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#+AUTHOR: Michał Sapka
#+URL: https://michal.sapka.me/blog/
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#+HUGO_BASE_DIR: ~/sites/site-crys-brainrot/
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* jBrain rot                                                      :@brainrot:
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU: :menu "brain-rot"
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-r img-c rating image
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :image_dir "screenshots" :image_max_width 765
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** DONE Brain Rots
CLOSED: [2024-05-24 Fri 16:22]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: brain-rot/_index
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: recent-updates menu all-content
:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU: :menu "brain-rot-fooo"
:END:


Hello. My name is Michał, and this website is dedicated to my reviews of books, movies, and games.
I try not to spoil things, as why would you read a thing about a thing from me /instead/ of experiencing the thing?
Instead the articles here show what I thought about a given piece, how I felt and if I think it's good.
Enjoy!

#+attr_shortcode: "brainrot"
#+begin_recent-updates
Latest:
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*** Table of Contents

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#+begin_menu
 Dune
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#+begin_all-content
All Titles
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** Dune
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_HUGO_SECTION: american-scifi/dune
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: :primary_menu "brain-rot-dune"
:END:

*** 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"
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :aliases '(/brain-rot/dune/part-one-2021)
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :rating 4.75
: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 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.
#+end_img-c

#+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?
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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.

*** DONE Dune: Part Two (2024)
CLOSED: [2024-04-16 Tue 16:44]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: part-two-2024
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :abstract My review of an adaptation of the second part of an amazing book
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-c
:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU: :menu "brain-rot-dune" :parent "denis-movies"
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :aliases '(/brain-rot/dune/part-two-2024)
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :rating 4.75
:END:

It's here, it's finally here.
/Dune/ joins the  very small club of SciFi books with amazing adaptations.
When /Part One/ hit the screens, people were amazed that it was so good.
Now, with /Part Two/, we hear that it's even better than the first one!

But I was very skeptical.
The trailers seemed to indicate a train wreck.
They were full of explosions, angry screaming guys and the taglines about war.
Dune was never /about/ war.
War was in there, but it was never the point.
But cinema, SciFi especially, loves special effects, and big-booms are amongst the most used.
I dislike a lot of SciFi movies from the USA, as the (so called) spectacle is all there is[fn:iron].

But what the hell, I chose an IMAX experience nevertheless.
The first /Dune/ was breathtaking, so why not?

And then the movie started, and my worries were replaced with anger.
What the hell is this?
Soldier banter?
Puppy-eyes?
Joking?
It's a SciFi war movie.
There are preparing for the /specle/
/Dirty Fremen Dozen/!
/Independence Day of Arrakis/!

#+attr_shortcode: "dune-part2-001.jpg"
#+begin_img-c
Arrakis 90210
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But, just as the action moved to Giedi Prime, the movie completely transformed.
What was mediocre, became absolutely marvelous!

Now, after seeing and rethinking the movie, it makes sense.
It's a not /sequel/ to /Dune/, but /part two/.
It doesn't start in act 1, as that was in the last movie.
The first chunk of this movie is a cool-down after the ending in of /Part One/.
Both /Dune/ movies should be treated as one long movie.
Much more than Kill Bill, as we have no clear /ending/ between the two.
/Part One/ ends with finishing of the Harkonen attack plot, which only ignites events of this movie.
And looking at it as one one big movie, I have to say: wow!

They made some changes to Herbert's text, but I like them.
Fremen are no longer a singular force that Paul uses.
The movie version of them is divided, having different cultures.
Maybe it's too black and white, but it's a nice change.

Similarly, Chani become a multidimensional character.
And while yes, Jessicas portrayal makes Chanis character shine much less, it's still a great change.
But the way Rebecca Ferguson plays Jessica is nothing short of wonder.
She starts scared, but loyal to both, Paul and Bene Gesserit.
After becoming the reverent mother however she becomes menacing.
With this comes another change - Alia is not born here.
She is talking with her mother telepathically, but at the end of the movie she is still to be born[fn:prochoice].
That's a dangerous change, but it works perfectly because the tone Jessica uses when talking with her - calm, silent, almost a whisper, yet still menacing.
I can not stress it enough - Rebecca is perfect here.

But the biggest change is the introduction of scenes from /Dune Messiah/.
You see, /Dune/ was often seen as a savior story.
Paul was to be the good guy, who comes and saves the day.
This is as far from what Frank Herbert envisioned as possible, so he wrote a short sequel book.
This movie vision introduces plot points and scenes taken directly from that book, so the meaning behing the story is much more obvious.
I think it's a good change, as we already see folks arguing against /Dune/ due to this misconception.
This way it defends itself.

#+attr_shortcode: "dune-part2-002.jpg"
#+begin_img-c
Jessica in all of her glory
#+end_img-c

Luckily, this movie is much weirder than /Part One/.
While last time Dennis omitted a lot, here he shows more /things/[fn:chairdog], but still there is no context.
We see the finger of the Baron, but we never learn what actually is there.
It comes as an Easter Egg for old time fans, which is nice as it takes nothing from the story.
But then there is Geidi Prime which is monochromatic, empty and cold - in the scariest way.
I'd love to see more of this side the world, but we got it spot on.
And Fayd?
Where Lynch gave us half-naked Sting, Austin Butler is a psychopath.
This is the Beast we all deserve!
This is the stuff nightmares are made of.

I am happy to report that this is not a war movie.
It's /Dune/ full of plots within plots, mysticism and (lastly) war.

