#a Serbian film mention

[just-antithings]

HI so in another ask you replied to someone “New rule if you want to complain to us about A Serbian Film you gotta watch the beind the scenes documentary first”. Would you happen to know where I could watch that? I’ve searched for it, but have had no luck :(

followers?

[sevicia]

Also someone left these tags on that last post and it's pissing me offff like why the fuck are we comparing horror movies to CHILD PORN ???? What do you MEAN "actual horror movies"?? And every horror movie iceberg I've ever seen HAS a title saying stuff like "Distubing horror movies" "Extreme horror movies" "Banned horror movies" so the thought of someone clicking on that and going "There better not be anything upsetting in here!" is so crazy to me. ARE YOU STUPID???? "Can you actually recommend stuff that's genuinely worth watching" Can you kill yourself???

[shigayokagayama]

one of my favorite little things in mob psycho (and one of the reasons i think that, despite it being a relatively complete show, theres so much room for fan speculation and fanworks expanding on it) is all the little details of things that you see or get mentioned for a second for a gag and then never mentioned again because leaving it to the audience's imagination is way funnier than any elaboration ever could be. like for example, teru's movie being a fake horror movie called "flying dead pig" that exists solely on vhs and is apparently extremely hard to acquire. even though the actual contents of this movie are never explicitly shown (literally all we know about it is what i listed above) we can use those details along with teru's taste in general to conclude its probably one of the strangest cinematic experiences ever crafted. like, in my mind's eye this movie is like if that film about the serbian government through the eyes of a pigeon were real.

[johannestevans]

The Real Harm in “Harmful Content”

Exploring the true harm in “harmful content” and “problematic” media.

Photo by Ethan Will via Pexels.

We live, unfortunately, in a world increasingly defined by people’s lack of media literacy.

It isn’t as simple as people not reading, because people do — as schools and universities increasingly cut or allocate resources away from English literature, history, and other humanities, students are robbed of their opportunities to exercise their critical thinking stills; in the USA, “balanced literacy” strategies all but ensure many children don’t learn the vital skills to read text in the first place; many CinemaSins and Ending Explained- style videos are critiqued for their contributions to these wider cultural concerns of anti-intellectualism.

What defines this anti-intellectualism, and the culture that goes with it?

Every film or book or article or opinion I don’t understand intuitively and immediately is “pretentious”. It’s superior and self-involved — it’s a waste of time. I might make snarky comments about black-and-white Serbian films from a hundred years ago shot from the perspective of a pigeon, and I come up with that hypothetical in the most scornful manner possible, because I don’t understand why someone would want to watch such a bizarre film, or why they should want to make it in the first place.

People blame TikTok, they blame YouTube, they blame iPad babies, they blame technology, but it isn’t video formats that impact people’s lack of skills — it’s the fact that their intellectual development is cut off at the knees, in primary and comprehensive schools, in universities, in life outside of school. In response to what people do not understand intuitively or immediately, robbed of these tools to let them understand it, they react negatively.

To teach children, then adults, how to understand and analyse things on their own terms is in itself an individual process — it takes that time, it’s complex, and this tutelage is increasingly impossible with large class sizes, underschooled and understaffed teachers, and a lacking syllabus for teaching these skills in the first place.

How can someone understand their own inability in this area? How is someone to come to terms with this, to become comfortable with the idea they might not understand things, or that they might read them wrongly, when to be “wrong” is bad, and scary?

After all, the underlying reason for the defunding and reallocation of resources from the above humanities I mentioned, on paper, is that these things take more time to examine, test, and score. To the anti-intellectual, STEM subjects have right and wrong answers: humanities don’t.

If things don’t have right and wrong answers, if the answers are in shades of grey, how can they be trusted? What is the value in degrees or nuance when nuance is so costly — when it takes time, effort, money? How can I automatically dismiss anyone who is “wrong” so that I can be “right” — so that I can win? Because if I win, I get to stop thinking about this?

When that’s the reward, it’s more than winning, isn’t it? “Winning” this sort of thing isn’t just about one’s feeling of superiority — it’s ultimately about feeling safe, secure, and unchallenged.

This is the core foundation of many anti-intellectual movements and perspectives — ideas that challenge our core beliefs and ideas, the thoughts we hold as certain and most secure, can be frightening, destabilising, even.

People become frustrated with adages like “There are no wrong answers,” because of course there are wrong answers. How can anything be right, if nothing is wrong? If nothing is wrong intellectually, does that mean nothing is wrong morally? If nothing is wrong morally, then what separates good people from bad people? What keeps good people safe from bad people?

Here comes the crux of what this piece is about: “harmful content.”

Read more in An Injustice!

Also on my Patreon and my SubscribeStar.

[ducktoonsfanart]

Donald Duck, Della Duck, Daisy Duck, Gus Goose and Gyro Gearloose's Easter and Birthday Celebration - Donald's Family and Friends - Quack Pack AU - Duckverse

Even though I know it’s past, I wish everyone a happy Easter once again, according to the Julian calendar, as well as the one that has passed, as well as a happy belated birthday to Gyro Gearloose and Gus Goose and happy birthday to my best and favorite character, Donald Duck, who will celebrate his 90th birthday this year! And happy birthday to Daisy and Della Duck, since they are also celebrating their birthday at the same time as Donald Duck. And together with their friends and relatives. And they are present at Donald’s jubilee 90th birthday. I drew as the end of the celebration of the Easter holidays as well as the birthday of my favorite characters.

