#adapt stories with care and fidelity to the source material

[kwistowee]

Hey Hollywood: if you don't like it, respect it, or understand it, don't touch it.

[abnerkrill]

Conservatism is baked into pro-fidelity adaptation arguments

Aka, what incorrect lessons the Percy Jackson and Avatar: The Last Airbender adaptations taught fandom, and why the Internet is mostly wrong about The Rings of Power.

I don't particularly like the film adaptations of Percy Jackson and Avatar: The Last Airbender, but it's not because they "changed things" (and it's certainly not for Annabeth's hair color.) They're bad films purely because they're bad films, lacking the original texts' (Riordan's books/the ATLA show) charm, personality, point of view, and humor. Crucially, they both lack the essentials of plot and characterization and contain ill-fitting humor, bombastic CGI, and appeals to "mainstream" popularity that didn't actually appeal to any kind of mainstream because audiences are slightly too sensible to fall for something that cheap.

But fandom as a whole, and a whole rash of individual fans, took the wrong lessons away from these failed adaptations. People started to complain solely about superficial changes made (Annabeth's hair, the poor/problematic ATLA casting) and came to the conclusion that if the adaptations were only more faithful to the source material, they would've made good movies. (Which is why Riordan and the ATLA showrunners now are so hellbent on proving their new takes will be faithful. Because the fans are feral and bloodthirsty about it.)

Which is wrong. Because films are films, not books/animated shows. The medium demands fundamental, structural modifications. Films have more compact run-times than books and animated shows, and different dramatic shapes. Films are made for a 1-sitting experience—for this type of heroic quest story, it's always a 3-act structure, play credits. The medium necessitates changes. (Since Percy Jackson/ATLA/ROP are TV shows, not films, I'll caveat that TV shows are structurally even more difficult. Not only do you need to balance season arcs and their dramatic shapes, you need sufficient dramatic push-and-pull on an episode-to-episode basis.) On this level, we can agree fidelity is, to some degree, a myth.

Going deeper, though, I argue that fidelity is not only a myth, but also an innately conservative argument that prioritizes "keeping things the same" at the expense of "making something actually good and worthwhile." Fidelity, of course, means faithfulness, but the only other place you commonly hear the word "fidelity" is in the context of marriage and relationships. Who needs to stay faithful? Husbands and... well, really, mostly wives, in the Christian cultural imagination. Why? Purity and sanctity, and freedom from sin, which sounds a lot like fandom purity culture and the Madonna/whore dichotomy transplanted into another realm. Yes, fandom has created a sanctity/sinning, Madonna/whore dichotomy for adaptations. On one hand are the Good and Pure Adaptations that do not stray from the Lord's course (the author's original text.) On the other hand we have The Very Sinful Whore Adaptations, like Rings of Power.

I know a lot of fans had a deep emotional whiplash to Rings of Power, I among them. I was hesitant because I don't trust large profit-driven corporations like Amazon and especially because I despise Bezos (and would support pirating all Amazon material, let's be real.) I was hesitant also because there was such immediate, widespread backlash to the costumes and casting and trailers, it was easy to jump on the bandwagon and nitpick details—backlash that took advantage of my vulnerable emotional state because of how much I care about Lord of the Rings. LOTR, both books and movies, was incredibly formative and important for me and my whole generation, and if it felt like this new adaptation would taint it—well, you weren't alone in thinking that.

(The ROP writers room, of course, operates independently from Bezos and corporate Amazon. But for those participating in the backlash, nevermind that there are hundreds and thousands of dedicated artists and artisans on the show! We hear Amazon, we have an instinctive response that makes us unable to conceive of the show as an artistic endeavor. Still: the writers and artists on ROP are just that, writers and artists. With Amazon's money, they hired some of the best people working in the industry, and from all accounts there wasn't all that much corporate interference. Or... at least about as much corporate interference that Peter Jackson and every other director and writer deals with.)

(Also pause to note that there was immense and similar backlash to the Peter Jackson films as there currently is to Rings of Power. Even think back to the Hobbit trilogy backlash not one decade ago. This is the exact same phenomenon, we just find ourselves on varying sides of the equation depending on our age and experience.)

I'm sorry to say that everyone who jumped on the ROP backlash bandwagon before the show was even released was manipulated and taken advantage of by alt-right, pro-culture-war trolls, tradcaths, and bad actors. I include myself among those duped by the toxic discourse, because as late as March of 2022 I was telling friends I didn't want to hear a single thing about the LOTR show, I was so mad at it already. Mind you that we'd barely had posters at the time, let alone any real information about the show. It was suspect and evil already in our minds.

How do I know it was trolls and not genuine, good-faith criticism driving the response? Firstly, because pop culture divisiveness is a well-known, extremely effective tool of Russian troll farms to further divide democratic nations. There's an excellent academic paper by Morten Bay at USC about how Russian trolls utilized trolls spreading conservative backlash to Star Wars: The Last Jedi to stoke political division. Guarantee you that ROP casting, Little Mermaid casting, Marvel casting, and every other liberal/conservative divide in pop culture has been used similarly by Russian troll farms to stoke American political division. It's not even up for debate—take a look at Bay's research to see the numbers. ROP is a great target for trolls because it's so important to so many people.

