#this is the same energy as people saying 'its 1998 everythings natural and kids play outside' WHAT HUH YOU WEREN'T EVEN THERE | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

jojiship · 4 years

Text

Studio Ghibli Films: Thoughts & Rankings

I have been binging Studio Ghibli (and other anime films) since May. I saw a lot of people in Youtube rank them and I decided to do it as well. While I don’t have a camera to record myself, I decided to post my ranking of its films. First of all, I want to say that this is quite a subjective ranking and it’s personal. These are my opinions and of course, everyone can have opinions of their own. Second of all, I think all of these films have their good sides, but there are ones that I enjoyed and there are ones I didn’t enjoy. Either way, I recommend people to watch all of these films. You won’t regret watching most of them.

This post ranks the films from the 5th to 1st. Obviously, there will be spoilers ahead, so you’ve been warned.

5. Princess Mononoke (1997) – I would watch the animation of the nature in this film for hours in loop. It’s so wonderful, beautiful and breathtaking. Whether it’s animating the lake, the forest or even just the trees, I was in awe of it. It truly makes you appreciate it and again, Studio Ghibli shows you how much they love nature themselves. Now, let’s talk about the film. The film was amazing. The best word for it is amazing. The plot was so different and yet so captivating. There wasn’t a moment in this film where I was bored and where I felt it dragged along. Seeing this battle between humans and nature was what I had to see. When I was a kid, I didn’t appreciate this film as much, but now, it’s definitely one of my favourite films and in my top five of Studio Ghibli films. All the characters were incredibly well written, especially Ashitaka, San and Lady Eboshi. I love how there was no villain in this film. Yes, Lady Eboshi and her people were ruining the forest, but they were also trying to live their lives and grow as a community. I loved how everyone played a part in the village, the men, the woman and even the disables, had roles. You don’t see this in many films and I like that Princess Mononoke showed us that. The boars and the wolves were interesting to see as well. The bond that San had with her family and how she hated humans because of how she was raised. The ending was great. I liked that Ashitaka decided to stay and help with Irontown rather than go with San like some people expected him to. The only thing that truly bothered me was the face of the Forest Spirit. It haunted me for days which prove how much it creeped me out. If someone told me that the face of the Forest Spirit was their sleep paralysis demon, I would believe them in the spot.

4. My Neighbor Totoro (1988) - The first Studio Ghibli film that I’ve seen is My Neighbor Totoro. It’s the kind of film that reminds me of my childhood and it’s the one that gives me a nostalgic feeling. I love it so much that it’s definitely the film of Studio Ghibli that I’ve seen the most. It has this charm that should be more prevalent in other animated films, especially films for kids. Every scene is truly like magic. Whether it’s the umbrella scene at the bus stop, or the scene where the tree grows, or even the scene with the cat bus and the girls. Satsuki and Mei are enjoyable, vibrant and interesting characters. The bond between them reminds me a lot of my bond with my older sister. You can definitely say that I was a lot like Mei as a little kid (Yes, I did get lost one time and made my whole family, especially my sister lose their mind). Again, this film embraces the beauty of being a child. It shows the curiosity, the innocence, the energy and the imagination that most kids possess at that age. Totoro is such an interesting character design and it’s no surprise that it’s the logo of Studio Ghibli. My Neighbor Totoro speaks to my inner child and reminds me of the good old days. It’s a film that I’ll recommend to everyone, but especially young kids. Also, it’s the Studio Ghibli film that makes me smile through the whole of it. If I’m feeling sad or if I’m not in a good mood, I watch My Neighbor Totoro and it never fails to make me feel better.