Unfortunately, once again I am not happy with the music.
While most of the tracks are good (or great), the main theme is even worse than last time.
It's now layered over a lot more noise, making it this much more annoying.
It decreased my enjoyment of many of the greatest scenes.
Luckily, there is also new theme so this screaming woman may not follow us into the third movie. 

So, /Dune Part II/ is an excellent movie, but /Dune/ the complete story is a marvel.
It's the greatest thing I've seen in American SciFi in a very long time.
It's what it should be.
While not flawless, it's as close to what I'd imagine as a /perfect/ /Dune/ as it comes.
The movie gets a 4.75 from me (same as the first one), but looking at both /Dunes/ as a single movie?
Then it goes to a 5.
I don't think we will get anywhere close to this level of quality anytime soon.
What /Baldurs Gate III/ made for cRPG, /Dune/ makes to /SciFi cinema/.

And, I love that Christofer Walken is once again in the Dune universe.
He warned us about the Worm years ago.

#+attr_shortcode: "dune-part2-003.webp"
#+begin_img-c
Fayd in all of his glory
#+end_img-c

[fn:iron] I still remember how bored I was when I watched /Iron Man 3/.
The last decade of the movie runtime was filled with a non-stop battle.
The movie stopped and all was left was CGI.
[fn:chairdog] No chairdogs though
[fn:prochoice] Kinda fitting.
/Arrival/ had a very similar take on what a human is.




**


** Patlabor
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_HUGO_SECTION: anime/patlabor
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: :primary_menu "brain-rot-patlabor"
:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU: :menu "brain-rot-patlabor"
:END:
*** DONE Mobile Police Patlabor: The Early Days (1989)
CLOSED: [2024-05-06 Mon 22:38]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: mobile-police-patlabor-the-early-days
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :abstract My review of the OAV
:EXPORT_HUGO_WEIGHT: 10
:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU_OVERRIDE: :post " OAV series" :parent "mtimeline"
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :rating 3.75
:END:

/Mobile Police Patlabor/ is a 7 episodes long OAV series which serves as an introduction to the more widely known movies.
The subtitle (/The Early Days/) says it all, as it depicts the humble beginnings of Special Vehicles Unit 2 (SV2), which we will follow in the later installments.
Think: the first few episodes of /The Wire/.
We see how they are preparing their base of operation, how they receive their Labors, and so on.
And that's pretty much all that's here.
No grand ideas (like in /Movie Two/), not even an attempt at those.
All we see is how the Unit starts and their first few cases.

It's only this, but it never sets up itself to be anything more.
Not everything needs to be full of difficult questions and even harder answers.
/Early Days/ on its own is cool if you're deeply into Mecha, but I am not.
For me, this OAV is /only/ an addition to the Movies.

But it changed how I look at the first movie.
I was not sure what it actually was all about.
Was it pro-technology?
Was it a warning?
Well, the opening here is a love song sung by one of the pilots towards her Patlabor (named Alfons).
Yep, it seems Patlabor was techno-fetishist all along.
Nothing here prepares us for /Movie 2/, but it makes the first movie better.

#+attr_shortcode: 3.75 "patlabor-early-days.jpg" 
#+begin_rating
Cover
#+end_rating
The seven episodes here are, in order:
- the start of SV2, and we get to know Noa (who is one of the main characters in /Movie 1/),
- mission to protect the mayor,
- underwater monster story (sic!),
- hostage situation,
- ghost story (sic! again) while the unit is on vacation (with mandatory hot spring scenes),
- the plot of second movie, but without the smart parts,
- a long chase scene.

It's all light-hearted and more often than not a bit goofy.

Technically, this is a very pretty anime,
The movies follow the style we see here, with bigger budgets though.
But what we see here is a great, old-school animation.
OAVs tend to look better than TV series, and this one is no exception.

My gripes with the OAV  are more with my expectations than with the /Early Days/ themselves.
It fulfills its aspiration to be a nice, short series.
Nothing here even points towards bigger ambitions.
But I saw it after /Palabor 2: Movie/ which was intelligent up to a fault.
And even though I deeply enjoyed every minute, it's not what I came for.

So, if you liked /Movie 1/ and want more - sure, this series gets my thumbs up (and therefore rating).
But if the /Movie 2/ floored you but left hungry, don't expect this series to come anywhere that level of ambition nor quality.

#+attr_shortcode: "patlabor-early-days-1.jpg" "https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0160423/mediaviewer/rm3156868353/"
#+begin_img-c
We've got regular mecha fights!
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*** 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_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :aliases '(/blog/patlabor-the-movie //brain-rot/patlabor/patlabor-the-movie //brain-rot/anime/patlabor-the-movie/)
:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU_OVERRIDE: :parent "mtimeline"
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :rating 3.75
: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 thiis is my rewatch after decades.

#+attr_shortcode: 3.75 "patlabor-1-movie.jpg" 
#+begin_rating
Cover
#+end_rating
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.


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.

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 3.75/5

#+attr_shortcode: "patlabor-movie-1-0001.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Sucide is painless...
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#+attr_shortcode: "patlabor-movie-1-0002.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
...It brings on many changes
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#+begin_img-c
For a mecha anime, we've got a lot of people talking in different rooms
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#+attr_shortcode: "patlabor-movie-1-0004.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Hav I mentioned thast this movie looks stunning?
#+end_img-c

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#+begin_img-c
S-T-U-N-N-I-N-G
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "patlabor-movie-1-0006.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
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.
#+end_img-c


*** DONE Patlabor 2: The Movie (1993)
CLOSED: [2024-04-26 Fri 22:08]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: patlabor-2-the-movie
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :abstract My review of a masterpiece
:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU_OVERRIDE: :parent "mtimeline"
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :rating 5
:END:
Ok, this one is a difficult movie to write about.
For a /gajin/ it may come as a visually beautiful, but very convoluted movie.
But inside, it's deeply rooted in Japan's history and one needs to understand a few facts before truly appreciating it.
So, before talking about the movie, allow me to take a brief jump into history territory.