On June 7, 1940, Donald's classic short “Mr Duck Steps Out” was shown, featuring Daisy Duck for the first time. 9/6/1934 The Classic Short "The Wise Little Hen" was shown and Donald Duck appeared there for the first time. Donald Duck will become one of the main stars of not only Disney, but also cartoon films, comics and video games at all. Certainly there is no need to tell his history. Della Duck is first mentioned in the comic book Donald's Nephews, and then made her first appearance in the 1994 comic strip "The Empire Builder from Calisota" by Don Rosa, from The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck. Gyro Gearloose first appeared in the comic "Gladstone's Terrible Secret" published in May 1952 by Carl Barks. On May 18, 1938, in the classic short "Donald's Cousin Gus", Donald's cousin Gus Goose, who always likes to eat, appears for the first time. So I wish everyone a happy birthday. Certainly to all who are Orthodox (especially those who celebrate according to the Julian calendar and who celebrate after the Jewish Passover) who live in Palestine, Syria, Egypt, Armenia, Greece, Serbia, Cyprus, Russia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia, Ukraine, Montenegro, North Macedonia and to all Orthodox people living around the world, I wish you a happy Easter! Christ is risen! Христос васкресе!

If someone asks me, yes, it is celebrated differently among the Orthodox and differently among the Catholics and Protestants, so it turned out to be a completely different Easter this year. Don’t worry, there will be a joint Easter next year. So Orthodox Easter fell on this day. The day he was crucified and died, resurrected and defeated death and the devil and proved that there is eternal life for all of us who believe. Glory to Jesus Christ who died for all of us sinners and rose again for all of us to save us!

This time Jose Ze Carioca (José Carioca-Zé Carioca) and Donald found themselves together and applied one traditional Serbian custom for Easter, and that is beating eggs, hitting egg on egg. The one who hits well and leaves that egg undamaged, is the winner. So I put them on this time too. And don’t worry, they don’t eat eggs, they are mostly artificial eggs. ;)

I drew a drawing, this time with adults keeping the Easter tradition and celebrating a birthday and mostly I combined from Quack Pack, The Legend of The Three Caballeros, Donald Duck comics (Italian comics), Ze Carioca comics (Brazilian comics), Darkwing Duck, Ducktales both versions, Double Duck and Duck Avenger (Paperinik) comics. It's mostly part of that Quack Pack AU of mine. I drew mostly in my own way. In addition to beating eggs, there are also Easter eggs, cherries and birthday cake. Mostly present in this drawing are Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Jose Ze Carioca (José Carioca-Zé Carioca), Rosinha Maria Vaz, Nestor, Aracuan Bird, Panchito Pistoles, Della Duck, Gyro Gearloose, Dickie Duck, Little Helper, Gus Goose, Fethry Duck, Gladstone Gander, Abner Whitewater Duck, Uno Ducklair (One-Uno), Drake Mallard, Fenton Crackshell, Gandra Dee, Morgana Macawber, Launchpad McQuack, Lyla Lay and Kay K. I wanted to add more characters, but unfortunately not all of them would fit on my drawing. Sorry!

I hope you like this drawing and this idea and feel free to like and reblog this, just don’t use these same ideas of mine without mentioning me. Thank you! Also Happy Easter to everyone once again and Happy Birthday to Gyro Gearloose, Gus Goose, Daisy Duck and Della Duck! But especially happy birthday to my best duck, Donald Duck! And this is just the beginning of that celebration!

This is also a gift for my friends @isabellanajera, @you-big-palooka, @elmer-dat-gander , @fantasticenthusiasttale and @barbiedisneyavenger as well as for a friend who recently celebrated her birthday, happy birthday dear @nuvemzinhacorderosa ! I hope you like this!

[frikatilhi]

Things I want to exist in the world, in no particular order:

- Jere filming and posting his reaction to the final cut of the mv before release

- Bojan doing Molitva at karaoke (why?? idk?? something something serbian) (I just want Bojan at karaoke shut up)

- Joker out bringing out the kazoos for ccc

- Joker out + Jere gangbang wholesome grouphug

- new piece of clothing for Jere's bottom half

- I'm too scared to wish for anything about the mv, I'll leave that to the gods of gay

- Jere + Bojan actually you know what, I don't even need to say anything about this either, I just want them to, like, exist around each other

- did I mention the WHOLE Joker Out is going to be in Finland and in MY CITY and I know they don't have time, like at all, but I just need them to do All The Touristy Things

[ellie-the-oracle]

Freefalling From Great Heights - A Discussion & Analysis

Hey guys. So, I lied about getting off socials LOL I really need to go full on film theory here and talk about the fall. I do want to preface though and say that I am not a woman of science (I’m an art girlie), therefore I won’t be able to make any sort of proper calculations. Without further ado, I’m going to break down the whole fall and discuss how Tech could’ve and probably did survive. 

