Gundam Drinking Games: MS Gundam and Zeta Gundam Edition

If you couldn’t tell by my last post, Boyfriend and I have been on a Gundam kick lately. Well, it’s more my fault. I wanted to watch Char’s Counterattack because it is so acclaimed, but Boyfriend said that I needed to finish MS Gundam and its sequel Zeta Gundam first or I wouldn’t understand it. So we’ve spent a lot of the past month marathonning Gundam at various points. And then I got into another one of my periodic anime-watching phases, it being Spring Break and whatnot, and started watching the fantastic steampunky-alternate-universe Turn A Gundam concurrently with Zeta. I’ll probably end up watching every series by Tomino (the creator of the original series) someday.

Photo by Flickr user Bryoz

Anyhow, because I posted the Gundam Wing Drinking Game after my previous rewatching-a-Gundam-show experience, and because the other day a party fell through and I ended up inventing a Zeta Gundam drinking game with Boyfriend, I thought I’d share two more fabulous Gundam drinking games.
A “point” can be whatever you want it to be, based on the strength of your alcohol of choice. A sip, a shot, a whole glass….whatever. Feel free to inform me of the results of your fun times with these games. I designed them for watching around, oh, four or five episodes in a sitting. If you go for a longer marathon, proceed with caution.
Disclaimer for the niños: if you are not legally old enough to drink alcohol, don’t drink alcohol. Play this game with refreshing, delicious water instead.

Zeta Gundam Drinking Game

• 2 points for every face slap or face punch (there are way more here than in MS Gundam, so proceed with caution).
• 1 point every time somebody says that Kamille has a girl’s name
• 1 point every time somebody implores Kamille to be a man or act like a man.
• 2 point penalty drink if you so much as snicker when hearing a character say the name “Quattro Bajeena” (this one gets me every time).
• 1 point for every mention of the events of the previous series (in however much detail you deem appropriate).
• 1 point each time you see recycled animation
• (optional: 1 point when Kamille whines that nobody understands him)

…..and now for the ’70s one:

Mobile Suit Gundam Drinking Game

• 1 point for every use of a recycled Gundam transformation sequence (excluding the opening theme) [OR every moment that seems explicity designed to sell a toy].
• 3 points for every face slap or face punch.
• 2 points for every Mirai Yashima romance moment
• 1 point for any character’s surprise at how the Gundam does not blow up with one hit
• 1 point for every time anyone acts creepy or fanboyish around Matilda-san
• 1 point for Kai Shiden snark. Extra point if he gets slapped or punched in retaliation for the snark.
• 1 point for every time Fraw Bow brings Amuro food, tells him to take a shower, or mommies him in some other way.
• 2 points for every awkward eating scene
• 1 point for the pack-o’-orphans making a contribution to the outcome of battle.
• 2 points for awkward shower/bath scene.
• 1 point penalty drink for every time anyone says “huh?”/”what?”/wtf at any psychedelic trippiness.
• (optional: 2 point penalty drink if you laugh at the Guntank or any other silly mech)

I hope you have a grand ol’ time with these games!

Remember, kids, Sleggar Law sez: “Drink responsibly and remember to slap a bitch if he/she gets outta line.”

–Recca 3/17/13

Review: Mobile Suit Gundam (1979)

Long absence, I know.  But I just wanted to share my thoughts on a remarkable little anime series from the ’70s. 

When I was 13, and a big nerdy Gundam Wing fangirl, Cartoon Network started showing Mobile Suit Gundam after the conclusion of Wing.  I stopped watching the show after a few episodes because I didn’t like any of the characters and I thought it was lame and cliche.  But boy, did I misjudge it. 

I just finished watching the entire series (in Japanese, if you must know) and I really enjoyed it.  If you compare it with everything that came before (cartoony giant robots), it was really groundbreaking. 

A quick summary for the uninitiated (no spoilers): This is the first show in the long-running Gundam series, which involves vaguely samurai-like humanoid giant robots in some variety of warfare.  In MS Gundam, Amuro Ray and a group of military and civilians survive an attack on their space colony and are drawn into conflict with the evil Principality of Zeon.  World War II…IN SPACE, sort of.

My favorite point came towards the end of the series, where there are some truly avant-garde psychedelic (and most likely 2001: A Space Odyssey-inspired) moments as the series spirals quickly towards its epic conclusion. 

Speaking of influences from other films, I definitely can feel some Star Trek influence in MS Gundam.  The multicultural cast (their names are a combination of German, Japanese, Spanish, English, and other influences), strong military women, and “space navy” theme are clearly present.  On that note, I think that MS Gundam most likely started the Gundam series’ tradition of strong female characters.  Sayla, Hamon, and Lalah are some tough and awesome ladies and were enjoyable to follow through the series. 

I enjoy anime from the 1970s – the hand-drawn dusty cel look is charming to me, I guess.  The retro look and feel of MS Gundam is great, as is the disco-style funky battle music and J-folk ending theme.  While the opening theme song recalls other giant robot series in that it is mainly about the Gundam itself, it’s catchy, upbeat, and infectiously fun. 

