Archive of March 2009

The Beginning of the End: Good as It Ever Was

FUNimation had an official United States screening of the new “Rebuild” Evangelion movie, “You Are (Not) Alone” last night… and while I could not attend, I finally succame to less legal means of viewing the feature.  FUNi needn’t worry, though– they’ll still be getting my coin.

“Evangelion” remains “the” franchise.  Much has changed in the anime viewing landscape since I first encountered the franchise a decade ago, but there’s something timeless about the story of autistic children in an alternate future Japan using giant robots to fight the angels of Armaggedon.  Every character, even the whiney lead, holds an absolute and unwavering status as an icon.  The story has, and will continue, to impact lives with its rough-and-tumble emotional tale shrouded in ungraspable and vague religious mystery.  So the question with this “rebuild” franchise is whether or not this is a George Lucas punch to fond memories, or something that was a worthwhile endeavor.  For the first of the four feature films, I have to tip my hat with respect– it’s good.

Sure, there are things that are glossed over in the transition from six twenty-two-minute episodes into a ninety-eight-minute format.  But the decision to move as necessary from eye-popping frame-for-frame refreshing / reproduction to all-new (and no less eye-popping) transitions is damn near flawless.  The film moves at a mile a minute, but unlike some retellings (the surprisingly soulless “Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex” movie-versions come to mind) there is plenty of character introspection as well.

What stands out?  The animation quality is brilliant, and when coupled with the original timeless movements and poses, it only is more dramatic to those who have previously experienced the material.  The soundtrack is attention-grabbing; this time utilizing the London Symphony Orchestra to bring life to the haunting themes.  The film’s two truly new themes– “Angel of Doom” and ending song “Beautiful World” deserve special mention for blending flawlessly into the whole.  “Angel of Doom” in particular gave me goosebumps I couldn’t shake.  Those goosebumps were enhanced by this version of the story being “grander”– while the original was supposedly about mankind’s last efforts, it sure felt like mankind might just be thirty people living in an abandoned city, but that is no longer the case here.  Human beings are casualties of the ongoing destruction displayed, and the story is better for it.

The story makes no major diversions in this chapter, although the ending sniper operation feels very different because of the scale.  Throughout the film the creepy “living” element of the Evangelion mecha is toned down in what I must assume is an effort to conserve for later features.  On the opposite end of the spectrum, the unusual religious and supernatural elements surrounding the conflict are brought center stage near the film’s end via an unusual showcasing of Lilith and a brief cameo by everyone’s favorite “angelic” boy wonder.

With all of this said from the view of an unabashed otaku fanboy, I must say I think this would be a wonderful introduction to the tale for the completely unintiated.  My only caveat is that the film ends somewhat abruptly as to a “greater” resolution, and any new fan would be forced to wait such a long time to get the satisifaction of conclusion. That, and I hear they’re changing the last name of my dear Asuka in the next film along with other bigger changes, and that just might make me pissy. :P

For the time being, however, “You Are (Not) Alone” gets my highest recommendation– both for those of us who just need to get back to the emotional touchstone or those who are just curious what the fuss is about.

Dolphins are Assholes

For thousands of years, dolphins have been portrayed as benevolent helpers of humankind, protecting us from the cruel violence of the sea.  Today, dolphin devotees spend hundreds of dollars for twenty minutes in the water with one of these aquatic altruists.  There is a growing trend toward Dolphin-Assisted Therapy for everything from autism and depression to cancer.  Women who give birth in the ocean with dolphins present may expect an easing of birth trauma and an acceleration in the development of their babies.  

Okay, it’s reality check time.Read More »

Dear Atheism Subreddit: Today, I've unsubscribed your preachiness

I’m a liberal fellow.  I recently got in an argument with my wife over banning the game RapeLay, not because I’m a proponent of games where you molest women against their will– just because I’m that against censorship when dealing with adults.  Censorship is a personal decision, not be enforced upon others.  Instead, the control of what one considers “wrong” is one of persuasion.  Disagree with Fred Phelps?  Then protest him, don’t sue to legally silence him.

So today, I begin my self-censorship of the “atheism” subreddit, and state that I hope others will join me.

I appreciate reddit.  Beyond just a great “time sink” at work, it’s an involved community of interesting opinions.  I like that it’s socially left, but you’ll find a wide array of viewpoints at the top of the page.  Given the other default reddits (politics, funny, programming, worldnews, etc) do not take a position, I find it unusual the default position for the religion and humanism based articles to be either pro-”god” or pro “there is no god”.  This didn’t stop me from reading plenty of articles from the reddit.

More often than not the subreddit isn’t atheist per se.  It’s anti-organized religion (especially Christianity), pro science, and humanistic.  There’s a lot of good and interesting material that any open-minded person would find highly interesting.  That said, I think most of the general reddit-going crowd would agree that the subreddit is sometimes far too bent on it’s soapbox.  I see more and more “self” threads declaring “I don’t give a shit what your religion is or isn’t” and the like… and I very much agree.  I come to reddit to learn, expand, be touched, be amused… not to be preached at.  I would have thought an “atheism” crowd would understand that.

