documentary

1843 – My Octopus Teacher (2020)

timespace coordinates: 2010, free-diving in a cold underwater kelp forest at a remote location in False Bay, near Cape Town, South Africa. The location was near Simon’s Town on the Cape Peninsula, which is exposed to the cold Benguela current of the Atlantic Ocean.

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My Octopus Teacher is a 2020 Netflix Original documentary film directed by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed, which documents a year spent by filmmaker Craig Foster forging a relationship with a wild common octopus in a South African kelp forest. At the 93rd Academy Awards, it won the award for Best Documentary Feature. (wiki)

imdb   /   netflix

games

1817 – Metamorphosis (2020 video game)

timespace coordinates: 1920’s Prague

Metamorphosis is an adventure/puzzle video game with platforming elements, inspired by the imagination of Franz Kafka. The game was developed by Ovid Works and published by All in! Games on August 12, 2020. Metamorphosis is available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. (wiki)

What once seemed like mundane dwellings have become an expansive obstacle course, and now you’ll have to chart your path through the dingy nooks and crannies that exist within the cracks of civilization.

Use your wits to unravel the truth, and regain the life you once knew. (steam)


SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS (MINIMUM): OS: Windows 7, Processor: Intel Core i5 (2nd gen) or AMD FX 6350, Memory: 8 GB RAM, Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 or AMD R9 270X, Storage: 12 GB available space

games

1801

Black Myth: Wukong is an upcoming action role-playing game by Chinese indie developer Game Science, based on the classical 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West. (wiki)

movies, Uncategorized

1750

The Thing (1982)

timespace coordinates: Antarctica 1982 

The Thing is a 1982 American science fiction horror film directed by John Carpenter and written by Bill Lancaster. Based on the 1938 John W. Campbell Jr. novella Who Goes There?, it tells the story of a group of American researchers in Antarctica who encounter the eponymous “Thing”, a parasitic extraterrestrial life-form that assimilates, then imitates other organisms. The group is overcome by paranoia and conflict as they learn that they can no longer trust each other and that any one of them could be the Thing. The film stars Kurt Russell as the team’s helicopter pilot, R.J. MacReady, and features A. Wilford BrimleyT. K. CarterDavid ClennonKeith DavidRichard DysartCharles HallahanPeter MaloneyRichard MasurDonald MoffatJoel Polis, and Thomas G. Waites in supporting roles.

The Thing was released in 1982 to very negative reviews. It was described as “instant junk”, “a wretched excess”, and proposed as the most-hated film of all time by film magazine Cinefantastique. Reviews both praised the special effects achievements and criticized their visual repulsiveness, while others found the characterization poorly realised. 

The film found an audience when released on home video and television. In the subsequent years it has been reappraised as one of the best science fiction and horror films ever made, and has gained a cult following.

Thematic analysis


Dark Horse Comics published four comic book sequels starring MacReady, beginning in December 1991 with the two-part The Thing from Another World by Chuck Pfarrer, which is set 24 hours after the film. This was followed by the four-part The Thing from Another World: Climate of Fear in July 1992, the four-part The Thing from Another World: Eternal Vows in December 1993,  and The Thing from Another World: Questionable Research. In 1999, Carpenter said that no serious discussions had taken place for a sequel, but he would be interested in basing one on Pfarrer’s adaptation, calling the story a worthy sequel. A 2002 video game of the same name was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, and Xbox to generally favorable reviews. The game’s plot follows a team of U.S. soldiers investigating the aftermath of the film’s events. 


The Thing (2011)


A prequel film, The Thing, was released in October 2011, directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., written by Eric Heisserer, and starring Mary Elizabeth WinsteadJoel EdgertonUlrich ThomsenAdewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, and Eric Christian Olsen The story follows the events after the Norwegian team discovers the Thing.


In 2020, Universal Studios and Blumhouse Productions announced the development of a remake of Carpenter’s The Thing. The remake was described as incorporating elements of The Thing from Another World and The Thing, as well as the novella Who Goes There?, and its expanded version, Frozen Hell that features several additional chapters.


Although released years apart, and unrelated in terms of plot, characters, crew, or even production studios, Carpenter considers The Thing to be the first installment in his “Apocalypse Trilogy”, a series of films based around cosmic horror, entities unknown to man, that are threats to both human life and the sense of self. The Thing was followed by Prince of Darkness in 1987, and In the Mouth of Madness in 1994. All three films are heavily influenced by Carpenter’s appreciation for the works of Lovecraft. (wiki)

imdb: The Thing 1982 / 2011


books

1749 – Human Animals (2012 EBook)

The Project Gutenberg EBook of

Human Animals, by Frank Hamel


(originally published in 1915)


This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org


animation

1748 – WolfWalkers (2020)

timespace coordinates: Kilkenny, Ireland 1650

Wolfwalkers is a 2020 animated fantasy adventure film directed by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart. The film is the third installment in Moore’s “Irish Folklore Trilogy”, following his previous films The Secret of Kells (2009) and Song of the Sea (2014). The film is an international co-production led by Cartoon Saloon and Mélusine Productions,

wolfwalkers_trailer_c

The Art of WolfwalkersCR: Abram Books
The Art of Wolfwalkers CR: Abram Books

released digitally on Apple TV+ on December 11 (wiki)

imdb   /   rottentomatoes

movies

1742 – WW84 (2020)

timespace coordinates: Washington, D.C. 1984 (during the Cold War)

WW84-scaled

Wonder Woman 1984 (stylized as WW84) is a 2020 American superhero film based on the DC Comics character Wonder Woman. It is the sequel to 2017’s Wonder Woman and the ninth installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU).

The film is directed by Patty Jenkins from a script she wrote with Geoff Johns and David Callaham. Gal Gadot stars as Diana Prince / Wonder Woman, alongside Chris PineKristen WiigPedro PascalRobin Wright, Connie Nielsen and Lilly Aspell.

The film follows Diana and her past love Steve Trevor as they face off against Max Lord and Cheetah. (wiki)

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imdb   /   Sequel   /   Spin-off


In Greek mythology, the Amazon Asteria was one of those slain by Hercules when he came to Themyscira to take Hippolyta’s girdle as one of his famous Labors.   Asteria is also the name of the Greek goddess of stars.