3. Spirited Away (2001) – Objectively, I think Spirited Away is the best film that Studio Ghibli has ever produced. Personally, it’s the third, but that doesn’t mean it’s worse than the second and first. It’s a matter of preference that I have. Again, I watched this film as a kid and I did enjoy it a lot. I always called it one of the best animated films. I rewatched it in May after years of not watching it and I loved it just as much as I did when I was a kid if not more. Miyazaki created an unforgettable film with an astounding plot, amazing characters and an exciting world building. Chihiro is your typical kid. She can be whiny and scared just as every kid is her age. The growth that she goes through the film was amazing. Watching her work hard and her progress was such a good watch. You could see her struggle with cleaning at first, but soon enough, she got the hang of it. Also, as much as I love the film, I couldn’t help but think that her parents were a bit dumb. Like my parents wouldn’t have done any of the things her parents did. My dad wouldn’t have sped like that in such a dangerous road and they definitely would have turned around after coming close to the temple. Either way, I’m glad that they screwed up though because it gave me this film. The other characters like Haku, Yubaba, Zeniba, Lin and many others were brilliant. Out of all this, I enjoyed Haku the most. The way he helped Chihiro was so nice and their whole bond was fascinating to see on screen. The guests in the bathhouse were designed so well and were just so good. I don’t have any words to describe the scenes with No Face or the spirit of the polluted river because they are out of this world. No wonder this film won an Oscar for best animated film. The details, the story, the animation, the characters, the soundtrack and the world building all deserve an Oscar of their own.

2. Grave of the Fireflies (1988) - I don’t think I’ve ever cried with any film, book or series as much as I cried with this. Even when it ended and I had turned my TV off, I was crying. It’s one of the saddest films I’ve ever watched and truly, the saddest film Studio Ghibli has ever made. It touched my heart immediately when it started and it ended up ripping it at the end. I knew that it wasn’t going to have a happy ending, the beginning tells you that it’s going to end quite sadly. Yet I was taken back by the scenes, especially the last scenes. The story of Seita and Setsuko is a story that many kids have experienced in war. In most war films, we are shown battles, we are shown armies, soldiers etc., but not in this film. In this film, we saw the personal history of siblings trying to survive war and bombings. Seeing Setsuko hallucinating was heartbreaking and it was in that moment when I started to cry. When Seita said that she never woke up after that, I couldn’t control myself. Funeral scenes have been hard for me to watch lately, but not a single funeral scene has broken my heart like the one in this film. The scene where Home Sweet Home played in the background left me speechless and I still don’t know how to explain how I feel with that scene. Grave of the Fireflies is a film that is all too real and it made my whole body hurt at the end. Although it's ranked second in my list, it’s the one who I’ll probably rewatch the least out of all Studio Ghibli. Takahata is truly an incredible director and this film proves that better than any other film of his.

1. Whisper of the Heart (1995) – Talented. Inspiring. Brilliant. Relatable. Amazing. Show-stopping. Spectacular. Never the same. Totally unique. Whisper of the Heart is undoubtedly the best Studio Ghibli film I’ve watched. I enjoyed everything about it to the last details. I didn’t even stop the film to get water even though I was thirsty as hell. That’s how much I loved the film. I never related to characters as much as I related to Shizuku and Seiji. I write and I used to play the violin when I was younger. While I stopped, I still enjoy every story that has something to do with violins. Shizuku was such a normal character that spoke so much to me and to everyone I recommended this film to. Many of us have been in her position where we didn’t know what we’re going to do in the future. While Shizuku had many interests, you could see that she was stuck. I liked that she was inspired by Seiji to see if she could be good at something and she learned that she did have some sort of talent for writing. But just like Seiji’s grandfather, Shiro said about polishing her talent. I think many people, especially people who paint, draw, sing, compose, write and build, should listen to his words. They shouldn’t expect perfection at their first try and that they should give it time and hard work for their skills to become amazing. When I first started to write, I needed to hear Shiro’s words. This film is such a beautiful coming of age story that I think everyone should see no matter the age. Now, let’s go to the romance of the film. Hands down, Shizuku and Seiji are the best romance in Studio Ghibli films. While I love Howl and Sophie and Jiro and Naoko, it’s Shizuku and Seiji that won my heart. They had such a good romantic journey. Their scenes were just astoundingly beautiful, especially the one in the end. When I saw him by the tree, I started to giggle and I always screamed. It was just incredible to watch. Every interaction they had made me love them more. I repeat, the best Studio Ghibli couple. When I finished the film, I wanted to find a guy like Seiji. Too bad we were in lockdown and I was unable to find him. The use of Country Roads was amazing. I always loved the song and now, it’s one of my favourite. What upsets me about this film is the death of its director. If Kondo hadn’t tragically passed away in 1998, I think he would have given us other amazing films like Whisper of the Heart. I can say that this movie whispered in my heart and I’ll never forget it.

