#and then i watched all of this footage showing direct comparisons of roads in different countries and different cities | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

scope-dogg · 4 years

Text

Super Dimension Century Orguss: Final Thoughts

This was a series that I was glad to pick up on the wheel because it’s got a good reputation of being one of the best shows from one of the mecha genre’s golden ages during the 80s. It’s the one part of the “super dimension” trio of series, the other two being Southern Cross and Macross, with Orguss being the only one not to be part of the Robotech chimera (Mospeada took its place.)

Now, did it live up to its reputation? On balance, I’m going to have to say no, honestly. The setting of Orguss is a hodgepodge patchwork of different realities, which can feel like an apt metaphor for the series as whole - this was one of the most unbalanced series I’ve ever seen. It had a lot of potential with an interesting premise and during its best moments it lives up to that well, but its meandering middle plot, occasionally infuriating approach to character drama and wildly inconsistent production values often serve to hamstring it. This is 35 episodes long, which is actually pretty short by the standards of other shows from this era, but it still feels about a dozen episodes too long, with too many portions of the plot where little happens. It’s obvious watching in hindsight that they had problems with their budget too, especially in regards to animation. Some episodes are honestly beautiful, with exquisite mechanical designs, striking visual shots and bold, expressive animation, whereas others are unbelievably ugly, thrown together in a slapdash manner with an inexcusable quantity of repeated stock footage by any era’s standard.

That kind of bipolar feel extends to the plot and characters - the very early portion, that introduces you to the world and most of the major characters, is very engaging, as is the very end portion where things finally come to a head, the stakes are high and decisions and sacrifices are being made (kneecapped somewhat by a rushed-feeling last episode.) The middle portion feels like a complete chore by comparison, where most episodes feel like filler and we got annoyingly little in the way of insight into what should by all rights be a fascinating setting. With the main plot often feeling like it’s happening in the background without much direction, episodes lean quite heavily on character drama to keep the audience entertained, with very mixed results. The main cast is a eclectic mix of people from different realities, which can result in some entertaining interplay. The biggest focus is on romance though. Some people react viscerally to romance plotlines just on principle, and while I’m not one of those people, Orguss provoked that kind of response from me. Of all the romantic conflicts in play, pretty much all of them are creepy, tinged with various seedy overtones including infidelity, quasi-incestuousness and even pedophilia - it has a character coded as a little girl (actually a 300-year old robot, but I wouldn’t accept that kind of handwave anywhere else and won’t here) making clumsy advances on the adult main character. Thankfully that last one is played off mostly as a joke, but the others weren’t - watching a young woman getting worked up over a father figure that she calls “uncle” wasn’t pleasant, nor was seeing poor Sley literally getting cucked to death by the main character in possibly the most brutally lopsided love triangle in media. While I’m not going to get on my soapbox and declare that having these plotlines makes the show morally reprehensible or anything like that (you make up your mind about that) I thought that they were unpleasant to watch unfold and they hampered my enjoyment of the show. Speaking of the main character, Kei Katsuragi, he in himself comes off as very inconsistent - sometimes his headstrong and philandering ways have him coming off as an affable rogue with a heart of gold, and other times as a lecherous jerk. The show does eventually come round and acknowledges both his flaws and good sides to resolve him as a fundamentally decent but flawed person, but the road to get there feels rocky with a lot of mixed signals on the way - it can feel hard to tell if the show wants you to like him or not and whether it’s succeeding.

I don’t want to spend an excessive amount of time dunking on the show’s negative aspects because I didn’t think it was terrible, so allow me to give praise where it’s due. I thought that the mechanical design was overall very creative and distinctive - while there aren’t a lot of different mecha in this series each one has a distinct look, and special praise is deserved for Orguss itself, which I think is a rightly iconic example of a transforming mecha with a unique look. The soundtrack is overall excellent, with the main battle theme being a jaunty earworm and the OP being unironically beautiful. The setting is very imaginative, and while the plot is overall too slow and unfocused for me to call great, there were some great plot twists. The ending as well is a little ambiguous but gives some food for thought if that’s the kind of thing you like (though personally I tend to prefer things a little less vague and more clear-cut.)

Overall I don’t think the show was overall bad, but it definitely wasn’t the great show I’d been lead to expect. Normally I’d give an older show like this a little more slack but shows like Votoms and Dunbine were airing around the same time and I don’t think Orguss is in their league - or even its earlier sister series Macross, for that matter. It might be worth checking out if you’ve seen a lot of other shows from the 80s and are looking for one more to watch, but there are plenty of other shows I’d recommend ahead of it.

#orguss #mecha #respect the robot

10 notes · View notes

ask-jaghatai-khan · 5 years

Text

The Vampire of Cairn

// A story set on the forgotten Pariah Planet, Cairn. Entirely inhabited by the soulless human mutants known as “Blanks”, the world was settled before the rise of the Imperium and remains cut off from the rest of the galaxy to this day. But secret intelligence suggests that the world is not as safe as it seems, and that danger might still lurk in a galaxy lost to myth.

—

A fog bank was rolling in, though here in the city it wasn’t so prominent save for on the major streets. What few transports there were, on the roads or in the sky, made themselves sparse rather than deal with the lack of visibility, as people sheltered for a while in the shops and offices to avoid the damp chill. The misty pall seemed to run down the main thoroughfares like a wave. It would pass soon, but for now it hung over the alleys and side-streets, shrouding the tops of buildings and casting the whole world in a dull silver, both the neon signs and midday sun becoming faint and washed-out in the gloom.

Zhi’s destination was an alley downtown, by 26th and Baobeng. His personal transport, a sleek black sedan, navigated itself along the reflective guidelines of the ground-level roads as he went over his notes. He’d not been to this city before – if you could call it a city. It was more of a post-industrial town, now in the final movements towards establishing itself as a cultural center. He didn’t recall what Tianshi was known for and he didn’t much care. The compact little city was not much different from many of these other sparse population centers in the DB Jinkou Provence, but it was the pattern that concerned him. His last lead for his current assignment had been a whole city over, in the more remote Borios. It suggested the mark was not just on the move, but capable of long-distance travel without notice, maybe even without assistance.

There was a ping on the console as the ETA hit two minutes. The Investigator closed his documents and detached his holopad from its charge port, before the government-issue transport skidded around to the alley’s entrance and settled down on its unfolding wheels. There were several other cars there already, some civil service, some civilian, all clustered around the official cordon.

It was lowkey, which was to Zhi’s liking. No flashing lights, no big groups of reporters. One local Sentinel was speaking with a handful of private broadcasters, but all the emergency vehicles were running silent, their personnel milling around inside, maybe processing data. The whole setup made it clear that whatever had happened, it had passed. Zhi’s flat shoes made his approach noticeable as they snapped along the damp pavement, the dark surface of the road reflecting the point lights of the various transport vehicles.

He flashed his badge, but the Sentinel didn’t even try to stop him. He walked with the air of his profession, which was not to be cut in front of. Moving on, the Investigator moved into the alley, cast in long shadows by the spotlights that had been brought in to examine the scene.

There were a couple of sealed dumpsters, a storm drain, and not much more. The adhesive residue marked where posters might have once been put up, but nothing more remained. Compared to the streetfront, where neon signs, greenboxes, and other solar gatherers gave off color and brightness despite the fog, the alley felt quite barren. All grey ferrocrete and weathered service pipes.

The scene of the crime itself was obvious, and rather simple. One body, face down in the damp, looking pretty bloody as well. Dried blood was being rehydrated by the moisture in the air, and was doing nothing for the corpse, giving off a slight smell of iron and onset decay. Two more Sentinels - marked by their dark outerwear, utility harnesses, and subtle insignias – stood about the scene before one took notice of the approaching Investigator.

“Hello.” They said with simple but respectful affectation. Almost questioning, as if Zhi wasn’t supposed to be there.

He extended a hand as he approached, his own dark trench coat matching the local colors rather well.

“Investigator Zhi, Consensus assigned.” Introducing himself, he held up his badge once more. The little metallic chit marked him as under permanent internal security contract to the Consensus Sciences Service.