First and foremost, I want to go back and take a look at the most clear shot given to viewers of the height between the tram system and the perceived ground level. In this picture, we get a brief glimpse from Wrecker’s POV of how far down it is from the trams. 

While it looks quite high, considering they are practically in the clouds, it is important to note the amount of foliage this planet has; a vast amount large trees, specifically tall pine trees.

These types of trees are not uncommon in biomes that include bodies of water. Consider the images below.

 While it is not definitive, it can be safe to assume that there could have been a stream or body of water below in that valley. However, even if this was not the case, the trees are large enough that they can dampen a fall, even if it is from a great height. This leads me to my next point: 

How high of a fall can humans survive?

An NCBI article covers the case of a rock climber who had fallen from a total of 300 feet and survived. Though she suffered many severe injuries, she was able to recover after extensive medical care. According to this article, the way in which a person falls is imperative to survival. In particular, if a person is falling vertically, they can survive an average fall height of 23 feet and 7 inches (7.2 meters) with minor to moderate injury. Survivable injuries have a threshold of around 20-25 feet. Yet the rock climber was able to survive at even greater heights. That being said, according to an article by Arnold & Atkin Trial Lawyers, 20 feet and below can still prove to be fatal. Moreover, fatal falls usually are between 21 and 40 feet. Considering all the information thus far, it would seem that Tech is exceptionally fucked. But stay with me folks, I’m not done cooking yet.

While it is not common, humans have, in fact, survived free falls at extreme heights. Take for example Vesna Vulović, a Serbian flight attendant who holds the Guinness world record for surviving the highest freefall without a parachute: 33,330 feet (10,160 meters). She was in a coma for days and spent several months hospitalized. She suffered a fractured skull, three broken vertebrae, broken legs, broken ribs, and a fractured pelvis, leaving her temporarily paralyzed from the waist down. Despite all of this, she made a nearly complete recovery, only continuing to walk with a limp. 

In another case, Nicholas Alkemade, a British tail gunner of the Royal Air Force during World War II, survived a freefall of 18,000 feet (5, 490 meters). His fall was broken by pine trees and a soft snow cover on the ground. 

While the first case can be safely considered as a miracle, it's the second case that is interesting. The pilot survived a freefall from a height he should’ve died from. Yet, due to the large trees and the snow on the floor, his fall was cushioned and allowed for him to survive. 

Now, taking what we discussed and applying it to the Star Wars universe, the chances of Tech surviving is definitely in our favour. Firstly, we know there is a lot of foliage (bushes, grass, etc.), and there are also massive trees. But we must remember that this isn’t just some random, unprepared person that is falling. This is Tech, a highly skilled, highly intelligent, and well equipped clone trooper. It is also important to mention that he is wearing a helmet and a chest plate, which provides protection to critical body parts. Knowing him, Tech could have very well put his gear to use and used a grappling hook to attach to a tree and create momentum from his fall to swing onto the ground. He could have also gotten into the falling tram and found a way to cushion his fall. But let’s say he does neither of these things (perhaps due to the speed at which he was falling), Tech can still survive if he falls vertically into the pine trees and foliage, which will cushion his fall, just like Nicholas Alkemade and the rock climber, respectively.

Furthermore, based on all that has been discussed and considered, the chances of survival of a freefall from that height, while seemingly impossible, is in fact, possible and likely. 

Sources:

[just-antithings]

Serbian anon here, sorry I just saw your post about "uncultured". Maybe it's an English as foreign language thing? I meant it in a "you uncultured swine" kind of way, because there are a lot of stereotypes about E and SE Europe (Slavs as they live in most of those areas, but there's also Romanians, Hungarians, Baltic nations, etc, I even talked with some Greek people who feel they are often put in the same bag with us "uncultured swine"), many were fueled by the cold war, but a lot are centuries old, and currently result of capitalism doing its thing of not giving a shit unless something is profitable (aka, we don''t get "representation" because it's just not worth the effort). In Western media we are constantly portrayed as violent, almost animalistic. Men are uneducated brutes in wifebeaters who smoke and beat their wives and children all day long. Women are either sexless manly old hags with short hair and deep voice who are nagging you or chasing you with a broom, or hypersexualised, demure young bimbos who endure the abuse by their aggressive husbands because they don't know better (until a white Western man comes along to teach them the beauty of freedom or some shit). May I suggest a video by Yugopnik called "slavic stereotypes and minority representation in western media" that will make my argument way, way better than I can. XD

I generally don't like to go too often into this topic because lbr there are fascists and white supremacists among Slavs as well, and they often find themselves invited whenever discussion about anti-Slav sentiments is brought up literally anywhere. But from my experience, A LOT of Western people see a lot of E/SE European peoples as this almost barbaric group too stupid to take care of ourselves (even though a lot of the times when we try something, we're bombed to the stone age by US empire and its buddies). If I may draw a parallel, we're kind of like the Mexicans of Europe, as in "the ruling white people" will happily declare that we don't have any culture that isn't stealing, wife beating, and having dozens of babies who are simultaneously too lazy to work and are taking all your tax money, and also there to take all your jobs. (I don't even want to start with what they're doing to Polish people in UK.)