#+attr_shortcode: 5 "patlabor-2-movie.jpg" 
#+begin_rating
Cover
#+end_rating
After loosing World War II, Japan was under the USA's occupation.
Their post-war constitution ha a very important "Article 9" under which Japan was allowed to have defense military force, but it was to be never deployed on foreign soil.
After few changes, the defense force became Japanese Self-Defense Force, the /JSDF/.
Decades pass and the population kind of forgot about the WWII.
Mind you, Nagasaki and Hiroshima lives in their mindset, but war becomes something that was in the past.
In June 1992, the National Diet passed a UN Peacekeeping Cooperation Law which permitted the JSDF to participate in UN medicalonal Diet passed a UN Peacekeeping Cooperation Law which permitted the JSDF to participate in UN medical, refugee repatriation, logistical support, infrastructural reconstruction, election-monitoring, and policing operations under strictly limited conditions[fn:wiki].

Amongst part of Japanese population it was seen as a dangerous precedence.
JSDF was, in fact, deployed on foreign soil.
Both creators of /Patlbor/, Mamoru Oshii and Kazunori Itō were vocal opponents of this decision.
/Patlabor 2: The Movie/ should be seen as their manifesto.

So, knowing this I have to say: /Patlabor 2: The Movie/ is amongst the greatest movies I've ever seen.
I always say that for me, SciFi for SciFi sake is boring; it can be elevated by using the setting as a mean to tell a human story.
What's more, I like SciFi movies that are not action-fests.
And for both of those measures /Patlabor 2: The Movie/ *excels* all expectations.

It is also a huge step-up from /Patlabor: The Movie/.
While that one had huge potential, but came out lacking in both, substance and form, the /2/ is a gigantic step.
There were only 4 years between release dates, but I am floored.

Ok, back to the movie itself.
It's 2002, 3 years after the events of /Patlabor: The Movie/.
Yokohama Bay Bridge is destroyed by a missile shot from a variation of F-16 Fighter.
JASDF (Japan Air Self-Defense Force) is blamed for the attack, and a result JSDF is ready to deploy forces all over Tokyo.
Japan is close to martial law.
#+attr_shortcode: "patlabor-2-movie-0001.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Don't get used to the old main characters.
They are barerly here.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "patlabor-2-movie-0002.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Even the trickiest of perspectives are spot on.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "patlabor-2-movie-0003.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Not much for mecha fans, but quite a lot for aviation fans.
#+end_img-c

One thing to get straight of the way: there's not much of Labors here to be seen.
I think there are more shots of fighters and tanks, than there are of the mechs.
This /not/ a mecha anime even though it is set in a mecha world.
It's also not an action movie, as most of the scenes are two/three people talking.
/P2TM/ requires significant attention, as it's all about those dialogues.
The message is more said than shown and it may be not to your liking.
Anime is mostly known for imaginative fight scenes and fan service.
This not that kind of movie.
It's slow and methodical.

But there are action scenes, and they are glorious.
/PTM/ was looking great; /P2TM/ sets incredible standards that are often unmatched even today.
I found it interesting, that the first portion of the movie uses very small color palette - everything is overblown, like in full sun, or lighted by fluorescent lamp.
People look more like cyborgs than living things.
Then, when authors start conveying their message, it all changes - the palette broadens and characters even get some tam.
Subtle and effective.
The city look incredible, the machines look amazing and characters no longer have perspective problems (like they had in /PTM/).
Overall, the presentation is perfect.
Unfortunately the style here seems mostly abandoned.
It's /distinctly/ Oshii and /Production IG/.
Anime no longer looks like this movie.

The only nitpick I can find when it comes to the visual aspect is that in a few scenes the snow looks bad.
That's all.

#+attr_shortcode: "patlabor-2-movie-0004.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
This made me feel things.
I'd give a lot for such audio setup.
It even has a great CD transport!
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "patlabor-2-movie-0005.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
Basset, reporting in.
#+end_img-c

The music is great.
It's not /Ghost in the Shell/ but Kenji Kawaii is a master of his craft.

The only negative I can find is the main villain.
He is absent from most of his movie and his motivations are hidden until the very last few scenes.
His work is ever-present, but he is not here... which is fitting.
Oshii said that the "evil" character here is himself.
Everything the villain say is what the director thinks.

/Patlabor 2: The Movie/ is a masterpiece.
Oshii is one of the most brilliant directors in history, and this movie is one of his magnum opuses[fn:osh].
It's not only something *every* fan of anime should watch but everyone who enjoys cinematography.
It's smart, beautiful and haunting.
It is also a very strong anti-war manifest.
It dares to put a mirror in front of our faces and /as of this/ type of movie, I fail to find any real flaw.

#+attr_shortcode: "patlabor-2-movie-0006.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
There's some eye candy here.
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "patlabor-2-movie-0007.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
It's not there are no mechs here.
They are, in very small doses.
#+end_img-c

[fn:wiki] Source: [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Self-Defense_Forces#Peacekeeping][Wikipedia]]
[fn:osh] How many directors have achiever greatness on a few occasions?
Oshii certainly did!