“Li. I’m with the local Sentinels.” Her precise vocabulary identified her as a woman, and a rather metropolitan one too, for a Sentinel in a northern industrial town. Her hair was styled into a tight pink stripe on her head, and her matching hued eyes suggested cybernetics. Such quirks weren’t common outside the major hives, “We weren’t excepting the Fed.”

“Yes, well we’re just checking all our leads right now and this was brought to my attention.” Zhi clarified. He was far more mundane looking in comparison, as fit a Federal Investigator. Not drawing attention was part of the game.

“And might I ask a little more?” she shot back, still with respect though her body language was unyielding, “This is under our jurisdiction, after all. Is there something bigger we should be worried about?”

Sentinels were local law enforcement, though not in the conventional sense of eras past. They were more like an office between a community watch and a militia. More ad-hoc and concerned with the protection and proper law enforcement of their districts than any higher loyalties. With the right moves they could be amenable, but they were very ground-level and had some of the strongest unions, making outright hostility towards them a bad idea for even Federal agents.

Zhi took off his wide-brimmed hat, making clearer eye contact with Li.

“There’s some suspicion this might be part of a larger series of murders. That’s—”

“You mean the Vampire?” the other Sentinel came up then, no longer content in the background, and with some verve in his voice.

“That’s all I’m at liberty to say.” Zhi’s face went dark.

“Sentinel Chaleb.” Li gestured, “Apologies, though it’s a legitimate question. It’s been around the stations. Could it be that killer?”

“Impossible to say either way until I’ve had a look, eh?” the Investigator tilted his head.

Chaleb. The man must have been from somewhere rural before becoming a Sentinel in Tianshi. His name, inflection, and appearance – paler and with sandy hair – had the twinge of Goth in them. Didn’t much matter, but it was an observation Zhi made.

“Here.” Li stepped aside, gesturing to the body that lay half slumped onto its face in the damp. Zhi got in close for a better look.

Man of about middle age, perhaps seventy-eight, as he seemed in good health. His hair was dark and short-cropped, messy now that the damp had worked through whatever gel it looked like he’d used. He was dressed in simple formalwear, with the open-front black jacket that went down to about his knees, and the black underclothes to match.

“Victim was a Mr. Jia Ming, as our first data responses have come through.” Li informed, “Local. Worked at a distribution firm for signage products, I think. We took his datapad and are seeing about getting permission to access it from next of kin.”

“Injuries?” Zhi asked.

“Broken collarbone and shoulder on the left side—” he could see it, the way the joint folded in on itself in an odd way, “Though the coroner scan didn’t think that was simultaneous with main cause of death. They’re still processing the data.” She didn’t need to point, as it was obvious the man’s throat was cut wide open. It was clean, yet broad, as if done by a swordsman in an action vid. The man’s skin had gone ghost pale in death from how much of his blood had flowed out onto the pavement.

“He was found around 2 a.m. this morning.” Chaleb interjected, “The owner of this sandwich shop was closing up and found him.” He pointed to the wall on their right, against which the dumpsters sat.

“You say the shoulder wasn’t simultaneous with cause of death.” Zhi stood back up, content in verifying the facts.

“No, but it wasn’t from a blow either. The blunt force trauma doesn’t seem to match up from what the scans show. The pattern looked more like—”

“Impact from above?” Zhi shot in. She was good. Maybe trained to be a Sentinel.

“How’d you know?”

“Oh that’s spooky.” Chaleb shook his head, “Absolutely the Vampire. Did you see that one clip online? They were saying they could probably scale sheer walls.”

“Yeah so can I, if you sweet-talk my quartermaster enough.” The Investigator cut him off, “Was there anything else of interest?”

“Possible cam footage. We can’t get it, though.” Li gave him.

“Why not?”

“It’s the security cam from the sandwich shop. The owner’s spooked, maybe drowsy. They didn’t want to give us access.”

“I’ll talk to them.” Zhi assured, gesturing with his hat in a vague direction “away” from the scene, “Do you want to be involved, then?”

Li nodded, signing off to Chaleb that she’d be leaving and that he should guard the area of the corpse. It might be good, if the Sentinel had talked to the storeowner beforehand, to have her there again. With luck, the civilian might be put more at ease by the continuity.

As they got out of earshot of the other Sentinel, rounding the corner of the alley side by side, Li turned towards the Investigator.

“Do you think it’s the Vampire, then?” she asked, though the look on her face told Zhi that she wasn’t keen on using the name, her pink eyes squinting.

“I’m getting sick of hearing that word.” Zhi walked forward another pace, annoyed at the stop, the sign and door of the sandwich shop visible just down the road.

As far as he knew, the nickname had been picked for the style in which the killer worked. Clean kills, along with the untraceable escapes. Still sounded stupid to him, but then most spree-killer nicknames tended to be.

“There’s been a lot of strange things in the news. People have been putting together all kinds of theories.” She continued, trudging beside him, “There were those signals they were talking about from the Jingshe belt that they said were nothing a month later. Then that meteor strike just a few weeks ago near Shuguan, and the murders in Shuguan they stopped reporting on after a week, and now these deaths going from city to city all the way here.”

“So what then, alien serial killer from outer space?” Zhi tried to sound as sarcastic as possible, wishing they could just pick up the damn pace.

“Maybe? There’s precedent. The Men of Iron came from space. We came from space.” She wasn’t wrong.

“Sounds like a fun story.” The Investigator just brushed it off as they reached the shop. The glass sliding door was barred with a shutter but knocking still produced a solid sound.

“I’m just saying, that’s what the theories have been online.” Li finished her piece, face flushing a little as if she’d been embarrassed at getting so caught up in the theory.

“Don’t believe everything you read on the net.” Zhi replied. The Sentinel glanced at his eyes – the man couldn’t have been much older than her based off looks, but his eyes – they seemed to be weighed down, drooping with some deep fatigue the rest of his face resisted.

There was a clanking, a latch-releasing kind of sound, and one of the individual panels that made up the collapsible door screen pulled away to reveal the eyes of a middle-aged individual. A woman, maybe, though as a city-man Zhi never made assumptions by habit.

“You’re back?” they asked.

“I heard you might have recordings that could help us.” The Investigator spoke up, while Li just provided aesthetic support, “Really all I’m interested in. Wouldn’t take a moment of your time, and I won’t cause any trouble.”

“Who are you?” their eyes were brimming with concern.

He flashed his badge, though he doubted they’d recognize it by training, “Federal Investigator. This might be important; you’d be doing us all a big favor.”

They shook their head, “I-I don’t want to get involved with anything. This is all really messed up.”

“Yeah, that tends to be the case.” He nodded, “May I ask your name?”

“Ling.” they gave.

“Your shop?” Zhi asked.

“It’s my shop, yes.” They answered.

“I’m not fully authorized for this, but I could promise you a degree of protection if you agree to help me, Ling.” Zhi tried his luck, “Maybe a vacation ticket as a gift? You can leave town for a little bit, and I imagine even if there is danger it’ll have blown over by then. Does that sound amenable?”

They seemed to mull it over for a bit, before their eyes conveyed a nod, and the latch shut. A few moments later, and the automated rails of the door screen were lifting the metal plates into the ceiling, and they were let inside with the accompanying ring of a bell.

“Sorry. I’m sorry.” Ling stammered, “It’s just this kind of stuff never happens out here. Maybe the occasional thief, but nothing like this.” They ushered the two inside.

It was quite a large shop, with a good amount of sitting room. Zhi suspected outdoor seating might not be so popular in this town, what with the fog drifts being predominant for most of the year. It was amazing the greenboxes on the buildings were in good order.

“Here, just follow me. I haven’t checked the footage. Just download it off, if you want. I’d really rather not look at it.” The shopkeep was rather short, old in appearance but with a youthful demeanor and a neat bun hairstyle. Altogether regular and tidy, and very out of place in any kind of trouble.

The duo was led back through the shop, past the kitchen, up a flight of stairs, and through a locked door to the second level. Their destination was one of several doors lining the hallway, like a janitorial closet. Ling gave them access with her datapad. It was a small room, though very neat and with an impressive computer setup, with multiple monitors and a decent unit from what Zhi could surmise.