So to finish this tirade off back on A Serbian Film - I feel a lot of Westerners see it as "violence and gore with no artistic merit" because it comes from a nation that is all barbarism and no culture or history, completely ignoring the fact that there is a lot of deeper cultural meaning, despite the violence and gore and all that porn. Except even those are there specifically as a critique of overproduced, flat bullshit disneyesque cinema that exists not to offend anyone and extract as much money as possible.

Bet you were happy to give me this soapbox, eh. XD I hope I answered some part of what you wanted, and I apologise as I'm not a native English speaker and my thoughts are probably a convoluted mess.

.

[spot-the-antisemitism]

Hamasnik collective psychosis would be funny if it didn't have real life consequences. Are people really that stupid to believe every supposed horror commited by Israel. Without even going to their tags I ran into: dogs trained to rape Arab women, metal rod rapes, injecting diseases into Palestinian water supply, burning babies alive and ton other dumb shit.

Do they realize that making shit up to demonize your enemy isn't anything new?

Do they remember when Russians claimed back in 2014. that Ukrainians razed entire Donbass to the ground and that they were crucifying babies?

Or in 90s when Serbs claimed Muslims were feeding zoo animals with live Serbian infants? Or cutting them up to harvest organs so they can fund their war? Or chaining their corpses to use them as rafts?

Both instances were made up claims spread by government officials.

But Hamas claims? No way they are made up exaggaration, it has to be true. Of course they draw a line when Jews mention what Hamas did 10/7, because you can't trust (((them))). Even though latter was filmed by Hamas themselves.

Dear anon

thank you for your essay,

Please don't use collective psychosis when you mean mass hysteria or cult indoctrination. I have psychosis, it DOES NOT make me a bigot. This language dehumanizes schizophrenic people

dog libel, blood libel and poisoining the well are all libels from the Middle Ages and they reuse it because it works each time

"Do they remember when Russians claimed back in 2014. that Ukrainians razed entire Donbass to the ground and that they were crucifying babies?" Yes anon and who has completely justified their conquest and cultural genocide of Ukraine as a holy war? Russia

"Or in 90s when Serbs claimed Muslims were feeding zoo animals with live Serbian infants? Or cutting them up to harvest organs so they can fund their war? Or chaining their corpses to use them as rafts?" Yes and it caused the BOSNIAN GENOCIDE.

"Both instances were made up claims spread by government officials." Yeah and last time a government used antisemitic propaganda to kill Jews, they caused THE HOLOCAUST.

This rhetoric, these lies KILL MILLIONS every century.

They use it BECAUSE IT WORKS, it is tried and true.

So your examples UNDERMINE your points and only prove that no one listens to the victims but instead their slandering oppressors

please write again,

Cecil

[ideahat-universe]

Good Design, Bad Design: ARG edition!

Don't worry, it's just a framing device. Lets talk about a Good ARG and a Bad ARG.

Good Design

Shipwrecked 64 is one of the better examples of a ARG done extremely well but what really sets it apart in my mind is the fact that it's a real game.

A lot of indie games make game play a means to an end, most of it benefits more from being watched than played.

A meta of overcharging people to play chapters of a game where each chapter is a little under 2 hours and the game play is just put key in keyhole and run from thing has really crippled the entertainment the genre can offer.

Not so for Shipwrecked 64. You're expected to learn and even write down many things to find the answers needed to progress.

Learn a little bit about music, remember numbers and colors when they appear to you, watch the videos that show up, Read the notes made by stumbler, utilize a fan made cipher to decode Beaver-scratch (or decode the method yourself!), dabbled in the phonetic alphabet, oh and a bit of some googling.

The game can be a punishing experience for streamers who expect to knock this game out in an afternoon. Because of that though it can be fun to play blind. In fact it's very fun to play blind and the scares are edited fairly well as the the jump part of scare utilizes a very surreal screen tearing effect, meanwhile the game tries to come up with ways to sneak up on you to make the jumps really sudden.

It's very good. Sure Poppy's Playtime is a more cinematic experience, and the latest Freddy Game wasn't that bad either but there's something about a really well rounded experience that lives beyond its expectations.

UrbanSpook is. Well, UrbanSpook is a TV dinner.

Let me explain.

A few months ago I mentioned Who's Lila which was also a really well done ARG and meta mystery story which was born from Twin Perfect's reading on what Twin Peaks was supposed to be about.

The idea is that Twin Peaks was a response to how throwaway and artless television was becoming and specifically how murder stories were just a cavalcade of dead bodies and killers with nothing else to care about.

The metaphor used in Twin Peaks? TV Dinners. Whenever bad people were indulging in base desires they were eating TV dinners or other meals that lacked substance.

Yeah, I think you know where I'm going with this. UrbanSpook comes out the gate with a framing device for a gallery of artwork but the framing is bare bones and the artwork only satiates the desire to see gore. The artwork is good but in creating a story it is not judged as a series of images and is instead judged as a story.

