MOVIES
Greatest Hits
Gia Angelina Jolie's Oscar arrived a year late. This film fucking rocks. At first I was worried. When I played the DVD I thought 'Oh my God, I'm actually watching a film about a fashion model.' That didn't last.
The Fifth Element
Fight Club
Natural Born Killers (Director's Cut)
Death and Rebirth
The End of Evangelion
General
American Pie: The Wedding Sweet love. And sexual misadventure.
A Scanner Darkly
The Astronaut's Wife An astronaut comes back from a mission that nearly ended in disaster and something seems 'wrong' with him. Watch this when it's nice and quiet. It moves slowly but it's well worth it.
Autumn In New York Directed by Joan Chen. Don't think Richard Gere = vomit. This film is good.
Avatar I thought this was just another bland blockbuster. Totally wrong.
Beetlejuice
Being John Malkovich
Black Snake Moan
Blow Dry A surprisingly obscure film starring Alan Rickman and Bill Nighy as rival hairdresers in Yorkshire and actually manages to be glamourous (not gay.) Written by the same guy who made The Full Monty but more upbeat.
Boiler Room Retrospective story about Giovanni Ribisi as a small-time card shark whose recruited by a firm of stockbrockers and finds he's in a world of cut-throat capitalism.
Borat ?!
Bound
The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas An interesting film about the Holocaust. The son of the commandant of a concentration camp forms a friendship with one of the prisoners.
Bruno
Cabaret
Charlie's Angels (1&2)
The Craft
Confessions of a Trickbaby
Cypher The less I say the more you'll find.
Dangerous Liasons
Dogma Who says religion can't be funny?
Donnie Darko (director's cut)
Duplicity This is what they should have done with Mr. and Mrs. Smith. A comedy romance across two sides of a corporate war. Unlike it's more well-known cousin genuinely exciting.
Femme Fatale Most critics hated this film. They can all go to hell.
Girl, Interrupted
Gone in 60 Seconds One of Angelina Jolie's 'trashy' films (thank you Mark Commode.) Nicolas Cage was practically born to be in this movie.
Heathers
Heavenly Creatures
High Art My introduction into extreme cinema. Now it doesn't seem so big but when I first saw it I thought it was seriously trippy.
Hot Fuzz
Leon
The Libertine A period drama for people who don't like boring period dramas, starring Johnny Depp amongst many others.
Live and Let Die I'm not much of a Bond fan, I think the whole phenomenon is a bit overrated but this time they made something serious.
Lolita (1997) One thing baffles me, what the bloody hell happened to Dominique Swain after this? You'd think after making this film and Face/Off you'd think her career would go through the roof. Instead I've only heard of one film she's done since then.
Lost Highway In a way a very un-David Lynch David Lynch film. He doesn't go for his customary weirdness and it certainly doesn't have the amateurish look like the Twin Peaks movie did. Instead his style and ability to unsettle an audience really hits it's stride.
Lucky Number Slevin Kind of like Pulp Fiction, a crime film with a convoluted plot line in which the writer's ideas actually mean something, shot through with a light sense of humour but still capable of profound seriousness.
Mean Machine I hate football. I love this film.
Monster Takes some time to get into but Charlize Theron kicks it up the arse.
Munich Better than Schindler's List. I thought this was going to be about what happened before Munich instead it's about what happened afterwards.
Newport South
No Reservations
O An adaptation of Othello centred on basketball in an American private school (stars Martin Sheen, Josh Hartnet, Julia Stiles and Mehki Phifer as 'Odin James.')
Perfect Catch My favourite of Drew Barrymore's romance films. (I'm a total sucker for Drew Barrymore- I can't stand the bit where she gets hit on the head by the baseball.) At first I thought what the hell am I doing watching this, the film grows on you though and you would never miss it once it gets going.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
Quills Classic adaptation of the life of the Marquis de Sade exploring censorship.
Revolver Crime thriller meets Fight Club. This film gets very heavy and existential while throwing in a share of humour. Ray Liotta's edgy character is brilliant.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Secretary
Showgirls "Thrust it! Thrust it! Thrust it! THRUST IT!" This has more nudity than anything short of a porn film. Elizabeth Berkley plays a curiously eighties leading role opposite Gina Gershon's much more nineties looking character.
Six Degrees of Separation
Sweeney Todd
Thirteen Has a hip hop feel that was a bit of a turn off but not annoying enough to stop me being intoxicated by the sheer vitality of this film. It's not what the makers were intending but I felt so alive after this film I cut the number 13 on the back of my hand.
V for Vendetta
Wild Side A true late night film. Like soap opera but with interesting characters living high lives over their own tormented existence.