#studio ghibli #studio ghibli films #hayao mizayaki #isao takahata #rankings #princess mononoke #my neighbor totoro #spirited away #grave of the fireflies #whisper of the heart

20 notes · View notes

derenger · 3 years

Text

Growing up, parenting and gaming - Longread on life, computer games and finding yourself

This longread is dedicated to and written for all those current and former kids, who had or have troubles growing up, taking decisions, finding themselves in the world they live in, who play games independently of age and – perhaps – have not lost their love for a good game, good times and good buddies.

Perhaps it will help someone in their life. If that happens – I shall think of this writing as useful and my time writing it as not completely wasted.

The ideas have been on my mind for over 2 years now (they started getting very clear when I started doing therapy) and I have to put them on paper now.

Here it goes.

I grew up in the 90s in Eastern Europe. After the USSR collapsed millions of people found themselves without work, perspectives and means of existence. We were lucky that my dad had a good job that was paid in hard currency, however he was barely home – and by that I mean like seeing him 2 or 3 times a month.

We had good living conditions compared to others and my mom did the best she could too take care of my younger bro and me.

The first time we were exposed to computer games was when I was like 7 and my bro was 5 – in the office where the boyfriend of our aunt has been working. We played Dangerous Dave, Scorched Earth, Socoban, Digger, Civilization, The Incredible Machine and some others I do not recall the names. And of course, we liked it and it did not take long for our dad to install them on his PC at home. 2 years later my best buddy got Doom 2 installed on his PC and that was the absolute blast. We spent weeks trying to figure out how to get through level 2 and it was a big holiday when our buddy finally did.

My dad tried to restrict TV and computer time per week, so we always opted for the PC. Over time I learned to turn it on by myself and play when there was no one at home. My dad did not know.

A couple of our friends had 8bit consoles - soviet bootlegs of Super Nintendoes, with TMNT and Chip n Dale, but that was probably it. After all, we were living in a small village with not that many possibilities to make money.

When I was 10 we moved to a bigger city into a 1 room apartment. All 4 of us. This was 1996. 2 other very important things:

We started going to a far bigger school than before, where the mood was totally different from what we were used to. We were bullied and beaten, could not get along with other pupils and teachers and no one actually cared.

Father was home every day.

I mean, father was present home every day. It is not like he spent time with us doing sports or whatever. He just had any idea what to do with us as this was his first long time exposure to kids in the 11 years we were a family.

He was more of an authoritarian guy – we were not supposed to waste time in gaming clubs, listen to stupid music (Prodigy, Beastie Boys), we should have studied well, read books, have been doing sports and in general act like good kids.

We were doing some martial arts sports cause mom brought us there. We were taking music classes cause “everyone has to”. We were supposed to help out at home. We were not supposed to hang out with “bad” kid or stay outside till late hours. We were not supposed to smoke, swear and simulate illness to miss classes. We were not supposed to get into trouble.

It is not like we were putting a lot of thought into it. We just moved to the city from rural area and frankly speaking were absolutely not happy about. I guess we just went with the flow.

This was also the time when the first “gaming spot” in town opened – they had 2 Sega Mega Drives II and 1 Sony PlayStation. MK3, MK3 Ultimate, Contra Hard Cops, Golden Axe, some samurai fighting games for the Sega. SPS – Red Alert, Twisted Metal, Duke Nukem, Doom and of course – an incredible breakthrough for its time – Quake 2. And that was a revelation. I recall mom giving us money from time to time. To go play. Sega cost like 1 buck and hour, SPS – 1,5 bucks – far more expensive, so we played mainly on Sega.

