Total War Center Forums - The Arts

Halo... on your TV!

Magister Militum Flavius Aetius — Sat, 25 May 2013 00:00:12 GMT

So Halo and Microsoft both announced during the release of the Xbox One that Steven Spielberg will be directing a Live-Action Halo TV show (which they compared to CSI, which is a godawful comparison). What do you guys think? I'm looking forward to it so far, considering how well Forward Unto Dawn was done.

It will not be exclusive to Xbox, according to 343

Les Revenants (TV Show) and Alizee or why the French are better at Pop Culture.

Menelik_I — Thu, 23 May 2013 10:11:12 GMT

French TV Canal has a new Zombie/Undead drama called Les Revenants that is actually superior to the Walking Dead TV show because it has actually people being confused and scarred to deal with the phenomenon of their relatives coming back to life, all the while without the dumb over-dramatization about Lori and comical recourse to Karl being an idiot every 2 episodes. The show is less action oriented but the drama and story is much more interesting.

By chance I also happened to watch a music video by French Pop Star Alizee, in which she performs a calm and sensual dance piece with a well written song, and if you compare it with the likes of Britney Spears debuts and the crop of Disney starlets (Demi Lovato, Hanna Montana) have gone either Spear or Gaga recently, there is something about the French being able to do Pop culture without it being grass and shocking to grab the audience with displays of hyper violence like the TWD zombie killing scenes or raw sexuality like music videos with near naked Beyonce and Co telling other women how they are prostitutes or just plain weirdness like Gaga.

we can see the provincial crassness of American popular culture on full display if we examine the phenomenon of teen idols.

Here is America's attempt: she's a prostitute with some clothes on.

Here is France's attempt: she's delicate, literate, and seductive.

Sure American Pop Culture has stuff like Tailor Swif which is more restrained, but she comes across less like a charming and seductive women and more like a adolescent, it is especially hard to take her seriously when she has a song about she will "never, ever, never, ever again". So basically you have Swif that look like a non-legal teen and Britney that look like a prostitute out of a Vegas Hotel. :hmm:

Now I am aware that France has also a strain of Americanized "tough guy" culture, the kind of guys that listen to underground French rap music that mimic American gang and watch Distric 13 style movies full of parkour, gang violence, disdain of authority, and guns, but still overall a minority of it, especially since you can get your dose of hyper violence more effectively by listening to Rammstein.

Les Revenants is going to air in the UK this year with English subtitles, so maybe our non-french speaking TWCers can catch up then, here is the synopsis.

Quote:

In a small mountain town, many dead people re-appear, apparently alive and normal: teenagers Simon and Camille who both died in a car accident, Victor/Louis, a small boy who was murdered by burglars, and Serge, a serial killer. They try to resume their lives as strange phenomena occur: amongst recurring power outages, the water level of the dam mysteriously lowers, and strange marks appear on the bodies of the living and the dead.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Re...28TV_series%29

So are you going to check out Les Revenants ? Do you agree that France is better than the US at Pop Culture.

PS: In the interest of full disclosure I speak excellent French and my preferred form of entertainment is to watch TV5 and Canal+ :shifty:

Ray Manzarek - Laters..

Halie Satanus — Mon, 20 May 2013 21:34:41 GMT

:(

http://music-mix.ew.com/2013/05/20/r...ek-dead-doors/

Probably one of the most influential musicians that ever lived..

Daft Punk - Random Access Memories

Audacia — Mon, 20 May 2013 13:17:50 GMT

Random Access Memories will be released tomorrow, but quite a bit has been released so far to be listened to. I'm wondering, what are your thoughts of the album thus far? How do people feel about their abandonment of run of the mill EDM? Do people like their disco sound of the 70's and early 80's? What are your favorite tracks?

Personally, I absolutely love the album. As a whole it's incredibly cohesive and moving, like an LP used to be and should forever be. The production is slick but very real and alive. It's Daft Punk's most ambitious record yet, and I think it may be their very best. People will be listening to RAM for quite some time.

In the near future, I will formally review the record and post a link to it here.

Post Your Favorite Quotations of Your Favorite Poet

Shamshir — Sun, 19 May 2013 18:07:16 GMT

My favorite poet is Rumi. Here are some of his famous quotations:

�And still, after all this time, the Sun has never said to the Earth,
'You owe me.'
Look what happens with love like that.
It lights up the sky.�

�Lovers don't finally meet somewhere. They're in each other all along.�

�Be like the sun for grace and mercy. Be like the night to cover others' faults. Be like running water for generosity. Be like death for rage and anger. Be like the Earth for modesty. Appear as you are. Be as you appear.�

"Either give me more wine or leave me alone." :laughter:

�Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.�

Alright ladies and gentlemen, post your own favorites. :)

Based On A True Story

Katsumoto — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:43:36 GMT

There tend to be a lot of films that are based on true stories or historical events, since obviously real life can provide great drama. However, as is often the case with these movies, liberties are taken with the 'true story' to fit a filmmaker's vision or for the purposes of 'drama', with the justification being that it's not a documentary and that it's supposed to entertain, not necessarily teach. I tend to disagree with this, and I'm interested to see what others think.

