Culture is key for us; we find culture everywhere, we create culture. Florian Wupperfeld, who is the co-founder of Leading Culture Destination Awards, joined us to talk about culture and the awards.
Hi, how are you?
Shooting stars never stop even when they reach the top.
What makes a cultural place so important and connecting to the traveller?
4 out of 5 visitors to London say that arts and culture heritage is the reason for their visit. Since the Guggenheim opened in Bilbao, the city has transformed itself with a huge increase in visitors; from 200,000 to 5 million annually. I don’t consider myself a number cruncher, I’m more of a social seismographer, and when I speak to my friends and colleagues in the travel and hospitality industry, it’s often culture that drives them to visit places.
Do you have a favourite place to go to?
I have many favourite places, all offering wonderful cultural experiences from having lunch at the Monsieur Bleu at Palais de Tokyo, visiting Paris’ museums, to shopping for gifts at the Indiana Museum shop in Copenhagen. Where else could you go for a sleepover, but the Rubin Museum, or wander around London’s Southbank Centre before a concert. Most recently I’ve really loved going to the Lafayette Galleries, the department store, for an exhibition, and of course, what an incredible experience of going for a swim at the art foundation, Casa Wabi, in Mexico.
David Stobbe / Stobbephoto.ca
So, how did the awards come about and what is the mission?
Leading culture destinations celebrate the best established and emerging culture destinations worldwide. Each year the LCD Awards shine a light on the most impactful cultural activations from those institutions and organisations shaping tomorrow’s world. The press has coined the event, which is partnered with the New York Times, as the ‘Oscars for Museums’.
How do you rank and choose the best destinations?
Our shortlist is drawn up from the nominations of our cultural ambassadors, our own exhaustive research, and the recommendations of the world’s leading cultural planning consultancy. Once the shortlist is refined to three institutions per category, the jury casts its final vote to declare the winner in each category.
Forwarding ten years ahead, where do you see the awards going?
In terms of developing the awards, we would like to work with individual cities to co-host the awards to showcase their cultural assets and reach out to the next generation of cultural travellers worldwide.
If you could recommend one cultural destination for a new traveller, which one would you recommend?
For an exceptional experience, I would say, fly to Montana, and if you are able to, horse-ride to Tippet Rise, an unusual and breath-taking sculpture park, the most beautiful site of Montana’s countryside.
The final question we ask everyone, what is your definition of culture?
Culture is the artistic thread which holds all aspects of our society together, reflecting their desires, admirations or fears in various categories and art forms. For me, we always link culture back to destinations, whether they are related to art, fashion, music, food. Real culture has to do with authenticity of a place and its people.
Thank you for joining us Florian, we hope the awards go well!
On average, in the summer months, 74 dogs are abandoned every day.
To tackle this key issue, RSPCA and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment joined forces to recreate a scene from Wes Anderson’s dog-loving film ‘Isle of Dogs.’ The photoshoot will attempt to encourage animal lovers to rehome dogs and additionally will also be used to mark the release of the film on Blu-Ray and DVD, which will be out on the 6th of August.
RSPCA: 74 dogs abandoned every day in summer months
Photographer Linda Blacker shaped the photoshoot with celebrity dogs Marcel le Corgi, Cockapoo Marley, Doug the Therapy Pug and Steven the Frenchy to support Staffordshire Bull Terrier rescue dog, Emily (Pictured above), which will help raise awareness for the thousands of dogs that are abandoned every year.
Dermot Murphy, who heads the RSPCA inspectorate team, said: “Summer is the busiest time of year for RSPCA inspectors, especially dealing with dogs which have been abandoned because their owners have gone on holiday or they’ve decided they don’t want the responsibility of a pet anymore.”
To find out more about how you can rehome a dog just like Emily, click here.
Video games of today are an evolving medium, and this applied to singular games, not just the industry as a whole. What was at first a form of entertainment locked in post-release has now become one full of update patches, overhauls, back steps and exploratory lunges. What we want to look at here today are the games which managed to redeem their original shortcomings through eventual changing of the base formula, bringing themselves from a target of derision into something which is not only accepted but loved. No, EA, Battlefront II will not be on this list.