At the same time we did have some games at home – Doom, Power Formula 1, Lines, the same Civilization, Lion King, Alladin, Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Gods and Dune 2000. Dad did not want to allow us play games. Like, at all. Don’t ask me why he never deleted the games. The PC was mainly used for him to work. So when he left home, he took the power cable of the monitor and closed it in his spare suitcase. What we did was to unplug the cable from the printer and use for the monitor. Later on he hid both cables – from the monitor and the PC in the suitcase. I found a way to open the suitcase with a very fine flat screwdriver. Mom hid the fact from our dad for a while until he noticed the suitcase was “broken”. I believe they did not speak with each other for a week. But I am still proud of the fact of cracking that suitcase! Fuck yeah!

Things started getting worse when I transferred to a lyceum - 1998. I was 12. This was like a gymnasium for hardcore science-kids, where they went deep into math and natural sciences. I was hysterical the first 2 years as I was barely making the program. Even my dad had troubles solving the math they gave us. Music classes turned to shits. I had no time nor mood for sport. But I had to keep doing it all. Just because. There were a couple of bullies in class, whose parents bribed the management of the school so that their kids would have fancy graduation papers at the end and frankly speaking no one could get a grip on them. That had me very depressed.

Around 13 I started stealing money from my parents and missing classes to go to computer clubs – their number was getting bigger every week, consoles started to disappear. Half Life, CS 1.6, Age of Empires 2, Q3, D2 1.07, Black and White, SimCity 2000, NOX, StarCraft Brood War and many other games had our full attention. The biggest part of it was the fact you could play with or against your friends! That was so fucking awesome! At the same time I started discovering sci-fi and rock music, but that is a different story.

We stole a lot of money from our parents in those times and missed a lot of classes and of course after 3 or 4 months it all got revealed. Boy oh boy our dad smoked us. That was very very tough for a kid when all the things he actually liked were taken from him. Dark times when we were seriously asking ourselves what the hell our parents wanted from us as aside from the stuff they told us to do they never really told us what was it for. Everything else was useless, stupid or waste of time.

Somehow my marks at school got better closer to graduation and I graduated almost with a medal, went to university. I remember they had this PC club with like 200 PCs and from time to time we skipped one or the other lecture to play Starcraft or CS, but very quickly boozing with buddies became the major leisure activity and pushed gaming to the back. I did pretty well at the university, made my master with excellence and that was it – 6 years flew by in a blink of an eye.

I got my own PC during the first year at the uni, played a bit of Warcraft 3, HOMM 3, Quake 3, Lineage II but it was not like I was deep into that. I remember after defending my master I spent like 3 days playing Crysis without anyone saying a word. I mean, I was through with the university. I was free!

Soon after that I went on to work abroad as a project engineer in the chemical industry.

At the moment I am doing sales engineer for a good salary in Berlin, I am married and except for the Corona and all the restrictions it brought life seems ok.

During the last 10 years of my “adult” life I have been in many different situations. I have been very sick a couple of times, running on the edge of life and death. I have been in some useless relations that only drained energy and nerves from me. I also have been diagnosed with depression and burnout at some point, did therapy and consider myself fully recovered from both. I’ll be summarizing it all below.

When I look at my life it did occur to me that gaming was far more important than just the sheer desire to shoot buddies and skip school.

Growing up under the conditions where everything is predetermined one does not really get the chance to expose your own wish. After all, my parents both come from very unhappy families and did not have the exactly best examples of parenting.

It occurred to me that they never really cared about anything we achieved – whether in school, music or sports. I recall a couple of times when I did really good, like winning the City-contest in English language or getting my first “good” in algebra in 7th grade as that shit was extremely tough. I do not recall any reaction. In fact, mom and dad put their close attention to us only when things started getting really bad, like when we were skipping classes or got arrested for setting up fireworks in a crowded place. We never really got any positive feedback for anything we did because our parents just had no idea how to do that. I do not blame them – they were trying their best from their own experience.

And gaming was the absolute opposite to all of that.

Going to computer clubs we knew exactly that we were surrounded by like-minded lads. We made some good friends along the way – lads, who were always ready to jam on de_dust or bring their D2 chars to share some loot. One of the owners of the club had a daughter who was really good in Q3 – I remember everyone has been looking at her like she was some sort of demigod. The games gave us the space and playground we needed so much – clear even rules for everyone. If you frag – you win. If you don’t – you lose. If you suck – the older guys would always help with a couple of tips. Games also gave us control. I really liked the games where you went on an adventure, like NOX or Will Rock or serious Sam. Gaming also gave us the space to take our own decisions and suffer the full consequences if these were wrong – getting overrun by zerglings or getting fragged with rocket launcher with QUAD DAMAGE.