In my opinion, if you're going to base a film on a true story, you should really try to be as faithful to the truth as possible. I don't think you should misrepresent a real person so they can fit into your story as the villain (e.g. Cinderalla Man) or to pass him off as a saint to tell your heartwarming tale (e.g. The Pursuit of Happyness). I don't mean stuff like having a few fictional skirmishes for the sake of action in a true-story war movie, interesting character traits, or other minor discrepancies. These people aren't characters in a cartoon and turning them into caricatures is I think distasteful. Aside from just coming up with an original story, if you really must base your movie on a true one and wish to skew the facts, at least use fake names and/or places. I don't know how many films I've watched that were 'based on a true story' only to be disappointed by the truth of the actual events. :P What do you guys think?

Marvel's Agents of SHIELD

the_mango55 — Tue, 14 May 2013 22:53:45 GMT

Some discussion about it in the upcoming tv thread but I thought it needed its own thread since I'm gonna fanboy out all over the place.

Full trailer released

http://youtu.be/l1YewhQ1OOQ

Coming to ABC on Tuesdays this fall.

My body is ready

Need help with a rock song!

Mallex — Fri, 10 May 2013 21:11:21 GMT

I need help here, I'm stuck figuring out a song. The basic info I can give about it is that they count from 1 to 12 in the song

Like this:

1 -
2 -
and on and on.

Anyone got any idea? This is really killing my head at the moment :(

Greek Warriors Dangling Free

PrestigeX — Wed, 08 May 2013 02:57:27 GMT

=P Okay the title catches attention,

but I have a question about Greek Warriors in Art --- why are they depicted naked?

I have this coffee table book about Troy, tons of images -- some from ancient vases, "renaissance" paintings, and 19th century illustration - mostly showing naked warriors.

They are even wearing Breast Plates (or those linen cuirasses), helmets, shields, greaves and belts and yet they've got their danglers swinging free.

Why? Is there any reason for this? Some of these images are actual battle scenes too...

Good Historical Fiction Books

EmperorBatman999 — Wed, 08 May 2013 01:33:39 GMT

Hey guys,

I've been interested in looking for more books to read to spread out all the Bernard Cornwell I've been reading for (slowly) for a few years now. Period in particular I'm interested in are the Romans, Napoleonic Wars, the 19th century in general, the American Civil War, World War I and World War II (In particular "alternate" perspectives, such as Axis [but not to the point of apologism], resistance, non-American Allies etc.]. I'm not really picky about non-American authors (heck, even a foreign author may just be welcome), but obviously they have to be translated into English and I need to be able to actually find the book.

Thanks!

Jeff Hanneman dies at 49

Harvester of Sorrow — Fri, 03 May 2013 15:16:48 GMT

Jeff Hanneman of Slayer has died aged 49 due to liver failure. He was such an influential guitarist, a shame he died so young.

Your Favorite Art

Mank — Fri, 03 May 2013 04:16:29 GMT

I'm always on the lookout for new art to take in and would love to see what some of your favorites are! Fell free to share anything from a friend's work to a "classic" piece of art (no specific genre's either, just something you love!)

I'll go first with Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks". The first time I saw this I was absolutley stopped in my tracks. Really brings on the nostalgia for me.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

**Special Request: please be kind to those of us with poorer pc's/ internets and post your art in spoilers :smile:

The Super Hyper Mega Bloody Ultra Cosmo Death Extravaganza Anime Thread II: Electric Boogaloo

John Wayne — Thu, 02 May 2013 21:32:50 GMT

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sher Khan

Some of you like it, some of you hate it, some have no real clue what it really is.

So let's discuss. Take some time and check out something new, expand your horizons, and all that jazz.

Our last thread has become a giant, bloated mess that is impossible to navigate in order to find good recommendations. Inevitably, someone new comes poking their head in to see what all the fuss is about anime, gets confused, and leaves, OR asks the same question that we've seen a thousand times already.

Quote:

Originally Posted by money

Since I would rather not read all 311 pages, could someone tell me what animes have been recommended so far.

