path: root/content-org/brain-rot.org

#+AUTHOR: Michał Sapka
#+URL: https://michal.sapka.me/blog/
#+STARTUP: show2levels indent logdone

#+HUGO_BASE_DIR: ~/ghq/vcs.sapka.me/michal-sapka-me/
#+HUGO_WEIGHT: auto
#+HUGO_SECTION: brain-rot

* Brain rot                                                       :@brainrot:
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:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU: :menu "brain-rot"
:END:

** Dune
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_HUGO_SECTION: brain-rot/dune
:END:
*** DONE Dune
CLOSED: [2024-04-14 Sun 18:10]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: _index
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract The Dune series
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-r menu menu-info
:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU: :menu "brain-rot"
:END:

#+attr_shortcode: "dune-1st-ed.jpg"
#+begin_img-r
Dune cover
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#+attr_shortcode: "brain-rot-dune"
#+begin_menu
Dune
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#+begin_menu-info
Dune
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*** DONE Dune: Part One (2021) 
CLOSED: [2024-04-13 Sat 21:33]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: part-one-2021
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract My review of an adaptation of the first part of an amazing book
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-c
:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU: :menu "brain-rot-dune" :parent "denis-movies"
:END:

I'd like to call myself a Dune fan, but I am not.
I have finished my Dune adventure on /Heretics/ and only now am I planning to finish the saga[fn:witcher]
Though, I think this still puts me well above most people calling themselves fans now.
I loved eveything I've read, but I have never reached the end.

/Dune: Part 1/ is the second movie based on the 1956 Frank Herbert's classic SciFi epic.
Well, it is not.
It is the third attempt to show the first half of the book.
There was the David Lynch verion (which I adore) and there was a TV Series.
There were also games, but only two of those have any resemblance to the plot of the book.
So yeah, Dune was considered impossible to transfer to any other medium.
Sadly, I still have to agree.

I think everybody (and their dogs) know what /Dune/ is about but:
/Dune/ is a story of distant future, where all powerful houses rule the known universe.
The technological progress was halted thousands of years ago, after a thinking machines raged a war against humanity.
After their defeat it was forbidden to create such machines.
Arrakis (aka Dune) is a sand planet, the only known source of /Spice/ - a narcotic allowing humans to traverse time, and therefore spaceflight.
Spaceships are operated by mutated humans, who after exposure to Spice can see into the future and steer the ships.
Now, the Emperor orders the control of the planet to be shifted to th House of Atreides.
The previous stewards, House of Harkonen will not make it any easier.

Ignoring the mutants, this sounds like a run-of-the-mill SF series.
But /Dune/ It is also story of social engineering spanning millennia, of false prophets, and a million other crazy things.
The first book keeps it /almost/ sane, but there is a significant dictionary attached, and the first time reader will need to use it extensively.
Later the saga goes completely off the rails.
We'll get back to this.

Note, that /Frank Herbert/ wrote only the first few books.
After his death, his son - /Brian Herbet/ took over and wrote dozens of other ones.
The quality differs significantly, as I've been told.
I've read the /Houses/ trilogy, and it was quite nice.

Now that we've got the introduction out of the way, let's go to the movie.
Let me start with saying that I adore it.
It's not what I'd want (as the young vloggers say "hear me out"), but at face value it's as close to perfect SF movie as they go.

/Dune: Part 1/ is directed by Denis Vileneuve, who previously directed some of the greatest SF movies of this century - /Arrival/ and /Blade Runner 2049/.
His other movies are also amazing (I can't recommend /Enemy/ enough), so I was pretty stoked when it was announced that he will direct /Dune/.
I am no longer a movie buff[fn:critic], but he may very well be my favorite living director.

Technically, I can not find any fault with the movie.
The story makes sense (I'll return to Lynch in a second), which by itself is an achievement.
The acting is superb, and works as a reminder that TV series are still not on the level of the greatest movies.
The special effects are astounding[fn:ornitopter].
The music is, for the most part, at least great.
I hated the main theme with screaming lady.
Music is supposed to work with the movie, not to hide it with loud noises!
But that's the only thing I disliked.

#+attr_shortcode: "dune-part1-001.webp" "https://movie-screencaps.com/dune-2021/"
#+begin_img-c
Jessicas portrayal is amazing.
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#+attr_shortcode: "dune-part1-002.webp" "https://movie-screencaps.com/dune-2021/"
#+begin_img-c
ALL costumes are amazing
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#+attr_shortcode: "dune-part1-003.webp"  "https://movie-screencaps.com/dune-2021/"
#+begin_img-c
CGI is amazing.
The movie looks amazing.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "dune-part1-004.webp"  "https://movie-screencaps.com/dune-2021/"
#+begin_img-c
Have mentioned how amazing this movie looks?
#+end_img-c

I loved the tempo of this movie, as I never enjoyed action-packed shoot fests of the /other franchise dominating cinema for decades/.
Everything is slow - the actors speak slowly, the scene have time to breath, the camera is moving on a low gear.
Even things fall down slowly!
This adds an amazing dream-like feeling to most scenes.
Sometimes I felt like I'm watching a /Tarkovsky/ movie and not a big budget Hollywood blockbuster.

