Soho News

General Musings

I made some layout changes.

From Brazil to ZARDOZ

I watched some more old movies recently, in the next few paragraphs I will share my thoughts about them. They are less reviews and more just observations.

ZARDOZ

Its been a few weeks since I watched ZARDOZ but it is still very prominent in my mind. Both visuals and theme.

SO, first up come more shallow observations. I love the costumes, It feels very Star Trek ToS in that way. That Sean Connery was basically in a red speedo for the whole movie is so funny (and the boldness of that fan service oh my). It makes me want to draw more campy characters like that.

The sets were all neat, I liked how they contrasted each other.

I wont be going into any deeper plot summaries with this. I didn't have any expectations for the movie, though I watched the trailer beforehand and it felt like it was completely different from what was represented there. Like with most cult-y media of the last century, it felt very familliar. Probably owing to the fact that other film makers referecne it a but (the most recent example being from the Venture Brothers movie lol). As for its themes I do think it is still pretty relevant too (again a feature of media from before my time that makes me sad).

With the rise and now downfall of generative AI, LLM's, Stochastic Parrots, or whatever you wanna call them, and the oligarchs that champion that technologies rise and usage, I can not help to draw some paralells.

A upper class that has great resources but no exact knowledge of how the technology that serves them works. Exiled "Criminals" who dare to question the system and a literal lower class, of completely isolated individuals that are controlled through the desemination of both violence and puritanical thought, which is enforced by members of their own, that are deceived into serving the masters.

It seems so generic really.

What I do not exactly like is the aspect of Connerys character being a literal sort of Übermensch, (not in the Zietzsche way but more in the Nazi way) that exists to sew doubt and was created by one of the upper class individuals that was disgruntled with the system. I don't think we would ever see a Peter Thiel figure doing that in real life but also a comparison to Engels might be apt (I don't want to imply that Engels created Marx, but his financial support certainly helped lol). If it werent for that aspect, I think it would have been nicer.
That you need a her figure in a movie is kinda a given, though with akk if them I can not help but to say that foregoing a hero for a more collective effort would be nice to see in media too sometimes.

Brazil

Not the country but the movie (do love the country though, it seems great).

I want to only say that it left a deep impact on me. I really do Identify with the protagonist in some regards a lot. As any dystopia it hits the nail on the head with it. The typically british for of libertarian anti beuarocratic sentiment, seems very relevant. I love how it wrestles with the hero figure I mentioned in my ZARDOZ writeup and the conclusion for that is so fun and bleak that it drives the point home, that change can only be achived through community and there will never be anyone bailing you out if you just sit on your ass and rot in the same place. Also the very nice commentary on the futility of changing a system from the inside.

This is rather short, but don't let it fool you, this has become one of my favorite movies. The soundtrack, set and prop design certinly helps with that, its gorgeous.

Anyway. Call these whatever you want, reviews, ramblings, dogshit. Send me electronic mail about it at feuer.in.soho@gmail.com