Gaming clubs were our safe space. At some point our dad did raid the computer clubs and did bust us a couple of times. Sure we got beaten on those occasions.

I recall my bro being very proud on getting 1st in the national 2v2 ladder in SC:BW later in the uni. He also used to game the whole night long at my parents place. This was over 10 years ago and they still do not know. He is still very good in SC though he does not play anymore.

I do play sometimes – currently grinding D2 and refreshing my knowledge in chess. I do not have more time for any other more or less serious game.

I am slowly approaching the point where I should write a conclusion – it is going to be quite simple. Gaming was the first opportunity to take my life into my own hands. It took me 32 years of my own life to find the power in me to take responsibility for myself and not to rely on someone else. My decision – my choice – my consequences. It took a lot of trouble and turmoil for me to get to this point and finally embracing the power within feels great. It was also the first surrounding of dudes just like me, which was a very good feeling back then.

During the last 6 months I switched to a job that pays almost the double of my previous one, my wife moved in with me from abroad, we have a nice apartment and are looking forward to vacations in the Alps. I still have to find a way to approach my parents though I am not sure the old hive is worth disturbing. I guess time will tell.

Whenever I am down or things do no go according to play – I do turn to gaming occasionally, just to get back into the world where I am in full control. It gives me power and I guess hope that everything will work out. If not now – then over time. You just have to keep practicing. And ask for help when it is needed.

I hope you found this read interesting.

#life #gaming #adulthood #friends

1 note · View note

lindyhunt · 6 years

Text

What Is Worse for the Planet? Real or Faux Fur?

One of the most enduring fashion visuals from the 1990s Club Kids scene is Deee-Lite’s video for “Groove Is in the Heart.” In it, the beyond fabulous Lady Miss Kier is wearing a bouffant hairdo, short shorts and a fluffy white coat next to which appear the words “Fake Fur.” It made the statement that fake can be fabulous—and the trend is proving to be especially true in 2018 as imitation fur goes from faux pas to fierce must-have.

Like so many of the most creative runway trends, the current faux fur revival traces its fuzzy origins to Miuccia Prada. At her Fall 2017 show for Miu Miu, models were swathed in retro-inspired faux coats, hats, accessories and boots. For Fall 2018, faux was spotted on the runways in a variety of styles, from shaggadelic at Dries Van Noten to multi-textured at Stella McCartney, a longtime animal-rights activist. Available in a rainbow of colours and soft-to-the-touch textures ranging from realistic to Muppet, the highly photogenic fabric has even earned its own hashtag on Instagram, where stars like Vanessa Hudgens have captioned their #OOTD posts with #faux or #fauxfur.

Stella McCartney Fall 2018. Photography via Imaxtree.

In keeping with the spirit of the original Club Kids, fun fur is living up to its name with a fabulous following of international It girls. In London, Shrimps founder Hannah Weiland built her line around colourful faux fur coats that have been worn by Alexa Chung, Susie Bubble and model Laura Bailey.

Weiland says she originally gravitated toward the material because of its versatility. “Faux fur is a very malleable material; as a designer, I use a lot of colour and create amazing jacquards so there are a lot more exciting things to do with the material,” she says of her decision to go faux. “It can be both luxurious and fun. I like to think that we create items that customers fall in love with for their quality and unique sense of humour.”

For Tel Aviv-based designer Maya Reik, faux fur presents an opportunity to revive timeless styles in a relevant way for the clients of her line Marei 1998 with retro-inspired faux fur designs that easily pass for the real deal. “Sometimes I wear it and people don’t believe it’s not real,” she says. At just 20 years old, Reik has already become an industry darling. Her line has earned coverage from CR Fashion Book and Vogue and has been spotted on Bella Hadid. Reik’s Pre-Fall 2018 collection, her fifth, evokes a 1960s Elizabeth Taylor with full-length faux fur coats that retail for $2,565. Reik says she discovered her faux fabric while on a visit to a supplier. “I’m in love with it; I’m really obsessed and happy that we found such good quality,” she says. “Why should we wear something if we can find the same exact look and not in a cruel way?”