“Pretty heavy-duty stuff. This all for security?” Li inquired.

“This building is actually bigger than just this shop. There’re some offices upstairs, a few other food places around the back, and uh, some apartments. Very compact. I live here too.” They explained, “It’s just I’m also the building manager, so I deal with ensuring most of the security and utilities.”

It wasn’t so uncommon. Zhi just didn’t know how they had the energy to run an eatery while also being the community in-between for the whole building. He’d be as high-strung if he had to deal with anything more than what his one job already dumped in his lap.

The civilian logged in and gestured to the chair, stepping out of the way of the two officers.

“Just, uh – do what you need to do and then you can just leave it. I’ll give you space.” They smiled, “Oh but uh, just the security cam footage please.”

“Of course.” Li assured.

“Yeah, I’m not looking for a lawsuit, I’ll just be a moment.” Zhi was a bit brusquer.

“Strange one.” Li commented once they were alone, as she leaned over Zhi’s shoulder to watch him at work.

“Overworked. Could’ve been anything, they’d have snapped from the stress. Just unfortunate it had to be a murder.” Perception was something of a trade specialty. Having dealt with all manner of civilians who had actual things to hide, he’d grown accustomed to sussing out the weird from the suspect.

Li watched with some surprise as the Investigator brought up one of his hands. She hadn’t noticed until now, but he wore a drab brown glove on just one hand, having done most of his gesturing with the other until now. He pulled off the covering to expose unfleshed augmetics – a silver and angular surrogate with many odd details about its surface. With a few internal adjustments, as the various components moved on their own, one prong stuck up from his index finger. He inserted the interface probe into the input port of the computer. At once, his operations on the monitor moved ten times faster, as he navigated as quick as thought.

“Cool aug’.” she commented, as one cyborg to another.

“Trade tool.” He said without much passion.

In moments he’d located the cam files and sorted through the different streams from the few sentries around the building to the one that sat at the edge of the rooftop, watching the alley. So much security. If he was a Sentinel he’d maybe be concerned that something unsavory was up in this commune, but it wasn’t his department. Maybe some kind of hedonist club. So long as it was nothing sketchy it wasn’t a problem anyways.

“Alright, and—” he muttered, as he spun back the hours to the night before, looking for the moment at which the body on the pavement would stand itself back up again.

“There!” Li pointed, as if he couldn’t see it. The man had been cutting through the alley, and a whirl of something fast had dropped him like a bag of rocks. Zhi did his best to zoom, but the resolution was lacking in the darkness.

“Someone over him.” He assessed, “Holding him down.” He pointed with his free hand. On top of the form of the victim was a hunched figure. Dark, though its head stood out by a faint glint in the shadows. It was stooped over the man, holding him there as he writhed, doing something. They waited.

There was a sudden flash of movement. The figure’s arm came up holding something in its hand, and the victim’s head jerked back with it. His throat had been slashed. Without pause, the killer stood and rushed with almost inhuman agility over to one of the dumpsters, vaulting off it, then the sheer side of the wall, and they were out of frame.

“What on Cairn?” Li muttered.

“Wait.” Zhi wanted to check something. He rewound the footage, back before the first attack. He played it slow, watching it unfold as the dark figure returned to the kill, and then shot up into the sky.

“Augmetics? How’d they fall like that?” the Sentinel asked.

“You’re killing me. Please.” Zhi shushed her, his gaze trained on the screen. She glanced at him in irritation but noticed something had come into those drooping eyes. They were locked on the monitor like a sniper’s scope.

“Here.” He pointed again. It was at a portion of the roof’s edge just caught by the camera. There was a shadow and – a foot. A black-clad boot, resting just at the very corner of the camera’s periphery.

“What kind of camera—? Ah.” The Investigator check the readouts in the corner of the footage, “Microreceptor. Explains the resolution as much as why our perp didn’t catch the camera.” Partial-3D microreceptor, a kind of microcam preferred for being very small and discreet in part, but also for its unique rendering pattern. You could “rotate” microceptor footage in three dimensions to some degree, making it easier to spot details in normal blind spots.

“The peripheries on these things are usually blurry.” Zhi spoke. Li had some familiarity, but she was more focused on the footage, “But if I uncrop the frame let’s see what we can get.”

He did so, as the whole edge of the recording pulled back to show the actual rendering of the scene. It was circular, the center in full clarity while the edges feathered out in the peripheral vision of the microceptor. Li gasped, while Zhi sat still as a dead man.

It was a humanoid figure perched on the edge of the rooftop, kneeling as if ready to leap. The outline was blurry from the recording technique, but the image was clear enough. Human, or humanoid, with a black skintight suit enveloping its entire body. Faint distortions in the silhouette suggested items strapped to the figure’s frame, though it was hard to tell.

What was clearest was the face. Inhuman, twisted, insidious. It was a mask, as far as Zhi could tell. He hoped it was, at the very least. It was made in the shape of a leering white skull, distended at the cranium into an elongated form that curved back over their shoulders. As if that was not strange enough, one eye was absent, instead being replaced with a much larger augmetic lens, which swept back with its own tube casing parallel to the side of the mask. The distortion gave them just the bare form – the stylized skull, the one odd eye, the freakish head, all set atop the otherwise sleek, lithe body. Zhi restarted the footage and watched the ghoulish shape leap from out of obscurity down into the alley, crushing the unsuspecting man beneath its weight. going about whatever it had subjected him to before the final cut.

Li didn’t say it aloud, but she thought it in her head. The word seemed right, for such a ghastly anomaly. “Vampire.”

Zhi wished he could’ve been happy with finding his mark. Instead his thoughts were flooded with threads, choices. There was going to be untold friction with the CSS, to say nothing of the matter of catching whatever this – thing was. Its skull face just leered with cold, unmoving expression as he rewound the footage again, staring into its empty mask eyes. The body of a human – and the visage, the movements of something else.

The world of Cairn did not yet have an answer for this.

#warhammer #40k #pariah planet #culexus #homebrew

23 notes · View notes

aion-rsa · 3 years

Text

Squid Game: Best Deadly Competition TV Shows & Movies to Watch Next

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Chances are, if you’ve started watching Squid Game, then you’ve finished watching Squid Game. Netflix’s Korean social thriller is highly suspenseful, driving viewers through its nine episodes to its chilling conclusion with an anxiety-inducing urgency. The story of 456 desperate people who play a deadly game for the chance to win a ₩45.6billion ($39 million) prize, Squid Game is a familiar premise executed masterfully, which means that if you’re looking for more stories like Squid Game, then you’re in luck; the “deadly competition” trope is a very popular one. Like other standouts in the subgenre, there is nothing quite like Squid Game, but there’s still many, many TV shows and movies worth watching if you’re looking for something that delves into some of the same themes and scenarios as the addictive Netflix drama. Here are our recommendations…

Death Race 2000 (1975)

Not technically a live-action adaptation of Hanna Barbera cartoon Wacky Races with a deadly twist – though that’s very much the vibe – this Roger Corman camp-fest is a cult favourite. The film stars Kung Fu’s David Carradine as the mysterious champion driver of the Transcontinental Road Race, an ultra-violent race across America designed as an outlet for the population’s simmering violence under a totalitarian regime – much like sports day at school, but with muscle cars instead of eggs and spoons. Health and safety guidelines are very much unobserved on the road, and the bodies soon pile up, as does a conspiracy that goes – you guessed it – all the way to the top! Brrm brrm. – LM

Das Millionenspiel (1970) & Le Prix du Danger (1983)

Two films, in two languages, from two different countries in two different decades, but both based on the same 1958 American short story. Robert Sheckley’s ‘The Prize of Peril’ is a prescient vision based on a television show where citizens volunteer to be hunted by trained assassins for the chance to win a life-changing sum of money. (Yes, there’s a chance that Stephen King, or at least his alter-ego Richard Bachman, read it before coming up with The Running Man). German film Das Millionenspiel was a TV movie that reportedly had viewers call in post-broadcast to volunteer to take part in the deadly televised contest, but perhaps that’s best taken with a pinch of salz. – LM