And this the greatest and worst thing here.
It's meditative.
You feel like yoy are in a trance.
You fully buy accept you see here.

But the world of Dune is weird.
It is full of things that make you go "huh?".
It has mutants who traverse time, but it also got mutants who are computers.
There are reanimated corpses, living furniture, hollow planets, vision quests.
Denis omitted everything that was not essential to the plot, and what he left, he grounded in reality by omitting the /wtf/.
There are not even the crazy names!
Some strange things he left, but they are shown without explanation.
It's just there, without any context.
But, to be fair - context would only add confusion.

But this is where /Lynchs/ version shines.
It makes little sense, it is rushed - sure.
But it conveys how twisted the world is.
It's not a trace, it's a full on narcotic trip straight out of some hippie story.

And this is why I don't think that this movie is a /great/ adaptation of Dune.
It is a /great/ movie on its own.
It perfectly adapts the adaptable and pretends that there is nothing else.
It makes /Dune: Part 1/ the hit that it is, and it allowed us to get /Part 2/.
But since making this move appeal to mass audience is not my problem, I'd like to see the full picture.

It'd also like to see the world less cold.
The architecture is devoid of heart, it's brutalistic.
It looks amazing (I think I mentioned that), but the crazy colors and abstract layouts we see in Lynch version is something else.
It's a Vileneuve style.
It looks exactly like his previous movies - it's controlled, clean, /cold/.
As much as I loved it in his other works, I'm not sure if it fits the degenerate houses we meet.

But that's just me.
As it stands, this is a groundbreaking movie which makes me want more.
Not only more of /Dune/ but more of serious, intelligent SciFi movies.
We had those and may get more!

It's better in any conceivable way compared to all previous attempts at adapting the source material, and I think all my nitpicks are kina moot.
It fits 2024 esthetic and it's crazy intelligent.

Highest recommendation from me.
4.75/4

And, hey!
Sardukars no longer look like welders!

[fn:witcher] Right after finishing the Witcher saga.
[fn:critic] not to brag, but I was a semiprofessional film critic during college years.
I had a press pass and all!
[fn:ornitopter] Ornititopthers look just like in the /Dune/ game!
This strangely works with how believable everything is.
All flying ships have this strange physics, which I have hard time explaining.
They are not like you X-Wings, but they fit the world.

** Patlabor
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_HUGO_SECTION: brain-rot/patlabor
:END:
*** DONE Patlabor The Movie (1989)
CLOSED: [2024-04-11 Thu 21:01]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: patlabor-the-movie
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract The proto-GITS is still very nice!
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-c
:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU: :menu "brain-rot"
:END:
There was a time when /Patlabor/ was an established name.
It was huge, it had /Mamoru Oshii/.
Now, sadly, it's mostly forgotten.

/Patlabor: The Movie/ is the first from the universe.
I'll cover the following two soon, as this is my rewatch after decades.

The story takes place in the distant future of 1999.
Manual labor is aided by Labors, huge exoskeletons.
Tokyo is undergoing a huge project, where old suburbs are demolished and artificial island are created on the coast.
Some Labors are going berserk, destroying everything on their paths despite being unmanned.

#+attr_shortcode: "patlabor-movie-1-0001.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Sucide is painless...
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#+attr_shortcode: "patlabor-movie-1-0002.jpg" 
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...It brings on many changes
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Let's start with the visual feast.
The movie looks stunning!
Yes, later movies from IG top what we see here, and sometimes the faces may look weird.
It's not perfect.
But if we would simply tell ourselves that this style of animations is the peak and let's just try to maintain the quality, I'd be more than happy.
The way this 35-year-old movie looks is a testament to the power of manual drawings.
The design, the camera work, the coloring - I loved every second.

Another cute thing I've noticed: /The Movie/ is an Oshii-type of movie.
It came in this short period, where /anime/ was treating western culture as something alien and cool.
We're seeing this in Jin-Roh, Evangelion, GITS, and many others.
Here we've got the Bible.