As a story we don't know who the killer is, how they kill, why they kill (why they have to kill people to make paintings). We don't know the victims beyond them being dead, when they died, and how they died. We don't know who is primarily responsible for investigating the killings (as it is not uncommon for a specific person to be tasked with bringing a serial killer to justice).

We know about as much as you might learn in a B movie. Which brings me to what I believe UrbanSpook is. UrbanSpook is a no budget ARG Splatterpunk horror.

People come in expecting some kind of lip-service to pathos because at the end of the day people love character, not kills; and in almost every good horror story you get characterization of everyone as well as a strong theme beyond "We like violence, yes we do."

BUT in a B-movie or a cheap slasher film you want gore, you want some blood thrown around, you want TV Dinners.

I imagine though that the budget of UrbanSpook is quite limited so rather than make a completely animated venture he went for the Mandela Catalog effect.

And maybe it's a good gambit. With money he could make a better production but he's getting a Serbian film style reception which does hurt and lashing out on Twitter isn't great PR but that's beyond the art and really everyone is terrible on Twitter.

UrbanSpook isn't bad because it dares to do things that are audacious and repugnant, because the horror genre has gladly housed such films since the creation of film as a genre.

What UrbanSpook does bad is telling a story and while morally Horror can do whatever it wants, artistically there is a good design for a horror story and a bad design for a horror story and this is

Bad Design

[jokeroutsubs]

Joker Out in Tvornica Kulture - Jokeroutmania

On Friday, the first of two sold out concerts of the Slovenian music sensation, Joker Out, was held in Tvornica Kulture. 

“This is the first post-Yugoslav Slovenian band that sold more than 50 tickets in Zagreb”, Ivan Ramljak, a longtime music journalist who has since turned into one of the best domestic documentary film directors, jokingly commented to me on Facebook. The truth is an inseparable component of every good joke, including the joke mentioned above.

The last post-Yugoslav Slovenian band that performed in the same concert venue was the band Siddharta, who also filled Tvornica Kulture, two decades ago, but in unusual circumstances in which a considerable amount of buses full of their Slovenian fans also came with the band. In 2003, at the peak of their career, Siddharta filled Bežigrad Stadium in Ljubljana and their loyal followers really followed them everywhere, and to Zagreb as well. That was the only night in Tvornica Kulture in Zagreb when I couldn’t hear Croatian spoken in the audience almost at all, so in that sense maybe the theory that the Zagreb public didn’t buy even 50 tickets was correct, despite the euphoria that dominated in a full Tvornica. 

Twenty years later, Joker Out is a whole different story. Maybe it wasn’t obvious this summer, when they were the opening band for the popular Serbian duo Buč Kesidi at Šalata, but it definitely was at Špancirfest in Varaždin before Franz Ferdinand’s concert. To picture it, it’s enough to retell the story from the backstage, where the Scottish stars arrived right when the audience was screaming, saying goodbye to Joker Out. Alex Kapranos was delighted and surprised by it at first and asked if people were really so excited for Franz Ferdinand, but his mood was ruined when he got the answer that the reaction of the public was towards the opening group. On the other hand, maybe that was one of the reasons Franz Ferdinand delivered an excellent performance that night. Competition is a good thing. 

The Zagreb promoter of Joker Out’s recent concerts was also very surprised when the tickets sold out and the decision to add another date was made. The tickets for that concert sold out as well, and the final tally is approximately 3,400 tickets sold for Joker Out.

The Croatian general public found out about Joker Out from Eurovision, where this band represented Slovenia. “They’re really handsome guys. We’d love to play around with them, if we find the chance. Maybe we’ll stick carnations up our asses or have group sex”, Mrle from Let 3 joked around in his usual fashion, but in a somewhat patronizing way. However, now at the end of the year there’s no joking around with this Slovenian band, who’s not only in demand in our region, but also more widely, from Scandinavia to Gibraltar. In addition, they recorded the song “New Wave” together with the legendary Elvis Costello, and a fairly well known British agency took them under its wing. Translated from the promoter’s language: If you want to book Joker Out, calling Ljubljana won’t work, for that you’ll have to dial a number in the UK and agree on their terms and prices. Sharp, isn’t it?

Now, it’s not exactly appropriate to stick a carnation up someone’s ass when they can teach about success in jumping to the most lucrative position in show business, which is being a teen rock star. Carpe Diem? Joker Out have definitely ‘seized their day’.

The Zagreb concert, scheduled for 21:00, started at 21:00, accompanied by screams of the entire Tvornica Kulture. Yes, screams that are an integral part of the song “Sunny Side of London”, which starts with a Beatles polyphony from Joker Out, followed by a ‘Beatlemania’ from the audience when the frontman Bojan Cvjetićanin appears. Basically, a ‘Jokeroutmania’, without exaggeration. I haven’t seen or heard that kind of mutual engagement in a long time.