The Witches of Eastwick Cinema with abandon.
World Cinema
Agitator
Amelie
Apocalypto
Ashes of Time Redux Perhaps a bit over-the-top to some but Wong Kar Wai is still an artist. Wuxia with more romance than fighting.
Audition
Azumi
Battle Royale One commentator said 'this misses the point completely.' Rather I think it's what the director than the writer of the original book is saying (affected by his own experiences in World War Two.) Sometimes it can be very over-the-top and if I was directing it I would have rewritten the last third of the film (but that's only because I'm naughty.) I don't really care for the main characters but there's so many people in this film you can find someone you relate to.
Black Book Suspenseful film about a Jewish woman living undercover in Holland late in WW2. Her existence is exposed and she joins the underground. Skip the first scene.
Brotherhood
The Chaser
City of God Fact based movie about an teenager in a crime-ridden slum of Rio who starts documenting his environment as a photo journalist although that takes second place to the gang war that swirls around him. First rate acting all round.
Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon
Dead or Alive
Dead or Alive 2
Death Note/Death Note 2 The Last Name Two part adaptation of the manga series (must have been a killer storyline) made with apparently the least amount of alteration. After playing that mophead Shuya Fujiwara Tatsuya is so much better and L is seriously cool.
Far North Not strictly speaking world cinema but close enough it tone.
Flame & Citron Forget Inglorious Basterds. This is the real deal.
Freezer
Gozu A quiet but exceptionally strange movie but Miike Takashi. Aikawa Sho is seriously funny.
The Hidden Blade An understated samurai movie but not without grossouts.
House of Flying Daggers
Ichi the Killer
I'm a Cyborg A wonderfully unconventional comedy/love story.
Kamikaze Girls Frills that kills. I've only seen this movie at a criminally late hour so I haven't seen it properly but even then it was enough to make me go made. Gets a bit girly around the scene with 'She Said' but is moving too.
Kung Fu Hustle A truly unconventional movie that's neither wuxia nor traditional martial arts, it's better than both. Doesn't have any huge gags but lots of little ones. Visually takes martial arts places it's never been on screen.
Letters From Iwo Jima The better part of Eastwood's pair of films about the Pacific (and way better than that piece of shit The Thin Red Line), Flags of Our Fathers was a bit too depressing and negative.
Love Exposure
Memories of Matsuko
Oldboy
Rainy Dog
Run Lola Run
A Snake of June
TETSUO The Iron Man
2046 A great film to watch if you want artistic inspiration. Wong creates some really cool moments and combines rich visuals with a refinement he gained since Ashes of Time.
Vengeance is Mine (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance) The best film from the Vengeance Trilogy. Very quiet with weighty subject matter. It's like Korean Shakespear.
Visitor Q
Zatoichi Ignore what the cover says about Kill Bill, the two films aren't comparable. There's a distinct element of comedy to this film and the action scenes aren't so theatrical as in Kill Bill.
Horror
Alien
Below
Child's Play 2 Has one of my favourite endings in horror. Not as cliched as the original, the blond supporting character is no idiot either.
Cloverfield I never thought this film would amount to anything. 'Oh God, U Tube has got it's own bloody film now.' This however does not embody everything I hate about the twenty first century. Instead it's surprising how a film that lacks any of the usual film-making devices can still be moving. Blair Witch You Suck!
Day of the Dead Romero's finest about a group of the last survivors on earth but their worst enemy is themselves. The soundtrack is out of kilter and sometimes unbearable but who gives a smeg. Has a collection of classic characters, my favourite is McDermot.
Deathwatch
Dog Soldiers
The Eye (Hong Kong original)
Ginger Snaps Fuck off fangbanger. Finally the teenage horror genre gets a real movie. The Fitz' sisters are amazing characters.
Ginger Snaps Unleashed Rightfully lauded by people who actually bought it (although a bit more than I think it deserves) this film did abysmally at the box office but I can't see why. Has a profoundly different mood to the first film, almost as if they're making an alternative version of a Hollywoodised sequel. Ghost kicks.
Ginger Snaps Back Fucking awesome. Doesn't have the closeness of the first movie but amazingly for the third film in the series is even better.
Hannibal Rising Another successful prequel (why the fuck couldn't George Lucas do better!) One the scale of Hannibal Lecter movies I thought it was better than anything short of Silence of the Lambs itself.
High Tension (Switchblade Romance) Try to get the American version (region 1) it has less American subtitles than the UK release (renamed Switchblade Romance) does, and since it's the American release I can forgive that. An alternative to the usual and hateful Friday the 13th plotline of a bunch of teenagers going unprepared into the middle of nowhere to get loaded and have sex and being picked off by a weird serial killer.