** Lawnmower Man
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_HUGO_SECTION: american-scifi/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
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :aliases '(/blog/2024/lawmower-man-2-1996// brain-rot/lawnmower-man/lawmower-man-2-1996/)
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :rating 3.75
: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
#+end_img-c

#+attr_shortcode: "lawnmower-man-2-1996-0012.jpg" 
#+begin_img-c
And flying even more.
#+end_img-c

#+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
#+end_img-c

#+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 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
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :aliases '(/blog/2024/lawmower-man-1992/ brain-rot/lawnmower-man/lawmower-man-1992/)
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :rating 3.0
: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.



** Dragon Ball
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_HUGO_SECTION: anime/dragon-ball
:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU: :menu "brain-rot-anime" 
:END:

*** DONE Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero (2022)
CLOSED: [2024-05-08 Wed 23:20]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: dragon-ball-super-super-hero-2022
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :rating 1.25
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :abstract My mirco reviview of the 2022 Dragon Ball movie
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-c rating
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: :primary_menu "brain-rot-anime"
:END:

Even though I was raised on /Dragon Ball/ and I adore it up to this day, /Super/ was a huge letdown.
It played as a washed-out version of /Z/ - there was no tension, the new characters were bland, and it was simply boring.
The fact the only not-terrible part of the series was one huge tournament didn't help.
Just give me an adventure!

I also can not say I enjoyed Dragon Ball movies.
There are a few enjoyable, but most of the time they are either bad or incredibly bad.
They try to condense interesting story lines into a few dozen minutes, failing miserably.
Say what you will about pacing, but Toriyama sure knew how to build tension over a hundred episode fight.

And therefore we are here, the /Super Hero/ movie.
It's the last Toryiama's Dragon Ball.
I expected nothing and still left disappointed.

The story exists, which is nice.
We're after the last /Broly/ movie.
Red Ribbon army still exists, and they want to take over the world again.
Goku and Vegeta are training, so they won't help.
It's all up to Picollo, Androids and the young Sayians to save the day.

Who is the main enemy this time?
A new Cell.
Yes, Red Ribbon's latest acquaintance happens to be a genius capable of creating a better Cell, Cell Max.
And this is where the good things about this movie end.

Remember Cell's saga?
It was long, it was interesting.
It gave us Android 18.
It was full of development, horror and surprises.
None of this is present here.
The new Cell looks worse than the original, doesn't have any forms nor any spoken lines.

Moreover, the animation is terrible.
Yes, CGI looks great when still, but when we start to see any fight it becomes unwatchable.
It's the kind of CGI that is not bad per-se, but still obvious.
It's clear that what we're seeing here is made by a soulless computer.
They don't even try to hide it with constant camera shifts.
CGI can look great, but here it looks lazy.

#+attr_shortcode: 1.25 "db-superhero.jpg" 
#+begin_rating
Cover
#+end_rating
So, wasted Cell and bad animation.
Do we get anything instead?
We do - a lot of fan service.
We meet people from all other series and hear about even more.
We see return of figting Gohan and a few thinks we've been waiting for since the 90s.
It's fitting, as we're decades into Dragon Ball.
The problem is that they are just there and if they weren't, there would be difference.
Those cute scenes try to mask absence of anything new and interesting.

Unfortunately, we also see Shenron.
In the old series, every time he was summoned, it was a spectacle and a memorable moment.
With each occurrence however the characters stop treating him as a force, but more of a goof ball.
Yes, the first wish we see him fulfilling was creation of pantyhose, but it was part of the plot.
Here?
Here Bulma uses him for butt-lift and wrinkle removal, as he became useless.

And this sadly summarizes all modern Dragon Ball.
It's a low effort, forced return of an old legend.
It should stay were it was.
And this movie is one of the worst parts of /Super/.
It's not *as* bad as Gohan's[fn:whistle] whistle-dance, but the fact that it's not the worst of DB doesn't save it from being a insulting goodbye to the Dragon Ball world.

[fn:whistle] I've been told that /Dragon Ball Z Movie 4/ has its share of fans, but I've got no idea how.



** SciFi from the Eastern Block
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_HUGO_SECTION: eastern-block-scifi
:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU: :menu "brain-rot-ebscifi"
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :primary_menu "brain-rot"
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :menu_order name
:END:

*** DONE SciFi from the Eastern Block
CLOSED: [2024-06-25 Tue 21:44]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: :primary_menu "brain-rot"
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: _index
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :abstract My reviews of SciFi from the post and current soviet countries
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: menu
:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU: :menu "brain-rot" :weight 1020 :parent scifi
:END:

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


*** DONE Dead Man's Lettes (aka Lettes from a Dead Man, 1986)
CLOSED: [2024-06-25 Tue 22:56]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: dead-mans-letters-1986
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :abstract A short review of SciFi classic
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :image covers/dead-mans-letters.jpg
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :rating 5
:END:

Let's get this right of the bat: /Dead Man's Letters/ is a masterpiece; one of the greatest movies I've ever witnessed.

A Russian town after nuclear war.
Professor Larsen, a Nobel Prize in Physics laureate, lives with his sick wife and few other survivors in the basement of a museum.
For the next 88 mins you will witness pure, soul eating /bleakness/.

Talking about the story doesn't make sense, as it's not the point.
/Dead Man's Letters/ is very much akin to Tarkowsky's movies.
It's poetry and meditation on human condition.
There are long stretches of nothing but inner monologue of main character who /thinks/.
Not much of /comment/, but rather a /study/.
I don't think I've ever witnessed this type of movie outside Russian cinema.
It's not Bunuel, it's not Kubrick - but at the same it's very much /this/ type of movie.
More of an experience, than a 3 act story.

