Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within

So, it's been a while.  I know everyone has been panting with anticipation: "What will Zoelyn watch next?  How can I sleep at night?"  I could give you the excuses I've prepared: "I'm in college.  I'm busy.  I was finishing Season 2 of True Blood.  I have a lot of homework."  However, I know you would rather hear about Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001).

I saw this movie when it came out.  My dad and I were doing our awkward breakfast and a movie date that summarized every other weekend of my middle school years.  One week, it was this movie, and I knew absolutely nothing about it.  However, I will sit perfectly still for however long it takes me to eat any bag of popcorn put in my vicinity, so I watched it any way.

And my little twelve-year-old mind was BLOWN.  Seriously, I couldn't tell for the whole opening credits whether they were real people on the screen.  (In my defense, I have terrible eyesight.)  The story, conceived by by Hironobu Sakaguchi (producer of most of the Final Fantasy series of video games) compelled me, and the graphics knocked my freaking socks off.  (They were rainbow toe socks, probably.  If you were curious.)

With the exception of maybe Avatar (2009) there has been basically no film projects like Final Fantasy.  The story is told in an entirely animated world, but with a level of photorealism that no Pixar project has ever had.

(Seriously.  Check that out.)



The story is pretty typical for a Final Fantasy project.  Collect some things, fight some bad guys, save the world.  However, this story takes place on Earth in 2065, and the planet has been infested by ghostly aliens called Phantoms, that separate people's spirits from their bodies.  The government is building a giant super laser type thing to zap them all, but the main charatcer, a scientist named Aki, believes that the weapon will destroy Earth's own spirit.  Her mentor, Dr. Sid (I told you it was pretty typical) sends her and some soldier friends (a party of six) to collect eight special spirits that he believes, when combined, will cancel out the Phantoms' effect.

Basically, I love everything about this movie, and I definitely think that it influenced the creation of Avatar.  (Also not the best story ever, but definitely a technical marvel.)  Unfortunately, it wasn't very well received, and was a majorly failed investment for Square Enix, but they've recovered, and this movie is still worth checking out.

As always,

Love! -Z.Cop

True Blood

Here is a fact: I am one of the desensitized youth of America.  I sat on my father's lap while he played Return to Castle Wolfenstein in the 90s (that's the one with zombie nazis.)  When I was old enough to wield the keyboard myself (read this neat article about how PC gamers are better than console gamers.) I played Grand Theft Auto like a professional car thief/prostitute beater.  I was certain that there was no movie too bloody, no violence too guesome and unneccesary, no clip of Anna Paquin's voice annoying enough to make me cringe.

And then I started watching True Blood.  I just finished Season 1 last night, and that show is effed up, man.  You can hear me in my room, audibly cringing and screaming in disgust everytime someone gets staked and explodes in a veritable fountain of blood.  The first ten minutes of the first episode were too much for me to handle, almost.

The thing that finally made me break down and add the first two seasons to my Netflix queue was that there are two alums from the University of Evansville Theatre Department, and that is excellent.  One day I'd like to be on a ludicrously violent and over-sexed HBO show and have UET students watch me get bitten and chased by supernatural creatures.  I really don't know how I feel about True Blood yet, though.  I'm not sure how many out of five stars I should rate the first season.

What I do know is that this show is one of the last things in America with the ability to shock people anymore.

Or maybe I'm insane.  Any way, if you've been on the fence about watching True Blood, go ahead and take the plunge.  You will find it ludicrous in both really great and really terrible ways.

-Z.Cop

TiMER

If I were better at this, I would have clever and witty titles for my posts.  Ah well, practice makes perfect or something.

So, look up Jac Schaeffer on IMDB.  No, really, go ahead.  I'll wait. 

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2356614/  (Look, a nice convenient link.  I'm so awesome.)

TiMER is basically the only project he's ever worked on.  And I'm fine with that because it is excellent.

I'm not too into romantic comedies because usually nothing blows up, and I'm a sucker for explosions.  But TiMER has just enough of a semi-dystopic sci-fi feel to it that I was totally sucked in.

(This guy being so cute helps, too.)

Aside from John Patrick Amedori (above) (You might recognize him from Gossip Girl.  I do.) TiMER's little cast is full of semi-recognizable people like star Emma Caulfield (Buffy the Vampire Slayer).  I could list the rest of the cast, too, but I doubt you would recognize their names, just their faces.  A lot of people are either really turned on or really turned off by the lack of big names associated with a project, and I am completely ambivalent.  Caulfield's honest performance was compelling and unexpected for a lead in a romantic comedy and the concept was interesting and fresh.

What is the concept, you ask interestedly.  Basically, upon hitting puberty, everybody is implanted with a TiMER, a device that measures their levels of serotonin and determines the exact moment in which they will meet their soulmate.  Oona (Caulfield) has a TiMER that has never started counting down, meaning that her soulmate chose not to get one.  Then she meets a cute drummer (Amedori!) who is much younger and who makes her question everything she's ever conceived about love.

Basically, it's an excellent movie, available for instant play from Netflix (They really should pay me a qarter every time I mention their name.  Netflix Netflix Netflix.)  I think what resonated the most with me is the fact that TiMER makes you question the nature of love, but doesn't make you choose a pessimistic or optimistic outlook.  Que sera, sera, bitches!

Up next: True Blood.

And as previous mentioned, let me know if you have any ideas or suggestions for my already schizophrenic Netflix queue.

-Z.Cop.

And so it begins in earnest...

It's always important to be earnest, according to Oscar Wilde.  And frankly, Oscar Wilde, aside from being a criminal butt-pirate, was a major badass.  So I'm fine with anything he says, mostly because he wore frock coats.  Or something.

Here is a fact: I am a senior in college, rapidly approaching that point in life where I have to think about the real world and what to do with my overpriced theatre degree.

Here is another fact: The only constant in my life has been film.  I watch movies and television about twelve hours out of the day: when I'm doing homework, facebook stalking freshmen, doing my hair, cooking dinner, falling asleep.  Basically when I am not actively in class or rehearsal, my Netflix instant queue or DVD drive is working as hard as I am.

(I realize now that those two facts are in no way related.  Whatever.)

And I have seen some weird stuff (True Blood.)  Some awesome stuff (Star Wars.)  Some terrible stuff (The Ugly Truth.)  Some terrible stuff that everybody thinks is awesome (The Breakfast Club.)  Some awesome stuff that everybody thinks is terrible (Speed Racer.)  And I just can't help from commentating on it.  All the cool kids are blogging now, and I always wanted to be a cool kid (so that's another constant in my life, I guess) so here I am, combining my love of movie-watching and writing about things in my trademark Lovecraftian style (check out http://iwl.me/ to see who you write like.  It's ridiculous but a good way to waste your time.  Like reading my blog.)

So stay posted for my, um, post on TiMER, a charming indie romantic comedy directed and written by Jack Schaffer.  (That link will take you to the IMDB page.  I saved you the time of Googling it.  You're welcome.)

And let me know if you have any suggestions/ideas for films to watch!  I'm up for anything, really!

Love
-Z.Cop.