The Running Man (1987)

What’s more fun than a dystopian action movie based on a novel by Stephen King and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in his 1980s prime? Nothing, that’s what. Arnie stars as a former police helicopter pilot named Ben Richards who is framed for a massacre he didn’t commit and forced to compete in a televised game show where prisoners are mercilessly hunted down by mercenaries. On top of that, the obstacle course is basically an even more fucked up version of Sasuke/Ninja Warrior. Fortunately, Arnie isn’t alone in his hatred of the totalitarian government that has doomed him to death just to entertain The People, and that’s how the revolution starts. Yes, it’s a campy movie with some very cheesy lines, but good for a few Friday night laughs. – JS

Battle Royale (2000)

Battle Royale is one of the most beloved examples of the “deadly competition” genre, especially for nerds like Den of Geek staff and readers. Based on a 1999 novel by Kōshun Takami, Battle Royale made an impression for its brutality and stark social analysis when it burst onto the international nerd cinephile scene back in 2000. The story follows a busload of school children who are knocked out and wake up on an island. Each is given a random weapon—from guns to household items, like a paper fan or pot lid—and they must fight to the death until only one remains. – KB

Series 7: The Contenders (2001)

The early 2000s were… what’s the term for a golden age of something terrible? A high-low point? The eye of the shitstorm? Either way, for the reality television genre, the early 2000s were it. The world dug its mucky snout into the honey pot of dehumanised abs, boobs and therapy bills waiting to happen, and decided it liked the taste. Some good though, did come out of it – satires like Danial Minahan’s 2001 feature debut Series 7: The Contenders. The film shows six American strangers picked by national lottery, armed with guns and forced to hunt each other down while the world watches in nightly instalments. It’s pacey, well-acted, darkly funny and carries your basic screaming ‘what have we become?’ message of many others on this list. – LM

Doctor Who, “Bad Wolf” (2005)

OK, I’m cheating a bit with this one, which isn’t a series or movie, but rather a single TV show episode, but it’s Doctor Who, so I’ll allow it. It’s hard to remember more than 15 years later, but, when Who relaunched in 2005, head writer Russell T. Davies was reinventing the wheel, resulting in some conceptually ambitious installments. This definitely includes “Bad Wolf,” which has a pretty strange premise for the first half of the season-ending two-parter.

In the Davies-penned “Bad Wolf,” Rose, the Doctor, and Jack wake up to find themselves not only separated from one another, but in incarnations of various British TV competition shows like The Weakest Link, Big Brother, and What Not to Wear. Though these shows may seem similar to their 21st century counterparts, the stakes are not: the losers are killed. Honestly, this premise was a bit ahead of its time. Sure, this was five years after cult classic Battle Royale hit the scene, but three years before the first Hunger Games novel would hit shelves. The scenario is not only compelling and fresh, but Davies doesn’t linger too long before explaining how it is relevant to the season-ending mystery. – KB

The Hunger Games (2012)

A list of this kind would not be complete without The Hunger Games, one of the most popular and successful modern incarnations of the “deadly competition” trope. Like Battle Royale before it and Squid Game after it, The Hunger Games succeeds because it uses its violent premise to explore contemporary social anxieties. Suzanne Collins famously came up with the initial idea for The Hunger Games while flipping through the channels between competition reality shows and footage of the Iraq War. Given the massive success of both the novels and movie adaptations, it’s obvious that this story is tapping into some serious and unaddressed collective social trauma. The Hunger Games gave young people especially a chance for temporary catharsis through the guilt, fear, and pain that came with growing up post-9/11. – KB

3% (2016)

The thing about deadly competition stories is that most, if not all, of them are particularly class conscious. When one thinks of the type of person who would choose to participate in, or be forced into, a life and death game, it’s not usually rich people. Deadly competition stories are often about the exploitation of the poor. Perhaps no other entry into the genre understands that as deeply as Brazilian series 3%. This tale takes place in a dystopian near future in which the impoverished residents of the “Inland” can compete in a mysterious event known as “The Process” and potentially be granted access to the upper ranks of society. The Process is rigorous, with many of its participants eliminated and some even killed. How many actually make it? Well, check the title of the show again. – AB

Alice in the Borderland (2020)

There’s a reason why Alice in Borderland started trending as soon as Squid Game binges began: the 2020 Japanese science fiction show based on a manga of the same name, has a lot in common with its Netflix cousin—at least on the surface. Directed by Shinsuke Sato (who also helmed Gantz, another great “deadly competition” story example), Alice in the Borderland begins when three friends are abruptly and unexpectedly pulled into a parallel Tokyo where they must compete in a series of deadly games. The difficulty of each game corresponds to a playing card and, if they lose or refuse to play one of the competitions, they will be killed by lasers from the sky, naturally.

While Alice in the Borderland’s initial premise has some things in common with Squid Game—notably, the shock of its characters upon realizing the deadly stakes of the artificial competition—the respective shows are not only grounded in different cultures (Japanese va. Korean), they also hail from different genres. While Squid Game is very much set in our own world, Alice in the Borderland is much more science fiction in tone and execution. (I mentioned the sky lasers, right?) Both are good shows, but their comparisons quickly fade once you look past the surface. – KB

High-Rise Invasion (2021)

The concept for High-Rise Invasion is as enigmatic and compelling as any anime can be. The anime (or original net animation as this is sometimes dubbed) picks up with our hero Yuri Honjō suddenly on top of a skyscraper with no memory of how she got there. Yuri soon discovers that she’s stuck in a world made up of entirely high-rise buildings and the bridges that connect them. What’s worse is that these high-rises are patrolled armed individuals wearing masks who seem hellbent on killing everyone who isn’t masked. High-Rise Invasion is slightly atypical from your usual “death competition” genre in that it’s not clear if this is even a competition. At the end of the day, however, the goals remain the same: survive at all costs. Until things get a little more complicated of course… – AB

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

What are your favorite examples of the deadly competition trope? Let us know in the comments below…

The post Squid Game: Best Deadly Competition TV Shows & Movies to Watch Next appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2XUifin

#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

1 note · View note

youngwriter2003 · 3 years

Text

Hotel Rwanda (2004) and Shake Hands with the Devil (2007)

Hotel Rwanda RATING: 7/10

Shake Hands with the Devil RATING: 7.5/10

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Films based on tragic events most of the time don't get the due justice that they deserve. That justice is found in documentaries. When comparing Hotel Rwanda (2004) and later Shake Hands with the Devil (2007) we get to see how Hollywoodism takes its toll on a film. One had we have a glimmer of hope, and the other the political harsher side of a truly terrible time.

Hotel Rwanda (2004), directed by Terry George, followed a Hutu hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina played by Don Cheadle. While Shake Hands with the Devil (2007), directed by Roger Spottiswoode, followed a Canadian UN soldier Roméo Dallaire played by Roy Dupuis.

Both movies were surrounding the Rwandan genocide in April 1994, having the majority of the massacre directed to the death of Titus. The first, formed around a somewhat haven that was made out of the Hôtel des Mille Collines. And the protagonist is Paul who did do his best to help others, as well as his family as much as a father can. The second, formed around the UN’s perspective of the massacre. It pulled on Dallaire’s frustration with the situation, in a way the protagonist hated himself for the actions he couldn’t take.

In Hotel Rwanda we follow Paul Rusesabagina from the near beginning, the middle, and the near end of the genocide. Paul has to deal with the struggles of being a Hutu man married to a Tutsi woman, so in preparation and caution, he makes establishes connections with military people as well as foreigners in case of an emergency. With the start of the genocide, Paul is most worried about how he is going to keep his family safe, which then slowly adjust to anyone who needs his protection as he slowly changes his place of work, the Hôtel des Mille Collines, into a refugee camp for those whose lives were at stake. Using all his connections he is eventually able to get his family as well as a dozen orphans onto a bus to safety. A nice Hollywood ending.

