1988 – Tamala 2010: A Punk Cat in Space (2002)

spacetime coordinates / Synopsis: 2010. Meguro City, Tokyo, Cat Earth, a world of corporations and commercialism, where a giant mechanical Colonel Sanders wanders the streets with an axe embedded in its head, loudly advertising the restaurant. Tamala, bored with the city, leaves her home against the wishes of her human mother and flies away in a personal spaceship bound for her birthplace, Orion. Her ship is shot down by the Mysterious Postcat, and lands on the outskirts of Hate City on the Planet Q

TAMALA 2010: A Punk Cat in Space is a 2002 Japanese animated film written, directed and featuring music by the two-person team t.o.L (“trees of Life”), known individually as K. and kuno. The film features both 2D and 3D computer animation, and is mostly black-and-white. The characters, designed by t.o.L and Kentarō Konpon, are reminiscent of Sanrio‘s Hello Kitty and 1960s anime and manga such as Astro Boy. The creators admit that one of the film’s central plot points, about a cult operating as a postal service and corporate monopoly, is influenced and adapted from Thomas Pynchon‘s novel The Crying of Lot 49.

TAMALA2010 was originally envisioned as the first episode of a trilogy – the latter two parts were given the working titles TAMALA IN ORION (which would chronicle Tamala’s search for her real mother) and TATLA (which was to explore the character of Tatla in greater depth). A colour TV series was also planned, with the working title TAMALA IN SPACE. As of 2020, none of these has surfaced – instead there have been two shorter works, the t.o.L written and directed TAMALA ON PARADE

and TAMALA’S “WILD PARTY“

–two short stories from different writers, storyboarded and directed by Shūichi Kohara and animated by Studio 4°C. Both of these are included on the TAMALA ON PARADE DVD, released in Japan in August 2007. This DVD does not have English subtitles.

 A sequel named TAMALA 2030: A PUNK CAT IN DARK has been under production since 2019. (wiki)

imdb

Wake up!! TAMALA (english subtitles)

t.o.L collaboration with the WWF Japan

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TAMALA 2010 OST – happy prince

1957 – Man on Fire (2004)

spacetime coordinates: 2003 Mexico City Man on Fire is a 2004 action thriller film directed by Tony Scott based on the 1980 novel of the same name by A. J. Quinnell. Denzel Washington portrays John Creasy, a despondent, alcoholic former U.S. Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance Captain and CIA Special Activities Division officer – turned bodyguard, who goes on a revenge rampage after his charge, nine-year-old Lupita “Pita” Ramos (Dakota Fanning) is abducted. The supporting cast includes Christopher Walken, Radha Mitchell, Giancarlo Giannini, Marc Anthony, Rachel Ticotin and Mickey Rourke. (wiki)

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imdb

1951 – Malignant (2021)

spacetime coordinates: 2010’s Seattle / Seattle Underground

Malignant is a 2021 American supernatural horror film directed by James Wan. It stars Annabelle Wallis, Maddie Hasson, George Young, and Michole Briana White. Malignant was released theatrically and on HBO Max in the United States on September 10, 2021, by Warner Bros. Pictures. (wiki)

‘Malignant, is camp horror at its finest, a leaky cauldron of influences that mix into a wild third act as gory as it is unpredictable. From its murder mystery to its flickering neons to its wide-eyed, fragile protagonist, Malignant is first-and-foremost an ode to Italian giallo.’ strangeharbors-review

imdb   /   rottentomatoes

1941 – The Philosophy of Disco Elysium: Psychoanalysis, Ideology, and Absurd Modernism (YT 2021)

“Disco Elysium, an award-winning game from developer ZA/UM, created what I would consider one of the most brilliant pieces of interactive literature in recent memory. For this, we explore its foundational philosophy and narrative(s) throughout.” (Epoch Philosophy channel)

I continue to admire the incredible quality of these YT channels, and Epoch Philosophy is one of the best (although I just watched the Deleuze & Spinoza and Friedrich Engels, Socialism and Utopia ones – Engels which I have learned to appreciate during the years). This one is again on gaming and a particular game – a push to analyse games and treat them as true objects of philosophy or as applied philosophy, with movies (or anime or cartoons) already being the established medium of such exercises. This particular game dwelling on the intricacies of Lacanian psychoanalysis, the pervasiveness of ideology and the role of relationships in a dysfunctional world with its own history seems like a prime example, one that makes (in the words of the maker) it on par with Kafka, Sartre or other examples of the modernist canon. What i like is how, without spoilers encourages a certain critique or critique and dialectical analysis. Even if it psychoanalytic determinism is there (including neuro- determinism), there is a lot to be said about how political identity works nowadays. Politics is somehow everywhere and discussions in the game always turn into political discussion without transforming it all into a permanent critique or postmodern irony.

1927 – Reminiscence (2021)

spacetime coordinates: In the near future, climate change has caused the seas to rise and flood Miami. Extreme daytime temperatures have forced most people to live at night. /  New Orleans 

Reminiscence is a 2021 American neo-noir science fiction thriller film written and directed by Lisa Joy, in her feature directorial debut. The film stars Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson, Thandiwe Newton, Cliff Curtis, Marina de Tavira, and Daniel Wu. (wiki)

imdb

1922 – Warsaw ’44 (2014)

spacetime coordinates: Warsaw, summer of 1944 / destruction of Warsaw

Warsaw 44 is a 2014 Polish war film, originally titled Miasto 44 (City 44). The film depicts the Warsaw Uprising in 1944 during the German occupation of Poland. (wiki)

imdb

1919 – The Boys (TV Series 2019–)

The Boys is an American superhero streaming television series developed by Eric Kripke for Amazon Prime Video. Based on the comic book of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, which was originally published by DC Comics under their Wildstorm imprint before moving to Dynamite Entertainment; it follows the eponymous team of vigilantes as they combat superpowered individuals who abuse their abilities.

The series stars an ensemble cast that includes Karl Urban, Jack Quaid, Laz Alonso, Tomer Capon and Karen Fukuhara as the titular vigilantes, and Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty, Dominique McElligott, Chace Crawford, Jessie T. Usher and Nathan Mitchell as members of the “Seven”, an official superhero group run by the conglomerate Vought International, who, while maintaining a lofty façade, are shallow celebrity figures prone to do horrendous things in secret. (wiki)

G-Men spin-off   //   Supe Porn   //   imdb   //    rottentomatoes

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