#+attr_shortcode: 5 "dead-mans-letters.jpg" 
#+begin_rating
Cover
#+end_rating
It's also one of the saddest movies I've experienced.
No one is fighting for the future.
They simply exist, waiting for the end.
The only glimmer of hope is Larsen who thinks the was ended.
But no one believes him.
Maybe he even doesn't believe himself?

The visual side very much reflects it.
There are no real colors, everything is monochromatic but colorized.
Just like in German Impressionism or /Stalker's/ scenes outside of The Zone.
The movie is full of special effects, but none of them aim at wowing the viewer.
You witness despair and the despair becomes part of you.
Luckily, this is only 88 mins long - anything longer and it would be unbearable.

#+attr_shortcode: :file dead-mans-letters-1.jpg
#+attr_shortcode: :alt An old, white man wearing glasses. In sepia
#+attr_shortcode: :source https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091759/mediaviewer/rm794067713
#+attr_shortcode: :class centered
#+begin_image
The "hero"
#+end_image

#+attr_shortcode: :file dead-mans-letters-2.jpg
#+attr_shortcode: :alt Two characters sitting by a metallic table. On the left, an old man hiding his face in his hands. On the right a balding white man. The scene is blue.
#+attr_shortcode: :source https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fbyjma8jabmc61.jpg%3Fwidth%3D964%26format%3Dpjpg%26auto%3Dwebp%26s%3D02b9a40ac8c094bc25d79890adb64b07c86c26e5
#+attr_shortcode: :class centered
#+begin_image
You won't glimpse much happiness here.
#+end_image

The movie is a directorial debut of Konstantin Lopushansky and was co-written by Boris Strutsky.
Strugatskys Brothers are one of the greatest writers of /intelligent/ (up to a fault) SciFi, and Borise's talent is clearly shown here.
Just like in their books, the story is there as means to an end; a medium to discuss humanity.
It's not an easy movie to watch.
It requires focus, dedication and a lot of thinking.
You will get lost in it, and the movie may stay with you for a while - even though it won't ever be pleasant.
It's an unforgettable experience.
Too bad it's not widely known in the west.
Maybe it's simply too convoluted?
Or maybe it's just too different.
Anyway, a masterpiece.
I encourage everyone to at least /try/ to experience it.




** European SciFi
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_HUGO_SECTION: european-scifi
:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU: :menu "brain-rot-eurocifi"
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :primary_menu "brain-rot"
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :menu_order name
:END:

*** DONE European Scici
CLOSED: [2024-06-25 Tue 21:44]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: :primary_menu "brain-rot"
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: _index
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :abstract My reviews of SciFi from the post and European countries
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: menu
:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU: :menu "brain-rot" :weight 1010 :parent scifi
:END:

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



*** DONE Run Lola Run (1998)
CLOSED: [2024-06-29 Sat 22:26]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: run-lola-run-1998
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :abstract A short review of the German thriller
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :image covers/run-lola-run.jpg
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :rating 3.75
:END:

Sometimes you find SciFi in the worst places, like Disney.
Sometimes you find it in a strange German techno thriller.

The story of /Run Lola Run/ is one of the simplest I've ever witnessed:
Lola's boyfriend, Manni, screwed delivery of 100000 Detche Marks (close to 83k Eur in 2024) and now his boss is going to kill him within 20 minutes.
It is up to Lola to get the money, and then run as fast as she can to him - before he does anything stupid.

#+attr_shortcode: 3.75 "run-lola-run.jpg" 
#+begin_rating
Cover
#+end_rating
This does not sound /scifi/ but there is one element that convinces me: butterfly effect.
The one from the mediocre Ashton Kutcher movie and a great movie from Kieslowski.
We rarely speak of it today, but a few years ago it was quite popular.
In /Run Lola Run/ we see different outcomes depending on a very slight changes.
This, and Lola's /magical scream/ are the only fantastical elements here.
Enough for me!

The story is serviceable - it's not bad, but it's also not memorable.

What is memorable is how the movie is made.

#+attr_shortcode: :file run-lola-run-1.jpg
#+attr_shortcode: :alt Red haied girl running on the left. A blurry building in the background
#+attr_shortcode: :source https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/104-lola-rennt/images/backdrops
#+attr_shortcode: :class centered
#+begin_image
There are quite a few running scenes here
#+end_image

There was this short period of time, when a few ultra-energetic movies were made.
Think Pi, or Human Traffic.
They seem more like something you would see on MTV than a full length movie.
Lola runs, some powerfully techno music plays /loudly/ and that's basically it.
We've got some breaks with dialogue, but most of the movie is pure, raw energy.
Think /Mad Max/ has aggressive montage?
Check again.

#+attr_shortcode: :file run-lola-run-2.jpg
#+attr_shortcode: :alt Two people poiting pistols: red haired girl and blond male
#+attr_shortcode: :source https://www.justwatch.com/ca/movie/run-lola-run
#+attr_shortcode: :class centered
#+begin_image
Unmistakable 90s
#+end_image

/Run Lola Run/ is a midbudget (low?) thriller with SciFi elements which is very much a forgotten genre.
It's also very, deeply /european/, which I love[fn:pl].
It's an enjoyable, non-insulting ride.
But it's a not lost classic.

[fn:pl]
Berlin, where action takes place, is so clean here.
I say that as a Pole.
Our cities back then were far from being nice to look at.
It improved though!