#+attr_shortcode: "patlabor-movie-1-0003.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
For a mecha anime, we've got a lot of people talking in different rooms
#+end_img-c

But this also shows the biggest problem of /Patlabor: The Movie/: it is shallow.
On surface level, we've got everything one could ever want: Unabomber-style genius on a quest to stop progress at all cost.
We're seeing how /old/ is discarded in the name of progress.
We've also got a huge computer system which is maintained without deep understanding of how it works.
Basically, 1999 is like 2024.
But none of this is really developed.
The main characters never stop and think, that maybe the world is not going the best route?
Eiichi Hoba, the aforementioned Unabomber, is just a plot device: the viewer is also never confronted with his viewpoint.

As it stands, /The Movie's/ story is disjointed:
on one side we've got the real and interesting question.
On the other, no one looks for answers and just accepts the risks of unconstrained growth.
But maybe this was the point?
We're seeing the same today: the world is ending, and most people are racing to be the last one to shut down the lights.
It is scary how believable this is.
Even the main threat is solved by a software rollback...

/Patlabor: The Movie/ is good on its own, but it suffers from being the proto Ghost in the Shell.
It's not near as good, nor is it as good as its sequel.
But taking it at face value is really solid.
I had huge fun rewatching it, but left unsatisfied for sophisticated sociopsychological treat Oshii is known for.

My rating is 3.75/10

#+attr_shortcode: "patlabor-movie-1-0004.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Hav I mentioned thast this movie looks stunning?
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S-T-U-N-N-I-N-G
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It always amazes me how many anime shows older guys in their undergarments.
I get, that Japan gets extremely hot during summer, but is it real that frequent?
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "patlabor-movie-1-0008.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
One of many GITS-style scenes.
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** Witcher
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:EXPORT_HUGO_SECTION: brain-rot/witcher
:END:
*** DONE Time of Contempt (1995)
CLOSED: [2024-03-24 Sun 22:27]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: andrzej-sapkowskis-time-of-contempt
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract Saga continues
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-r
:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU: :menu "brain-rot"
:END:

It's a stain of my honor - I am a Pole, but I've never read The Saga.
It's not that I've never read any of The Witcher, but somehow I always stopped after the short stories.
Last year I've decided to finally fix this.
I am a proud nerd for crying out loud!

#+attr_shortcode: "sapkowski-time-of-contemt.jpg" 
#+begin_img-r
The classic cover
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/Time of Contempt/ is the second part of The Witcher Saga, but it's also the 4th book about Geralt and his world.
Let's ignore the short stories for a second and let's talk about this book in context of The Saga.
Here it suffers from being the middle child: Andrzej is developing the characters and story, but it lacks a impactful begging and an end.
I haven't felt like that after finishing the /Blood of Elves,/ as it had a /begging/ and the ending was emotional.
Geralt reunited with Ciri.
The story is clearly not over, but we have a kind of closure.
We know she is safe and ready for what's coming next.

Here?
Here we have no beginning as it follows the last book.
It was to be expected.
But I fail to notice anything new created here.
Yes, we've got /amazing/ development of Ciri (I can't wait what how her blood heritage will screw over everyone), but nothing more.
It just moves from scene to scene[fn:st], not spending any meaningful time anywhere.
After 300 pages of this, it ends with Ciri joining some random group.
I guess I will get to know them in /Baptism of Fire/, but I am not yet there.
Are they good?
Are they cool?
Who the hell they even are?
For me it was a huge let down.

But the biggest thing missing in The Saga is humour.
Both, /Sword of Destiny/ and /Last Wish/ were hilarious.
It was not on Pratchett's level of humor, but Geralt was amazing when it came to deadpan.
Moreover, I have no idea how well it translated to other languages, as it was based on Polish humour, but:
the books were written for Polish reader who was expected to know /Szewczyk Dratewka,/ and therefore the way Geralt dealt with dragon was a funny refernce.
But this aspect is now completely missingm[fn:enemy-mine], but it was what made the short stories for me.

The biggest problem for me however was the fact I saw two seasons of The Witcher TV Series[fn:netflix].
It was terrible and had nothing to do with the book (luckily for me!), but the TV versions of Ciri and Yennefer were irritating at best.
Their book counterparts are not like that - Ciri is extremely cool and Yen is, well, not so bad - but the visual image is etched in my brain.
I finally start to have a separate personnas for them, but it was difficult.
Yes, to some extent Netflix ruined the books for me.

I was never a fan of /fantasy/, as I always preferred /SciFi/.
Give me a blaster or give me death[fn:rand]!
If I found /Time of Contempt/ as a random book, I would not care for the rest of the series.
It was ok, but nothing to write home about.
Sapkowski has a great style and I very much want more, but he has not told anything interesting here.
I will continue reading The Witcher, but mostly because it *is* The Witcher.

I liked reading /Blood of Elves/ much more.

I give it 3.5/5.