Final Fantasy 14/ A Realm Reborn
Final Fantasy 11 wasn’t exactly what many long-time fans of the series were expecting. Sure, it made sense for one of the many Final Fantasy worlds to open itself up to the MMO experience, but a mainline entry? Despite the reservations, 11 was not only one of the most successful games in the series, it ended up becoming one of the most well-received and popular MMORPGs of all time. The game has been played and enjoyed by millions of people, and still enjoys acclaim with dedicated fans today.
With this entry having already tested the waters and laid out a potential framework which another Final Fantasy game could follow, expectations were high for Final Fantasy 14. Not only did this game look great, the proven track record had many fans opening their wallets as soon as the opportunity presented itself. There is a reason why so many video game critics and pundits don’t recommend anything like preorder culture, and this game was it.
Created by conflicting personalities within Square-Enix, the original version of FF14 was doomed from the get-go. Chief among these problems was a lack of server stability (who could have seen that coming?), lack of content, awful maps, and a user interface seemingly informed by the Dark Lord of Inefficient Design. Also hilarious was the inclusion of a rather overdesigned flower pot, which as users would learn was an enormous reason why city centers tended to drag computers to their knees.
From the GDC Presentation
Earning a Metacritic average of 48, Square decided to do the unthinkable for a major AAA release – they shut the game down and took it back to the drawing board. After collectively getting their ‘minds’ together, SE released the much improved FF14: A Realm Reborn in 2013, three years after the initial release of the initial version. The result was an enormous improvement over the original game, leading to a Metacritic score of 83, and a player base still increasing to this very day. While the game still suffers from issues, with player housing being especially hilariously reflective of real life free-market economics, the almost complete turn around has been an enormous aid to SE, showing that they can listen and improve, should there be no legitimate alternative, at least.
Diablo III
One of the most anticipated sequels to one of the most-loved PC series of all time. Blizzard had a lot to measure up to with Diablo III, and many longtime fans of the series were getting nervous. At the time when the game came out, most of the key designers who had made the original two games great had moved on to other development studios, leaving those who picked up the pieces to bring their own vision to life. Unfortunately, as it so often does within the AAA gaming industry, Blizzard had their eyes on the prize, rather than the quality. At launch, the game was inaccessible to many, with the enormous number of players from one of the most anticipated games of all time apparently beyond Blizzard’s level of foresight.
GDC laying out the memes
Aside from this was the obviously monetarily driven idea of the real-money auction house, a development which significantly undermined a huge portion of the game, a much-simplified gear system, and enemy behavior which betrayed a frankly bizarre level of incompetence. Playing as a melee character? I hope you enjoy chasing each ranged enemy for upwards of 20 seconds before you can catch and kill them!
Blizzard expected a backlash, as any game developer does these days with any release, regardless of quantity, but they didn’t expect to be taken to task for one of the biggest gaming let-downs ever. Not one to sit on their reeking laurels, Blizzard set out to slowly patch the game, improving it over a few years into what could really be called a worthy successor. This meant removing the real-money auction house, which they had previously defended, massive overhauls to the gear system, and a million other little changes and tweaks to fix the million little annoyances and poor design decisions.
Once the expansion came out the game was regarded by many as finally fulfilling its potential, where it’s now regarded by many as the best in the series. Just don’t tell that to any die-hard Diablo 2 enthusiasts.
No Man’s Sky
This one was a bit of a doozy. No Man’s Sky was, in some ways, a victim of hype culture and the unsure way in which major gaming development operates, but that in no way excuses the outright lies told right up until release. Finally, a game which would let players explore a full galaxy, full of procedurally generated flora, fauna, geography, and atmospheric conditions! Okay, great.
But what of the features claimed by Hello Games which never saw the release date, including but not limited to:
While some of these can be easily understood from the nature of game development, that development is not done until you are done and the final feature inclusion isn’t decided until the game is out, there are many claims made by Hello Games frontman Sean Murray which would never realistically been able to meet release. Fans logged in on the first day expecting the cliché of a ‘living, breathing galaxy’. Instead, what they got was a creature dragging itself out of the water to make its first few steps on dry land.
