373 – Land of the Dead (2005)

16 Dec 201717 Dec 2017 pnea

Land of the Dead (also known as George A. Romero’s Land of the Dead) is a 2005 post-apocalyptic horror film written and directed by George A. Romero; the fourth of Romero’s six Living Dead movies, it is preceded by Night of the Living Dead, Dawn of the Deadand Day of the Dead, and succeeded by Diary of the Dead and Survival of the Dead.

1 Night_of_the_Living_Dead_(1968)_theatrical_poster

The story of Land of the Dead deals with a zombie assault on Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where a feudal-like government exists. The survivors in the film have fled to the Golden Triangle area of downtown Pittsburgh. The region is protected on two sides by rivers and on the third by an electric barricade that survivors term “the Throat”.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0418819/

Dawn of the Dead (2004)

Dawn of the Dead is a 2004 American horror film directed by Zack Snyder in his feature film directorial debut. A remake of George A. Romero’s 1978 film of the same name, it was written by James Gunn and stars Sarah Polley, Ving Rhames, Jake Weber, and Mekhi Phifer. James Gunn labeled it a “re-imagining” of the original film’s concept.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0363547/

movies

0352 – Detroit (2017)

9 Dec 201731 May 2021 pnea

spacetime coordinates: July 1967, Detroit

detroit

Detroit is a 2017 American period crime drama film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by Mark Boal. Based on the Algiers Motel incident during Detroit’s 1967 12th Street Riot, the film’s release commemorated the 50th anniversary of the event.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5390504/

documentary, series

325 – Dark States (TV Mini-Series 2017)

22 Nov 20173 Nov 2018 pnea

Louis Theroux visits three American cities and examines a uniquely devastating human crisis in each – opioid and heroin addiction in Huntington, sex trafficking in Houston, and murder in Milwaukee.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt7492256/

movies, music

201 – Straight Outta Compton (2015)

27 Aug 201731 Oct 2020 pnea

spacetime coordinates: 80’s 90’s Compton, California, Los Angeles

Straight Outta Compton is a 2015 American biographical film directed by F. Gary Gray, depicting the career of gangsta rap group N.W.A. Titled after N.W.A’s 1988 debut studio album, the film focuses on members Eazy-E, Ice Cube, and Dr. Dre, and the rise and fall of the group. Members of N.W.A were involved in making the film, including Ice Cube and Dr. Dre as producers, as was Eazy-E’s widow, Tomica Woods-Wright, while MC Ren and DJ Yella served as creative consultants. Ice Cube is portrayed by his son, O’Shea Jackson Jr., with Corey Hawkins as Dr. Dre and Jason Mitchell as Eazy-E. Paul Giamatti also stars as N.W.A’s manager Jerry Heller.

Historical accuracy

imdb wiki

movies

0068 – The Merchant of Venice (2004)

6 Apr 20176 May 2021 pnea

spacetime coordinates: Venice, 1596

The Merchant of Venice is a 2004 romantic drama film based on Shakespeare‘s play of the same name. It is the first full-length sound film in English of Shakespeare’s play

The title character is the merchant Antonio (Jeremy Irons), not the Jewish moneylender Shylock (Al Pacino) who is the more prominent character. This adaptation follows the text, but omits much. Director Michael Radford believed that Shylock was Shakespeare’s first great tragic hero who reaches a catastrophe due to his own flaws. The film begins with text and a montage of how the Jewish community is abused by the Christian population of Venice and brings attention to the fact that, as a convert, Shylock would have been cast out of the Jewish ghetto in Venice.

(trivia) the bare-breasted prostitutes were not put in the film to make it more risqué, but rather to add a note of historical authenticity. Venetian law at the time required all prostitutes to bare their breasts because the Christian authorities were concerned about rampant homosexuality in their city.

imdb