'Breaking Bad' Gives You an Out, Do You Take It?

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omething I enjoy putting in almost all of my writing is an out. An out is, as one may expect, an opportunity to escape a situation. In The Subliminal Hand, the protagonist, Daniel, has an encounter with another character who rather violently implores him to give up his mission. In the following scene, a broken Daniel returns home and has a bath and shave. I leave it up to you to consider what this signifies, but I know what it means to me. Daniel is offered an out, and I believe he is considering it. Nevertheless, midway through his shave, things go awry, and his out becomes trickier. Compared with the drama of the surrounding scenes, this scene seems like an unneeded pause, but, in fact, it's the most critical (and personal) moment in the story: the simple decision Daniel makes in it will govern the rest of his life.

The out is an important mechanic, not just for a character, but the reader (or viewer, et al.), as well. This bathroom scene is also important for you, because you're also being offered a chance to quit. From this point, you can believe two things: that he will quit, or that he will continue. The results of these two things are also up to you. So, if you quit, you can believe that whatever happens next will be great and the bad guys will fail and everyone will be happy. Or not. It's up to you. But, if you choose to continue, then you're putting all of those beliefs and wants in the story's hands, and conceding that whatever happens next, that will be what happens. Those beliefs and those wants will be nothing, and what will happen, will happen.

As Daniel places his life in his choice, you place your enjoyment (or not) or enthrallment (or not) in the story in your choice. Daniel's fate, as far as you are concerned, is tied to the choice you make during the bathroom scene. You will choose whether he succeeds or fails.

Embarrassment Never Felt so Good: Cynic Live, One

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an you believe it: your eloquent Narrator humiliated himself in front of Paul Masvidal.  The ever-flowery penner who has no trouble constructing pretty collections of words was caught in the trap of too-much-to-say-with-too-little-time.  So, instead of reciting the thoughtful lines I’d prepared all week, I, first, giggled like a shy girl, and then burst into a monolithic rant on Cynic’s musical history, without a hint of beckoning, and even less context.  Yes, I told Paul Masvidal what his own music sounds like.

I shouldn’t be allowed near my heroes.  No matter how much I convince myself I won’t look silly, I always end up looking silly.  I’m like a kid that refuses to let go of a piece of candy, even though he’s full and has had enough.  Cynic and Intronaut are my candy.  And enough is not enough.  See, I’m sitting in the corner of a train station as I’m writing this.  It’s dark, cold (no matter how much I prepare, I’m never ready for the agony train stations throw at me), a wind keeps blowing into my face even though the doors are shut, and after getting just a hair over two hours of sleep today, my body is ready to quit.  And yet, I’m having no trouble slinging this together.  But put me in front of Paul, and I go all googly-eyed.

The chemistry of a lifelong friendship.

In my defence, though, Cynic gave me a ton to talk about, because their set provided it.  For example, Paul’s singing was so subversive it was almost beyond surprising.  He would prolong certain notes, distort others, and ignore some choruses all together, all to the point that singing along required one to stay on edge because we quickly realised Cynic weren’t going to be taking the verbatim route.  It gave the show an improvisational feel, and in hindsight, makes absolute sense – even if no one was expecting it.

The songs, too, were distorted.  I’m a big fan of “Integral”, the remix of the masterpiece “Integral Birth”, and they did something so brilliant it was utterly logical looking back at it, but equally unexpected because no one would think they had the balls to try it: rather than play only one of the two songs (a shame, because I’d love to hear both, but that’s impractical), they combined them, with Paul playing “Integral” as an overture, before the band collectively jumped into “Integral Birth”.  It was a stunning amalgamation that fit so perfectly one could have assumed it was but a single song originally composed as such.

When Plans Go Awry: Intronaut Live, Two

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ell, seeing Intronaut for the second time didn't turn out as planned, even though it was much closer than last time.  Speaking to the band (mostly Joe for a couple hours) was, again, awesome, as was the first half of their set.  We missed the rest so we could catch the final train home, which, oh, joy of joys, was first late, and then cancelled as it pulled into the train station.

