 |
| A still from Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket |
Originally posted on March 16, 2019:
Since I've been sick for the last few weeks, I've had to stay at home. Lately, I've been beginning to think about finding a new place to work and about whether or not I should go back to school. Therefore, my rate of making videos for my channel has slowed in the last few months. I still make videos, however, and this doesn't mean that I have to stop making them. But I should have other things on my mind at this time. In addition, since I've become sick recently, and since I shouldn't wear my glasses for now, I really don't have the time to make videos. Making videos for my channel has never been an occupation for me. It has always been a hobby, and it was smart of me to spend as little time as possible on YouTube because I've always known that, sooner or later, YouTube would turn into a highly controlled and problematic website. YouTube is now sort of like American television. There are a few positives to this and some negatives. One positive is that people can now rent or purchase many films or shows that have been made in Hollywood on YouTube. One negative is that YouTube has become just another platform for American propaganda, kind of like television, radio, newspapers, magazines, or books. And other Western video-sharing websites aren't much better in this respect. Some of them are even worse. Dailymotion, for example, is in some ways better than YouTube and in some ways worse. The video-sharing website that has given me the least trouble over the years is Rutube. Never have I had my account deleted on Rutube. YouTube, on the other hand, is the website that has given me the most trouble over the years. I've heard that Facebook and Twitter are also controlled websites, but I've never seriously used them, and, therefore, I've never experienced how problematic they can be. Still, I'm not planning on stopping making videos for the time being because uploading videos to YouTube is still possible to do. I've uploaded a number of good lectures and lists already. There's plenty of good information in those videos. Moreover, I've discovered that my YouTube channel has some notoriety, not only because it has existed for about a decade already but also because it's one of the very few channels that offer alternative information. It's clear that the managers of YouTube will never allow my channel to become popular, but it's still popular enough to irritate the owners of the numerous anti-leftist channels that exist on YouTube and elsewhere. These propagandists and haters of my channel react to almost every video and post that I make. Wow. They sure are dedicated haters. Or is it because some of them are paid to do this?
I can point out that when I make posts on my blog about the films that I see, this doesn't mean that I recommend these films. These are simply films that I've recently seen. But, since I usually see films because I want to see them, I would recommend seeing almost all of them. I know that many Hollywood films feature American propaganda, but this doesn't stop me from seeing them and enjoying some of them. Since I've been sick for the last few weeks, and since I can't wear my glasses for now, I've been spending my time on watching films, and I've seen a number of films that I can really recommend. The one film that I've seen not long ago that I would definitely not recommend is The Predator (2018). It's just a bad and vile film. But here are examples of films that I would recommend. Most of them are old Hollywood films because there's no point in spending time and money on seeing new Hollywood films. New Hollywood films are just not good if they're compared to old Hollywood films. The Hindenburg (1975) features good special effects and is definitely worth seeing. The Raid (1954) is a neat Western set during the American Civil War. Young Winston (1972) is a classy adventure about Winston Churchill in his youth. Nightfall (1957) is a good film noir in black and white. The Miracle Worker (1962) features some of the best acting by actresses in the 1960s. Crimes of the Heart (1986) is a good southern gothic film that features good performances from the leads. The Morning After (1986) includes one of the best performances by Jane Fonda. 'night, Mother (1986) is an interesting drama with only two roles. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) is simply essential viewing, and it features an excellent performance by Ellen Burstyn. Forever Young (1992) is one of those neat little romantic science fiction films from the 1990s. The Fly (1986) is just plain awesome. Bachelor Party (1984) is a surprisingly funny comedy from the 1980s. The White Buffalo (1977) is a Western that features Charles Bronson and... a big white buffalo. Nuff said. Assassination (1987) is another unintentionally funny and enjoyable piece of action junk from Cannon Films. Tough Guys (1986) is a pleasant and somewhat moving comedy. Coma (1978) is an excellent suspense film that was directed by Michael Crichton, of Jurassic Park fame. Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954) is an impressive epic in which Victor Mature "acts". It's set in Rome and features gladiator fights. Avenging Force (1986) is yet more action junk from Cannon Films in which Michael Dudikoff delivers yet again in the leading role. April Fool's Day (1986) is quite a good mystery slasher film that was filmed in British Columbia. Death Wish 3 (1985) features Charles Bronson talking about killing bad guys, with a wicked little smirk on his face. Death Wish 3, by the way, is one of those 1980s flicks, like RoboCop (1987), that show some of what happened during the economic depression that took place in the USA in those years. American Dreamer (1984) and Bad Medicine (1985) are two funny comedies from the 1980s that I would definitely recommend seeing. Agnes of God (1985) is worth seeing simply because of the excellent performances by Anne Bancroft and Jane Fonda. A Soldier's Story (1984) is a fantastic drama, and I can't believe that I've never heard about it before I saw it. Country (1984) is yet another fantastic drama that has been forgotten in the mainstream. Well, anyway, I can go on and on with this list, but these are some of the most memorable films that I've seen in recent months.
