The edge of the present

Last Saturday I  finally had time to catch a screening of The Edge of Tomorrow, the new Sci-fi Movie starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. Here's the poster:

Now, if you haven't seen this movie yet,

WATCH 

IT

NOW. 

  The movie is the Hollywood take on a Japanese light novel titled All you need is Kill, by Hiroshi Sakurazaka:

I read the light novel a couple of years back, by happy accident, in Japanese. Taking into account Hollywood's long record of not being able to adapt Japanese material in a "proper" way, I really didn't have high expectations for the movie. 

  How could I've been so wrong?! (cue Thorin-meme jokes here). 

The film is great, perhaps one of the best Sci-fi films I've seen in a long while (Talking Hollywood-made films). The story moves forward at an adequate pace, with well-done action sequences and neatly balancing these with the exposition ones.

It doesn't repeat itself, get boring, or underestimate the viewer -for which I am really thankful-, making the experience into an enjoyable ride, with awesome high-tension moments (specially towards the third act's climax). It is, indeed, quite good; I'd wouldn't mind seeing it again at the cinema. 

It's delightful when works like these one come to put the Sci-fi genre's bar high again.

  Now onto the latest findings: 

On the Design Front, the Guardian has unveiled a neat new site Called the Seven Digital Deadly Sins, located at  http://digital-deadly-sins.theguardian.com/#/Grid

The site works as an interactive documentary. The theme? Well, it's on its name. I found it well designed, and interesting, and found myself guilty of a few of those sins. It deserves a visit.

  A few days ago I came across a Korean animation series titled Ghost Messenger (고스트메신저). I was rejoiced while watching it, it's a good animated series, well-crafted on the technical side, and most importantly, it's Korean. Also, the soundtrack is wonderful. Here are the opening and ending themes,

The Opening Theme, Outsider-Connexion:

The Ending theme 

(and this one is a marvelous jewel: emotional, well-crafted and perfect for the series), 

이소라-Track9 (Lee Sora - Track 9):

  Though Korea has a big deal of experience working as production house for other countries' animated works, it ironically lacks good material of its own. There are a few things, great things (Such as the movie Wonderful Days), but in general, nothing of the scale of the neighboring country's main cultural export, anime. 

  Ghost Messenger is a series targeted at a 12-14 year-old public. Inspired visually and story-wise by some bits of the Korean traditional lore. I'm really glad that Korea's finally taping into its potential for productions like this one. It's something I think is long overdue. 

Nevertheless, even though I'm not comparing the series with the big-scale anime works of Japan, I found some things a little off-putting, like an overcompensation on the technical side.

Some of these were the transformation sequences, the character design, some of the limited animation, and the over-use of the smartphones as a weapon/plot device/sword/whatever-you-can-think-of-nobody-cares-anymore kinda thing. Anyhow, I reaffirm my belief that this is a good step for the industry here.

  Now onto the musical findings. Besides the two, great songs above, I finally got my hands on the new May'n single, and as expected, I wasn't let down. Here you can listen to the TV-size version, acting as the M3: Sono Kuroki Hagane opening theme:

Leading us in with a smooth guitar arpeggio, the song treats us to a soft, emotional experience, without getting boring. This one is quite different from the energetic pop/trance stuff that May'n has us used to, and for me, is greatly welcome, making it one the best songs of this season.

M3: Sono kuroki hagane is one of Shoji Kawamori's latest affairs, and, up until now, something I'm pleasantly following.

  From the commercial, mainstream side of things, I snatched the new Imagine Dragons single, title Battle cry. An epic, drum-lead work, it really gets your blood pumping, specially thanks to the work of Daniel Platzman (the band's drummer), the catchy melodic lead, and the assistance of Hans Zimmer, which comes to life in the orchestral bits. Too bad they wasted it on a Transformers movie, it'd have been put to better use on something else, anything, really.

Even so, I'm also quite fond of the previous theme for the saga, Iridescent, made by Linkin Park: 

******

 On a different topic, finals are over around here. I have finished level 5 of Korean language (Intermediate 1 - 중급 1), the exams were kind of hard, but I managed to pass them all, with pretty good scores as well. I must really say a great deal of me being able to do so might be thanks to our teacher, she's an awesome educator, and I bet she could so much more, were she not bound by the university's restrictions, many of which I think fall right into the non-sense category.

Now I'll go up to Intermediate 2, and closer to the level I need to achieve in order to do well at TOPIK and get at least level 3. It's been a fun ride, being in the class I've been, and I'm grateful it wasn't any other way; our class has such great chemistry (both socially and academically) that the teaches label it as the best class in the whole group of our Intermediate level. It's sad that we'll have to part ways from the summer class on, if it came to my decision, I wouldn't like for it to happen.

And finally, onto some musings. 