This wasn’t a case of initial enthusiasm, which usually lasts for 10-15 minutes and then the band has to pull it on their own in order to raise the tension again to a new peak, according to the invisible sinusoidal rule. No. Last night, the venue sang with the band from the first until the last song for almost two hours, and when “Sunny Side of London” was performed as the last encore, it was followed by even louder screams than at the beginning. As if the enthusiastic and adrenaline-charged youth in Tvornica Kulture didn’t dance and sing the whole time in between.

I dare to say that the Slovenian language has never been sung so heartily and accurately in Tvornica. English as well, and we can’t even talk about “Demoni”, which is in our language. The band itself is full of first-class musicians, and one of the more experienced visitors said that evening: “We watched far more unstable British bands at INmusic festival”.

Of course, Joker Out’s songs are in the rock sphere, which massively attracts the teenage audience. But these songs are neither bad, nor do they bring with them the well known “stink” of pandering to the public. Joker Out believes in their songs. There’s no fraud with them, and their strongest “joker up their sleeve” is Bojan Cvjetićanin, who is a born frontman - he learned all the lessons, and managed to maintain naturalness and spontaneity, especially in communication with the audience. 

With the exception of drummer Jure Maček, who cannot move around the stage due to “his job description”, the entire line-up alongside Cvjetićanin, i.e. guitarists Jan Peteh and Kris Guštin, as well as bassist Nace Jordan, formed a barrier at the very edge of the stage during the entire concert, which was an added bonus to the euphoria. No one turned their back to the audience during the performance, on the contrary, they were “on the front line” from the beginning until the end.

And of course, Joker Out are far ahead of similar bands that use pre-recorded instrumentals and samples during their performances. Namely, they have that old school, organic approach, which brings success in a time when there is a lot of talk about the popularity of trap music and similar genres, and about the lack of relevant young guitarist bands that could attract significant interest, primarily from a young audience.

And finally, we’re not talking about a band that was created as a project before the Eurovision Song Contest and is now flying on the wings of that success, but about the guys who have been working since 2016 on something they were recognised for across Europe six years later. As much as I appreciate Let 3, I have to express my doubts about who has better “group sex” with the audience. The only thing I have no doubt for is that Tvornica Kulture will be on fire tonight as well. The teenage audience chose their heroes and they didn’t choose wrongly.

Original article Ravnododna (11.11.2023)

Translation credit @moonlvster

[fearsmagazine]

THE VOURDALAK - Review

DISTRIBUTOR: Oscilloscope Laboratories

SYNOPSIS: In a remote countryside, the Marquis d'Urfé, a noble emissary of the King of France, is ambushed and forsaken. Seeking shelter, he stumbles upon an isolated manor with an eerie atmosphere. The family, hesitant to offer hospitality, displays peculiar behavior as they anxiously await the imminent return of their patriarch, Gorcha. However, what initially appears as mere oddity swiftly escalates into a full-blown nightmare when Gorcha returns, bearing a haunting transformation that raises questions about his true nature.

Based on “La Famille du Vourdalak" by Aleksei K. Tolstoy, THE VOURDALAK, predates Bram Stoker’s “Dracula" by over half a century.

REVIEW: In Mario Bava's 1963 film "Black Sabbath," starring screen legend Boris Karloff, the "I Wurdalak" segment draws inspiration from the same story that forms the premise of THE VOURDALAK. Surprisingly, the story originated in Russian and wasn't translated into French until approximately seven decades later. It's noteworthy to mention that the word "vourdalak," derived from Slavic and Balkan folklore, may have initially referred to werewolves before becoming associated with vampires.

Filmmaker Adrien Beau brings Tolstoy's story to life, incorporating many of its elements with some contemporary flair. While it diverges from the original prose, Beau compresses time and incorporates several of Tolstoy's themes, creating a rich tapestry of folklore, superstition, patriarchy, and elements of 1900 French polite society and Serbian culture. Reminiscent of Nathaniel Hawthorne's short stories, the tale follows a noble emissary who seeks help and is given an ominous warning as he is sent out into the forest and told not to stray off the road. Outside his comfort zone, the nobleman confronts his beliefs and becomes a victim of his own desire. Beau remains faithful to Tolstoy's tale until the climax, where he introduces contemporary vampire themes through the Marquis d'Urfé's challenge. The dialogue and interactions authentically feel period.

In this film, the production values may be simplistic, but the costumes, particularly the Marquis d'Urfé's hair and makeup, effectively establish the period of the story. The actors' movements and the structure of the dialogue further contribute to the period atmosphere. Despite being shot in color, the framing and editing techniques evoke the classic monster movies of the 1930s and 1940s.

Adrien Beau's puppet design stands out, reminiscent of Max Schreck with a touch of zombie. The combination of the performance and Beau's voicing of the character creates a chilling effect..

The cinematography is both beautiful and breathtaking, creating a distinct atmosphere, especially during the daylight sequence and even more effective at night.

Martin Le Nouvel and Maïa Xifaras' score blends period-sounding movements with an effective genre score, enhancing the atmosphere, emotions, and performances of the characters.