Bella Hadid in Marei 1998.

It’s a sentiment that’s echoed by Kym Canter, CEO and creative director of faux fur emporium House of Fluff on the Bowery in New York. In her previous role as creative director at J. Mendel, Canter amassed a large collection of furs, including—her favourite—a vintage monkey coat. “I felt incredibly glamorous and beautiful in it,” she says. “As culture started to change, all of our awareness started to change to the things around us: what we eat, what we put on our bodies, what we clean our houses with. My closet just couldn’t escape the same scrutiny.” So Canter sold her 26 furs and used the money to launch House of Fluff as a way to recapture the glamour she felt while wearing her monkey coat.

Alongside the rise of faux (in the United States, the faux market is worth $148.7 million, having grown 2 per cent from 2012 to 2016) has come a rejection of the real deal, with brands like Gucci, Versace and Michael Kors all saying goodbye to fur. New-fur sales are illegal in West Hollywood, where the sale of fur apparel has been banned since 2013. It’s a motion that Ashley Byrne, associate director at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), applauds.

Mary Katrantzou Fall 2018. Photography via Imaxtree.

“When you have Donatella Versace doing an Instagram post about how she’s proudly against the use of real fur, it really tells you that times have changed and that what we consider luxurious has changed,” she says. And those who trade in fur are sometimes press-shy about the fact. In April, Women’s Wear Daily asked 22 retailers to share their opinions on fur’s role in fashion. Thirteen of the stores contacted declined to comment, as did the fur-friendly Canadian designers we reached out to.

The fur market, however, is by no means dead, with global fur sales reported in the $39 to $53 billion range. To appeal to a millennial clientele, designers are using fur in more accessibly priced ways. There’s Fendi’s alpaca and mink Bag Bug Charms, Valentino’s mink-trimmed sneakers and Dolce & Gabbana’s pink rabbit Box Bags—never mind the ubiquitous coyote-trimmed parka by Canada Goose. And fur has many very influential supporters. Anna Wintour regularly includes fur in the pages of Vogue and wears it herself, as do Beyoncé and Rihanna, who in January stepped out in a $23,000 raccoon coat by Antwerp-based menswear label Jun Jie.

Riri looks absolutely 🔥in JUNJIE flame coat attending#grammys pre party.

A post shared by JunJie Official (@junjieantwerp) on Jan 28, 2018 at 12:26am PST

Alan Herscovici, senior writer/researcher at TruthAboutFur.com and former executive vice-president of the Fur Council of Canada, says that there is a lot of confusion around fur as sustainable clothing. “When you look at the modern fur trade, the way it’s regulated today, it’s an excellent example of the responsible and sustainable use of nature,” he says, adding that fur coats are often worn for decades, passed down from one generation to the next or redesigned into a more contemporary style. Herscovici stresses that synthetic fabric—whether that’s a faux fur jacket or polyester top—comes with its own set of complications.

“The problem we’re beginning to become much more aware of is that these materials don’t biodegrade very easily,” he says. “We’re now finding out that each time you wash some of these clothing materials, they leach micro-fibres—micro-particles of basically plastic that go into our waterways. They are really just another form of plastic bag.” While real fur will eventually biodegrade, faux fur made of acrylic or polyester could take as long to break down as a plastic bag does, and that’s somewhere in the ballpark of 500 to 1,000 years.

When a major label like Gucci says it’s quitting fur for sustainability reasons, you have to wonder if it has taken any other steps toward lessening its overall environmental impact and its role in climate change, especially when, according to sustainability researchers at Quantis, 8 per cent of global emissions are traced to the fashion industry (more than the emissions traced to air travel).

At House of Fluff, Canter says it’s important to look at the big picture, and that means everything in your closet. “I feel like everyone picks on [faux] fur, when, in fact, so many of the clothes we wear have a funky [problematic] textile or a funky thread, and no one really talks about it,” she says. “Are we analyzing all of our clothes?” Luxury brands Shrimps, House of Fluff and Marei 1998 say they are making high-quality products that are meant to be worn for years, not just one season.