*** DONE Mars Express (2023)
CLOSED: [2024-07-29 Mon 21:54]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: mars-express-2023
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :abstract My review
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :image covers/mars-express.jpg
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :rating 4.75
:END:

On the surface, /Mars Express/ is a detective story about a female detective and her robotic partner.
We've seen a lot of those, but they were mostly terrible.
/Mars Express/, on the other hand, is one of the greatest SciFi movies I've seen.

It is often compared to /Blade Runner/ and /Ghost in the Shell/.
And while yes, those are the two big titles /ME/ takes from - there is so much more here to marvel.

I don't want to spoil the story, but let me tell you it's great.
This /could have been/ another limited run TV series - but luckily, it is not.
We've got 88 minutes of great SciFi detective work which has already gone to history as a modern classic.
Enough said that it smart, makes sense and it's worth to experience without spoilers.

#+attr_shortcode: 4.75 "mars-express.jpg" 
#+begin_rating
Cover
#+end_rating
However, the biggest problem with /Mars Express/ is its older peers.
This film takes from numerous other movies - not only the /big 2/, but also 2001, /Akira/, /Armitage III/, and even some Cronenberg.
All of this works great - never have I felt that anything is a pointless reference[fn:marvel].
The director and writer duo - Laurent Sarfati and Jérémie Périn - blend all those ideas perfectly, each borrowed /thing/ is their own in the context of this film.
But it also creates a lot of unexpected foreshadowing.
Now, I did not expect the ending - the film had a chance to end 3 times before the credits rolled.
There were moments where authors could call it a day and still have a great film.
But the story continues, becoming better and better each time.
As a whole, I left very much surprised.
Yet, a lot of twist and turns came as "hey, I've seen that already".
Sometimes in better form, most often in worse.
However, if you are the kind of person who tries to guess what's going to happen[fn:flow], you may leave unchallenged.

But you will still marvel at the animation.
The French were always the champions of European animation, and this is another proof.
/Mars Express/ is breathtaking.
It looks 2D, and even when the CGI rears its ugly face, it's just for a brief moment.
We're seeing clear inspiration from /Production IG/, which is the best kind of inspiration.
Anime no longer looks as good as it looked when /Mamoru Oshii/ ruled the scene, and /Mars Express/ fill a huge void in my heart.

Not only because the animation is spot on, but also because we rarely see such a vivid SciFi world.
It's often just a steel wall here and there, a bit massive computer, maybe.
But /Mars Express/ fills the world with believable nuances - the "Police" tape is holographic, the roads react in a cool way to accidents, and even the gadgets are cool.
I could not smile wide enough to show how much I loved it.
They could have just made the bare minimum (like it often is), but they went the extra mile.
As it stands, /Mars Express/ is one of the greatest SciFi worlds I can remember.

#+attr_shortcode: :file mars-express-1.jpg
#+attr_shortcode: :alt On the left a woman is sitting on a table. Another woman is standing above her.
#+attr_shortcode: :class centered
#+begin_image
It's not anime, but it's breathtaking
#+end_image

This is the film to see.
I know there is another blockbuster in the cinema you may want to watch, but please - give /Mars Express/ a chance.
It's not a modern film, it's not an action film (even if the action is 10/10).
It's a smart story, like we used to experience 20 years ago.
They don't make movies like this very often, and we are lucky to have it.



[fn:marvel] Hello Marvel
[fn:flow] I never understood that.
When I watch a film, I try to go into a meditative state.
I try not to think of the story as a jigsaw, but as an experience.

** Severance 
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_HUGO_SECTION: american-scifi/severance
:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU: :menu "brain-rot-ascifi" :weight 99999999
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: :primary_menu "brain-rot"
:END:
*** DONE Severance (Season 1)
CLOSED: [2024-04-24 Wed 22:26]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: season1
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :abstract A short review of SciFi classic 
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-r rating
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :aliases '(/brain-rot/tv/severance-season1//)
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :rating 4.0
:END:


Oh how I love SciFi without action scenes!
Sevarance is a story based on a great premise: an all powerful company is able to sever a person into two.
One gets to live outside the company clock; the other only in the office.
Both share the same body, but are completely different and have their memories separated.

#+attr_shortcode: 4.0 "severance-s1.jpg" 
#+begin_rating
Cover
#+end_rating
Apple tried to position itself in a small niche of the wider streaming service pool.
When Netflix and others produce one mediocre show after another, Apple is much slower and (seems to) focus on quality.
It allows itself riskier productions.

/Severance/ plays very much like an independent movie.
It's minimal in presentation, I would even call it /cold/ as everything serves a goal.
Most of the show happens either in a soulless office building, or in a few semi-empty locations.
Somehow, for the first few episodes I had strong reminiscence of Shane Carruth's works.
Those have close to nothing in common with /Severance/, but the feeling was there.
And I love Curroths's works!

The plot develops slowly and in an interesting way, everything points towards a great SciFi.
I was heavily invested in the plot, wanting to know what was hidden underneath.

Unfortunately, it's a typical modern TV series.
Its runtime is expanded thin, we've got romance and unnecessary threads.
Remember when they made three huge movies out of Hobbit?
Yeah, it's the same here.
What would have been an /amazing/ movie is a /good/ TV show.

It's stretched /almost/ into a self-parody.
They tried to have a mass appeal and with it, they lessen the story significantly.
I think they had material for 2 hours movie, maybe a miniseries.
But for multiple seasons?
I sure hope to be wrong, but it seems that it will the same as it was with /Westworld/.
Great start, but it's all downhill from here.