Let’s talk about the characters, which are really the best thing in the show, in my opinion.  These are some of the best-loved characters in Japan and I hope my descriptions and opinions here do them justice.

Let’s start with the White Base crew.  I grew to love this bunch of tough folks with funny names, along with the obligatory pack-o’-orphans (Kikka, Katz, and Letz) that add comic relief here and there.  MS Gundam gets in a lot of character development, which is one thing that Gundam Wing didn’t do so well (there were really too many characters).  Amuro has his issues and moments, but that’s probably realistically to be expected of a teenage boy.  My boyfriend and I both posited that we would probably be the Kai Shiden of the group if thrown into the same situation (laziness, snark, etc.). 

…now for the bad guys.  While pretty much all the Zeons have something….kinda…wrong…with them in terms of appearance (they all have purple hair, weird body shapes, look sickly, etc), that just adds to their evil appearance.  Char Aznable, who Japanese people love “three times more” (qualifier used to describe Char’s mechas) than pretty much anything else, is a cool dude.  And the foundation for every masked baddie in anime (and every masked bad guy in Gundam, pretty much) since the ’70s.  Char was the only thing that kept me watching MS Gundam as a 13-year-old. 

Did I mention that there is a lot of face slapping and punching?

….yeah.  Good to know that Kai gets slapped around almost as much as Amuro.  Slegger Law’s only purpose as a character is basically (1) to slap a bitch and (2) to hit on the ladies of White Base.

Okay, now for the bad points.  This show was made partially to sell toys.  So the Gundam does a lot of really goofy transforming stuff that is often used as episode filler.  Also, some of the designs weren’t quite up to the “realistic robot” standards that Tomino envisioned when he conceived of Gundam, and come off as…well, silly.  But I can’t really complain about this, since the Gundam and friends still look ten times more realistic than most of their contemporary giant robot brethren, who look like the mecha from Power Rangers or plastic toys. 

Well, that’s it for my disorganized quick review blurb.  I hope you will check this series out, it’s a real gem. 

(…and before you ask, yes, I am a colossal nerd and have already started watching the sequel, Zeta Gundam.  Will I review that?  Maybe.)

Review – Brighton Rock (2010)

Recca’s note: Sorry for the paucity of reviews and posts lately.  I’ve been in law school, which basically means no time for anything, especially not watching films.  I’ve also just been lazy.  When I’m exhausted, I can only stomach light comedic television nowadays.  That being said, I just got Hulu Plus last year (Netflix drove me away) and they have a large selection of Criterion films.  So expect something periodically in the future.  I’ve been on a bit of documentary kick lately, though, and I highly recommend The Eyes of Tammy Faye.  Anyhow, I can’t say no to a mod movie review (the specialty of this blog), and when the mod remake of Brighton Rock presented itself on BBC iPlayer the other day, I had to watch it.  So on to the review!

Brighton Rock (2010, UK) dir. Rowan Joffe

I saw the original Brighton Rock (1947) a few years ago on film and fell in love with it.  When I heard that there was a remake in the works both based more on the novel AND set in mod-infested 1964 Brighton, I squealed fangirl squeals of delight.  I picked up the Brighton Rock novel by Graham Greene right away and while reading it, imagined how the remake would transfer the plot into the mod era.

So, naturally, I was quite excited to see this film.  Overall, it’s a solid watch, though it is not without its issues.  I am inevitably going to make a few comparisons with the original film which, though excellent, is also not without its issues, so please bear with me in that regard.  I would highly recommend viewing both (in any order) as well as reading the novel (if you’re into crime novels with a twist of Catholic subtext).

The plot concerns a young gang leader named Pinkie, who struggles against an established mob run by Corleone (played brilliantly in this adaptation by Andy Serkis of Gollum fame).  When Fred Hale gets caught between the two gangs, Pinkie has to murder him.  A young waitress named Rose becomes the only remote witness to Fred Hale’s “disappearance” and Pinkie starts up a relationship with her to keep her quiet.  Both of them are Catholics, which figures into the plot extensively.  In the meantime, busybody good-time girl Ida (who in this adaptation also runs the cafe where Rose works and is played by the great Helen Mirren) becomes interested in the mystery and will stop at nothing to make sure Pinkie is caught.

The most interesting part of the story, in my opinion, is the relationship between Pinkie and Rose.  This part of the story is what the 2010 adaptation excels at portraying.  Rose is a little bit overacted in the 1947 version and I tended to pity her less in that adaptation.  Rose is far more dimensional in the new film.

The new film sticks to the novel in some ways more than the 1947 film, but it’s a little superficial.  Characters are condensed (Ida and the cafe owner) and changed, along with the time period.  While this largely works, I found Ida to be the weakest character in the new film, while she was far more interesting in the 1947 version and in the novel.  Helen Mirren’s Ida is too serious and comes off as pretty boring overall.  The shorter length of the film may be to blame, but she barely gets involved and the tension surrounding her investigations has little time to develop.  Kudos to the new film for expounding on the Brighton Rock candy metaphor, a central feature of the novel’s plot.