[fn:rand] If you get the refence know, that I am no longer that type of a person.
[fn:enemy-mine] We've got *huge* reference to /Enemy Mine/ in the single best part of the book, but it's not funny at all.
Sad, scary - sure; but not funny. Just like the movie.
[fn:st] ... /No one had a chance to interrupt/.
/It was really quite hypnotic/.
[fn:netflix] And not an episode more.
It was already too much.



** Persona
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_HUGO_SECTION: brain-rot/persona
:END:
*** DONE Persona 5: Strikers (2020)
CLOSED: [2024-03-08 Fri 21:24]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: persona-5-strikers
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract A short review of SciFi classic 
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-c
:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU: :menu "brain-rot"
:END:
/Persona 5/ took me close to a year... I think.
It was a gigantic game with unbelievable amount of dialogue.
It was also game I deeply enjoyed, despite not particularly liking anything about.
The story was ok, the gameplay was ok, the RPG element was ok, the dating was ok.
But, somehow, authors managed to join that into one freaking nice experience.

/Persona 5: Strikers/ is none of those things.
It's a linear button masher with characters I like.
But it has /none/ of the good elements of /P5/.

First, it's not an jRPG anymore.
When fight starts, you are presented with dozens of enemies you need to fight in real time.
Half of the time, I had no idea what was going on.
Fights, for me, are terrible.
Enemies were everywhere, and I had no /chance/ to control the battlefield.
Lots of annoyances and finger pain, but no enjoyment.
Just running into random spots, bashing melee attacks and checking for weakness from time to time.
I play on easy and was tired of that very quickly, I can't imagine having any actual problems with this system you have no enjoyment with.

#+attr_shortcode: "p5s-1.jpg" "https://nintendoeverything.com/persona-5-scramble-the-phantom-strikers-boxart-details-screenshots/"
#+begin_img-c
Guess the only way here is to shut my brain down, as it's useless in all this chaos.
#+end_img-c
The real-world activities are almost none-existent.
I loved how the Phantom Thieves bonded and became friends.
None of this here.
You've got some dialogue, but no payoff.
There is some stat related to bonding, but we all know each other.
In P5 the single best part was learning about each other and seeing how their lives improve.
None of that is here.

Dating?
None.
And my chosen love interest from /P5/ doesn't even show up!

Extracurricular activities are limited to finding stuff on maps.

Getting to know Tokyo?
Nope. Every few hours we move to a new city.

Story? Well, I gave up before it started.
After 10 hours, midway through the third jail I gave up.
I had to guard Futaba /again/ and after a moment became so frustrated and bored, that I stopped playing.

I give 2/5 for those 10 hours.
Maybe it gets better later on, but I don't care enough.
I dropped the game and will never return.



** Lawnmower Man
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_HUGO_SECTION: brain-rot/lawnmower-man
:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU: :menu "brain-rot-ascifi" :parent "lawnmower-man"
:END:
*** DONE Lawmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace (1996)
CLOSED: [2024-02-23 Fri 20:29]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: lawmower-man-2-1996
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract My mirco reviview of the sequeo to a vr killer thriller
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-c
:END:
Fun fact: I remembered close to nothing about this movie back.
When I was watching the first, everything seems familiar.
Here?
Not so much.
Guess /Polsat/ consider the second one too expensive for regular broadcast.


In /Lawnmawer Man[fn:reviewlm]/ we meet Jobe, now a genius being living in the cyberspace.
But not so much, because in the first few minutes of /Lawmnower Man 2/ we learn that he has not left his meatsuit for the cyberspace.
The explosion at the lab left him an amputee.
But his talents are now in use of the Evil Corporation designing the future of cyberspace.

Of course, Jobe wants the cyberspace for himself.

The general plot seems similar to the first one, but they are very much different.
The plot is much more complex, there are many more explosions and I think it makes much less sense than the first one.
I would rate it at 2/5.

But the biggest difference is that this movie is target towards certain audience.
/Lawmower Man/ was a kid-friendly horror.
/Lawmower Man 2/ is a kids' movie.
They completely removed the part which tried to be scary.

We've got bunch od kids (and a dog) fighting and winning against a grown-up.
Yes, they get the help from an adult - the creator of cyberspace.
But the main heroes are the kids.
And the main target are the kids.

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-2-1996-0002.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Kids flying in cyberspace
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#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-2-1996-0012.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
And flying even more.
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#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-2-1996-0003.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Dog preparing to save a day...
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-2-1996-0004.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
And saving the day by inserting a CD in the drive.
How can anyone consider this to be a movie for adoults?
#+end_img-c

I've read that the director was locked out of the editing room as he was trying to make a different movie.
The producers said a firm "no" and made /Lawmower Man 2/ close to the likes of /Goonies/, /Explorers/ or /Flight of the Navigator/.
It never reaches the coolness of those, but it tries.
A lot of people on the interweb bash the movie on logical problems or being goofy.
Yes - occasionally the plot makes so little sense that they needed to add voice over explaining why the hell the /gang/ is going where they are going.
Yes, it has a dog who saves the day.
38 years old me was not amused, but the 10-year-old inside me screamed "yeah! Radical!".
He was not doing well with being /modern/ back then as well.