Second, conservative Catholic publications published many reviews and thinkpieces that are highly critical of the show. Imagine my surprise then when well-meaning liberals and progressives on Twitter and Tumblr were sharing these pop culture critiques and fully agreeing with them. Unfortunate times when your own baked-in, uninterrogated need for textual fidelity turns out to be a tradcath line of thinking.

Finally, you have only to look at Youtube and Instagram comments on anything ROP-related to see that the vast majority of anti-ROP vitriol is racist, sexist, and/or tradcath and otherwise fascist in nature. I've read a lot of comments because I lack self-control and the complaints really come in one of two flavors: fidelity arguments, and straight-up nasty racism. Or both. Unsurprisingly the two are married, because both types are yearning for an unpolluted, faithful, and ultimately conservative take on Tolkien.

I liked Rings of Power a lot once I actually watched it, though it took me two or three episodes to break through the unfortunate bandwagoning and negative conditioning I had internalized from social media responses. It's not entirely "faithful", which turns out to be a wonderful thing because there are things Tolkien never acknowledged that the show ought to. Like the degradation and dehumanization of the Uruk race. Or the potential for ostensibly noble Elves like Galadriel to dance on the edge of corruption because of her thirst for vengeance. Or (at least I'm crossing my fingers and hoping that they make good on the hints of this idea in Season 2 and beyond!) how Númenor's fall and destruction is an ultimate test of religious faith for the Faithful because how could Eru have allowed it? We could've had a Rings of Power that ignored those themes and subplots because they're not in Tolkien's texts, but it would've been a loss; they're the most compelling parts of the show.

Okay, I promise I'm leading towards a conclusion. It's this: misdirected Percy Jackson, ATLA, and Rings of Power complaints were born from fan culture transposing Christian purity culture onto adaptations, with extreme and emotionally-charged backlash against adaptations that aren't considered faithful. But adaptational fidelity is both an unrealistic goal and an inherently conservative one. Politically and artistically, progressives should be the first to want interesting, new, surprising, compelling interpretations of favorite texts. That's how new ideas and perspectives can proliferate, sparking conversation and ideas and more forward-thinking instead of stagnation and just repeating the same stories endlessly. (Funny how everyone complains about endless sequels and remakes, but the second adaptations make changes people also complain. Can't win!)

But fan attitudes are also revelatory in that they show how much fandom is only superficially progressive. Tolkien fans—even the most liberal—are desperately, slavishly loyal to the Catholic politics of a 20th century white male author (one who, let us never forget, said his Orcs looked like the ugliest Asians [author's disdainful paraphrase.] and the Romantic, Christian-y, black-and-white morality and aesthetics of Peter Jackson's films. ROP's girlboss Galadriel was a funny jokey meme, nevermind that most of the commentary is disgustingly misogynistic; even liberals don't like girlboss Galadriel because, I suppose, ethereal perfect queen Galadriel with an absolutely static character arc is a more compelling character to them? (Unsure why angry rageful Galadriel isn't a feminist favorite on this website—oh, except there's an obvious answer: people's progressive credentials are shallow and uninterrogated, and we don't like angry women who are in the wrong and need to change.)

And then there's Bronwyn, who I've seen criticized for not being a consistent character (as if she should only be a mom or only a leader or only a lover. I think it's realistic and very cool for her to contain multitudes.) Or Míriel, last queen of Númenor who's bound to die a tragic death—I swear it made me want to grind my teeth into dust when I read that this was bad and racist of the writers because she's a woman of color and her storyline involves her getting deposed and dying. As if it doesn't make complete, heart-wrenching sense for a women of color to desperately fight a losing battle against corrupt enemies. As if women of color don't also deserve to be tragic, noble heroines. I think it goes back to the fact that these women contain multitudes, an immense upgrade from Tolkien's women, who with the notable exception of Eowyn are pretty shallow characters.

I almost went and made a caveat here that it's okay for you to dislike the show if you want. Which, I guess, sure, I'm not making decisions for you. But I suspect that if people interrogated their dislike for ROP's Galadriel, Bronwyn, Arondir, Míriel, and other divisive characters, they might find that they're regurgitating what the tradcaths and trolls taught them to say, because the tradcaths and trolls have perfected the art of making you angry on the Internet. Who really benefits from LOTR remaining a 20th century relic of stagnant politics? Traditionalists who want Tolkien to remain pure, white, and Christian.

I do have two main criticisms of Rings of Power, which are the "The Elves will take your jobs!" line (dumb) and occasionally the pacing (needs work.) And other than the casting of Arondir, Bronwyn, Disa, Míriel, and other important characters with actors of color, it's not a particularly progressive narrative in and of itself. But the Internet backlash stems from the sad fact that while we were all happily ensconced in our safe, superficially progressive fandom spaces, we were all duped into the insidious conservative rhetoric that fidelity is good and ROP's a bad adaptation because it's faithless. Frankly, I'm all for faithlessness, provided it's faithlessness in outdated and harmful politics. Let's take back ground from the tradcaths and trolls, and not let them pre-ordain our decisions for us.