In Shake Hands with the Devil, it took more of a political standpoint dating to almost a year before the genocide even started. Showing the unease of both sides and the points of aggravation that lead to the deaths in April 1994. How Dallaire ready but unprepared for the hardships to come. His frustrations and disappointment from his commanders and government. How he had to watch as thousands died, that if he did anything to stop it, it would have worse repercussions. Ending full circle with Dallaire’s flashback-and-forwards we see how much damage Dallaire went through as he had to endure shaking the hand of the devil and now has to take the wounds he bared with him for the rest of his life.

As stated both movies show different aspects of the genocide helping with understanding the conflicts that occurred. I would have to say I prefer the hopeful story that Hotel Rwanda portrayed. I would not say that it was a better informer, Shake Hands with the Devil did a better job. The reason why I prefer Hotel Rwanda is that I prefer movies with glamorized emotion. It is an easier pill to swallow, in comparison to Shake Hands with the Devil that gave more of a harsh slap to reality.

Hotel Rwanda relied on elements like Settings, Film Music, and Weather. While Shake Hands with the Devil portrayed harsher elements like Dialogue, Focal Distance & Definition, and Real Colours.

The first has the characters heavily relied on the Hotel itself. On the fact that the hotel was protected by an outside company, how foreigners were told to have been there so for a point it was protected by other countries. The hotel morphed into a haven for many people playing a crucial role in the movie. Though out the movie it relied on the additional emotional effect with sorrowful or aggressive music that manipulated how the viewer interrupted the movie. And finally with the Weather, whether or it was the weather that actually occurred, is beside the point. With having scenes that caused sadness, like when the guest and other foreigners were being led to the bus, it is raining, symbolizing the misery of the situation. Another example was when Paul was returning to the hotel and came across a road that had dead bodies all along with it. It was foggy so he had no idea that he was driving over the dead. And as the fog clears up a bit he is able to seem then, like as if he was coming to the realization of how many people were truly going and have died.

On the opposing side, the second took more of a harsher side, with elements like Dialogue that cared information to the audience about what occurred during it all. Since they went for more of a realistic aspect, more wide shots were showing the groups of people on both sides, the land that was fought on, as well as shots of Dallaire as he went to his therapist meetings. Also with Dallaire’s meeting, we see a more grey pallet to the scenes helping to differentiate the fact that those scenes happened after the fact, assisting the audience with the graveness of those scenes.

The first movie still holds to the story but was highly glamorized. Yes, the movie is hard to truly understand and depict the terror that occurred, but I believe that Hollywood was too fearful of showing too much. Whether it be out of disturbing the viewer or getting too much wrong and dealing with the backlash. The second movie had a more serious tone. As well as follow a timeline rather than a story. It also took on the form of an emotional piece with the back and forward flashbacks that Dallaire has throughout the film. The overall dialog was in taste with having most conversations surround the injustice in handling the situation. Though the first movie had more of a glamorized tone than the second.

Both movies’ impression was an attempt to share those stories of the massacre. The terror that thousands of people went through as their deaths were an act of uprising of the oppressed. There was anger on both sides of the Hutus and Tutis, as well as frustration on the rest of the world. The frustration of the UN soldiers in both movies. The embarrassment of the Daillare and those who recorded it all happen. And the lack of caring from the rest of the world as it happened, with the shocking realization after the fact.

The deeper meaning to both movies is that an injustice occurred and near to no one did anything for them, that they saw what happened and thought how terrible it was that it was happening and just went back to their lives. Those people had the power to do something but didn't since it wasn't their responsibility to do something. That at the end of the day, people only truly in their nature care about themselves.

This time I am not recommending similar films in the same genre. But rather other films that also depict the genocide:

100 Days (2001) - Drama

Sometimes in April (2001) - Drama

Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire (2005) - Documentary

Shooting Dogs (2005) - Drama

Like I said before, many stood by and watched it from their TV and did nothing more than say a line or to on how sad it was. Specifically, Jack Daglish portrayed by Joaquin Phoenix in Hotel Rwanda saying it in the best way possible. “I think if people see this footage they'll say, ‘Oh my God that's horrible,’ and then go on eating their dinners.” because, at the end of the day, the rest of the citizens of the world, that was not truly affected couldn’t really give a sh*t.

0 notes

bigyack-com · 4 years

Text

After Birds of Prey, a definitive ranking of the DC Extended Universe films - hollywood

It is unclear what is more dramatic: the tragic derailment of the DCEU, or the manner in which Warner Bros has attempted to bring the superhero franchise back on track. What began as a hungry move to replicate the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has turned into a textbook example of crisis resolution in the film industry. No other film franchise in this current era - not even Universal’s laughably bad Dark Universe - has been scrutinised with such passion, and passionate hate. It is almost as if a certain section of fandom - and not necessarily Marvel fandom; there are detractors even in the DC camp - is willing the DCEU to crash and burn. A couple of years ago, Warner Bros made the excuse that while the DC films had received a critical drubbing, the studio gauged success on the basis of how the audience received the movies - and the solid box office performance of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad was proof that critics were out of touch with the general public. The release of Wonder Woman seemed to reassert this notion. The film became the first in the series to receive a ‘fresh’ rating on the review aggregator site, Rotten Tomatoes, and for a brief moment in time, everything was OK in the DC universe. But around the same time as Wonder Woman was having a game changing theatrical run, news about a massively troubled Justice League began brewing. Justice League went into production a few weeks after BvS’ release - far too late in the day for any sort of major change to be made in the same dour tone that director Zack Snyder had set for his answer to Marvel’s Avengers. When Snyder turned in an assembly cut - not a director’s cut, but merely an ‘assembly’ of usable footage - it was the final straw. Warner Bros set up a committee to oversee the film, and to provide feedback. One of the members of this committee was Joss Whedon, director of Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron, who’d had his own, very public falling out with Marvel Studios. In May 2017, Snyder stepped down from the film - the reason given at the time was personal, but it has since been rumoured that he was made to leave - and Whedon was hired to finish work on the movie. Justice League is essentially a film that was shot twice, inflating its budget like venom inflates Bane’s muscles. The final result was a hodgepodge of conflicting ideas and tones, a feeble attempt at putting together a team movie, lacking any sort of personality. Say what you will about BvS, at least it looked and felt like a Zack Snyder movie. All this context was crucial to the story of Aquaman - the most successful DC film, and perhaps one of the last to retain the core stars, who were all cast by the long-gone Snyder. Aquaman can serve as a bridge between the DCEU’s misguided past, and its refreshing future. This march continued with Shazam!, which is perhaps as far removed from the dour Snyder movies as can be possible. Suddenly, the DCEU finds itself on a winning streak, a streak that it will want to continue with this week’s Birds of Prey, the first R-rated film of the franchise. Here’s a ranking of the films, from worst to best. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Batman v Superman is not so much a superhero movie as it is a story about two mamma’s boys measuring the length of their capes, finding that they disagree, and proceeding to poke each other with threats of ‘you wanna go first?’ for a solid two-and-a-half hours. This obsession with moms is a running theme in the DCEU, and forms the emotional core of Aquaman and Shazam!. BvS was clearly a compromised vision - the ‘ultimate edition’ that was released a few months later is an infinitely better film, and were it to be ranked on this list instead, it would find itself at a much higher position. Justice League

Justice League is the sort of movie that can be excruciatingly dumb at any given moment; with forced jokes that have the hit rate of a drunk stormtrooper, jaw-droppingly inane plotting that often pales in comparison to the original DC animated series, but it can also make a houseful crowd of excited fans positively palpitate with pure joy. It continued the DC Extended Universe’s bizarre trend of producing films that are direct reactions to their immediate predecessors. And for all its faults – an ugly third-act show down that looks like a mid-2000s PlayStation 2 video game, Danny Elfman’s instantly forgettable (and shamelessly rehashed) musical score, one of the most unimaginative (and cheap-looking) main villains in recent memory – Justice League wasn’t as terrible as it could so easily have been. Suicide Squad