Dries van Noten Fall 2018. Photography via Imaxtree.

It speaks to the broader fashion revolution toward overall sustainability that’s going on at all points in the industry, from unnecessary waste accumulated during the production process to energy consumption at physical retail stores, and it’s one that consumers play a major part in. The choices you make about what you consume ultimately inform how and what designers create, and it’s important that those decisions take into account all of the ethical, social and environmental impacts they’ll have. Information is power, and there’s nothing fake about knowing the truth.

0 notes

itsjaybullme · 6 years

Text

Dolph Lundgren Has Planted His Feet Firmly Back in Hollywood, and Has No Plans of Leaving

Per Bernal

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in 2015

He couldn’t stay Ivan Drago forever. The flat-top was bound to go out of style, the Rocky franchise had reached its peak, and besides, he wasn’t even Russian. But here’s the biggest reason why Dolph Lundgren (who’s from Sweden, by the way) had to move on from Drago: Because men get older.

[RELATED1]

Rocky IV hit theaters 30 years ago, in 1985. Hard to believe, right? Lundgren is 57 now, and naturally, he looks different than he did then. The resemblance is there, of course, since he’s still tall and blonde and handsome, but he’s not carrying quite as much muscle, and his skin has weathered a bit.

The most interesting part? Lundgren is actually better now.

Real men age

Per Bernal

Because real men change, mature, evolve, adapt. Their value isn’t tethered to youth. Lundgren was in Europe for the better part of the ’90s and 2000s—out of sight, out of mind to American moviegoers—but he never stopped working, and he never stopped training.

“Comparing myself now to then, I would say I’m a little more skilled now,” Lundgren says. “I’m more proficient in martial arts. Because at that point [training for Rocky IV] I’d given all that up, because I just wanted to learn how to box for the movie, and I wanted to lift weights. I try to keep the martial arts skill because, one, I use it in my movies, and, two, it makes me feel good to be able to walk into a dojo in Sweden, Australia, or America, wherever I am, and not seem like a chump.”

Courtesy Image

“Whatever happened to Dolph Lundgren?” was probably asked thousands of times in America following Rocky IV and his role as He-Man in 1987’s Masters of the Universe. What happened was, he went on to have a successful career as a movie star, with more than 60 total acting roles on his résumé as well as a handful of producing, directing, and writing credits. It’s just that most of this occurred outside the United States. For a good while, he was one of the busiest action stars you never heard anything about, at least not in this country.

Making movie magic

That all changed about five years ago after he landed a role in the action-star-loaded cast of The Expendables and moved back to America. Since then, he’s appeared in both Expendables sequels as well as several other U.S.-based productions, including Universal Solider: Day of Reckoning with Jean-Claude Van Damme and even a one-off appearance earlier this year on the comedy TV series Workaholics. His latest film, Skin Trade, which he produced, co-wrote, and starred in, is scheduled for release May 8.

[RELATED2]

So is it fair to say that Dolph Lundgren has made an American comeback?

“Yeah, that’s fair,” he says. “I was in Europe focusing on my kids. I wasn’t focusing on the business. You have to be in America to do well in show business, especially with the types of movies I do, preferably in Hollywood. There’s a certain energy in the States, and that’s the reason I wanted to come here as a kid when I was only 14 or 15. The last five years, I’ve slowly worked my way back into the business and into the popular culture here, and it feels good. Europe is a great place, but somehow in America if you put in the hard work, you know it’s going to pay off, whereas in other places it’s not so certain.”

Much of the hard work Lundgren refers to happens in the gym. He was very active as a child growing up in Sweden, playing ice hockey and starting karate at a young age. (He earned a third-degree black belt as an adult in 1998.) After moving to America for college on academic scholarships and eventually pursuing an acting career, he got more serious about lifting weights. He trained with Sylvester Stallone for Rocky IV and even worked out for a time in the ’80s with Lou Ferrigno at Santa Monica Body Building Center in California.