The backlash was, of course, significant, Sean Murray went into hiding (we don’t blame him, along the many legitimate complaints were the standard internet fare of threats and other unacceptable behavior), and Hello Games took a significant hit in the eyes of the public.
Since then, approaching two years after the original launch, No Man’s Sky is still receiving significant free updates, not only improving the game but bringing it continuously closer to what was originally envisioned. From incredibly negative reviews of the original version to a current Steam review rating of Very Postive, this is one of the best redemption stories in gaming and one which we expect great things from in the future.
Fortnite
You might not believe it, but the original version of Fortnite was actually remarkably poorly received among the gaming community. While I personally looked forward to the original Save the World gametype, as it interests me far more than the battle royale genre, many players complained that it was not only glitchy, but uninspired and boring. Suffering from delays, the common sentiment of the time was that this would be a game confined to the history books, another attempt gone sour that everyone might think of every few years.
As it turns out, Fortnite went into early access at the same time when PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds had become a worldwide smash, and the Fortnite developers at Epic saw this trend as one worth chasing. Rushing out the original version of their battle royale mode in only a few months, Epic abandoned chasing the Save the World portion of the game as the primary development target and went full-force into promoting the now free-to-play Fortnite Battle Royale.
From near failure into what is most likely the biggest game in the world right now, even surpassing the original PU:BG inspiration in terms of visibility and fan favor, Fortnite stands as the crowning king of redemption gaming. Unfortunately, this has informed the direction of other AAA gaming publishers and developers, with studios like Activision abandoning the traditional story mode in their upcoming Black Ops 4 in order to chase battle royale dollars. Then, trend-chasing over integrity has always been an enormous component of gaming, so we shouldn’t be surprised.What comes next, Crash Bandicoot Royale? Come to think of it, a royale style racing game might be something we could really get on board with. What do you guys think?
2017’s Prey was a rarity in the modern AAA gaming market. As a first-person science fiction RPG directly inspired by the likes of System Shock, it’s the exact game that many genre fans were waiting for, intrigued but ultimately dissatisfied by the relativity simplicity we saw in the Bioshock trilogy. Here was a game with far more freedom than many modern interpretations of the genre feel fit to give, and we loved Prey all the more for it. Now with the first major DLC Mooncrash in circulation, we finally have another excuse to jump into the world of Prey again, and what a hell of a jump it’s been.
Story
The basic backstory as revealed by the 2017 game comes from the idea that JFK was never assassinated, and that the space race ended up more collaborative than combative. Aided as this was by the secretive discovery and research of an alien race, the Typhon, things ended up turning to crap as some of the Typhon on the space-based research vessel escaped captivity and got a little murdery with the crew. Following an abandonment of the project by the United States, who gained full ownership after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the vessel was obtained by the TranStar organization, and renamed from the Kletka to Talos 1. This DLC is not set within Talos 1, but rather revolves around the moon based support system, called the Pytheas Moonbase.
Prey / Typhon Warning by Stefans02, on Flickr
Mooncrash starts out with our playable character waking in their tiny little space pod. Nearing the end of long off world working shift, orders come in over the radio of one last mission, after which you will finally be sent back home to your family. The idea, as laid out by your support, is to replay a simulation based off of the memories of various survivors of the Pytheas Moonbase disaster, in an attempt to understand what really happened before things turned to space custard.
Gameplay
Much of what was loved in 2017’s Prey comes back in full force with the Mooncrash DLC, but the kicker really comes in how the game contextualizes this gameplay. There is still a multitude of imaginative weapons, tools, and abilities, but unlike the first game, these are separated between an eventual roster of five different characters.
The idea here is that when you start a run on the simulation you get to choose between the different unlocked characters, and do your best to complete as many objectives as you can and finally escape. The longer you play before your character succumbs or escapes the higher the slowly increasing threat level reaches, bringing with it stronger alien spawns and environmental hazards. Once one character either dies or escapes the next one is brought in, until all characters have taken part, and the simulation resets.