The collection of travellers were justifiably pissed, but there was nothing we could do.  Eventually, we hatched a plan to share a taxi with six other people, allowing the ride to be only slightly more expensive than the train ticket.  So, all was not lost... for us, anyway.

As the taxi stopped for a minute in front of the station, an old man standing beside it stared at me.  He had a hunch, long, black beard, unkempt hair, and the look of a bitter, defeated man.  Only minutes earlier, he had been standing alone while we tried to get a taxi home.  Before that, he was angrily asking an attendant why he wasn't allowed in the train.  When we exited the station, I felt his distress - we, too, were stranded.  But, then, there I was, safely on my way home while he stood there, watching everyone but him leave.

Man, that felt shitty.  I should have done something, more than just pondering aloud whether he was headed in the same direction.  There probably wasn't enough space (I believe adding us was the limit), but does it hurt to try?  In the end, I can only hope he eventually found his way home, whether it be on the first train of the next day or some other means. 

End.

(Updated: 12.03.14. Reason: formatting and grammar; I did not fix the otherwise terrible writing.)

Unforgettable: Intronaut Live, One

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y memory of Friday, 3^rd of June, 2011, will not be forgotten until the senility of old age takes me.  I don’t say this as some hyperbolic trope with little meaning – it was truly a night to remember.Somehow, however, I’m not sure how to describe it all.  I could use one of the various over-used adjectives that permeate the modern English lexicon, or a long, structured examination of the day’s events, but, frankly, my tongue can’t grasp the words required to do that.

When I briefly spoke to Joe Lester after their set, the word I kept flubbing out through my star-struck quiver was “Wow!”  The word was the closest I could come to expressing my combination of joy, ecstasy, disbelief, and sheer awe.  By the time the band had started coiling their cables and the audience had dispersed, I was still standing in front of the stage, wiping the sweat and inability to comprehend what had just happened from my brow. 

I couldn’t believe it.  This was Intronaut.  In person.  Not two metres from me.  In the centre of the stage, Joe had played his bass; to his left and right, respectively, Sacha Dunable and Dave Timnick provided a harmony of guitar and vocals; and, finally, beyond them was Danny Walker, whose cymbal hits, fills, and blast beats were as precise as they were to the point.  Each member was in form, working as vessels through which the music flowed.

I Recommend... Undesired

In India, all women must confront the cultural pressure to bear a son. The consequences of this preference is a disregard for the lives of women and girls. From birth until death they face a constant threat of violence. See the project at http://mediastorm.com/publication/undesired

Walter Astrada's Undesired shows us a shocking side of India, where women are marginalised to the point that a daughter is fed less than her brother and deprived of the basic education he receives, girls are forced into manual labour at the age of 8 just for the hope of being able to afford to pay the family of her future husband for the privilege of marrying him, and in the case of a failure to pay up the required amount, women are burned alive and killed without a second thought. In fact, this last part is done so happily, because it means the family can receive even more money when he remarries.

I don't believe in judging cultures I have not personally experienced (and let's be frank: mistreatment of a race or gender is not unique, unfortunately), because there are undoubtedly things that we do not see unless we're living in the midst of what we're judging, but the fact that this is India is what jumps out at me. This is an emerging country with a rich history and culture, massive power in its region, and one of the world's fastest-growing economies (8th according to the CIA), yet it hides this revolting character trait.

The lesson here is that even the best of us are not saints, and no matter where you are as a country or culture, there are still things that need fixing and people that need your help.

I'm not posting this for you to judge, but so you can understand what our fellow humans are going through in another part of the world. Thankfully, the Indian government sees the injustice being committed against women here and is trying to do something about it.

Review: Valley of Smoke

Year: 2010
Artist: Intronaut
Website: http://www.myspace.com/intronaut ; http://blogronaut.blogspot.com/

Geflügelzam! Amazon followed through on their promise to have Valley of Smoke delivered by the 19th, and after procrastinating for a while (I don't have the ROM drive on the netbook I use most of the time), I finally got to listen to it at full volume with a pair of good speakers, and then switched to headphones and have been listening to it non-stop since.