All it took was one scene. One scene transformed Suicide Squad. It wasn’t necessarily the best scene – in fact, in any other movie, it would barely merit a second glance. But for Suicide Squad it was a godsend. It came nestled in the heart of the film - following an hour or so of jarring, time-hopping, clumsy storytelling – and preceding another hour of more of the same. Not only was it the first time our characters resembled real, relatable human beings, it also proved, however briefly and despite what we’d seen so far, that Suicide Squad has a heart. It sent our characters, all dressed in their ridiculous costumes, drenched in water and blood, to a bar. No explosions, no fistfights, no Joker - just the quietest member of the Squad, El Diablo (Jay Hernandez), telling a story. It’s the scene that cemented the gruffly sentimental relationship between these characters and saved the film. Aquaman

James Wan’s Aquaman actively distanced itself from the heavy metal take on the character that Snyder had originally envisioned. And with more time on his hands, Jason Momoa took Arthur Curry in surprising new directions. It was quite a wonderful big screen experience - Atlantis looked stunning, as did the creatures and Wan’s affectionate world-building - but it was the earnestness with which the film treated its characters that is its most endearing quality. Man of Steel

Without any doubt, my favourite single moment of any DCEU movie comes in Man of Steel. Snyder is clearly someone who understands the iconography of superheroes better than anyone else - that teaser trailer alone was a work of art; the one in which a child put his hands on his hips and the whole world suddenly realised what they were watching. But for a brief second in Man of Steel, Snyder accomplished - in my opinion - what he was going for all this while, a deconstruction of myths, a grounding of gods. Alone and misunderstood, Clark Kent goes from town to town, taking up odd jobs, convinced that his father - Pa Kent - was right; to reveal his powers to this cruel world would only bring trouble. And so he drifts, between dive bars and oil rigs, unsure of himself. We see him walk on a highway, his back to us, the evening sky slowly welcoming darkness. Clark turns around, sees an incoming truck, and sticks out his thumb, hoping for a stranger to show kindness. The truck doesn’t stop. And Clark keeps walking to wherever the road will take him. I think about this moment very often. This is Superman. So vulnerable, so alone. No one to help him. And yet, he dedicates his life to helping others. This one moment perfectly captures the flawed brilliance of Snyder’s DCEU. Birds of Prey

Birds of Prey is essentially the story of Harley Quinn emerging from under the Joker’s shadow, and the DCEU distancing itself from its past. It has virtually no bearing on the larger series, but as a standalone adventure, it’s a terrific showcase for Robbie’s talents as an actor. It’s interesting to note how, in the span of just over a decade, the pendulum has swung from Joel Schumacher’s lurid Batman films to the gritty realism of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, and back again. Shazam!

Shazam! was an altogether different experience - both in tone and in scope - from previous DCEU entries, and this includes the largely beloved Wonder Woman and the box office smash Aquaman. It was, at the risk of invoking the wrath of fans on both sides, to the DCEU what Thor: Ragnarok and Spider-Man: Homecoming were to the Marvel Cinematic Universe - lighter, less angry, and positively delightful. Under the unlikely direction of Swedish filmmaker David F Sandberg, Shazam! was as magical as its title suggested; heartfelt, humorous and burdened by none of the hubris of Batman v Superman and Man of Steel. Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman is the sort of movie that makes you forgive things it got wrong solely on the strength of everything it got right. And it got a lot of things right. It was the first film in the DC Extended Universe that was worthy of its iconic character, and it did what both Batman and Superman couldn’t do: It gave us hope for what’s to come. It was still crippled by the influence of Zack Snyder in its CGI slugfest of a final act - an annoying trend that for some reason James Wan chose to honour in Aquaman - but it was so much more than just a great film. Wonder Woman was perhaps the defining superhero movie of a post-Trump era - what Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy was to a post-9/11 world. It’s an earnest film, which often feels too pure for this horrid world. And that no man’s land sequence is right up there with The Master’s ‘don’t blink’ scene as one of the greatest of the decade. Follow @htshowbiz for more The author tweets @RohanNaahar Read the full article

0 notes

theaveragekenyan · 5 years

Text

And Justice For All...

Cameroon 0 – England 3.

I’m a big believer in, that no matter whatever happens within a football game, the above result will be the only long lasting importance. To the real purists, it can be distilled even further to simply, England beat Cameroon, verbatim.

The Women’s World Cup 2019 will be no different to any other major Footballing competition, they come, they go.

That said, the game between Cameroon and England was a real treat. The football game was excellent, but the actions of the Cameroonian players during the game was by far the best entertainment. They cried, they argued, they spat, they threatened careers, they looked silly and yet, amongst all of this, they played some nice football.

This is what former USA footballer, Hope Solo, had to say.

“This Cameroon team, they don't have the resources. They don't have the quality coaching in their country, they don't have the experience like England or somebody like Phil Neville. We have to try and understand that. Perhaps they weren't even told about the rules, the laws of the game and the evolution of the game. So, your heart has to go out a little bit to this Cameroon side. They played with emotions and brought this emotion to the tournament. As much as we want to see a little bit more class from Cameroon, they did bring that beautiful emotion and packed this entire stadium, You have to look at it both ways”

It’s such a diplomatic way of looking at the game, and largely I agree with it, however, just which resources are required to educate a football team about spitting, elbowing, shoving the ref, the off-side rule? Let’s not even go there with the stereotypical view that women don’t understand the off-side rule, many football fans don’t understand the rule. It is a rule that whichever way is tweaked, in an attempt to make it easier to implement, will mutate into something more complex.

“Perhaps they weren't even told about the rules, the laws of the game and the evolution of the game” Whilst the evolution of the game right now is VAR, the introduction of the off-side rule came in 1863. Every decision made by VAR concerning the off-side rule was 100% accurate.

The Cameroon team were visibly shaken by the off-side rulings, crying, arguing with the officials, huddling together in the center circle, claiming FIFA is racist, essentially the team “blew their shit” and wasn’t prepared to accept a decision go against them. It was if they were not prepared to accept the rules, as if there was perhaps another way to get the decision overturned, sadly that option was not available to them.

I can’t say it was a macrocosm of African life, because I haven’t lived within enough African cultures to speak for the whole continent, but the Cameroonian Ladies attitudes definitely resonated as far as Kenya.

The petulance displayed by the Cameroon team throughout the game made me draw direct comparisons to how the average Kenyan lives life. A life that perhaps hasn’t been told about the rules, laws and evolution of life, or as more than likely, chooses to deliberately ignore them.

Upon on your first arrival to Kenya you’ll hear very quickly about authority and justice, usually from the driver as you exit the airport into Nairobi.

Every single Kenyan knows just how corrupt their country is, and yes, whilst they are all utterly ashamed and embarrassed about the ‘C’ word, we are all fundamentally enslaved by the “system”.

Recently, I’ve heard at least five friends or associates tell me of their experiences of refusing to pay Tea Tax, and how now, each and every one of them says, that will be the last time they fight the system, next time they’ll just pay the bribe.

It took me a while to learn how to deal with “The Police” here and certainly, my first initial reaction with the police was to challenge. Why have I been stopped? I’ve done nothing wrong. Of course, that’s a perfectly natural way for everybody to act, well, not in Kenya as it turns out, there can always be something “wrong” and you’re guilty until proven guilty.

Growing up in the UK you become aware of your rights from an early age, you develop and become armed with a robust set of civil rights and unless you’ve been hacking the matrix, you’ll be able to exercise them.

Most offences you are likely to stand accused of here will be similar to an episode of Scooby-Doo, they’ll be vague, tenuous and carry little legal credibility. Had the criminals, that Freddie, Velma and Daphne caught, possessed any sense, they could have switched the legal tables around and had the Magical Mystery Bus Crew up for Trespassing, Criminal Damage, GBH, Slander, False Imprisonment, Zoinks, I doubt they even had a Dog License.

So, with this in mind, my advice when confronted by a member of the Kenyan Police Force is to be cooperative, dumb and submissive…ok mainly dumb and submissive. Act like you’re stupid, but very friendly…you know, a very stupid friendly person, we all know one of them. Act respectfully, but perhaps as if you’ve just left hospital after being awoken from a 12 year coma. Do NOT let the officer know that you understand how the road works or even what a car does.