Prey-Mooncrash-130618-001 by instacodez, on Flickr
This gameplay loop is rare in first person games, though any fans of roguelikes will see the inspiration as fairly obvious. Each new loop changes enemy and item locations, modifies levels in ways which block off certain paths, and can power down some sections or sucks the air out of others, just to name a few of the possibilities. All of this means that no two play-throughs ever feel exactly the same, and you never feel safe in a dangerously unpredictable world. This is aided by the slowly increasingly base difficulty which rises as you manage to unlock all of the five playable characters and complete their various story-based objectives. While this does mean that the game gets harder the longer you play, both in terms of individual sessions and overall difficulty, there are other elements of the roguelike genre which help maintain difficulty balance.
Prey offers a couple of main elements which persist through resets, allowing your team of characters to slowly evolve and keep pace with the similarly evolving Typhon threat. First is the point system, which is based on how many enemies you kill, how many objectives you complete, and how many skill-based moves you make during a character’s run through. These can be spent between characters or rounds to purchase items and equipment, meaning you can customize your loadout for what you want to achieve. Going for an exploratory run? Don’t bother spending much, other than what keeps you alive. Want to seriously try escaping? Fully deck out your character with high-level gear, and blast your way to success.
The persistent element comes from what is essentially the same skill and leveling system of the base game, the Neuromods. Unlike in the base game, the skill trees available to each character are far more limited, meaning that each character has a specific role to play, with their skill selection reflecting their personality, and their position within the base. One of the characters is better with repairing and can summon turrets, while another focusses on straight shooting and another on casting psionic attacks. These varied gameplay types all benefit from the fact that the general running and shooting minute to minute type stuff is far superior to the gunplay and feel of many RPG based first-person shooters, putting the likes of even the vastly improved Fallout 4 to shame.
What really sets the game apart is how all these different elements combine into one incredibly satisfying loop of exploration, progress, understanding, and repetition. Progress within runs is maintained, with character abilities being able to perform tasks which open up further options for the others. As an example, one of the escape options is a Typhon tech portal. To use this portal it first must be repaired by one character, and the computer controls must be hacked by another. This creates a rare feeling of teamwork not easily possible for single-player experiences.
Presentation
As much as we respect what the CryEngine can do, we can be a little hesitant when it comes to performance. Fortunately, Prey and the Mooncrash DLC stand as some of the best examples of CryEngine done well, with looks and performance both operating at the highest levels. The game might not set itself to the highest heights, but it is still a great looking and sounding game, and this is aided all the more by the steady performance.
The general aesthetic is perfectly reflective of the base game, appearing as a unique blend of the obviously Typhon-inspired alien technology and science fiction tech which carries with it obvious attention to early real-life American and Soviet space exploration. These elements combine to create an experience far more believable that it has the right to, and this alone makes it a fantastic experience for sci-fi fanboys like myself. The sound work here can also be fantastic as well, with the muffled silence of vented areas only transmitting sound through the vibrations directly felt by your suit coming across as especially brilliant and terrifying.
Conclusion
If you enjoyed the base game then you owe it to yourself to play Prey: Mooncrash. If you enjoy first-person RPGs and haven’t yet tried the game out then there is no better time to start, with Prey being in many player’s minds the best shock game since System Shock 2, this reviewer included.
Mooncrash is not just a great DLC, it’s a rare and fantastic combination of different genres into a new whole which we can easily see other companies copying outright. A great follow-up to one of the best in the genre we have seen in a very long time, and one which is hopefully indicative of where Arkane Studios aims to take the Prey IP in the future.
London-based composer Michael Perera is making some noise in the sphere of music.
Having released his single, ‘Time and Memory’, the ear-pleasing Michael Perera joined us for an interview to talk about music and culture.
Hi, how are you?
Hi there, I’m fine thanks. How are you?
I am great, thank you. So, how did you find music in your life and when did you decide to become an artist?