[theriverbeyond]

do u care to elaborate on why tlt would be worse as a visual adaptation? the issue that comes to my mind would be that the unreliable narration and the sense that the main character has no clue what is going on would be way harder to get across on film, but i'm curious if there would be other problems

sure! also sorry this ended up being rlly long lmao.

the unreliable narrator part of the books is a big reason why I think the series would be worse as a visual adaption. overall, GtN as a standalone would probably adapt okay, but you would still lose Gideon's unreliable narration and all of her gorgeous & funny prose. NtN would probably be just okay as well, but again you would still lose her subjective narrative voice and the specific way she perceives the world. like..... at their best, a visual adaption (animated or live action) of NtN or GtN would still be less-than the book because both are stories that so heavily rely on their specific narrator's internal subjective experience.

and that's not even getting started on HtN -- I have no idea how one would adapt HtN into a 3rd person narration in any way without drastically changing it. and in changing the format, you lose the backbone of the story (Gideon Telling Harrow a story about herself), and you lose the disorientation of Harrow's lobotomy. you lose the viewer experience of confusion/self doubt/etc that just makes HtN what it is. I just can't see a visual adaptation succeeding without making massive sacrifices that I just don't think are worth it. like.... these books are good because of things that don't translate to video. video isn't the pinnacle of media. if something was designed to be a book/audiobook and it does an amazing job as that, I just do not see any reason to sacrifice a bunch of what made it good just to see it on a screen.

Secondly, I do not think a visual adaption would be able to retain fidelity to the source material, because everyone in tlt is gross all of the time. I love fan artists having fun with the designs but IMO that's not the same as an official adaption. like, not only is necromancy gross, a lot of the characters are described with traits what would probably not survive the transition to camera or animation. Such as: bloodsweat, Harrow being a wet rat constantly covered in vomit or blood or both, Silas looking jaundice/like mayo, Issac & Jeannemary looking like they are going through all the terrible parts of puberty etc. Gideon has a pimple problem and a crooked smile and Ianthe is gross and constantly wearing clothing that absolutely does not fit her. Mercymorn has a resting bitchface, G1deon looks like a skeleton with skin, etc etc. Anime or arcane-style animation would probably be better, at least with stuff like necromantic gore and bloodsweat, but they would probably still end up being like. conventionally attractive! idk maybe this is more of a personal preference but it's kind of important to me that they are not.

I have 3 personal exceptions:

Stage musical adaption. I think a stage musical could capture the drama, the emotion, and the camp needed. for GtN at least, but maybe even beyond. everyone is seen from a minimum of 50 feet away so they can use exaggerated makeup and really lean into all the ugly. practical effects for necromancy, musical numbers for the marta/cam duel and initial gideon/harrow fight.... palamades' explosion happening offstage as gideon stands frozen in the middle, her and us helpless and unable to do anything but wait. massive puppets for the lab 2/final boss construct. dramatic lighting to signify eye change/lyctorhood.... gideon falls on a rail and then everything goes totally black. silence, or maybe crying. harrow screams gideon's name. then lights up on gideon standing behind harrow, holding the sword together, under a narrow beam light. it could be good. and i think a stage musical could bring in enough of a meta-level awareness to make up for the lack of narration. for example, when she's trying to do her big speech, ianthe keeps trying to sing a song but the music refuses to start for her. & before lyctorhood, she stands literally in corona's spotlight shadow. gideon makes harrow out to be this big scary witch but she is just very tiny under a big spotlight. "dulcinea" could have her face covered on stage until the reveal, leaving the audience to realize they were had. while a stage musical would lose some parts, it could enhance the story in its own way. GtN but to the left. it could be fun. i have put a lot of thought into this.

a comedy short film, shot rom com style (or animated like a shoujo), of Ianthe's POV of HtN.

a comedy short film, shot like the office/parks and recreation, of Ianthe's POV of Antioch

[raisinchallah]

