1699 – Groundhog Day (1993)

timespace coordinates: February 2, 1992  Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania

Groundhog Day is a 1993 American fantasy comedy film directed by Harold Ramis. It stars Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, and Chris Elliott. Murray portrays Phil Connors, a cynical TV weatherman covering the annual Groundhog Day event in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, who becomes trapped in a time loop forcing him to relive February 2 repeatedly.

In the years since its release, the film has grown in esteem and is often considered to be among the greatest films of the 1990s and one of the greatest comedy films of all time. The film has been analyzed as a religious allegory by Buddhists, Christians, and Jews, who each see a deeper philosophical meaning in the film’s story. (wiki)

An exquisite bas-relief of Bodhisattva (probably Padmapani or Avalokiteshvara) adorning the outer wall of Candi Plaosan Lor southern main temple. A fine example of the 9th century classical Javanese Buddhist Sailendran art, Plaosan, Klaten Regency, Central Java.

imdb   /   rt   /   time loop duration

1651 – Palm Springs (2020)

timespace coordinates: November 9 2019 Palm Springs, California

Palm Springs is a 2020 American romantic comedy film directed by Max Barbakow. It stars Andy Samberg & Cristin Milioti, and follows two strangers who meet at a Palm Springs wedding only to get stuck in a time loop. (wiki)

imdb   /   rottentomatoes

1587 – Nirvana (1997)

Nirvana is a 1997 Italian cyberpunk science fiction film directed by Gabriele Salvatores. The film stars Christopher Lambert, Diego Abatantuono, Sergio Rubini, and Stefania Rocca. (wiki)

The movie and the in-movie game are named after the Nirvana, a religious and philosophical concept used in religions of India (Hinduism, Buddhism, etc.) to describe the peace of mind, body and soul one reaches after all desires  are extinguished. Many believe that this is accomplished through reincarnations, where every time you “come back” you get slightly more world-weary and closer to the Nirvana. This has some similarities to what happens to Solo in his game.

The blue woman with many hands, an image that features throughout the movie (and is supposedly the cover art for the game) is Kali, the Hindu goddess of power, time, change, destruction and death. (imdb)

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1566 – Species (1995)

spacetime coordinates: 1990’s  Los Angeles, California

Species is a 1995 American science fiction horror film directed by Roger Donaldson and written by Dennis Feldman. It stars Natasha Henstridge (in her film debut role), Ben Kingsley, Michael Madsen, Alfred Molina, Forest Whitaker and Marg Helgenberger. The film’s plot concerns a motley crew of scientists and government agents who try to track down Sil (Henstridge), a seductive extraterrestrial-human hybrid, before she successfully mates with a human male.

The extraterrestrial aspect of Sil’s character was created by H. R. Giger, who was also responsible for the beings from the Alien franchise. The effects combined practical models designed by Giger collaborator Steve Johnson and XFX, with computer-generated imagery done by Richard Edlund‘s Boss Film Studios. (wiki)

Influence and themes   /   imdb

1529 – The Midnight Gospel (TV Series 2020)

spacetime coordinates: Set in a dimension known as “The Chromatic Ribbon”, a spacecaster named Clancy owns an unlicensed multiverse simulator. Through it, he travels through worlds about to have their own apocalypses interviewing some of their residents for his spacecast. The interviews are derived from earlier episodes of Trussell’s podcast The Duncan Trussell Family Hour. Special guests include Phil Hendrie, Stephen Root, Drew Pinsky, Trudy Goodman, Jason Louv, Caitlin Doughty, Michael Marcanio, Maria Bamford, Joey Diaz, David Nichtern, and Deneen Fendig.

The Midnight Gospel is an American adult animated web television series created by Adventure Time creator Pendleton Ward and comedian Duncan Trussell. Released on Netflix on April 20, 2020, it is the first animated production from Ward for Netflix.

Throughout the episodes the series deals with different themes that explored through the interviews. During the first season, the guests interviewed covered topics such as magic, meditation, forgiveness, spiritualism, funerary rituals, death positivity, drug use, pain, moksha (transcendence) and existentialism. (wiki)

imdb   /   rt

1349 – Aniara (2018)

timespace coordinates: 2038 (+) Aniara, a luxurious spaceship carrying settlers from Earth to Mars

Aniara is a 2018 Swedish-Danish co-production co-directed by Pella Kagerman and Hugo Lilja. The film is an adaptation of the 1956 Swedish epic poem of the same name by Harry Martinson.

The film is set in a dystopian future where climate change has left Earth ravaged, forcing people to resettle from Earth to Mars. When such a routine trip veers off course the passengers struggle to cope with their new lives. (wiki)

imdb

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Director Pella Kagerman & Hugo Lilja on the end of the world in Aniara

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1234 – The Wrestler (2008)

timespace coordinates: 2000’s New Jersey

The Wrestler is a 2008 American sports drama film produced and directed by Darren Aronofsky, written by Robert D. Siegel, and starring Mickey Rourke (plays an aging professional wrestler), Marisa Tomei (as a stripper), and Evan Rachel Wood.

Promotion:  WWE helped promote it through an on-screen angle (a fictional storyline used in wrestling). This involved the heel Chris Jericho criticizing legendary retired wrestlers such as Ric Flair, who he felt were embarrassing themselves, as well as Mickey Rourke for his portrayal in The Wrestler. At the 15th Screen Actors Guild Awards, Rourke announced he would be competing at WrestleMania XXV, specifically targeting Jericho. The announcement led to a confrontation between the two on Larry King Live, which showed signs of second thoughts from Rourke. On January 28, it was announced through Rourke’s spokesperson that the actor would not compete at the event, and he was soon after announced instead as a guest. 

Rourke was also invited to the 2009 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony the night before WrestleMania. The angle culminated the following night where Jericho faced Ricky Steamboat, Roddy Piper, and Jimmy Snuka in a handicap match. After his victory, Jericho dismantled Flair and challenged Rourke, who finally entered the ring and punched him out. (wiki)

imdb   /   rottentomatoes