I started learning the piano from a young age. When practicing I gradually became more fascinated with creating ideas, rather than focusing on the pieces I was supposed to learn. However, as I entered my teens, the music I had more of a connection with at the time was guitar music. So, through my twenties I was in and out of bands, singing and playing mostly guitar. Only after years when those projects came to an end did I rediscover the piano.
After coming across more modern composers such as Nils Frahm and Jon Hopkins, I felt more inclined to work on ideas that eventually turned into songs. Through some encouragement from musical peers, I finally had the courage to record some of the songs, hearing them take shape was the catalyst for me to keep making piano music.
What inspired ‘Time and Memory’?
Time and Memory is one of the first pieces that I finished; genuinely it stemmed from me just aimlessly noodling away at the keys. Looking back, I can see that it’s influenced by Vessel by Jon Hopkins in parts, in terms of how it progresses, but nowhere near as good or accomplished haha.
What’s the biggest challenge you face when creating music?
Focusing and not procrastinating. I find it very hard to have the discipline to focus, constantly work and finish songs. There’s always a convenient distraction that scuppers me making the most of being ‘in the zone’ and finishing songs quicker. I’m not sure what the remedy is, maybe gaffer taping myself to my chair.
Do you have an artist you look up to when creating your work?
There’s quite a few really. I’d be lying if I said that Nils Frahm wasn’t the catalyst. He made me realise that piano ideas could be layered and completed songs outright. Chilly Gonzales and Yann Tiersen write the most melodically rich stuff, some of their songs I consider masterpieces.
I’ve recently tried to take example from other modern composers such as Goldmund and Joep Beving; both have a real knack for making the simple very impacting. Though the biggest ambition would be to create anything close to La Ritournelle by Sebastian Tellier.
We love Beving, Tiersen, and Frahm at Our Culture Mag. So, what three words describe your music?
Continuous, spherical, pianoey.
What about three words that describe yourself?
Random, immature, lad.
What do you hope to achieve with your music, what is your mission?
Not sure to be honest, I’m just happy having a new project and to be making music at the moment. I like the idea of people listening. I guess the next step would be to make another EP or album, then work out how to incorporate the music into a live context.
Our final question, what is your definition of culture?
If you have a spare month or so, I feel the best and most extensive definition of culture I’ve come across was illustrated by Yuval Noah Harari in his book ‘Sapiens’.
Andrew Archeran illustrator based in Melbourne, Australia merges pop culture and futurism with traditional Japanese woodblock print aesthetic in his ridiculously awesome illustrations.
Andrew Archer has great control over his line work and knows his colour pallets which make the subjects of his illustrations that much more striking. Even though the work is digital the subtle texture effect added to the images give a great call back to the traditional print aesthetic. All this really demonstrating his eye for design and serves as a great example of merging old and new.
The beloved Sound Selection is back for the 36th time.
Swardy ‘Here On My Own’
The first song to enter this edition of Sound Selection is by Swardy named ‘Here On My Own.’ In his latest track which is part of a bigger EP also titled ‘Here On My Own’, Swardy, showcases a progressive-house orientated structure with mellow vocals and stunning vintage-like bass. With this song released, we are sure to hear more great things from the exciting and promising artist known as Swardy.
Tendendo ‘Ghost’ feat. Blasko
The next song to enter our Sound Selection is by Tendendo featuring Blasko. In this song named ‘Ghost’, the two gifted artists combine beautiful vocals and vivid bass elements to form ear-pleasing dynamics that makes this song a must for any playlist. This one is for the playlists.
Gina Brooklyn ‘Normal’
By shifting our frequencies, we have ‘Normal’ by the teenage sensation Gina Brooklyn. In this song, Brooklyn showcases her authentic and genuinely exciting vocals with a layer of authenticity and avidity. While Brooklyn is still a young artist, the heaps of potential and talent she presents in her song gives us no doubt that we will hear more from her shortly.
Feelø ‘Adios’ feat. Harman
Another magnificent song to enter our Sound Selection is by Feelø named ‘Adios’ featuring Harman. In this fresh collaboration, the two artists combine an energetic commercially-driven beat with booming vocals that will make this song a much-loved repeater for your playlists.