I stand by that there is no such thing as a bad question, but I figure that the first thread has gone on long enough. It's time collate everything into a single post that will give anyone and everyone who is just getting started, coming back after a few years of abstinence, or stuck with it for better or worse a place to begin a new (hopefully).

Now then...

IT'S SHOWTIME!

For those just joining us, Japanese animation (usually shortened to just anime) has existed since around the turn of the century. You can probably look up shorts that were aired before silent movies on youtube, but for the most part they aren't worth watching unless you happen to be a nut for those kinds of things. Anime as we know it today, however, didn't get its start until 1963 when Tetsuwan Atom debuted on Japanese TV. While Animated TV shows and movies had existed prior to this point, Atom is largely agreed to be the starting point for the modern form of the medium.

Unsurprisingly, it was almost immediately stolen and aired overseas in the United States. That's right folks, anime has been on the air in the US of A since the 1960's. Retitled as Astro Boy, it proved to be such a massive hit that even more shows were more or less stolen, reworked for American sensibilities, and then syndicated.

The show that changed everything, however, was Star Blazers. Airing between 1979 and 1984, this is the show that launched American anime fandom as we know it today. Without Star Blazers, we wouldn't be arguing about Japanese cartoons, but instead doing something productive and worthwhile with our lives.

Thank you, Derek Wildstar, you saved us all.

Anime in the USA would explode after this. Memorable shows like Robotech and hit movies like Akira would make waves. Unfortunately, the growth of the US anime market also coincided with the Grim and Gritty merchandising campaign being launched by comics publishers DC and Marvel. As such, many of the titles released stateside were either hyper-violent blood and guts affairs, or were retooled to be so. Fifteening - adding excessive amounts of swear words in order to jack-up the rating of a work - was also common in many releases. Now don't get me wrong, I love me some of those shows, but they gave anime, and by proxy anime fans, a bad rep. Everything, however, would soon change.

Originally launched in 1997, Toonami, along with its sister block Adult Swim that was launched in 2001, ended up being the vehicle by which anime would reach the masses in numbers never before, or since, seen. Many shows that are now considered classics, or were the foundation by which someone became an anime fan, were aired between those wonderful hours right after school, and after midnight on Saturday night. Though it was yanked from the air in 2008, Toonami has made a come-back, and I would recommend checking it out to anyone who happens to be curious about this whole anime business.

Anyway, time to put the kibosh on the history lecture. LET'S WATCH SOME MOTHER****ING CARTOONS!!!

Action

Akira

Classic movie based on a sprawling manga. I have yet to see something that looks as good as Akira does. Nothing compares, in my opinion, to the animation we see on display in this movie. Actually, that's a good way to describe Akria; nothing compares to it. Nothing made before it, and nothing made since, is quite like this movie. A must see for anyone, anime fan or not.

Macross Plus

In terms of length and quality, Macross Plus has almost everyone else beat. Clocking in at four episodes, this installment in the Macross franchise is considered by many to be its best offering. You don't need to know anything about Macross to watch this. It is also positively gorgeous to behold. Excellent animation, EXCELLENT music (this was the first work that Yoko Kanno had complete control over the score, and it shows), and a truly EXCELLENT story. If you need something to show a friend who is on the fence about anime, give them this and watch the fireworks.

Cowboy Bebop

Ah yeah. No recommended list is complete without Cowboy Bebop. This is one of the shows that helped make Toonami/Adult Swim such an important touchstone for my generation. There isn't a single bad episode in the entire 26, and the movie is just a feature length episode. Every character is memorable and lovable in their own way. Easily one of the few shows that is better to watch in English than in the original Japanese. This is the coolest show on the list, bar none.

Black Lagoon

If Cowboy Bebop is the coolest show, this is the one that is the most Hollywood. Everything about this show is geared towards appealing towards Western anime fans; from the gun fights, to the character designs, to even the very plot. There is nothing "new" about this show, but it is such a fun ride that you wont care at all. I dare you all to watch the first two episodes and NOT whoop out in joy at the helicopter scene.

Horror/Mystery

Monster

This is the anime that defines thriller for me. It grabs a hold of your shirt, yanks up, and forces you to pay attention from the very beginning. Griping story with a very wide cast of characters that are all distinct and interesting. It's a long one, clocking in at 70-ish episodes, but it is worth it.

Baccano!

Some might disagree with me putting this under Horror/Mystery, but honestly nothing else better describes this story than the word mystery. Like much of the supporting cast, Baccano is chopped up into bits and spread out over 16 episodes. It starts at the end, before jumping back to the beginning, and zipping around forwards and backwards in time as is its want. I promise that it will all make sense in the end, that is as long as you are paying attention.

