platform game that I looooooooooooooved, it's all in black, white and shades of grey, with complex puzzles, there's a lot of die and retry but it's never frustrating, and there's a hidden (very hard) level and eggs hidden in various places that you need to finish the game at 100%. To finish the game at 100% you also need to do it in one run without dying more than 5 times, which isn't easy.
I also tried Fly'n, and it's pretty cool, it has good game mechanics, but the controls aren't very intuitive, which gets frustrating quite fast, I stopped for now, I'm not fully convinced. However I love the design, it's very cute and colorful.
And finally, I reinstalled World of Goo and replayed it, it's just as good as the first time ♥ it's a puzzle game in which you build structures using goo balls and you have to reach a pipe that will suck the remaining goo balls that are on the structure, you have a number of goo balls to get at each level. It's very fun and I re-finished it in about 4h30, I didn't remember the solutions because I first played it back in 2009, I had a great time.
-Music rec-
I found a YT channel about metal music, which made me discover a couple of bands I didn't know, and as an Oomph! fan, I fell in love with Eisbrecher, another indus German band.
Click to view