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-2-1996-0005.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Her hair is the closest thing to a "scare" in the entire movie
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#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-2-1996-0006.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
This hippie is the inventor of VR.
Tech geniuses leaving all the tech behind to live in the wild is now more real than ever
#+end_img-c

Jobe is being played by Matt Frewer, who quite often acts like Jim Carey, which is fitting.
He is not the magical-killer he used to be.
He is goofy.

Even the music sounds like something Spielberg would use.

There is no Pierce Brosnan here, as only Austin O'Brien returns from the first one, once again reprising the role of Peter Parkette.

My biggest gripe is the special effect here.
The movie takes place in the future, so we're no longer seeing green grass.
The real world vibe is close to /Blade Runner/ or /Dark City/.
I dig it!

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-2-1996-0001.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Cyberpunk!
I'm pretty sure that almost all those scenes happened on the same crossroad.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-2-1996-0011.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Almost Blade Runner.
#+end_img-c

But then there is the /cyberspace/.
In /Lawmower Man/ we had amazing, early CGI closer to an acid trip than anything else.
Here, the cyberspace looks like ours.
They just added CGI here and there.
It looks like an episode of /The Next Generation/, but without most of the campiness.
For the most part it is competent, but there is no spark.
It's not /cool/.

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-2-1996-0010.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Our first meeting with new Jobe in the cyberspace.
Yes, this is VR-forest.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-2-1996-0007.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Cyberspace here give more of FMV-game kind of vibe than I would have expected
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-2-1996-0008.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
The VR here more social than what Apple showed.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-2-1996-0009.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Luckily, sometimes the VR almost delivers.
#+end_img-c

But the 10-year-old me would not care.
He would rate it as 3.75/5 or "that was cool!".
But he he wasn't picky at all.

[fn:reviewlm] Vide: [[/blog/2024/lawmower-man-1229/][my review of Lawmower Man]].

*** DONE The Lawnmower Man (1992)
CLOSED: [2024-02-19 Mon 23:03]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: lawmower-man-1992
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract My mirco reviview of a vr killer  thriller
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-c
:END:

Back in the glorious 90s, when kids still enjoyed linear TV, we had /Polsat/.
In the post-communist Poland, this was the first /western/ TV station.
Filled with western movies, and western series[fn:series]
Among those, there were constant replays of /The Lawnmower Man/[fn:trans]
I watched it on every occasion and loved it.

Now, 30 years later it is time for a rewatch.
No cyberpunk deep dive can be considered a good one without /The Lawnmower Man/.

/The Lawnmower Man/ is a movie about a disabled lawnmower man, Jobe, who, with the usage of virtual reality, becomes a genius.
Soon after, an Evil Company, stars secretly giving him drugs contracted by the military.
And as result, he starts exhibiting mind reading abilities and telekinesis (because, obviously, why not?).
We've got the (popular at the time) subtext about the dangers of corporates who, without supervision, play God.
Somehow we stopped doing that, and now we've got Altman killing humanity with the clap of happy crowd.
/Lawmower Man/ is a movie about a great technology twisted by corporate overlords.
Fitting.

Jobe becomes a psychic, genius killer (like every mad genius), who decides to take over the cyberspace.

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-1992-0001.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Remember when huge companies were scary?
#+end_img-c

The movie was initially released as a /Stephen King/ movie.
King, however, sued the producers, as the movie has nothing to do the short story of the same name.
And he won, because it was based on original script called /CyberGod/.
Damn, I miss /cyber/ sounding cool.
They should have the original name, instead of forcing King on everyone.
And yes, I know King was the king back then.

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-1992-0002.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
That's one way to save your neck from Apple Vision
#+end_img-c

The movie is we have here is a much dumbed down version of /Flowers for Algeron/, which I intend to finally read.
I don't think anyone ever called it a /good/ movie, and for a good reason.
It's cool, it's got great cyberspace CGI, it's got Pierce Brosnan.
It also has an opening scene with a monkey using a gun, so yeah.

Story-wise is as straight forward as it gets.
The first half is full of sweet shots of grass and sexualization of a lawnmower.
And the most awkward sex scene I've seen in ages... or two.
Then, through a heavy-handed comment about religion and corporations we go the killing part.

This movie fails as horror (there is not even blood or any scare here), and fails as morality play (it's not smart enough).
But it is a testament to the glorious time, when /cyberspace/ was magical and full of potential.
We sure deserve more of that.

