Ghost in the Shell is a huge let-down
Posted on 31 March 2017 | No responses
I haven’t been this disappointed since Episode 1. Thankfully there’s no Jar-Jar but the live-action version of “Ghost in the Shell” misses all of the philosophy and depth of the original. And the whitewashing…good God. I won’t give any spoilers but they seem to have taken bits from the 1995 original, tossed in a bit of Innocence, shaken and stirred with some of the Stand Alone Complex characters (mixing Project 2501 — renamed to Project 2571, for some reason — with Kuze from SAC: 2nd Gig). I don’t understand why they didn’t just go with the original idea of Project 2501 being an American AI program that gained sentience and is now seeking asylum in a robot/cyborg body. And the original Kuze was trying to get refugees to leave their corporeal bodies behind to join their souls/minds in cyberspace. There was so much wasted opportunity; you can almost hear the dropped plotlines thud as they hit the cutting-room floor.
They never explored Togusa’s lack of cybernetic enhancement and why the Major wants a human on the team.
Saito gets a brief nod but no backstory.
They did get the actor choices right for Batou, Togusa, and Chief Aramaki, though. And Batou has a basset hound (a nod to “Innocence” and Momoru Oshii’s need to insert basset hounds in nearly all of his films).
I was already setting my expectations low knowing that a lot of the scenes from the original GitS film were copied (almost verbatim) in The Matrix and any copycat sci-fi film made since 1995. But they didn’t quite do justice to the original source material, either. “The entire film takes a dump on every cool, intriguing, and subtle concept in the 1995 film.”
So yeah…
Great Expectations, Low Hopes
Posted on 19 November 2016 | No responses
Sorry Rogue One but my true excitement lies with Motoko Kusanagi. Sure, the intro to the latest trailer features interview questions with Momoru Oshii, but it’s also easy to find interviews with Stephen King about Kubrick’s version of “The Shining”. I lived through Episode 1 but Clone Wars and Rebels have really renewed my faith in Star Wars. There’s a real chance to do this with “Ghost in the Shell”. Don’t Hollywood things up any more than you already have. Keep the Michael Bay splodey-bits to a minimum. The Wachowskis only make cheap imitations.
All I’m asking is that you please not (royally) fuck up one of – if not the – greatest and most influential pieces of animation since “Snow White”.
9/12 – The Day After
Posted on 12 September 2016 | No responses
Just ran a few numbers to put things in perspective:
There were around 9000 casualties (dead and wounded) from the attacks on 09/11/2001.
There have been around 60,000 (American) service men and women killed or injured as a result of the “War on Terror”. That does not count any Iraqi, Pakistani, or Afghan civilians. Nor does that count the number of Americans who suffer PTSD or committed suicide as a result of serving in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Never forget: freedom isn’t free but at what price, America?
Developing
Posted on 21 July 2016 | No responses
America needs less Facebook. Fewer selfies.
We need more Kodak. Family albums.
There is light in all men. Few let it be exposed.
Many prints fade but hold a story. Every negative a point of view.
Brotherhood of Man
Posted on 20 July 2016 | No responses
We’ve lost humanity. Our sense of community. Our touch.
I’d rather be a turtle in captivity. Eating kale. Lettuce. Strawberries.
Than wondering which way the winds may shift.
Flip me on my back, I’m helpless, but for friends…
Alone, upon my back, taking selfies, no one dares to care.