hmm mixed feelings on the ripley show its nice to see such a distinctive take on the books im a bit of a hater about the movie it almost consciously veers away from every change i disliked in the movie but im also not really sure why its going for such a close adaptation when with the age change of the characters it really begins to strain credulity like the plot and the cinematography have the same sorta thing going on where its like certain places it just clicks into place so effortlessly and works so nicely and other times its like ur sitting there awkwardly dealing with the choices of shooting it in black and white and casting 40somethings where like the outdoor daylight scenes look sooo washed out and shitty ive been watching a lot of film noir recently and so i think im feeling extra critical of it cuz sometimes it really does manage to nail the beautiful depths of shadow film does so effortlessly but unfortunately it also feels like the choice is almost entirely at odds with you know the italian sunshine and they have not really managed to shoot outdoors and not end up with just muddy grey which again weird problem when they knew that would be a main setting all the night shots all the indoor shots are stunning but the jarring effect from indoors to outdoors is baffling... feels very similar to like ok they know and love this story and are doing an interesting job sketching it out so meticulously but u keep getting hit with like toms sketchy background becomes so much more sketchy if hes in his 40s still living like that who would trust him with this to begin with why would dickies parents still have hope hes gonna come back and run the family business if hes 40 and has never held a job few changes have been made to like square the age change with again a striking fidelity to the source material it honestly sometimes seems like theyre simply hoping u dont notice??? like dickies mom pulling out photos of him and it ends with him in college like are they pretending hes in his 20s we both know this is not true and otherwise its like not really given the gravity of like having barely seen her son in 15+ years you know its just mystifying the lifestyle and concerns of a wealthy loafer in his 40s would be different than a traveling 20something with no cares in the world idk like u can sort of ignore it for a bit but it just keeps like creating this odd level of separation for me where i simply cannot fully believe what im seeing on screen also dakota fanning literally looks like she knows what instagram is shes not giving us 1960s in the least

[oscopelabs]

It’s Arrested Development: How ‘High Fidelity’ Has Endured Beyond Its Cultural Sell-By Date by Vikram Murthi

It’s easy to forget now that at the beginning of 2020, before the pandemic had taken hold of our consciousness, for a brief moment, High Fidelity was back. Not only did Nick Hornby’s debut novel and Stephen Frears’ film adaptation celebrate major milestones this year — 25th and 20th anniversaries, respectively — but a TV adaptation premiered on Hulu in February. In light of all of these arbitrary signposts, multiple thinkpieces and remembrances litigated Hornby’s original text on familiar, predictable grounds. Is the novel/film’s protagonist Rob actually an asshole? (Sure.) Does Hornby uphold his character’s callous attitudes towards women? (Not really.) Hasn’t the story’s gatekeeping, anti-poptimist approach to artistic taste culturally run its course? (Probably.) Why do we need to revisit this story about this person right now? (Fair question!)

Despite reasonable objections on grounds of relevancy, enough good will for the core narrative—record store owner seeks out a series of exes to determine a pattern of behavior following a devastating breakup—apparently exists to help produce a gender-flipped streaming show featuring updated musical references and starring a decidedly not-middle-aged Zoë Kravitz. I only made it through six of ten episodes in its first (and only) season, but I was surprised by how closely the show hewed to High Fidelity’s film adaptation, to the point of re-staging numerous scenes down to character blocking and swiping large swaths of dialogue wholesale. (Similarly, the film adaptation hewed quite close to the novel, with most of the dialogue ripped straight from Hornby.) Admittedly, the series features a more diverse cast than the film, centering different experiences and broadly acknowledging some criticisms of the source material regarding its ostensibly exclusionary worldview. Nevertheless, it seemed like a self-defeating move for the show to line itself so definitively with a text that many consider hopelessly problematic, especially considering the potential to repurpose its premise as a springboard for more contemporary ideas.

High Fidelity’s endurance as both a piece of IP and a flashpoint for media discourse is mildly baffling for obvious reasons. For one thing, its cultural milieu is actually dated. Even correcting for vinyl’s recent financial resurgence, the idea of snooty record store clerks passing judgment on customer preferences has more or less gone the way of the dodo. With the Internet came the democratization of access, ensuring that the cultivation of personal taste is no longer laborious or expensive, or could even be considered particularly impressive (if it ever could have been). Secondly, as one might imagine, some of Hornby’s insights into heterosexual relationships and the differences between men and women, even presented through the flawed, self-deprecating interiority of High Fidelity’s main character, are indeed reductive. Frears’ film actually strips away the vast majority of Hornby’s weaker commentary, but the novel does include such cringeworthy bits like, “What’s the deal with foreplay?” that are best left alone.

Accounting for all of that, though, it’s remarkable how many misreadings of Hornby’s text have been accepted as conventional wisdom. It’s taken as a given by many that the novel and film earnestly preach the notion that what you like is more important than what you are like when, in fact, the narrative arc is constructed around reaching the opposite conclusion. (The last lines of the novel and film are, literally, “…I start to compile in my head a compilation tape for her, something that's full of stuff she's heard of, and full of stuff she'd play. Tonight, for the first time ever, I can sort of see how it's done.”) That’s relatively minor compared to the constant refrain that Rob’s narcissism goes uncriticized, even though the story’s thematic and emotional potency derives from what the audience perceives that Rob cannot. To put it bluntly, High Fidelity’s central irony revolves around a man who listens to music for a living being unable to hear the women in his life.