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-1992-0006.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
The cyberspace we all need.
#+end_img-c

I give it a 3.0/5.

I was *sure* the ending of this film was from the sequel.
But nope - I don't remember anything from the second one.
Therefore, see you on the other side, /Beyond Cyberspace/.

If anything, it's a great movie to show everyone how amazing trackballs are.
And we all know it is a fact.
No one can tell me otherwise.

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-1992-0004.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
The hidden star of the movie, right behind that hairy guy.
Look at that keyboard!
Look at how beige it is!
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-1992-0005.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Cyber God indeed.
#+end_img-c

[fn:series] And Polish version of those.
We had a great copy of /The Honeymooners/ named /Miodowe Lata/.
The translation of the title is surprisingly spot-on.
[fn:trans] Under an amazingly translated title, which would translate back as /The Lawmower Man of Minds/.
Perfection.
We knew /Dirty Dancing/ as /Spinning Sex/ and /Die Hard/ as /Glass Trap/.
Those were simpler times.


** Discworld
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_HUGO_SECTION: brain-rot/discworld
:END:
*** DONE  Interesting Times (1995)
CLOSED: [2024-02-13 Tue 21:06]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: interesting-times
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract A very short review
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-r
:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU: :menu "brain-rot"
:END:

Cover blurp:
#+begin_quote
Mighty Battles! Revolution! Death! War! (and his sons Terror and Panic, and daughter Clancy).

The oldest and most inscrutable empire on the Discworld is in turmoil, brought about by the revolutionary treatise What I Did On My Holidays. Workers are uniting, with nothing to lose but their water buffaloes. Warlords are struggling for power. War (and Clancy) are spreading through the ancient cities.

And all that stands in the way of terrible doom for eveyone is:

Rincewind the Wizard, who can't even spell the word 'wizard' ...

Cohen the barbarian hero, five foot tall in his surgical sandals, who has had a lifetime's experience of not dying ...

...and a very special butterfly.
#+end_quote

#+attr_shortcode: "pratchett-interesting-times.jpg" 
#+begin_img-r
Cover
#+end_img-r
I am, what one could call, an old school /nerd/.
All I care about are old operating systems, ancient editors and old SCIFI[fn:manga]
Ah, and some text based game where you are a cute "@".
/Of course/ I like Pratchett.

I started reading him /years/ ago in the only way acceptable - chronological[fn:wrong].
And I had a few years long pause.
Now, after a series of reading /only/ technical books I am returning to fiction.

/[[https://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/books/interesting-times/][Interesting Times]]/ is an ok-level Pratchett book.
It's not close to his best, it's not close to his worst[fn:worst].

This time Rincewind has to travel to Counterweight Continent and help a rebellion.
There he reconnects with old acquaintances - Twoflower, and Cohen to Barbarian.

The problem is that there is not much more.
We've got a lot of Chinese things, which is new.
But the story itself is extremely straight-forward.
Nothing memorable happens.
I finished it 2 days ago, and already I would have a problem recollecting any standing out moment.
I still remember moments from other /Discworld/ books a decade after I read them!

But Terry's writing makes me not care and just enjoy the journey.
He is able to make a boring story interesting, and his characters are always great.
I was reading the book while putting my son to sleep, and I almost gave him a heart attack with a laughter attack.
This alone makes it worth it!

Not the best place to start with //Discworld// (the best is, of course, /Colour of Magic/) but as n-th book in the series it's very enjoyable.

I give it a =3.75/5=.

**** Meta
- Read as EPUB on Onyx Boox Note Air 2.
- Read in Polish translation
- Next up: back to Andrzej Sapkowski's with "Time of Contempt". I am not a good pole, having not read the entire saga. I promise to do it before my 40th birthday[fn:fort]


[fn:wrong] It's ok to disagree, just like it's ok to be wrong.
[fn:worst] Being a bad Pratchett's book still means being a very good one.
Most authors would love to reach the level of one of those at least once.
[fn:fort] Which is closer that I expected
[fn:manga] And manga&anime, but that's beside the point.
Not American comics though.
Never cared about those, and it seems I never will.





** Random American SciFi movies
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_HUGO_SECTION: brain-rot/american-scifi-movies
:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU: :menu "brain-rot-ascifi"
:END:
*** DONE American SciFi movies
CLOSED: [2024-04-14 Sun 20:59]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: _index
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract Random SciFi from USA
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-r menu menu-info
:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU: :menu "brain-rot"
:END:

#+attr_shortcode: "brain-rot-ascifi"
#+begin_menu
Dune
#+end_menu

#+begin_menu-info
*** DONE Hardware (1990)
CLOSED: [2024-02-17 Sat 19:39]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: hardware-1990
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract My mirco reviview of a killer-robot thriller
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-c
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: alias '(/brain-rot/hardware-1990)
:END:

I ue my descend into American cyberpunk cinema[fn:cp].
I spent my formative years watching /Anime, art house/ and ignoring most of USA movies.
This means I haven't watched a lot of the /cult/ movies out there.