First, though, a teaser for ya:

Clouds Set, Three

I just got back from a showing of Moon in a local university's lecture hall. If you haven't seen this film, it's highly recommended, especially if you get the chance to view it on a big screen. There's much I could say about it, but I will only comment on one thing for now: the framing, use of colour, and use of focus combined with Clint Mansell's score make you lose your breath at times.

When people try to convince skeptics about the wonder of film, this is the example they should use.  Gary Shaw (DP) deserves whatever love he got for this, because he earned it.

Anyhoo, more clouds!

Download original.

Download original.

I love both these pictures. There's a great combination of colour and light that shows off the complex structure of these clouds.

Review: deUSYNLIGE

(via Wikipedia)

Also known as: Troubled Water
Year: 2008
Director: Erik Poppe
Writer: Harald Rosenløw Eeg
Cast: Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen; Ellen Dorrit Petersen; Anneke von der Lippe; Tone Danielsen; Trine Dyrholm; Trond Espen Seim; Terje Strømdahl; Frank Kjosås; Stig Henrik Hoff


There are so many things I could say here, but frankly, I believe that anything I say will be detrimental to your experience. I truly believe that. I went into this film only knowing its title, coming off a recommendation from, let's say, a friend. I hate that fact, because I genuinely hate the feeling of not knowing where something is headed. I can't handle staring into the darkness, because I get so tense waiting to see a flicker of light that I might as well drop dead before I ever see it.

But if I Wiki'd this before watching it, glancing at the plot, my experience would have been ruined. It would have done a disservice to all the effort the makers put into creating more than a story, but a living... well... well, I've already said too much.

So just take my advice: Don't Wiki this film. Don't try to find out beforehand what it's about. Don't read a review. Don't Google it. Don't watch the trailer. Don't go into it expecting anything. Just walk right into that darkness.
Look for it at your local rental store, look for it on TV, look for it online on Amazon or a place like Filestube, just go look for it. And when you find it, make sure you won't be disturbed for two hours and then let the river carry you wherever it may.

Trust me, you won't regret it.

The Internet Archive List

I'm cutting this list from the links sidebar and pasting it here.  Just saving some space, caramba.

List of highly-recommended films available to watch on Internet Archive for free:

D.O.A.

Detour

Kansas City Confidential

Les Vampires

M - Eine Stadt sucht einen Moerder

Night of the Living Dead

Salt of the Earth

Scarecrow

Scarlet Street 

The 39 Steps

The Kid

The Stranger

They're all in the public domain, so it's okay, Catholics, you don't need to feel guilty about clicking those links.

A 'C' Word for Four Browsers

Chrome: Casual

Firefox: Comprehensive

IE: Crap

Opera: Cool

Preview: Knytt Stories

RELEASED: 30 AUGUST 2007
FORMAT: PC (REQUIREMENTS: LOW)
DEVELOPER: "NIFFLAS" NICKLAS NYGREN
WEBSITE: http://nifflas.ni2.se/


My love affair with 'Within a Deep Forest' began with a PC games mag reviewer talking about cheap balls slapping you in the face.

'Within a Deep Forest' isn't a cheap
plastic ball, though, it's a massive gold nugget. A massive gold nugget of evidence that some of the best things in life really are free. Gameplay. Atmosphere. And graphics (albeit 2d), too. Oh, and don't forget about the music.

'Knytt', then, came knocking on my door with a large rock to carry. I'm currently working on a review, so I'll stop here.

'Knytt Stories' has a release date of the 30th of August.

A 2d platform game similar to 'Knytt', although seemingly featuring a different character, and with more of a challenge, 'Knytt Stories' will also come with a free level editor.
It should follow the same atmospheric path forged by Nifflas' previous games, which is no bad thing. And will have more of a story element.

'Knytt Stories' (and the powerful level editor) will be free, but an expansion pack with extra levels and music will be made available for purchase.



Nifflas' Games
The Unofficial Nifflas GamePage

Review: Alter Ego

ORIGINAL FORMAT: Apple ][, C64
ORIGINAL DEVELOPER: Peter Favaro
PUBLISHER: Activision

REVIEWED FORMAT: PC (ONLINE)
DEVELOPER: Dan Fabulich (with Peter Favaro's blessing and cooperation)
WEBSITE: www.theblackforge.net


What if you could live your life over again?