While Hornby’s prose immerses the reader in Rob’s interior monologue, providing ample room for the character to spout internal justifications of his behavior, the novel hardly obscures or conceals this conclusion. Moreover, the film makes it unavoidably explicit in numerous scenes. Rob (John Cusack) triumphantly pantomimes Rocky Balboa’s boxing routine soundtracked to Queen’s “We Are The Champions” after his ex-girlfriend Laura (Iben Hjejle) confirms she hasn’t yet slept with her new boyfriend Ray (Tim Robbins), but doesn’t hear the part where she says she prefers to sleep next to him. When Laura informs Rob that she did eventually sleep with Ray, Rob completely falls apart. In an earlier, more pointed scene, Rob goes out with his ex-girlfriend from high school (Joelle Carter) to ask why she chose to have sex with an obnoxious classmate instead of him. She venomously informs him that he actually broke up with her because she was too prudish, an abrupt, cruel bit of business we actually witness at the film’s beginning. It was in her moment of heartbroken vulnerability that she agreed to quickly sleep with someone else (“It wasn’t rape because I technically said, ‘Okay,’ but it wasn’t far off,” she sneers), which ultimately put her off sex until after college. Rob doesn’t hear this explanation or the damning portrait of his teenaged self. Instead, he’s delighted to learn that he wasn’t actually dumped.

These are evidently low character moments, one’s that are comedic in their depiction of blinkeredness but whose emotional takeaways are crystal clear, and one’s that have been written about before. My personal pick from the film, though, comes late when Rob attends Laura’s father’s funeral. He sits in the back and, in typical fashion, turns to the camera to deliver a list of songs to play at his funeral, concluding with his professed wish that “some beautiful, tearful woman would insist on ‘You’re The Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me’ by Gladys Knight.” It’s a really galling, egotistical moment that still makes me wince despite having seen the movie umpteen times. Yet, it’s immediately followed by the casket being lowered to the ground as Laura’s sobs ring out in the church. In a movie defined by John Cusack’s vocal timbre, it’s one of the few times when he completely shuts up. From two-thirds down the center aisle, Frears’ camera pushes into Cusack’s face until tears in his eyes are visible, but what you really see is an appropriately guilt-ridden, ashamed expression.

However, none of this evidence carries any weight if your objection to High Fidelity is that Rob suffers no material consequences for his behavior. While Rob is frequently called out for his actions, he is never actively punished. He doesn’t, say, receive a restraining order for continually calling Laura after they’ve broken up or end up alone mending a permanent broken heart because of his past relationships. By the end, Rob and Laura get back together and Rob even starts an independent record label on the side. It’s a stretch to characterize Hornby’s High Fidelity as a redemption tale, but it is a sideways rehabilitation narrative with a happy ending that arises at least partly out of mutual exhaustion.

Those two elements—Rob’s asshole recovery and the exhausted happy ending—rarely seem to factor into High Fidelity discourse. Granted, there’s credence to the idea that, socially and culturally, people have less patience for the personality types depicted in High Fidelity, and thus are less inclined to extend them forgiveness, let alone anything resembling retribution. I suppose that’s a valid reaction, one against which I have no interest in arguing, but it’s somewhat ironic that High Fidelity has endured for reasons that have nothing to do with its conclusions regarding inflexible personal principles and the folly of escapism. Both the book and film are specifically about someone who slowly comes to terms with accepting reality rather than live in a world mediated by pop cultural fantasies whose unrealistic expectations have only caused personal suffering. It’s not unfair to characterize this as a fairly obvious epiphany, but considering we currently live in a world dominated by virtual echo chambers with an entertainment culture committed to validating arrested adolescence, it retroactively counts as “mature” and holds more weight than it otherwise should.

Near the end of High Fidelity, the book, after Rob and Laura have gotten back together in the aftermath of Laura’s father’s death, Hornby includes a chapter featuring five conversations between the couple unpacking the state of their relationship. During the third conversation, Rob and Laura fight about how she doesn’t care about music as strongly as he does, catalyzed by Rob’s objection to Laura liking both Solomon Burke and Art Garfunkel, which, in his mind, is a contradiction in terms. Laura finally admits that not only does she not really care about the difference between them, but that most people outside of his immediate circle of two don’t care about the difference, and that this mentality is indicative of a larger problem. It’s part of what keeps him stuck in his head and reluctant to commit to anything. “I’m just trying to wake you up,” she says. “I'm just trying to show you that you've lived half your life, but for all you've got to show for it you might as well be nineteen, and I'm not talking about money or property or furniture.”

I fell for High Fidelity (first the movie, then the book) as a younger man for the reasons I assume most sensitive-cum-oblivious, culturally preoccupied straight guys do: it accurately pinpoints a pattern of music consumption and organizationally anal-retentive behavior with which I’m intimately familiar. I spent the vast majority of my early years listening to and cataloguing albums, and when I arrived at college, I quickly fell in with a small group of like-minded music obsessives. We had very serious, very prolonged discussions filled with impossibly strong opinions about our favorite artists and records. Few new releases came and went without them being scrutinized by us, the unappreciated scholars of all that is righteous. List-making wasn’t in vogue, but there wasn’t a song that passed us by that we didn’t judge or size up. I was exposed to more music during this relatively short period of time than I likely will ever absorb again. Some of these times were the most engaging and fun of my life, and I still enjoy discussing and sharing music with close friends, but I’m not such a true believer to fully feel comfortable with this behavior. It’s not entirely healthy on its own and definitely alienating to others, and there comes a point when you hear yourself the way a stranger might, or maybe even catch a glimpse of someone’s eyes when you’re midst rant about some stupid album, and realize, “That’s all there is of me. There isn’t anything else.”