The straws that broke the poor camel’s back?  A self suggesting that atheists piss off the world by taking over “@” as some sort of symbol (stupid– can’t you do something better with your imagination?) and an argument over whether or not a man should use his two day old’s death as a soapbox (let him do whatever the hell he wants).  I, like many, am tired of this junk, and so I’m moving onwards.

However, I want to keep the benefits of a critical eye towards organized religion along with amazing advances in science when looking at the mystery (be it a “miracle” or otherwise) of the universe.  Which is why I’m asking, as nicely as I can, that those who agree with me might take a moment to not just unsubscribe the “atheism” subreddit (as I hear many say they are doing), but to add the “FREETHOUGHT” subreddit.  Again– I am a strong proponent of freedom of speech, and in no way want to silence… well, anyone.  I’d like to keep the benefits of having a reddit with a large group of people still invested in challenging the set ideas of society with new and engaging information that I can devour on a daily basis, while personally moving myself away from the occasional preaching and tearing down currently on display in an accurately titled ”atheist” subreddit. 

Thanks for listening, and I hope to see the “freethought” grow so I can continue to expand my mind.

Pick the Right One to Watch

Since last Friday, every single time I’ve sat down at my computer somebody has wanted to chat about Watchmen.  I’m not complaining– I like that people value my opinion.  Makes me feel like I might have the elusive gift of generally accepted “good taste”. 

The long and short of it is, for me, Zack Snyder leaves nothing but an awful taste in my mouth.  I despised his 300 adaptation, and his latest effort does little more for me– it is at best a failing grade.  I’m reminded of the difference between The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers when viewing the Alan Moore / Dave Gibbons adaptation.  Fellowship was a brilliant film, perfectly capturing the emotion, character motivation, and subtle nuances of the book upon which it was based.  You’ll never hear me complain about Tom Bombadil, a lack of mythical swords, or… well, damn near anything when it comes to the extended cut of the first movie.  The second?  Balls.  Utter trash that misinterprets the source material in all the most painful ways.

Watchmen is strikingly similar in its failures.  Blue porn penises and absent squids (save dumb “wink-wink” easter eggs) aren’t the problem with this adaptation– it is the lack of anything subtle or intriguing being left intact.  Lines are twisted and put in the wrong mouths removing character’s charm.  Two of the best examples of this mark-missing come alongside sex scenes.  When the second Silk Spectre, Laurie, is getting the four-armed treatment from Doctor Manhattan, there’s a tone shift from the original “I thought you would like this” defense brought up by the superman to “I thought you liked this”.  Later on, when Laurie first attempts to make love to the second Nite Owl, the scene doesn’t end with cuddling or reassurances about overcoming impotency, but instead what seems like a weak premature ejaculation joke due to poor cutting.  Sure, these are small hairs being split, but it’s the small strokes that matter.  In both these cases, we see the sexualization of characters (arguably the most important piece of the narrative puzzle) being twisted and made more broad.  Laurie’s a sex freak and Dan’s a horny teenager in the film in opposition to the idea of them as complex characters.  For me, the largest causality in the film is Adrian Veidt; not only is actor Matthew Goode’s performance cringe-inducing, but we get none of the character’s endearing strokes at the film’s climax.  No flashing smiles, no admitting he was unsure about being able to catch a bullet, and no final inquiry to Doctor Manhattan as to whether his master plan was “right”.  What’s most sad is, from a screenwriting point, they did a good job adapting many of the book’s long monologues into more digestible pieces of dialog, while ruining the book’s one-liners.  Beyond this, I understand and support altering the ending “Doomsday” mechanism because of the subplots needed to reach that end would have taken precious time, however, when you remove every “normal” person from the source material, you must be even more rigorous in ensuring the characters are human.  There is no humanity in the Watchmen film, and as such I can’t understand how someone coming into the feature cold could enjoy it.

Mentioning “cold” and “humanity” brings me around to a treat I was finally exposed to this past week (and lucky enough to catch in a theater, even though it has just hit DVD)– the Swedish vampire film Let the Right One In.  Slow-paced by choosing tip-toeing through themes, the flick is a damned masterpiece.  I like a rock’em sock’em vampire movie as much as the next fellow, but there was something downright magical about this brooding work which places as twelve-year-old boy in close proximity to a “young” (at least in appearance) vampire towards whom he develop feelings.  While I’ve never read the source book, it is still plain to see that the material was adapted in a manner that told a story without beating the audience over the head via sensationalized details.  There was action, humor, and horror while the backstory and ending both left plenty to the imagination and my fellow viewers and me wanting more.  If you’re looking for some meat to hold you over until the summer movie blitz, I highly recommend it.