Sorry, how presumptuous, I’ve forgotten to say, the only time you will ever come into contact with a police officer is whilst in a car.

Just answer every question you are asked, make no sub-plots, second guesses, or even worse still, fall into the trap of attempting to translate what the officer is saying into any western logic, quotes from your Highway Code are not going to work.

“But Sir, there is no sign to obey?” or “The white solid line?…errrr which white solid line are you talking about?” or “Could you please show me the exact speed I was traveling at?” that type of smart-ass clever clogs logic ain’t gonna fly, just stick to “oh” “ok” and “sorry”.

Of course, answer where you are from, respond with where you are going and NO, you don’t know why Kenyan’s are not allowed to drive on International Driving Licenses, answering “because very few Kenyans know how to drive” is not going to lighten the mood. Just stick to the basics as listed, with possibly a “terribly sorry, I’ll never drive again” or “I will speak to God as soon as I get home” In most cases, if your car has insurance, your brake lights work and you’ve acted out your best Jim Carey in Dumb and Dumber role, then you will be asked to continue your journey without any hassle.

It’s just that, when it comes to any level of confusion or reasonable doubt, that is when PC Chai will strike. Although there are much needed and continuing road upgrades occurring all over Kenya right now, many of the roads haven’t evolved well and road designation hasn’t been respected, so over time, there have been many glitches appear. When I say glitches, I mean in particular, junctions that are tenuous with their intended execution. There will be a sign missing, a marking lost, an invisible lane and this is where you’ll always find a cop waiting to pounce upon any vulnerability.

Also, whenever you’re stopped by a cop, you’d best hope it’s a male specimen. If you get a female cop you are going to jail. I can only assume that sometime in the 1990’s when women began to become more mainstream on the beat in Kenya, the then Inspector General found a book called “The Essential Guide to being a Female Officer in the East German Stasi” and based his whole outlook for Women in the KPS upon that. The Women Officers have zero personality, zero compassion, zero smile, they are Lucifer in fancy dress. It’s best to just plead the 5thamendment and demand to speak to your Ambassador immediately, good luck.

The Kenyan Police Service is now so widely and openly corrupt it’s normal. Chat to any Kenyan, Listen to any Church Service, look on any Kenyan News-site, watch Kenyan News TV, read Kenyan Transport Twitter Feeds @Ma3Route @KenyanTraffic and you’ll see video footage and photographs of cops taking bribes, cops about to be bribed or cops looking for bribes. It’s common knowledge and I’m yet to hear of a sustained plan to tackle it.

I’m not advocating for 1984, but to tackle the “system” would mean Kenyan’s being patrolled by VAR equivalents such as Speed Cameras, Average Speed Checks, Regulated Bus Lanes, Traffic Light Enforcement Cameras, Emission Detectors or even far more desirable a credible Police service. Sadly though any of that would infuriate the average Kenyan. Imagine, an automated justice system able to bypass the cops and not be swayed with a pithy excuse or any bribe or even a decent cop issuing a deserved fine, this is not 1984 just 2019.

Put simply, this would cause civil-war. There would be protests, riots, burning tyre’s (the most symbolic of all African protestation instruments), all of the cameras would be destroyed and all because the average Kenyan does not want to understand the rules, ergo the “system’ continues.

Let me be clear, It’s not just the Kenyan Police Service blighted by the “C” word, unfortunately the whole fabric of society has been riddled with the disease. The Kenyan President is very vocal in his “War on Corruption” and I hope he maintains the great work, however, to me, it still feels like the Anti-Corruption Agency has been given a watering can to put out an exploded nuclear power plant.

For now though, let’s not judge Women’s football on one game, I just wish we could say the same about Kenya.

0 notes

bigfootmoviereviews-blog · 6 years

Text

Savage 2011

Grade C+

Ahhh, how refreshing, something with some effort and thought put into it. It’s not great, but it is ok. Owen sucks at his job, the guy in the costume is a bit small to be scary, but the guns are actually firearms (not just BB guns), most of the actors are decent, you get to see the beast and the gore effects are not all CGI. This is was actually entertaining, something that hasn’t been seen on the blog before, and best of all, it’s available for free on YouTube. All of these have been actually, but this is the first one worth watching, especially in comparison to most of the Bigfoot movies out there.

The Plot:

Well, this is neither found footage nor a total bargain basement affair, so the plot will actually take a little effort to describe. Ok, so there is a forest fire that is disrupting things at a national forest, one of the rangers there is our “hero” Owen. Owen isn’t important yet though, and he’s also pretty bad at his job. We also have a guy trying to do research on bigfoot and his guide, a couple fleeing the law, a corrupt… mayor? I’m honestly not quite sure what his exact title or roll is in this. Anyways, this is actually worth a watch, so turn back now if you don’t want it spoiled.

Ok, Bigfoot is displaced by the fire, kills a bunch of firemen and a ranger. Owen is called in to look around. Meanwhile a Bigfoot reacher in a Prius and a lola hunter begin looking for the animal. And finally a couple name Gabrielle and Richard are there to hide from the law while poaching. The forest fire is making a lot of camper leave, and Owen continues to be bad at his job. Prius and Jack wander around and chat about Bigfoot. Gabrielle and Richard are there to poach, not for anything in particular mind you. Owen checks in on them, and though he clearly knows they’re not on the up and up, he just wanders off. Owen is bad at his job.

Richard is killed by Bigfoot, it then chases Gabrielle until she runs into Prius and Jack. Owen then meets the four of them when they wake up, somehow handcuffing Gabrielle while she was asleep without waking anyone up. He then makes Jack confess that all the evidence that he has shown Prius so far is fake. Owen tells them to leave, and takes Gabrielle off with him. He manages to crash his truck, but they are rescued by Jack and Prius. Those two are then killed. Owen then takes Gabrielle and runs to his house where is his pregnant wife is waiting for him with the beast in pursuit. Owen is bad at his job. Gabrielle manages to handcuff herself to Bigfoot to keep it trapped so Owen can blow up his house and kill it. Then it turns out that the mayor or whatever he is, started the forest fire as part of some poorly explained and silly subplot about remaking the town as a tourist haven. Owen punches him.

My Thoughts:

That's a very mild forest fire, so either these guys are great at their jobs, or terrible at it.

Why are you smoking? That's just an awful idea.

running would be a good idea. two firemen hear growling and see bushes thrashing. after a pause one is pulled up a tree

screaming, cut to credits

Oh Man, Tony Becker is playing Owen, so you know this shit is gonna be good

Who’s Tony Becker again?

Mr Cop, why are you singing to no music? Could you not afford the music rights

Why would tires squeal on a dirt road?

Apparently this is the last fireman, all the others got squatched

And the cop got squateched. And instead of driving away, calling it in or grabbing a weapon he’s just gonna sit there

Judging by the angle of attack, this sasquatch is really a honey badger

Annnnnd the fireman got squatched too.

No actual bigfoot seen yet, just stock roars

And now we have a guy bird watching at dawn from his front porch using magic binoculars to watch previously recorded footage of a hawk at a different time of day. Odds are this is out main character, possibly the mighty Owen foretold by the credits

They just got up and she’s already nagging him (wife comes out and asks if he’s gonna sit out here all day.) It’s early, you’re still in your nightgown. Why you gotta be so confrontational so early? And why would you put on makeup before your shower?

IT IS! IT is Owen. Things are gonna get poppin now!

Owen is being called in to deal with the situation, that bigfoot is screwed.

(cut to a cabin with a record player going with old music, we see boots with blood dripping down)

Dude, don’t pee in the middle of the room, and that ain’t normal. Go see a doctor

Oh I see, you’re making a mess while trying to skin a rabbit, and then rubbing the bloody pelt on your face.

Wait, is this German Guy? You know the one, from Das Boot? And Wing Commander? And Primeval? Oooh. Owen, you’re out, German Guy is the new Owen. At least until we learn his name, then you can go back to Owen status

Who calls a bathroom a “pisser”? Savages

Hmm, city slicker girl doesn’t seem to fit in. I bet she dies. (girl and guy stop at a souviner shop selling bigfoot stuff, he goes to the pisser while she wanders the store, and the owner gives her shades cause her BF is a dick)

CS girl’s boyfirend is a dick, which means we will hae to wait for far too long for his death sadly.