Ivey ‘Always’
Previously featured four-piece band Ivey are back, but this time with their fun-driven song ‘Always.’ In this lively anthem, Ivey, bring a wave of catchy and well-memorable lyrics that will keep you dancing for a fortnight to come. ‘Always’ is a perfect party song and one we recommend.
ZOLA ‘Too Fast Too Soon’
The final song to enter our Sound Selection is by ZOLA, who brings us a wave of solid and purely superb vocals in her new unforgettable song ‘Too Fast Too Soon.’ With this song released, we are sure to hear more majestic music from ZOLA who looks to become a household name in the world of music.
Meg Blumberg who is becoming known for her stunning ear-pleasing compositions has once again delivered well, however, this time with her project ‘Marks’ featuring Shawn Williams.
With artists such as Dustin O’Halloran and Max Richter inspiring her work, one might expect a lot. Luckily, for us, Blumberg delivers a lot. Blumberg merges compassionate and kind-hearted notes into an emotional journey driven composition that flows with its core melody flawlessly.
“Majestic music that deserves countless praise”
Having released several compositions this year already, we are certain to hear more heart-filling projects from Blumberg in the months to come.
Conner Youngblood, whose music has been championed by Zane Lowe, has shared his song ‘Los Angeles.’ The song comes before the release of his debut album ‘Cheyenne’, which is due to be released on the 17th of August via Counter Records.
The song is accompanied by a visually stunning video. Youngblood said this about the creation of the video “The idea of the video came about as Johannes and I were discussing the lyrics of the song and sending pictures back and forth to each other. We both gravitated towards pictures of Soviet-style architecture as well as of concept photos of refractions through crystal. There was never any treatment written for it, but once we decided on the tone, we both decided that Armenia was the perfect place to film. The story is Johannes’ interpretation of my lyrics, which deal with a fleeting, yet peaceful relationship I once had”
There is no doubt that Paul Thomas Anderson is one of the most praised filmmakers in the last 25 years. His films stretch from romantic comedies, crime thrillers to period dramas, and with each of his films gaining critical and audience acclaim, PTA can seem to do no wrong. His short film Cigarettes & Coffee, made on a budget of $20,000, was accepted to the 1993 Sundance Festival Shorts Program and after achieving high praise, it was time to make it into a feature-length film, which takes us into the number eight slot.
8. Hard Eight
The film that kick-started PTA’s career and brought him onto the main circuit, Hard Eight follows the story of Sydney (Philip Baker Hall) a professional gambler who meets John (John C. Reilly) a young man who is trying to pay for his mothers funeral. Sydney decides to teach John the tricks of gambling in Vegas, and in two years John becomes Sydney’s protégé. Everything is good until John meets a security worker called Jimmy (Samuel L. Jackson) and falls for a waitress called Clementine (Gwyneth Paltrow). With gambling, hostage situations and bloody violence the film has the makings of a fast-paced, action-packed thriller, but is more subtle than that. The actors are compelling and their aims understandable. Sydney’s motives are remarkably pure and wise; he is there to help in a time of need, no questions asked as he is trying to correct his wrongdoing from the past.
Hard Eight (1996)
7. Inherent Vice
PTA’s 2014 neo-noir comedy-drama crime film (it’s a lot) follows stoner hippie PI Larry “Doc” Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix) who investigates three cases (it’s a lot) relating to the disappearance of his ex-girlfriend, meeting an incredible amount of crazy characters and becoming entangled in the LA crime world. I’m not too sure Doc has any idea what is happening half the time, he is strung from person to person, drifting in and out of cases, Joaquin Phoenix smashes the role and allows for us to just drift with him, the humour is weird and unique, but the story is exceedingly complex, it is a lot. The film is challenging and needs multiple viewings with an immensely rewarding feeling after the 20th viewing.