Memories

One of the most worthwhile anthology works ever made. Each of the three stories on display has its own unique style and tone. None of them are duds, though Stink Bomb is easily the weakest of the three.

Mononoke

This is not an easy show to pick up. The art style is very different from those used in the majority of modern anime, and the dialogue is very odd if one is not prepared for it. That said, Mononoke is elegant in its execution. Worth checking out, especially if you enjoy a good supernatural story.

That's it for now. More to come, soon enough.

So, like Sehr Khan said, let's sit back, chill out, and talk about kick-butt Japanese cartoons. Keep spoilers to a minimum, alright?

1864

Holger Danske — Thu, 02 May 2013 20:31:34 GMT

Some of you may be familiar with such series as The Killing and more recently Borgen. Major seires developed under DR (Denmark's Radio). To those of you who don't know about them they're typical danish drama and crime series that has gathered quite a following outside of Denmark. DR's lastest venture takes a more historical turn as we go back in time to experience one of the most influencial periods of danish history. The german wars of the mid 19th century and how they permanently sealed Denmark's fate as a minor nation with no real power. It was the finale of a long decline that culminates in the death of a nation and the rebirth of a new. Ironically the period following the disasterous 1864 war is decribed as the Golden Age.

Anyway I'm quite exited about this new series (which will also result in a full-length movie at some point later). It high lights a historical period that has never been touched before in any significant manner and it is reported to be the most expensive project ever attempted by DR.

Quote:

HEARTS BLEED IN LOVE AND WAR

It�s an innocent world full of hope when the two brothers Laust and Peter grow up under poor, but also happy, circumstances far off in the Danish countryside in the middle of the 19th century.
Denmark is enthused following the victories in the First Schleswig-Holstein War of 1848-50 where Denmark defeated the rebel army that fought for independence for the duchies Schleswig and Holstein from Denmark. After the victory, Danish political forces are scheming to annex Schleswig into the Danish Kingdom � in utter disregard of a treaty signed with the major powers of Europe and despite how provocative it would be to all Germans.

Meanwhile, Laust and Peter grow up and fall in love with the adorable Inge, a well-read Proprietor�s daughter that lectures them on poetry, philosophy and women�s liberation! And Inge returns their love. She loves Peter for his sensitivity and intellect, and Laust for his strength and drive.

When the leader of the Danish parliament, Monrad, against the wishes of Great Britain and Russia finally manages to carry the motion that Schleswig should be annexed, everybody knows that this will result in a Second Schleswig-Holstein War.
This time, however, Denmark is not facing a small rebel army as it mostly did in 1848-50 but two German major powers Prussia and Austria. The minister-president Otto von Bismarck in Berlin is eager for Prussia to fight this war on behalf of the German Federation. And seeing as Peter and Laust�s father died from wounds caused by a German bullet in 185o, it�s a no-brainer for them to quickly volunteer for the army.

150 years later, in 2014, the unapproachable and maladjusted Claudia walks around in the same area. She lost her brother in the War in Afghanistan, and her family has fallen apart. On the verge of a complete breakdown, she�s forced to accept a job as an aide for the 100-year-old Baron at the manor. Here Claudia discovers Inge�s forgotten diary. A tale of thousands of young men that sacrificed their lives in a pointless war.

And through the diary, the story of Peter, Laust and Inge is told. The story of Denmark erupting into war � a war that would become one of the bloodiest in Danish history � forged by political hubris and blunders. The story of thousands of young Danish soldiers thrown to the lions when the Prussian army decimated the Danish troops at the Battle of Dybb�l in 1864.

1864 is a tale of innocence and love � of ignorance and political folly. An abundance of drama in the span between the years of beauty and the horrors of war.

http://www.sfinternational.se/series/1864-working-title

Lesser known but extraordinary films and mini-series from 2000-2013

RubiconDecision — Thu, 02 May 2013 06:03:20 GMT

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1788391/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0sCqyoZn_I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngIl0hfhg3U
So much of the Horror/Thriller genre breaks no new ground. We know when to jump and the same old tired cliches happen like clockwork. Much of the soundtrack sounds precisely the same and in many cases reveals what's right about to happen and ruins the moment.

Kill List, a English film made in 2011, is not like that. It's a fairly low budget offering, and you could easily miss seeing this film unless you've heard the buzz about it. Don't spoil the surprise, but instead minimally read about it and then rent it. I was pleasantly surprised by the performances especially from Neil Maskell. I expect many great films to come from him. Already there's quite a buzz about Utopia, a British tv series in five episodes that features him in a very prominent and chilling way.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2384811/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3gxwIqqzB4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01VGtX9xfh0
I know you'll like the Kill List.