And that scene was necessary for… reasons.

And now we have a Prius stopped byt the side of the road so we can have yet another person who will die. I can tell by his face he’s going to be annoying

YAY its german guy again! ANd his name is Jack. Ok Owen, you’re Owen again,

And now I fell like an idiot. That’s not German guy, it’s some other guy. I’m much less happy now

CS girl drives past and Prius guy stares at her longingly

Prius wants to study bigfoot, Jack wants to kill it

THey… they used CGI to make the “Ranger Station” Sign. Why? Just, Why?

People want their money back cause they can’t camp. The audacity of some people

The ranger in the station wouldn’t last 10 minutes at walmart

So.... Owen assures the people they are safe to camp and they have his word, then tells Martin to give them their money back… so he just undermined the value of his own word

Yes, this is a Ranger station interior, not the directors living room. Sure. we can believe that

Hmm, Owen is worried about his house to the east in case the fire changes course. I’m sure that isn’t foreshadowing

Uh oh, looks like Ray was the one who got squatched

Whys is Jack hanging with Prius guy if he doesn’t like him?

Oh, it’s so he can title drop

Jack is tring a little too hard with a batman voice

BF is RIchard, and he’s still a dick. Gabrielle is CS girl

Why do the rangers uniforms not match?

Wow that is a stereotypical redneck. Bill runs Bigfoot towing

Why is the blood not mixed evenly?

Ok Jack, you packed your bag, why are you now pulling tools out of your truck, giving them a look, then putting them in the bag. Why didn’t you just put em in the bag to begin with?

Gabby, shallow stagnant water isn’t where those kind of fish live

And Owen closes in on abusive dick husband

Hahahaha! Poop. Always funny (Prius and Jack are hiking)

Pretty good performance as Owen questions Richard and Gabby

You’d have better luck with your parabolic microphone if your were not in a pit

Well look at that, disemboweled firemen have comedic timing. And Prius needs a shower

Jurassic Homage at the bigfoot store. Makes no real sense though, you’d have heard the truck and equipment long before it knocked over your pickled eggs

So the establishing shot shows it is dusk, but its still clearly daylight on Richard, and a different film quality on the bird, got it

Richard clearly knows nothing about firearms, birdshot wouldn't be good against anything that can make those noises

And now he just ignores the big growling animal that was just a few feet away because it was quiet for 5 seconds. Clearly he is a master poacher

His death was not nearly painful enough, one punch

And now we see gabby at a different time of day. These woods are magical

I don't think her splashing water on her face warrants the scary music we hear

Oh no, someone spilled tomato juice about two feet upstream from her. Cause that's the only way you could get it that cloudy.

And that is more CGI blood than is in human body

And his corpse isn't even in the water….

Well at least she was smart enough to grab the gun

So, it’s a little undersized, but an ok costume. But he apparently went to the Sabertooth From X-Men Origins: Wolverine School of Running. And it didn’t look good in that movie either

(Gabby is being chased, prius and jack her her shoot and close in. Jack says he’s gonna shoot it, prius knocks him down

I know the script direction probably called for Prius to be patting Jack down for weapons, but it just looks like awkward groping or trying to start a tickle fight. Wither way, not appropriate

Prius needs to realize you don't get to whine when someone hits you back, and that you were working together until you tackled Jack. So it really doesn't make sense for you to ask jack to work with you now

That was a totally needless diversion

Wow, owen is bad at his job, he apparently did know the bus hasn't been running here in years

Cryptic radio message is cryptic

So, you couldn’t clearly see each other thru like, 5 leaves? And neither of you is a bigfoot, you both know there's a bigfoot, why are you pointing guns at each other?

Like seriously, this is not dense woodland, I’m pretty sure I can see a road

Head ranger is clearly meant to be giving off Mayor in Jaws vibe

Uh oh, she shot the clerk, and I bet she doesn’t have a cousin named Vinny to help her out

Huh, Owen is the one saying the can't shut down the park.

“I know where a murderer is, they may flee. But I'm gonna go get milk and bring it home first. Then go arrest them myself” Owen is really bad at his job

With only half an hour left it doesn’t make much sense to start pushing this real estate subplot, that honestly appears to be non-sinister in nature and wouldn't actually add to anything

Uh oh, Owen is calling his wife just to say he loves her, he may be dying soon

It’s amazing how well Prius cleaned the blood and shit off himself

It's more amazing that Gabby is off sitting in the shadows by herself after her trauma So, she saw Bigfoot, up close, and she thinks they’re crazy for looking for it

Prius, using the Rings trilogy to justify looking for Bigfoot doesn’t make sense, BECAUSE NO ONE WAS SAYING HOBBITS WERE REAL!!! Homo Floenciensus is called a Hobbit because the books were popular, not because people think the books happened!

Prius, Jack has made all sorts of references to seeing a Bigfoot again, and now when he out and out says he saw it before, you somehow act surprised.

So apparently bigfoot can haul a man straight up a tree and vanish from sight, then just reappear. Or its just bad camera work

Jack, seriously, please go see a dentist

Jack, why are you pulling a gun on Owen? That's just stupid? Also, how did Owen find them? And how did he put cuffs on her without waking her

Soooooooo, Prius wants to look for Bigfoot, that’s been his whole life up till now, but now he wants to pause that so he doesn’t let the girl he just met out of his sight, even tho he knows she's a murderer

And now Prius refuses to leave. Prius, learn consistency.

So now we find out Jack is a con man, all the sightings they had were fake, but they’re gonna keep hunting it

Cause Owen sucks at his job, and didn’t make sure they left

Oh no, the foreshadowing is coming true, how could anyone have ever seen that? The fire is going east

And owen crashes his truck. Cause he sucks at his job

No seatbelts or airbags, Owen, you deserve the brain damage

Oh no, someone spilled velveeta shells on a dead racoon

So, hack just let Prius get wacked for no reason, and Prius got some great bigfoot crotch footage before he died

Owen, you still suck, it takes 45 seconds to say, “the fire is coming, we need to leave”

It motivates people more than screaming, we need to leave over and over

And going into the attic is not a long term plan, the fire is coming

Just keep hitting it with the axe

Why do you have a gas line in the attic?

Sooooooo, it can lift a truck, toss bodies around, but once gabby is handcuffed to his arm, he can't move………..

And they lose the house, that the fire is coming towards anyway…..

Oh, and now they try to tie the fire into the development plot by making the head ranger the one who started it.

And the head ranger, hudson, who just drove up to owens destroyed home, is surprised to see him there…

Owen, why are you apologizing for the wildfire and bigfoot attack? You didn't cause either of them. Of course if you had a gun you might still have your house, gabby would be alive, and you could sell the corpse

Well, those logos aren't clear rip offs

Why would you frame a shot of the traffic built up to get into the renamed park but fram it so we could see the first car in line, and make it clear there is no reason for them to be stopped?

Also, why the roar at the end? Are you trying to set up a sequel? Cause bigfoot running rampant through a packed campground sounds fun

Overall grade, C+ the deaths were too short and not shown enough. Jack needed more of a showdown than one shot and swinging an empty rifle, Richard should have had a little more effort thrown in, maybe a short chase and the bigfoot killing him more slowly. It would have also been more poetic if Prius was killed by Bigfoot using a tool of some sort and being so caught up in the moment that he doesn’t realize the danger (like the professor in Beast from 20K fathoms)

And as always when a monster has poorly written super strength, it annoys me when a beast that can toss people about and dismember them can be overpowered with a character using one hand

Worth a watch though. The Jaws subplot should have either been further expanded upon or dropped entirely since it really does seem tacked onto the end to drive home the message that… development is bad and makes bigfoot kill people?

And Owen still sucks at his job

0 notes

bigyack-com · 4 years

Text

After Birds of Prey, a definitive ranking of the DC Extended Universe films - hollywood

0 notes