Inherent Vice (2014)
6. Magnolia
Running at over 3 hours, Magnolia is PTA’s longest film. A convoluted story filled with an ensemble cast playing broken and fragile characters. The film follows multiple characters ranging from a famous motivational speaker, a police officer, a boy genius and an ex-boy genius, a game show host, a fragmented daughter, a terribly ill father, and his caretaker; their stories all connect under the themes of regret and lost family relationships. Magnolia is indeed a heavy and dragging film that could have been shortened (As PTA said himself) but that doesn’t take away its meanings and feelings, loneliness hangs over every character, and their past never escapes them.
Magnolia (1999)
5. Phantom Thread
PTA latest release sees him take on not only writing and directing but also as a cinematographer, providing us with proof of his filmmaking abilities. Set in 1954 London, we follow Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) a distinguished fashion designer who falls for waitress Alma Elson (Vicky Krieps) and takes her on as his muse and lover, but he does not fair well to her sudden want of control and new ways. A slow and elegant film, PTA yet again shows his isolated characters coming to terms with companionship, the set design, costume, and cinematography are outstanding and puts you straight into the 1950s alongside astonishing acting from the cast.
Phantom Thread (2017)
4. The Master
PTA regards ‘The Master’ as the favourite film he has made and for a good reason. The film follows WW2 veteran Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) who is unable to adapt to post-war society, with no one back home to help him he finds support from Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman) leader of the religious movement known as “The Cause”. With acceptance into the movement, Quell begins to spread the teachings but struggles with people denouncing Dodd’s lies and begins to question his ‘family’. ‘The Master’ is ultimately heartbreaking, as someone who has just been through the horror of the war he has come back to isolation only to find some comfort in girls he has picked up from in bars. It’s difficult to listen to someone berate your only family, the only people who have taken you in and tried to contain your chaotic side, bringing purpose. It is another challenging film that again features broken characters proven in the famous Processing scene, now often cited as one of the greatest scenes in cinema history.
The Master (2012)
3. Boogie Nights
An expansion of Anderson’s mockumentary ‘The Dirk Diggler Story’, Boogie Nights follows young Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg) who is working in a nightclub washing dishes when he is eventually found by Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds) who offers him the chance to star in pornographic films during the golden age of the 1970s through to his downfall in the 1980s. A hilarious overlook at the behind the scenes of the pornographic film industry we see an array of eccentric 70’s characters, a great balance of violence and comedy and again a story of finding purpose and control.
Boogie Nights (1997)
2. Punch-Drunk Love
Probably PTA’s most underappreciated film, ‘Punch-Drunk Love’ follows entrepreneur Barry Egan (Adam Sandler) with social anxiety who is set up for a date with Lena Leonard (Emily Watson). While the two fall in love, Barry is obligatory to maintain his love interest while finding confidence in defending himself from thugs threatening to steal his identity all while trying to exploit a loophole in a pudding promotion deal and acquire unlimited air miles. This film is a short (95 minutes) sweet, strange and unique romantic comedy that brings the absolute best out of Adam Sandler’s comedic abilities, as someone who blends in with the world, appearing to hide his ability to find love now brings him to new heights and is now able to face reality. I would pay top money to see Sandler and PTA reunite.
Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
1. There Will Be Blood
The greatest film of the 21st Century so far. ‘There Will Be Blood’ is simply a masterpiece, everything from Daniel Day-Lewis’s acting to Elswit’s cinematography to Greenwood’s score to PTA’s writing and directing. The story follows Daniel Plainview, a merciless oilman who does whatever he can to find oil and begin drilling; he does not take into account his family, friends, religion or anyone else, just himself. His hatred and anger compel one of the most heartless characters ever put on the screen provided by the greatest performance ever. The film is about greed, betrayal, competition, capitalism, religion, and family, how Plainview only takes for himself, he does not consider anyone around him to be of importance to him unless he is there for his gain only, he sees himself as a God, someone who has control over whoever he wants. It combines all the techniques and themes that PTA has presented in the past and is why I consider it to be his best work yet.
What comes next, Crash Bandicoot Royale? Come to think of it, a royale style racing game might be something we could really get on board with. What do you guys think?