The biggest offender here is the last episode which serves only the second season.
Such high-addrenaline scene had no place in /this/ story.
But hey, let's make people remember about that season 2 that we will make someday.

For me /Severance/ is a perfect example of current TV drama state.
You can clearly see that it was made with passion, it could have been great.
But screw that, let's have it for four years.
Fill her up, please.

It's very good as a TV show nevertheless.




** Anime
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU: :menu "brain-rot-anime"
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: :primary_menu "brain-rot-anime"
:EXPORT_HUGO_SECTION: anime
:END:

*** DONE Anime
CLOSED: [2024-05-08 Wed 16:50]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_HUGO_SECTION: anime
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: _index
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER: :primary_menu "brain-rot"
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :abstract Amime
:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU: :menu "brain-rot"
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-r menu menu-info
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :menu_order name
:END:


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

*** DONE Attack on Titan (2013-2023)
CLOSED: [2024-06-09 Sun 17:10]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: attack_on_titan_anime
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :abstract My review of the anime
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :rating 3.5
:END:


/Attack on Titan/ may very well be the defining anime of this decade.
It started as a huge hit, then it faded into obscurity, just to return with a huge bang and end with huge disappointment.

The premise is quite interesting:
pre-industrial age; humanity is close to extension, locked behind gigantic walls.
Outside lives the biggest threat man has ever faced - Titans.
Race of gigantic, humanoid beasts whose only purpose in life is to attack and devour humans.
We meet our main heroes - Eren, Mikasa, and Armin, just before the Titans breach one of the walls.

The following 4 seasons differ in quality.

The first one is interesting, but suffers from terrible narration where we are constantly interrupted by internal monologues.
We either learn what we already know, or random ideas are thrown at us.
The second one has no idea what it wants to be, and this is where viewership dropped sharply.
Then came the third one.
It seems to  continue to downward trend from s2, but halfway through everything changes.
Without spoiling anything, /AoT/ stops being dumb fun and seems to become an intelligent commentary on human condition.
Before that, I was watching the series because I had nothing better to do.
After /this/ scene I instantly became invested and shocked.
Then the fourth came out, developing on what made the third great.
I was close to calling this a great series, but unfortunately it's all thrown out the window with the 2.5 hours long finale, which is almost entirerly one, long fight.
So much potential, such great buildup.
All wasted in the name of a boring action scene.
I don't remember when was the last time I felt so betrayed.

The great part of /AoT/ takes a lot from history and great fiction like Dune.
We're seeing great idea one after another.
The story is full of interesting twists.
By the end, it's all meaningless.

#+attr_shortcode: 3.5 "attack-on-titan.jpg" 
#+begin_rating
Cover
#+end_rating
Story-wise, the only two redeeming qualities of this series are personal journeys of Eren and Gabi (introduced in S4).
Only their stories interest me.
Not that there is anything bad about the rest of the characters, they are ok[fn:armin].
Run-of-the-mill anime characters.

Yes, the series looks and sound pretty.
It's full of nicely animated action scenes.
But I can't stop comparing it to /Evangelion/.

Both series start cool, but are not memorable.
Then they develop into marvels, pure greatest.
But /NGE/ never stopped being great.
After it gained actual meat, it developed it culminating in the greatest movie I've ever experienced.
Full of story, drama, meaning, and emotions.

/AoT/ ends in /Iron Man 3/ - a prolonged, boring fight scene.

And while the scenes shown during end credits return the series on its track, it changes nothing.
They nicely connect and develop the great ideas behind the /golden era of AoT/, but they should not be the one good part!
The ending should be it, as the way it happened is I wasted 2.5 hours filled with boredom.

/AoT/ could have been great, but it is not.
It's an ok action series with huge unresolved ambitions.
If it was just a dumb action show, then ok - I would have some fun, then forget it.
It would fail in comparison of other shows we see now, like Jujtsu Kaisen, but it would be very much ok.
Unfortunately with added ambition, it ends in a huge disappointment.

It was very close, everything was going great.
And then it hits a wall.

[fn:armin] Except of Armin who single handely ruins the first few seasons.
He is the character who is able to calculate probability to 4 decimal places.
I see this kind of characters all around modern anime, and every time I have to roll my eyes.
Remember how /Big Bang Theory/ was often describes at how "dumb people think smart people are"?
Yeah, that's Armin.
The same kind of bullshit ruined shows like Kaji or Code Geass for me.


*** DONE Patlabor
CLOSED: [2024-04-26 Fri 19:11]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: _index
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :abstract The Patlabor series
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-r menu menu-info
:EXPORT_HUGO_SECTION: anime/patlabor
:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU_OVERRIDE: :post "series"
:END:

Patlabor is one of forgotten great anime series of the past.
Created by Headgear (Masami Yūki,  Mamoru Oshii,  Kazunori Itō,  Yutaka Izubuchi, and  Akemi Takada).

In the not-to distant future humanity develops Labors, humanoid mechs, used in heavy construction.
With their introduction a new type of crime starts showing up.
To combat that, a dedicated police force called Patlabor is created.

We've two separate timelimes: following the movies and following the TV series.