  Lately I've been reflecting on what being afraid to fail makes you do, and I came across the realization that I'm inside one of the best examples of an Atelophobia driven environment. A lot of the people studying through my scholarship program worries about failing, some studying to the point of exhaustion, others trying to come up with methods to learn faster, all of them stressing out about the worst possible outcome inside their minds, and all of them missing out on the good things going around them. I don't agree with a system that pushes you like this (though it can be subtle in its ways), hurting you in the process, even if that's not visible at first sight.

While out with a friend I commented on the idea, and she replied 

- "Well, look around you. Where do you think you are? Look at everything that has accomplished!" 

And then again, came the realization that I was, indeed, inside a bigger atelophobia driven environment (even if it is just one of the many different factors that make the system tick): South Korea itself. 

Normally, I'm all in for the "The end justifies the means"- Machiavellian approach, but when it comes to something like this, I have mixed feelings. It's true, sometimes you can get amazing results, but What are you willing to sacrifice for those? And is it really worth it losing yourself in the process?

Finding balance is hard, but necessary,

Anyway, write you later,

Isolation by technology

 

(Feel free to use the previous picture as you wish)

(The following is an explanation of sorts for the previous image, a sign that I think it's become a necessity in some places): 

In matters of a randomly themed post, I think it's easy to come up with a few ideas, but this is an issue that's been bothering me for while now, and I thought I'd let it loose here.

  Recently, I keep seeing the same thing over and over around many public areas in my town. Mainly, shopping malls food courts, and, of course, places with free, open wi-fi available.

  There's been a recent boom in the acquisition of tablets in my country; almost anyone has a tablet, one way or another (not necessarily a fancy, shiny iPad, or a Galaxy, but other low-priced Android tablets).
Ironically, the number of people who posses a smartphone, is not even close to a third of the number of people in possession of a tablet.

  I'm not against technological evolution, in fact, I consider myself a huge technology geek --I've got a 7" tablet myself--, but when technology messes up your human interaction, that's a different matter.

  Lately, if you go to the places I mentioned above, you're going to find self-absorbed people, incapable of the most basic human interaction, such as saying "Hello". Don't even try asking for any help, in any matter; these specimens seem incapable of even giving directions, I guess it's because their attention span is just around 3 or 4 seconds tops.
If you were looking for help, or just a few words, you'll leave the place frustrated --after a few attempts--, with anger oozing out trough your pores.

The next picture summarizes my feelings, kinda:

  If this phenomenon keeps going,  it'll have several ugly consequences, such as one I've christened "Language graphic substitution disorder", I'll write about it in a later post, meanwhile, I think every place where people go to immerse themselves in their devices should have a special area for them, and an accordingly placed sign, like the one at the start of the post

  On other news, In terms of creative work, I've been kind of down lately; too much of my time is being sucked by a tedious project, the end of which I just can't wait to see. I hope I'll be able to post more frequently, and write much more, so that I can finish a few things before Xmas.

Anyway, write you later,

  

Out of town

One is beset by the weirdest --most varied-- thoughts when on a road trip. 

First of all, that this kind of thing is not for everyone; you're not suited for it if:

1. You have no patience 

2. Your body is not able to be in the same seating position for a long time 

  Even if you're the most road-ready person in this world, this two aforementioned things will take you down --after an 8-10 hours roadie, you tell me--, promise. 

  If by any chance you happen to travel in a public transport -a.k.a you're not driving- there's not much you can really do, except for reading a good book, or draining on your iPod's battery for as long as you can. 

But it is this specific thing --hopeless, forced inactivity--, that works like a charm when, just sitting there, the only thing left is thinking. 

  The thoughts, those that only have several milliseconds of your full attention when in town, take a step into the show light. Full-front and feeling self-important they take up your whole mind for a long time each.

You have the chance to develop them further than when in the busy environment of urban life, and, let me tell you, they keep you company well.

(This goes on in Ecuador's roads)

  Looking out of the window, several dragons made of concrete extend throughout the country. 

Gigantic, monstrous things, so alien to humans, so useful to them. Lush forests, high mountains covered in solid and unendurable milky white clouds. 

The country gives birth to many stories. It doesn't reveal itself, it wants you to unravel it, to discover what it hides on its insides. 

  What lives on those hills? What creatures, what demons, what magic exist there? 

Who controls it? Who is master? Who is victim? Who is reaper?... I discovered that I still haven't lost the ability to surprise myself and rejoice in simple things; my last road trips were really boring to say the least, and I thought I'd lost some kind of inner spark, but this one has been different.

I'm really happy of still being able of turning the most simple things --a fire in the woods, a lonely plain, an empty silo-- into something full of wonder and magic inside of my mind. 

  I've finally decided to finish writing and publish my first novel. I can't say much, except for the title, which will be "On the new gods and expectancy". Nevertheless, I want to finish writing and publish a few other things first, mainly short stories; in the process of revising some, I've read them again and I think I will have to rewrite them... again. Hopefully, I'll be able to do so, soon. 

Ok, now off to sleep, and I'll hit the road again tomorrow night.