/Hardware/ is a 1990 movie about a killer robot in a post-nuclear world.
Think of a mix of Terminator, Aliens and Short Circuit.

I heard of this movie years ago, but it seemed to be noting more than a cash grab after the success of /Terminator/ - a movie which I  don't partially enjoy.
After watching, I have to say that there was a of true in this assumption.
But somehow I ended enjoying /Hardware/ much more.

Not that the story is better - if anything, it is much simpler, or just plain /simplistic/.
Say what you will about /Terminator/, but the basic premise was great.
/Hardware/ on the other hand doesn't offer a great idea.
This is a straight movie about a killer robot.

However, I enjoyed it more, as it is much closer to what /Alien[fn:alien]/ achieved
The entire action is encapsulated in only a few, closed locations.
Half of the runtime is spent in a single apartment, where the /Mark-13/ robot shows up from to time a try to murder someone.
Much like the /Nostromo/!

This allowed the movie to be *stunning* visually.
I loved every frame here!
I know that most of the effect is based on fog and lighting, but I dig it!
Just take a look at the gallery below.

Another thing which reminded me of /Alien/ is how they handled the special effects of the /monster/.
We see very little of /Mark-13/ - he is often hard to see, covered in darkness.
From time to time we see his movements, and well.
Hiding him was clearly a good idea... just like with the /Xenomorph/.

All in all, I enjoyed the movie.
I'm not calling it one of my favorites, but I enjoyed  every minute of its short runtime.

I give it a =3.5/5=.

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0001.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Red sky of postnuclear... summer?
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0002.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
The Nomad.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0003.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Nomad searching the desert for stuff for sale.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0004.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
An ordinary store.
Great vibes!
Fun for the whole family.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0005.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Same store, different view.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0006.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
The perfect glasses.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0007.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Seems like somene realy liked Jin-Roh.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0008.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
What posses as art now.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0009.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Computer we want but don't deserve.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0010.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
An art studio. Nothing out of the ordinary.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0011.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Remember when spirituality was cool?
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0012.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Let's give our murder-robot eyes from a camera lense.
I'm sure no one will drop it.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0013.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
UI we all want.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0014.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
What lurks in the shadows.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0015.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Yup, Jin-Roh.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0016.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Yankee-Roh.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0017.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
With some striking shadows.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0018.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
I have become bread, the destroyer of worlds.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0019.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Prelude...
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0020.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
And the (most likely) last usage of a refrigerator as a safe place which makes any sense in the history of cinema.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0021.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Yup, a hand.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0022.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Hold the presses!
The glasses are back!
I repeat: the glasses are back.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0023.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Mark-13 in all of its glory.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0024.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
This is only a window, but what a window it is.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0025.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
They have not used Wilhelm's scream.
What a wasted opportunity.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0026.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
In 2024 those are rookie number when it comes to unnecessary lights inside a computer.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0027.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
I am a sucker for this type of fish eye.
Always reminds me of /City of Lost Children./
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0028.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
It doesn't get more era-apporiate than this.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0029.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Ok, it does.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0030.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
One of the few CGI moments here.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0031.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
And one of /many/ lighting shots.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0032.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Look how black it is. Classy.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0033.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
But does it run Quake?
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "hardware-1990-0034.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Back to the desert, like a fine sandwich.
#+end_img-c

And a few nice /gore/ sceenes which I won't show it.
This is a family-friendly website!

Links:
- [[https://thetvdb.com/movies/hardware][Hardware on TVDB]]
- [[https://www.theofficialrichardstanley.com/][Director's official website]]

[fn:cp] I disagree with calling those movies "cyberpunk" as they lack the "punk" element... or most of "cyber".
No one rebels against the system, no one enters the /cyberspace/.
But following this definition, I am not sure if we can call any movie other than /Johny Menomic/ a /Cyberpunk/.
Often we put all dark-sf into "cyberpunk" genre, which limits our ability to be pricks about it.
[fn:alien] Aka "the clearly superior of the /Alien/ series"

*** DONE Ghost in the Machine (1993)
CLOSED: [2024-02-09 Fri 22:59]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: ghost-in-the-machine-1993
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract My mirco reviview of a computer thriller
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-r
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: alias '(/brain-rot/ghost-in-the-machine)
:END:
Talk about a surprise!
I was expecting a /schlock/, but I've seen a nice move.
A dumb one, but still.