The captivating ensemble cast elevates this film to a must-watch. Kacey Mottet Klein portrays the Marquis, a character resembling a 19th-century Ash. He has some panache, but his bumbling nature and occasional off-putting actions result in him being a less likable character. Ultimately, he brings a sense of integrity to the role that makes it memorable. Ariane Labed's performance as Sdenka exudes charm and aloofness, as she adds an exotic allure to the character. It is understandable why the Marquis falls under her spell. Grégoire Colin and Claire Duburcq effectively portray a couple governed by societal expectations and rules of civility. Their interactions with the Gorcha highlight their acting brilliance. Despite realizing that they are making poor choices, they are unable to deviate due to the patriarch's influence and the necessity to respect his wishes. The exceptional performances of the cast alone make this film worthy of multiple viewings.

Adrien Beau’sTHE VOURDALAK, his feature film debut, has a raw cinematic feel that seems inspired by the essence of the classic black-&-white monster movies and the sensuality of the Warhol Dracula and Frankenstein films, without all the sex and gore of those films. The cinematic experience is a blend of a talented filmmaker and an excellent cast that make THE VOURDALAK a delightfully bizarre, gripping and shockingly refreshing film. THE VOURDALAK has all the fright stuff to render it an instant cult classic.

CAST: Kacey Mottet Klein, Ariane Labed, Gregoire Colin, Vassili Schneider, Claire Duburcq & Adrien Beau. CREW: Director/Screenplay/Creator of the Vourdalak Puppet - Adrien Beau; Screenplay - Hadrien Bouvier; Producers - Judith Lou Lévy, Lola Pacchioni & Marco Pacchioni; Cinematography - David Chizallet; Score - Martin Le Nouvel & Maïa Xifaras; Editor - Alan Jobart; Set Designer - Thibault Pinto; Costume Designer - Anne Blanchard; Prosthetic Makeup Artist - Franck Limon-Duparcmeur; Visual Effects Artist - Fredrik Monteil. OFFICIAL: N.A. FACEBOOK: N.A. TWITTER: N.A. TRAILER: https://youtu.be/twv0lLTfze4?si=136SpjpWiCAwCTKq RELEASE DATE: In theaters June 28th, 2024

**Until we can all head back into the theaters our “COVID Reel Value” will be similar to how you rate a film on digital platforms - 👍 (Like), 👌 (It’s just okay), or 👎 (Dislike)

Reviewed by Joseph B Mauceri

[goryhorroor]

I don’t know if you’ve answered this before but can you tell me any movies that you will never watch or have watched and wish you hadn’t? I saw you mention a Serbian film and I would appreciate knowing any other ones to avoid at all costs. Thanks!

cannibal holocaust 100%, the director murdered innocent animals & used the indigenous tribes without their knowledge, death file: red, a dog's life, africa: blood & guts, faces of death, and the gateway meat. majority of them are literal, and i don't say this lightly, pointless gore that borders literal just snuff

[goodluckclove]

Clove rambles about whump from a structural standpoint instead of an ethical one because that's more interesting and they can't stop thinking about it

I think I just realized why I struggle to truly get into whump. Stay with me, writers, I implore you.

It's not because of the content. I mean it can be brutal, but I grew up on Serbian Film and other semi-pornographic exploitation films. I was a mentally ill youth without proper treatment on the Internet. I've seen things.

This is going to be a spicy take that might get me in trouble, but I don't like whump as a genre for structural reasons. It's just...too easy. We're writers and artists with Big Feels and complicated histories, to make a character go through unimaginable horrors - for the most part - doesn't challenge me. It gets a reaction, but so does a jump scare in a horror movie. So does an explicit reference to my triggers. So does a pinch to the forearm.

I don't think it's bad. People like horror movies with loads of jump scares. They find it exciting. I just with the writers - particularly the ones that include caretaker stuff - would push as hard to delve into the comfort as they do the pain.

Although the fact that that's harder - even for me - that says a lot doesn't it? So much Caretaker presence that I've seen in the posts that have popped up have just sort of been vague mentions of things that are supposed to happen to "get better". Maybe they think it's not as interesting, but oh my God as a reader I find it makes the pain so much more painful in a way I think writers should really consider.

The shaky desperation of relief. The vague guilt and confusion of still being here. Looking up at the moment around you with the stars and the sweet night air and a warm drink in your hands and you're so happy, but in the back of your mind there is this ghost. Things improve, the ghost gets farther and farther, but it's always there. Learning to live with that is one of the most complicated things in human existence and its one of the most peaceful horrors about being alive.

I don't care if this is looking too deep into it. I don't think everybody has to think like this. I'm not saying this as some puritan that thinks nothing bad should happen to their characters, I've written plays that consistently make my audiences weep. Wife watched a recording of my first script and said it made her nauseous. I'm just saying that if you provide catharsis and a warm bed for the reader, in the quiet comfort you've created they can truly feel the weight of what happened.