#+attr_shortcode: "brain-rot-patlabor"
#+begin_menu
Patlabor
#+end_menu


** Hacker movies
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU: :menu "brain-rot-hackers"
:EXPORT_HUGO_SECTION: hackers/
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :menu_order name
:END:

*** DONE Hacker movies
CLOSED: [2024-04-14 Sun 18:10]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: _index
:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU: :menu "brain-rot" :weight 2000
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :abstract Stories about hackers
:EXPORT_HUGO_PAIRED_SHORTCODES: img-r menu menu-info
:END:


#+attr_shortcode: "brain-rot-hackers"
#+begin_menu
Witcher
#+end_menu


*** DONE Sneakers (1992)
CLOSED: [2024-07-29 Mon 21:12]
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_FILE_NAME: sneakers-1992
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :abstract My review
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :image covers/sneakers.jpg
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :rating 4
:END:

/Sneakers/ is a 1992 movie starring a huge cast of brightest stars about penetrating testers hired by NSA to recover a Russian-founder black box codename "Setec Astronomy".
Things get complicated and (as it was in the 90s) full of conspiracies.

I watched this film /only/ because it is about hackers.
And let me tell you, I did not leave disappointed.
We sure got some red team hacking.
Computers get hacked, doors get unlocked, cameras get taped.
If this is all you want - sure, /Sneakers/ is great.
All of those actions are believable, hackers are not the scum of the earth (as they tend to be in later movies) and it's just plain cool.

What I was not expecting was a great plot!
It's clear that the task is not what it seems.
It's not X-Files level of conspiracy within conspiracy[fn:xf], but we've sure got some rollercoaster of those.
It _is_ the 90s, so government are evil and private business is good, but even being raised on those ideas, I had a blast.
Even after the /evil mastermind/ laves the shadow, it doesn't break anything.
It may be a bit too-obvious, but what the hell. 80% of the story is great.

#+attr_shortcode: 4 "sneakers.jpg" 
#+begin_rating
Cover
#+end_rating

And the movie is simply beautiful.
It has /that/ 90s look, which can not be reproduced with modern digital effects.
But the camera work is stop-on.
When I pressed "play" on this hacker movie, I was not expecting such A-game.

But as the movie started to show its cast, it was obvious - this was to be a blockbuster.
An /Ocean's 11/ for the cyberage.
Just look at the poster - Robert Redford is here!
But, for me, Dan Aykroyd and David Strathairn stole each scene they were in.
Aykroyd played Mother, a young hacker and conspiracy theorist ("the moon landing was fake" kind of, not "Melissa Lavigne"), and Strathairn played Whistler, a deaf phreaker[fn:phreak].
Both played just the perfect amount of over-the-top characters - anything more, and they would be annoying.
Everyone knew when to stop.


All in all: great cast, beautiful cinematography and interesting story.
And the hacking isn't brain rotting!

#+attr_shortcode: :file sneakers-1.png
#+attr_shortcode: :alt Blue computer screen reflecting in black glasses
#+attr_shortcode: :class centered
#+begin_image
Monitors reflected on glasses can not be not cool
#+end_image

[fn:xf] But nothing is
[fn:phreak] This movie is so old, that viewer is expected to know what a phreaker is!
*** TODO Hackers (1995)

There are movies which I absolutely despised when I first saw them.
They were loud, abnoxious, made little sense.
Some of them, with passing time, grew on me.

Hackers is a 1995 movie about, well, hackers.
We start with Dade, an 11 year old geek, being arrested for hacking and crashing over 1,5k computer systems.
He is sentenced to the worst imaginable sentence - an judge impossed mandated ban on using computer system till he reaches 18 years of age.
Somehow we don't care what happened during those years, as we jump 7 years in the future (which seem to be undefined "now" of 1990s).
Dade is hacking once again, and as a result he joins a hacker group and becomes part of an conspiracy.

Say what you will, /Hackers/ takes the hacker ethos pretty seriously and this is what espaced my teenage understanding.
All main characters (using simply amazing handles, like Zero Cool or Cereal Killer) break into system for the fun of it.
They are prosecuted by the govermnent and media portrayes them as dangerous individuals, but they are anything but malificicet.

Now, the hacking scenes make close to zero sense - but that's hollywood for you.
We haven't seen serious attempt at showing it before /Mr Robot/.
Therefore, we can see past it.

But can't see past the fashion.
I have no idea /how/ anyone came with what we see here, but it's simply glorious.
Just look!
I refuse to believe, that this was not the official fashion of New York in the 90s.

Also, the quotes.
If there is a infinitelly quotable movie, it is Hackers.
"/Hack the Planet/" or /"“There is no right and wrong. There's only fun and boring.”/ should be recognized by anyone working in IT.
I may be wrong, but I think there are questions about /Hackers/ on CompTIA Security+ 

Unfornatelly, there is a story here and it's not good.
The main villian is trying to get rich and put the blame on our hackers.
The plan makes little sense, that's one thing.
But everything about that particular screams /fake/.
He has the most over the top quotes and reactions - even if he has the only hacker-worthy keyboard to be seen here.

/Hackers/ is a fun little movie, with a huge soul.
It's dumb, loud and over-stylized.
But it's also one the few movies which show the soul of a hacker.
I think everyone should see it at least once.

#+begin_quote
You wage wars, murder, cheat, lie to us and try to make us believe it's for our own good, yet we're the criminals. Yes, I am a criminal. My crime is that of curiosity.
#+end_quote


** Fantasy
:PROPERTIES:
:EXPORT_HUGO_MENU: :menu "brain-rot-fantasy"
:EXPORT_HUGO_SECTION: fantasy/
:EXPORT_HUGO_CUSTOM_FRONT_MATTER+: :menu_order name
:END:

** Modern Games




* TODO
- Moskwa
- monkey 2
- poniedzialek zaczyna sie w...
- internet's own boy
-