The cinematography in the 1947 film is far more interesting and black-and-white lends itself to the gangster film noir atmosphere of the plot a bit better.  The 2010 film is well shot, but it can never beat the fantastic murder scenes in the original.  Interestingly enough, the ending of this film is shot-for-shot an homage to the 1947 version.  Color does help capture the mod world quite well, though, and I loved the use of colors in Rose’s clothing throughout the film.

I really appreciated that this film didn’t become complete mod-sploitation.  That being said, a few of the “mod moments” felt a little bit forced, such as when Rose goes shopping.  The scene where Pinkie dresses in the full mod kit – fishhooked parka sleeves included – is pure mod porn.  These scenes didn’t detract from the film as a whole, though (and I rather enjoyed most of them, being a mod myself).  These moments fit the plot – Pinkie seems to be a bit of a mod, and he steals a scooter and uses a mod disguise to escape into the crowd.  However, mods are notoriously picky and even I, not hardcore by any means, found a few issues.  Some of the men had more “freakbeat era” long haircuts which you probably wouldn’t see in 1964, and a few of the girls had more mid-60s Carnaby-type dresses as well.  This is ‘pop culture’ mod, but it doesn’t fit the time period.  I also spotted some older people as extras in the scooter parade scene, which is also completely inconsistent with the era (although I bet those old-timers were glad to be in the scene…it probably reminded them of their youth).  On a positive note, the Brighton mod riots add a fascinating new dimension to the film’s thematic focus on the conflict between young and old (Pinkie vs. Corleone, Rose vs. Ida, mod rebels vs. Brighton businesses).

I appreciate the risks taken in this adaptation, and unlike most adaptations of great films, I enjoyed it and could easily re-watch it.  Again, though, while Rose came across better in this film, I miss the Pinkie and Ida in the ’47 film, and the murder scenes that shone in the original can’t be matched.  I find myself in the odd position of recommending both films.  They are both fun to watch and look great.  I especially recommend the new film for fellow mods (let’s face it, this is the closest thing to another ‘Quadrophenia’ that we’re going to get in this decade).  I hope the film sparks another revival (we need one!)

(chants) We are the mods, we are the mods, we are, we are, we are the mods…..

Sorry, I got carried away there.  Check out both films….and/or read the novel!

–Recca 2/7/12

Rating (2010 film): 7/10

Trailer:  http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi4823321/

Manyoshu and Kokinshu art films

Made for a premodern Japanese literature class by me and my friends. Our project (3 separate films) translated poems from the Kokinshu, Manyoshu, and Shinkokinshu (3 Japanese poetry anthologies) into the content and visual styles of our films.  Unfortunately I have lost the Shinkokinshu film file.

See my friend Susannah’s Kokinshu film here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlwGXFiapQE

My main influences here were Antonioni’s ‘Red Desert’ and ‘Blow-Up.’ I tried to reflect the ambiguous yet simple voice in the Manyoshu poems in a cinematic style reminiscent of Italian Neorealism.

Concept, Cinematography, Direction, Production – Recca Phoenix
Boy – An Hoang
Girl – Susannah Davidson

Edited in iMovie
Titles edited in Final Cut Pro

(c) 2007 Reccalux

The Mod Show Ep.1: Where to Buy Mod Clothes in the USA

Latest, first, and most likely only episode of my show for mods.  And by mods, I mean those belonging to Mod (subculture), not computer modifiers.

Liberty Eyes – my experimental film

I now present the blogosphere debut of Reccalux’s greatest film to date: my experimental collage animation “Liberty Eyes”.

My main stylistic influence was Ken Jacobs.

My film examines colonialism and its aftereffects in Ghana via handpainted movie posters and Nana Agyemang Ofosu’s poem “Virgin Liberty”. It also comments on cultural “dumping”. “Liberty Eyes” screened at the UC Berkeley Pacific Film Archive in 2010 as part of the Film And Video Makers At Cal program “Fleshed Out.”

Review-let : ‘Beat At Cinecittá’ Vol. 1-3

source: bluebeat.com

Hey there again, fans of lounge, mod, and funky stuff.  Another modtastic set of groovy instrumentals can be found in the three-volume Beat At Cinecittá series of CDs.

All the music on these albums comes from Italian exploitation cinema of the ’60s and ’70s and ranges from bossa to jazz to psych to go-go….with some playful novelty numbers here and there.  If this sounds like your kind of scene, I would highly recommend this set.  Volume 1 has the strongest material of the three, with Volume 2 containing most of the fun and weird numbers.  Alas, there doesn’t seem to be much information on the source films (wherefore art thou, liner notes?), but the songs are enjoyable enough on their own divorced from the content of their visual counterparts.

If you think you’re groovy….in the words of P.P. Arnold….check it out!

Recca 5/12/11