[fckedinlove]

favorite scary movie? favorite gore-fest movie? any n3cro film recommendations? honestly starved for movies, books are a dime a dozen but realistic or romantic n3cro movies are hard to find.

good question !!! time to write many paragraphs. first off, the best necro book (or book in general because it’s so fucking beautifully written) is by far exquisite corpse by poppy z brite. however, you did ask about movies, so let me get to it.

my favorite scary movie… that’s a hard question. i’ll write a list for you. hereditary, martyrs (2008) (though i view that one as way more of a drama), rosemary’s baby, barbarian, apostle (2018), tusk, saw ii, the shining, terrifier 3, the silence of the lambs (though this is more of a crime thriller), the babadook, the sixth sense, the texas chainsaw massacre (1974), and last but not least, carrie (1976).

favorite movies for gore, that’s a shorter list. hereditary is good but the violent moments are few, far between, and emotionally charged. nothing sexually pleasurable about a mom grieving her barely teenage daughter. other than that, i like the gore in terrifier 3 (nonsexually… for the most part) quite a bit. even i cringed a couple times. i absolutely capital-D-despise saying this, but i liked the gore (nonsexually with the exception of one scene—not involving the children, of course) in a serbian film. i need to wash my hands after writing that out. i hate a serbian film with a passion for reasons i won’t get into. i’ll make a list for the rest. evil dead rise (and the evil dead movies in general), the terrifier series (i know i already mentioned it, whatever), the saw series but mostly I-III, and many more that aren’t coming to mind right now.

as for favorite necro movies? excision (2012) is the first that comes to mind—probably because i rewatched it today. it features surreal dream sequences of autopsies, pouring blood, and… lots of breasts. i don’t know. pauline is very relatable for a lot of people but while i can’t find myself relating too much to her, i really love her character. veeerrryyy heavy surgery themes in this one.

repo! the genetic opera isn’t necrophilia or cannibalism centric. however, it does inspire some, uh, passion for viewers who tend to lean into their ‘dark side’, so to speak.

i haven’t watched nekromantik but as somebody who used to have shock horror as my biggest interest, i need to. i’ve heard mixed reviews but this one is HEAVILY necro centric. 80s german shock horror with a couple real animal kills (which is why i’ve been putting off watching it).

warm bodies is a zombie rom-com, and it sounds ridiculous, but i love that movie. it’s a very soft, sweet, necro-lite type thing. it is very comforting and easy to watch and yes, it’s technically zombies so they’re ‘undead’ but it’s still worth a watch or two.

there are a lot of movies that i’ve heard good things about but haven’t gotten around to seeing, but i do agree with you in that there are no real necro movies that are worth the time of day (so it seems, at least).

anyway, i hope this was at least somewhat helpful. feel free to send more asks; i love answering them.

[beardedmrbean]

NATO member state Latvia is installing anti-tank concrete pyramids, known as "dragon's teeth," along its border with Russia as part of an effort to defend against the country as tensions rise over the war in Ukraine, a video circulating on social media appears to show.

"Latvia has started installing defensive barriers on its border with Russia. The so-called 'dragon's teeth' were spotted near the easternmost Latvian town of Zilupe," Anton Gerashchenko, a former adviser to Ukraine's minister of internal affairs, said on X (formerly Twitter), sharing the footage.

Dragon's teeth, first used during World War II, are made of reinforced concrete and are used to impede the advances of tanks and mechanized infantry.

Newsweek couldn't independently verify when or where the footage was filmed.

Tensions between Russia and NATO have remained high throughout Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. Moscow has accused the alliance of involvement in the war by providing Kyiv with military assistance and weapons.

Russian officials have regularly floated the possibility that Russia could strike NATO members in response to the aid they have provided Ukraine with.

In January, the Baltic States—Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia—signed an agreement in the Latvian capital, Riga, to create a common defense line with "anti-mobility infrastructure elements" to bolster NATO's eastern border with Russia and Putin's ally, Belarus.

Latvia's Ministry of Defense told Newsweek that counter-mobility obstacles are being "procured and transported to temporary storage areas near Latvia's eastern border" in accordance with the Eastern Border Fortification and Counter-Mobility Plan, which was approved by the Latvian government on March 5.

"The obstacles will be set on the border according to the mentioned plan," the ministry said.

"From a military perspective, this initiative will significantly boost our capability to protect our borders at the national level; we will be able to slow down and block the movement of potential aggressors more efficiently," Latvia's Defense Minister Andris Sprūds said in a statement in January.

Sprūds added: "This is a joint project for Baltic countries, which will also advance NATO's collective defense."

Local publication tv3.lv reported in March, citing the country's defense ministry, that the defense line would include support points for the National Armed Forces units along the border; defensive positions for soldiers and fortified defensive positions; various obstacles; anti-tank ditches; ammunition and mine depots.

In April, Poland's Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said in an interview with German newspaper Bild that he "wouldn't be surprised at all" if Russia attacks his country. "Russia has attacked Poland many times in the 500 years of our history," he added.

"But, in this scenario, Russia will lose, because we, the West, are far more powerful than Russia," Sikorski said.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said on Monday that he believed NATO member states were rapidly preparing for a potential war with Russia.

"They are not ready now, but I think they will be ready. They are already preparing for a conflict with the Russian Federation and are preparing much faster than some people would like to see, in every sense," Vučić told the Serbian TV channel Pink, according to Russia's state-run news agency Tass.

"We know this from military preparations. We know how they are being conducted. And I want to tell you, they are preparing for a military conflict," Vučić said.