Let the Right One In Rather distant but an absorbing film nevertheless.
Near Dark
Night of the Living Dead
It's a dark and frosty night. The moon is full and I walked across a graveyard. It's time to start my blog. This is principally a place to put up all my writing about Exalted. I'll also be writing short stories, prose poetry, bitching about what I think is wrong with the world (starting with this damn template) and anything else of interest. 19/1/11
Navi
All original material is Copyright © John Hodson 2011-2012. If anyone wants to add any material to my Exalted section I''ll include their with name and copyright in the post notes unless they want to contribute anonymously.
The first section is basically my take on Exalted. Right now I'm just copying up my notes so everything's very raw while I put down my ideas. I'll work on editing everything and making it more coherent later. As a result things will contradict the in game canon and even be self contradictory especially since not all my notes are copied in chronological order. They've been typed up without editing to remain as close as possible to my original vision.
The first section is basically my take on Exalted. Right now I'm just copying up my notes so everything's very raw while I put down my ideas. I'll work on editing everything and making it more coherent later. As a result things will contradict the in game canon and even be self contradictory especially since not all my notes are copied in chronological order. They've been typed up without editing to remain as close as possible to my original vision.
Tuesday, 31 January 2012
Exalted Influences
INFLUENCES
The Scarlet Empress: The Shanghai Gesture
Dragon-Blooded Shapeshifting: Ninjas
The Usurpation and Immaculate Dragons: Hawkmoon, House of Flying Daggers, Triads
Immaculate Monks: Eldar Aspect Warriors
Immaculate Monk training: The Empire Strikes Back
Thaumaturgy: Thanquol and Boneripper Trilogy
Sorcery: Child's Play, Resident Evil: Extinction
Power Armour and Exalted Combat: The Incredible Hulk
Black Magitech: Death Watch, Herbert West- Reanimator
Demonic Influences: BLAME!, Necromunda, World of Darkness
Yozis/Neverborn: Call of Cthulu, Hellboy
Regional Influences
Yu-Shan: Spirited Away
The Blessed Isle: Ashes of Time
The Savage Lands: Sonic the Hedgehog; The South: The Marble Zone; Water Manses: The Labyrinth Zone; The East: The Emerald Zone
Shadowlands: Deathwatch, Silent Hill
The Labyrinth: Silent Hill
The Labyrinth/Malfeas: Hellbound: Hellraiser II
The Underworld: Corpse Bride
Lookshy: Zatoichi
Nexus: Ancient Rome
The Scarlet Empress: The Shanghai Gesture
Dragon-Blooded Shapeshifting: Ninjas
The Usurpation and Immaculate Dragons: Hawkmoon, House of Flying Daggers, Triads
Immaculate Monks: Eldar Aspect Warriors
Immaculate Monk training: The Empire Strikes Back
Thaumaturgy: Thanquol and Boneripper Trilogy
Sorcery: Child's Play, Resident Evil: Extinction
Power Armour and Exalted Combat: The Incredible Hulk
Black Magitech: Death Watch, Herbert West- Reanimator
Demonic Influences: BLAME!, Necromunda, World of Darkness
Yozis/Neverborn: Call of Cthulu, Hellboy
Regional Influences
Yu-Shan: Spirited Away
The Blessed Isle: Ashes of Time
The Savage Lands: Sonic the Hedgehog; The South: The Marble Zone; Water Manses: The Labyrinth Zone; The East: The Emerald Zone
Shadowlands: Deathwatch, Silent Hill
The Labyrinth: Silent Hill
The Labyrinth/Malfeas: Hellbound: Hellraiser II
The Underworld: Corpse Bride
Lookshy: Zatoichi
Nexus: Ancient Rome
Friday, 27 January 2012
Primordial Age
What if people were there to be sacrificed to the Primordials. People were enslaved by the Dragon Kings (or First Circle 'demons') and sacrificed by them to worship the Primordials. Perhaps this practice still goes on. The Primordials are no longer able to regain Essence from worship of First Circle Demons (if they ever were) but can still regain Essence if they sacrifice humans (who during the Primordial Age were the lowest form of intelligent life.)
In this history it's uncertain if the Dragons Kings have any place. There might not be any point in keeping them. Their existing role as 'benevolent dictators' who sacrifice humans to worship the Unconquered Sun who later Exalts them is one of the many weak points of Exalted.
In this history it's uncertain if the Dragons Kings have any place. There might not be any point in keeping them. Their existing role as 'benevolent dictators' who sacrifice humans to worship the Unconquered Sun who later Exalts them is one of the many weak points of Exalted.