This is what Rob proclaims to Laura in the conversation when she tells him she was more interested in music during their courtship than she is now. It’s a patently self-pitying statement on his part that doesn’t go unchallenged by her in the moment or bear fruit in the rest of the novel. Yet, it’s this type of uncomfortably relatable sentiment that goes under-discussed. If High Fidelity will continue to have a life well after its cultural moment has passed, then it’s worth addressing what it offers on its own terms. Near the end of the book, Laura introduces Rob to another couple with whom he gets along quite well. When the evening comes to an end, she tells him to take a look at their record collection, and it’s predictably filled with artists he doesn’t care for, e.g. Billy Joel, Simply Red, Meat Loaf. “'Everybody's faith needs testing from time to time,” Laura tells him later when they’re alone. Amidst Rob’s self-loathing and sullen pettiness, Hornby argues that one should contribute in some way rather than only consume and that, at some point, it’s time to put away childish ideas in order to get the most out of life. It’s an entirely untrendy argument, one that goes against the nostalgic spirit of superhero films and reboot culture, but it doesn’t lack merit. Accepting that some values aren’t conducive to a full life, especially when it’s shared with someone else, doesn’t have to mean abandoning interests or becoming an entirely different person. It just means that letting go isn’t an admission of defeat.

It’s why I’ve always found the proposal scene in the film to be quite moving, albeit maybe not specifically romantic. It plays out similarly in both the book and the film, but the film has the added benefit of Cusack and Hjejle’s performances to amplify the vulnerability and shared understanding. Laura meets Rob for a drink in the afternoon where he sheepishly asks if she would like to get married. Laura bursts out laughing and says that he isn’t the safest bet considering he was making mixtapes for some reporter a few days prior. When asked what brought this on, Rob notes that he’s sick of thinking about love and settling down and marriage and wants to think about something else. (“I changed my mind. That’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard. I do. I will,” she sarcastically replies.) He goes on to say that he’s tired of fantasizing about other women because the fantasies have nothing to do with them and everything to do with himself and that it doesn’t exist never mind delivering on its promise. “I’m tired of it,” he says, “and I’m tired of everything else for that matter, but I don’t ever seem to get tired of you.”

This sort of anti-Jerry Maguire line would be callous if Laura didn’t basically say the same thing to him when they got back together. (“I’m too tired not to be with you.”) It’s possible to read this as an act of mutual settling, but I always thought Hornby’s point was personal growth and accepting one’s situation were intertwined. The key moment in High Fidelity, the film, comes when Laura finds Rob’s list of top five dream jobs. (In the book, Laura makes Rob compile the list.) At the bottom of the list, after such standard choices like music journalist and record producer, lies architect, a job that Rob isn’t entirely sure about anyway. (“I did put it at number five!” he insists.) Laura asks Rob the obvious question: wouldn’t you rather own your own record store than hypothetically be an architect, a job you’re not particularly enthused with anyway?

It’s Laura who convinces Rob that living the fifth-best version of your life can actually be pretty satisfying and doesn’t have to be treated like a cruel fate worse than death. Similarly, Rob and Laura both make the active decision to try to work things out instead of starting over with someone else. Laura’s apathy may have reunited them, and Rob’s apathy might have kept him from running, but it’s their shared history that keeps them together. More than the music and the romance, High Fidelity follows the necessary decisions and compromises one has to maneuver in order to grow instead of regress. “I've been letting the weather and my stomach muscles and a great chord change in a Pretenders single make up my mind for me, and I want to do it for myself,” Rob says near the end of Hornby’s novel. High Fidelity’s emotional potency lies in taking that sentiment seriously.

[comingupforblair]

I’ve seen a few people advocate for the next Batman film to have a lighter and more humorous tone in the vein of the MCU and the Lego Batman movie and it honestly infuriates me

Not because I’m against the idea in itself (although I am annoyed that even the one character fans will allow to have a more serious adaptation is being pressured to join the rest in being “fun”) but because of how they treated the Schumacher Batman films and how they’re currently treating the Zack Snyder films

Joel Schumacher and his films spent two decades as every nerd’s favorite punching bag, second only to the Star Wars prequels in terms of invoking extreme vitriol and complaints about ruined childhoods.

Schumacher was seen as history’s greatest monster, a man who desecrated the character until Nolan revived him. 

The reaction those films got was so extreme and so personal towards Schumacher, who didn’t deserve any of it just as Snyder didn’t, it was obvious that Warner Bros were going to be careful to avoid ever risking something like that again and when the Nolan films came along, everyone was okay with throwing Schumacher under the bus the same way they are doing with Snyder.

Fans spent two decades declaring those films as abominations never to be repeated and are now wondering why the studio would be hesitant to take such a risk again?

I remember Empire saying “making Batman lighter is like asking Captain America to immigrate” in regards to the film in 2007 and now publications like that are calling for the films to have Batman smile more.