His workouts have changed since then, but not all that much. At 6'4", he never had the build to lift prodigious weight; he says he never went above 300lbs or so on the squat or deadlift, even in his younger years. But his training has become more diverse, more fluid than structured.

“I’m more conscious of injuries now than I was when I was 27, so I do more rehab work, more balance work, and more work on the smaller muscles like the rotator cuffs and hip flexors. But I do try to keep some heavy lifting in my routine.

“For being 30 years older, the only difference is I have to take care of myself a little more when I’m not training. In those days you could go out and have 10 tequila shots, stay up all night, and then go to the gym in the morning. If I did that now,” he says with a laugh, “I’d be struggling.”

Per Bernal

He typically trains four or five days a week, implementing a variety of training styles and modalities. For example: He does traditional weight training with the squat, bench press, deadlift, military press—and curls—a couple of days a week; he also mixes in more “functional” training by using a Bosu ball and incorporating strongman lifts, particularly heavy sandbag carries; and he keeps up with his martial arts skill training and hits a heavy bag for conditioning. When he doesn’t feel like lifting in the gym, he loads up a backpack with extra weight and goes for a long hike; he swims when an Olympic-size pool is available to him, such as when staying at a nice hotel; he stretches regularly to maintain flexibility for his martial arts; and he also meditates daily.

“I get bored with too structured of a workout,” Lundgren says. “I think there’s a benefit to having a regimented schedule, like getting up at the same time every morning and having breakfast. But if I have a new workout coming up, it’s exciting for me. If I have the same workout for four weeks, and I’ve done that, it just becomes something like self-punishment. I meditate every morning, and that really helps. It’s like they say: Life becomes a glide instead of an effort. It’s true. Life becomes easier. You don’t hold on to things as much.”

[RELATED3]

Lundgren stays focused

Lundgren’s training may not always be regimented, but he stays consistent with it. Always has. This has obviously helped him land roles throughout the years, most of which have required him to be in shape and proficient at fighting, but Lundgren also credits his active lifestyle—not just the meditation—for improving his mental state.

“All the things I do in my training have helped me feel better and more fit but also more balanced,” he says. “And I think it’s helped me deal with a pretty tough business without getting lost in it. It’s paid dividends for me even in just the last year or two. When I moved back to L.A. and did the first Expendables, I started to put more of an emphasis on my training and meditation and focus a little more on my career. But it takes a while for things to develop. You have to do the roles, and then the movies have to be edited and put out there, and people have to see them. So there’s, like, a two-year or more delay before it gets out there in the ether. I’m feeling good about it now, and people are catching up to it a little more. It gives me a grounded feeling.”

At 57, Lundgren is by no means the old man of Hollywood. Stallone is 68, Schwarzenegger, 67. Lundgren looks forward to having many productive years left in him as an actor, writer, producer, and director. He cites Morgan Freeman and Clint Eastwood as two other Hollywood stars doing some of their best work in middle age and beyond, and he hopes to fall into that category. But as much as he looks to a bright future, he can’t help but look back at himself 30 years ago as Ivan Drago, the role that launched a career still going strong through stints in Europe, Asia, America, and places in-between.

When asked what he sees when he looks at the 30-year-old photos of himself in Rocky IV, Lundgren says, “In painting they used to call it ‘the artist as a young man’—the artist always paints himself younger than he is. There’s a magic kind of energy there when I see pictures of myself as Drago. I see the innocence in my eyes. It’s like a boyishness that’s wonderful and beautiful, but I had to go through so much to get to where I am today. I wouldn’t want to do it again, so it’s a bittersweet experience. It’s like in meditation: You have to accept the impermanence of existence. Nothing is permanent. Everything blossoms and dies. So I think two things: I feel happy for having had the opportunity to be in the business and being in shape, and I’m glad I’m in shape now. I’m trying to squeeze as much out of it as I can. I want to keep acting and producing and directing and being fit…and being thankful that I’m still around.”

[RELATED4]

from Bodybuilding Feed http://www.muscleandfitness.com/athletes-celebrities/interviews/dolph-lundgren-plans-stay-spotlight via http://www.rssmix.com/

0 notes