By the way, I'm glad that Eileen Rockefeller has her website and blog back on. For a while, it seemed to me like she turned them off because of me. But I can't be sure about this. I posted one video on my blog that features an interview with her. Why did I do this? Only because she has a pleasant way of speaking and because there may be one or two things that I find to be interesting in that interview. Perhaps she didn't like that I did this. Well, I didn't do this because I think that she's a bad lady. I know almost nothing about her. I don't know what she likes or doesn't like. But I know a few things about the imperialist Rockefeller family. So, she might have noticed this and reacted because she thought that I consider her to be bad. Well, I've deleted that video since then, and her blog is back on now, so everything is fine because I didn't want her to discontinue her blog. I haven't read her book (Being a Rockefeller, Becoming Myself: A Memoir). I'm reading other books at the moment. But I think that I will read it soon. It probably includes almost nothing that I would find interesting. But I'd still read it as a curiosity.
Originally posted on December 26, 2017:
Sure, I will write a review, maybe a short one, about Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017), which is seemingly the worst Star Wars film ever. But, for now, I'd like to get into the Gundam franchise. I already made a list about the best Gundam releases. However, not all of them are all they're cracked up to be. Well, first of all, instead of watching the original series, I'd recommend watching Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team, Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack, Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket, and Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz. I think that these are the best of the best of the Gundam releases. Yoshiyuki Tomino, with his 1979 original series, may have started the franchise, but it's admittedly a rather dull series now, for the most part. Tomino is fine at showing the realities of war, and he knows his science, but his direction doesn't make the original Gundam a truly compelling series. If you compare the Gundam franchise to other giant robot anime series, you'll see that not one of the Gundam releases reaches the heights of The Vision Of Escaflowne, Gurren Lagann, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Giant Robo, Martian Successor Nadesico, RahXephon, Gunbuster, or Macross Plus. Still, the four Gundam releases that I listed are very good, and I'd recommend them to anyone.
By the way, here's a good list of the best anime by Wizard Magazine:
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-07-16/wizard-lists-top-50-anime
I agree with this magazine's picks. The people working there sure do know anime and they sure do have taste. As you can see, the original Gundam is number 2 on their list. Well, it's that high up probably because of its influence on the anime industry and because of its impact back then, in the early-1980s. In the 1980s, Japanese animation was lower in quality than American animation or Soviet animation. But some of what Japanese animators made in the 1980s is very good and original. Anime became even more popular in the 1990s. More quality releases appeared as well, in part because the quality of animation improved. But, in the 2000s, anime began to turn into repetitive, unoriginal... stuff. Judging by user comments, I see that some people are smart enough to realize that this is the case, that the anime industry in Japan is producing unoriginal content now, similar to how Hollywood is producing unoriginal content now. In this environment of creative stagnation, releases that are good and original are rare.
No comments:
Post a Comment