To be clear, it wouldn’t bother me if people realized they acted too harshly towards those films and admitted as such but they’re just skipping over their own behavior and not addressing it at all, acting like WB pulled the idea that Batman can only work with a serious tone out of nowhere.

I’m not proud to say I was part of that and said the same things and I don’t feel that way anymore, now genuinely liking both Batman Forever and Batman & Robin and seeing them as legitimately good Batman adaptations.

It’s impossible not to see similarities in how those same fans, critics and bloggers are now treating the Snyder films not as flawed films or films which just need a better balance of tone or an improvement of their intent going forward but as films to be regarded as similar grave mistakes to be atoned for indefinitely, that avoiding any possible repeat of must be the main goal going forward, even if it means losing actors involved.

The films have become everyone’s favorite punching bag, an easy way to score points and Snyder gets more hatred than legitimate sexual predators because he deviated from what many have come to believe these films must be like, just as Schumacher did.

And I believe that years from now, those same fans or a new generation will start to wonder why WB aren’t willing to take a chance on a different kind of Superman story and they won’t see other fans or themselves as being partially responsible for that just as they don’t now.

Some folks have started to come around and acknowledge Schumacher was unfairly treated but don’t see an issue with doing or looking the other way on the exact same thing happening to Snyder now and they won’t see it until years from now when their actions have had a serious effect on this genre and these characters.

The other side is that they’re okay with films which deviate from the tone characters are associated with but only when it’s a case of making serious characters lighter (I’ve seen MCU fans advocate for a PG-13 Daredevil adaptation) which is just plain hypocrisy and shows they don’t care about fidelity to the tone and source material as much as they claim.

Since I can already hear people saying “the idea is fine but those films were bad”, that’s kind of my point. Fans didn’t send a message that the idea just needed some or even a lot of improvement but that the intent itself was the issue and the thing to be avoided from now on and that was the message Warner Bros learned and what fans are encouraging this time again without any thought to the future of the characters.

This is a classic case of fans being their own worst enemies and never being able to see that because they beat away any kind of introspection by saying they care about the characters, thinking that grants them an immunity from criticism.

Comic book fandom is a perfect example of the old saying about how those who don’t learn from history are destined to repeat it.

[sillymovietrailer]

Ring

Before I really start talking about this one, a mini-rant; I am not calling this one Ringu, that is a long-standing mistranslation/misunderstanding of the way kanji characters work.  I don’t care that the word as phonetically pronounced as written like that does sound a bit like Ringu, it was always meant to be called Ring.  We don’t refer to Audition as “Odishon” do we, or quite a few other Japanese films in an awkward phonetic way, so stop doing it for this one.  The original book was even specifically called Ring, as in the English word, in Japan.  It’s Ring, not Ringu, so there!  Right, rant over, good to get that one clear.

I'm quite glad that my clear out of my drafts folder means I can talk about this one. I have a lot of fondness for this movie.  I first saw it thanks to my brother when it was first relased on DVD by Tartan Video, about a year before the US version. It truly unsettled me like few films had done before, to the point that for the next month I was giving every phone and TV I saw suspicious looks. It's also a good time to talk about it as Arrow Video have just rereleased the film in a shiny new 2K restoration on blu ray, which I can say looks great up on the big screen.

The film was based on a novel by Kōji Suzuki, and this is a case I hold up whenever the topic of fidelity to source material in a film adaptation gets mentioned.  See, Ring the book has the same basic story as the film, but also a lot of problems, including really iffy characterisation (like a lead bragging about how he might be a rapist.  No, really!), tacky handling of certain topics (there’s a big shock reveal that Sadako was intersex.  Yes, in a tacky “trap” manner.  Screw you Mr Suzuki!), a lot of waffle, and a tendency to drift into weird SF territory for no need, like a vengeful ghost wasn't enough.  So in making Ring, director Hideo Nakata and screenwriter Hiroshi Takahashi decided to cut all of that out, and bring it into line into being a more focused ghost story.  Oh, and in the process, they gave the story it’s most iconic image; Sadako crawling out of the TV?  That’s not in the book, the end of the curse happens off page!  So you see, sometimes tearing the guts out of a source work can be the best thing when you are adapting it.  To get an idea of what the original was a bit more like, here’s a radio version the BBC did a few years back...

Not much more I can really say to discuss the film itself which hasn’t already been said TBH; it’s a legendary title that was at the spearhead of a whole fresh wave of Japanese horror, especially in terms of its awareness in the West.  I really only have one thing to say about this trailer, what makes it suitable for “silly” status; what is with that music?  It’s from the end credits of the film, I get that, but for use there in the trailer?  Yeah, that sets the mood for the tense ghost story (which has an excellent score by Kenji Kawai) this film is.  Tomorrow though, I’m going to talk about an odd branch of this franchise, one I haven’t actually sat down and watched before getting the blu ray set, but knew already by a terrible reputation...