The plot is the biggest problem: a serial killer has an MRI and due to electric storm gets his soul moved to computer network.
With this, he becomes able to:
- kill person by moving to a microwave and changing its settings,
- kill a dog by arousing it with a TV program (using nothing by electric breakers), then hitting the dog with a VHS tape ejected from a VHS player which causes the animal to run towards the pool

#+attr_shortcode: "ghost-in-the-machine.jpg" 
#+begin_img-r
Cover
#+end_img-r
It makes as little sense in the context of the movie as it does here.
But the acting is (at the very least) acceptable and the FX are better than they should - and there is a lot of them.
Moreover, the camera work is crazy!
The movie /looks/ better than it should.
It seems that this dumb, little movie got more passion in it than the entire MCU combined.

The problem is that I have no idea what was going on.
People were dying, cool computer interfaces were shown, but the plot barely connected those scenes together.

It's a classic thriller from early days of personal computing revolution.
I enjoyed it a lot.
It is not a /good/ movie, but it is enjoyable.

I give it a =3.0/5.=

links:
- [[https://utf.thetvdb.com/movies/ghost-in-the-machine][Ghost in the Machine on TVDB]]

*** DONE Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970) 
CLOSED: [2024-03-03 Sun 16:52]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: colossus-1970
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: abstract A short review of SciFi classic 
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-c
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: alias '(/brain-rot/colosus-1970)
:END:
Finally, in my series of discovering the roots of cyberpunk in American Cyberpunk I've seen a real gem.

/Colossus/ is a 1970 movie about a not-so-distant-future where Americans decide that it would be a great idea to give control of their military potential to a computer.
On paper, it sounds great - a computer has no emotions, so it will not be stopped by petty things, like morality.
Guess how well that turned out?
Soon after switching on, Colossus learns about the existence of another such system - The Guardian, in the territory of CCCP.

#+attr_shortcode: "colossus-1970-0001.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
The movie starts with sexy old-comp scenes.
Fitting, as Control Data Corporation supplied close to 5 million USD in computer equipment.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "colossus-1970-0002.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Sexy!
Rest of the movie is not as sexy.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "colossus-1970-0003.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Colossus in person.
#+end_img-c
And then this SciFi thriller stops being so /crazy-computer/ focused, and analyzes /crazy-human/ reaction.
Colossus starts exhibiting features which were never implemented.
It[fn:it] starts /demanding/ to be connected with the Guardian, so they can communicate.
And the scientist decide that it would be a great idea.
The computers start exchanging data and developing language.
Still - looks cool, let's see what happens.
Only after Colossus threatens humans with ICBMs, Forbin (Colossus's creator) starts thinking that maybe this wasn't the best idea.

#+attr_shortcode: "colossus-1970-0004.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
At first Colossus communicates only via text.
Funny, as those screens sound like matrix printers.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "colossus-1970-0005.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
This one as well.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "colossus-1970-0006.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Because it has a printer!
It took me half of the movie to get that.
Guess I'm too millenial for that to be obvious.
#+end_img-c
The movie is often described as an evil-computer story.
Colossus is never evil in the movie.
It does exactly what it was designed to do - to act without mercy.
The evil ones here are the humans who never stop and think that maybe we are on the verge of the end of humanity.

So yeah, it's an movie about Altman.
We may have destroyed the civilization, but at lest we made a cool program which does things.
No one know what those things are, but those are details you should not worry about.


Story wise, /Colossus: The Forbin Project/ holds splendidly.
Yes, we've got casual alcoholism and the female character exists only to have sex with Forbin[fn:sex].
But the actual meat of the movie could be a base of an amazing movie today.
The questions and subject are more relevant now that half a century ago.
What was a huge /what-if/ scenario becomes a real /ok, but how do we stop it/.
The Pentagon is already working on militarization of AI[fn:pent].
We're pretty much screwed already.

The best SciFi is not about giant battles or space travel for space travel sake.
It's always about humans, a warning for us.
And the /best/ SciFi is a warning for the next generations, as the threads become more real as years go by.

There is a moment in the movie, where the entire day of Forbin is planned and monitored by an AI.
What was a horror story, is now what a lot of us /expect/.

/Colossus/ in a movie version of earlier book of same.
There are 2 more in the series, and (as I've been told), Aliens make an appearance later on.
Maybe someday!

As for the movie, I give it a 4.25/5.
[fn:it] There's an interesting discussion about what pronoum to use - He or It.
[fn:sex] It is a plot point!
A terrible one, but still.
[fn:pent] Vide: [[https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3682355/pentagon-official-lays-out-dod-vision-for-ai/][Pentagon Official Lays Out DOD Vision for AI]].
Note, it's from the official website of US Department of Defense.






* REDIRECTS










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location "/blog/2024/interesting-times//" { block return 301 "/brain-rot/discworld/interesting-times/ }
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