Power Armour
Magitech power armour tech- it's not a suit of armour but something that transforms an attuned user into a new shape. Only someone who's capable of attuning their own unique Essence to the object through their anima could use one. It is impossible for mortal who lack an anima to use magitech.
Moonsilver
The Fair Folk use gossamer to make the Wyld what they want. The Lunars use moonsilver to change it, and reality, when they need to.
Silver represents the purity of formlessness. Each form is only a temporary image that isn't reflective of the real substance. Lunars have an immunity to the powers of the Fair Folk because their Essence is incoherent like the non-sentient thing of the Wyld. They shouldn't be able to exist in Creation.
"Dreams can't hurt you. Dreams aren't real."
Silver represents the purity of formlessness. Each form is only a temporary image that isn't reflective of the real substance. Lunars have an immunity to the powers of the Fair Folk because their Essence is incoherent like the non-sentient thing of the Wyld. They shouldn't be able to exist in Creation.
"Dreams can't hurt you. Dreams aren't real."
Thaumaturgy
Thaumaturgy is only as useful as the objects used in it. For instance in artefact construction it's effective because the materials already have powerful magical properties. A line of something like brickdust has very little value so it cannot be used to create a powerful ward, but since an enemy won't (not can't) cross one unwittingly it can be useful to a cunning thaumaturge to determine if someone secretly bears them ill will.
Revising the subject of thamaturgy as a whole it needs to be up-powered and made far more interesting. One doesn't spend a king's ransom in an expensive chamber to perform pathetic tricks. A Master Degree ritual would be capable of preserving the dead in the world of the living (see mummies and wights from Warhammer) or other similar miraculous feats. Such rituals are powerful supernatural practices in their own right and a skilled and well-resourced thaumaurge is a dangerous opponent. Such rituals might be confused with low level effects of sorcery.
A note on thaumaturgy and it's relation to sorcery. Although Essence is the power behind sorcery, the use of expensive ingredients cannot be avoided in thaumaturgy. They are an essential part of the process and even Essence wielders cannot avoid their use. Essence use is for sorcery, and no matter how all powerful an Exalted may be, if they want to use the unique advantages of thaumaturgy, they have to abide by it's rules. Of course for them, acquiring such supplies is often considerably easier.
Revising the subject of thamaturgy as a whole it needs to be up-powered and made far more interesting. One doesn't spend a king's ransom in an expensive chamber to perform pathetic tricks. A Master Degree ritual would be capable of preserving the dead in the world of the living (see mummies and wights from Warhammer) or other similar miraculous feats. Such rituals are powerful supernatural practices in their own right and a skilled and well-resourced thaumaurge is a dangerous opponent. Such rituals might be confused with low level effects of sorcery.
A note on thaumaturgy and it's relation to sorcery. Although Essence is the power behind sorcery, the use of expensive ingredients cannot be avoided in thaumaturgy. They are an essential part of the process and even Essence wielders cannot avoid their use. Essence use is for sorcery, and no matter how all powerful an Exalted may be, if they want to use the unique advantages of thaumaturgy, they have to abide by it's rules. Of course for them, acquiring such supplies is often considerably easier.
Artefact Creation
Artefacts work by altering Creation's Essence floes. Sometimes an object becomes powerful because it alters the way Essence flows through Creation. These objects maintain their power which can be harnessed in an artefact. Many are artefacts themselves.
Three Colours Red- The Ginger Snaps Trilogy
A friend of mine was surprised they didn't continue the previous film and make it about Ghost. You can't have Ginger Snaps without Ginger even in the periphery like in the second film. She's got far too much charisma. One characteristic Ginger and Ghost share is they enjoy their existence more than Brigitte and I think the film needs a counterpoint to her in order to work. I think the reason Ginger Snaps Unleashed wasn't popular at the box office is because Ginger wasn't in it and people thought "oh that sucks." I suspect that disappointed the Ginger nuts.
Poetry
Babies in shallow graves
Maggots crawling out of their eye sockets
Screams of terror at a mass execution
These are some of my favourite things
Bodies torn by falling on jagged rocks
The smell of brine mixed with freshly spilled blood
Black sharks swimming through sunless red foam
These are some of my favourite things
Ragged viscera washing up on the shore
Eyes that will never see again looking up at a cloudy sky
Blood pooling on the surface like a sheet of red satin
These are some of my favourite things
Maggots crawling out of their eye sockets
Screams of terror at a mass execution
These are some of my favourite things
Bodies torn by falling on jagged rocks
The smell of brine mixed with freshly spilled blood
Black sharks swimming through sunless red foam
These are some of my favourite things
Ragged viscera washing up on the shore
Eyes that will never see again looking up at a cloudy sky
Blood pooling on the surface like a sheet of red satin
These are some of my favourite things
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