[un-enfant-immature]

27 TV show recommendations from TechCrunch while you’re stuck at home

With shelter-in-place orders worldwide, it’s never been a better time to curl up on the couch and loss oneself in a TV show. That’s what we’re doing.

Some TechCrunch staffers are watching perennial favorites like The Wire or The West Wing or Gilmore Girls. Others are trying new shows like Devs or McMillions. The Covid-19 pandemic hit at the height of TV show production. There has never been so much good content available and now many of us are stuck at home with nothing but our TVs and Netflix.

We polled TechCrunch’s staff and what follows is an eclectic mix of viewing suggestions. And yes, most of us are watching Tiger King, too.

Netflix

Tiger King

“Most documentaries I watch are educational. I’m not sure what this one is, but it’s wildly entertaining. Stories like this are so crazy that they must be real.” Travis Bernard – Senior Director, Membership

“7-ep docu-series, that’s part big cat zoo doc and part dateline on steroids.” Jason Kopeck, Event Manager

“It’s so bad that it’s fun to watch. I just can’t believe people like this exist.” Safa Aliabadi, Sr. Event & Digital Advertising Partner

Dirty Money

“Docu-series about embezzlement and money related fraud.” Robin Julius, Lead Software Engineer

The West Wing

“It’s classic and still relevant in the global landscape.” Neesha Tembe, Startup Battlefield Editor

MST 3000

“Srsly? The best cry-laugh hysterical comic viewing of trash movies.” Jeff Taylor, TechCrunch Partner Relations

Ozark

“Jason Bateman drama/thriller about a big-city family displaced to middle of nowhere Missouri to launder money after a terrible run-in with the Cartel. Truly terrific.” Jordan Crook, Managing Editor

“Compelling plot line and good character arcs.” Megan Rose Dickey, Senior Reporter

Gilmore Girls

“When the COVID-19 news won’t stop, sometimes you just need to fill your home with the fast-talking Gilmores to melt your cares away. I understand more quippy references on every rewatch and I also realize how smug an asshole that Luke Danes is.” Lucas Matney, Reporter

Broadchurch

“Great for binge watching.”Safa Aliabadi, Sr. Event & Digital Advertising Partner

Valhalla Murders

“Iceland kills! Watch a great murder mystery through the lens of Icelandic values.” Jeff Taylor, TechCrunch Partner Relations

Hulu

Devs

“Tech + terror TV series from director Alex Garland (Ex Machina)” Sarah Perez, Senior Writer

Little Fires Everywhere

“Enjoyed the book and now seeing it on film. Washington and Witherspoon are great.” Sarah Perez, Senior Writer

One Tree Hill

“Truly terrible television that is 13/10 on the nostalgia scale.” Jordan Crook, Managing Editor

High Fidelity

“Twist on the Nick Hornby novel set in Brooklyn Record store.” Ron, Writer

11.22.63

“An adaption of Stephen King’s eponymous novel, 11.22.63 takes you back to the ’60s and adds a sci-fi spin to it. What if you could go back to 1960, spend three years there, find the killer of John F. Kennedy and prevent the assassination. Would the world be a different place?” Manish Singh, Writer

Breeders

“Show about parenting with Martin Freeman.” Yashad Kulkarni, Executive Producer

Vanderpump Rules

“Reality show focusing on the lives of servers/friends that have all worked at SUR restaurant, spin-off from Real Housewives of BH (Lisa Vanderpump).” Jason Kopeck, Event Manager

HBO

High Maintenance

“This show tells fantastic stories. Each episode focuses on a character loosely connected to an NYC-based weed dealer. It’s a fun episodical show with a lot of heart. This is a show to keep in your back pocket. Have an hour and need an easy break? High Maintenance.” Matt Burns, Managing Editor

McMillions

“On one hand, this would have been a much better documentary than docu-series, there’s just not enough source material and its too reliant on modern day interviews. BUT the story is simply insane and the show does a great job of showing how FBI agents get creative to nail investigations.” Lucas Matney, Writer

The Wire

“I always meant to watch it but never seemed to have the time. It’s realistic with the system as the villain, they hired local actors from the neighborhood.” Emma Comeau, Director of Events 

“Okay, The Wire. It’s widely cited as the best TV show ever made and I’m not one to argue. At its basic level, the show follows the life of Baltimore-based drug dealers and the police detectives trying to take them down — but there’s so much more to it.” Matt Burns, Managing Editor

Westworld

“The first two seasons were amazing, and so far the third season doesn’t disappoint. What better way to embrace a pandemic than an apocalyptic AI thriller?” Travis Bernard – Senior Director, Membership

Amazon Prime

Grantchester

“Cozy ’50s murder mysteries starring a handsome, heavy-drinking vicar with PTSD. The murders are almost always more morally ambiguous than they first appear…” Devin Coldewey, Senior Editor

Black Books

“Who doesn’t want to watch an alcoholic, useless bastard run a used book store with his two friends? It’s good, it’s light, and if you drink heavily while watching no one can judge you.” Alex Wilhelm, Extra Crunch Writer

Father Ted

“A bit like Firefly this doesn’t have enough seasons, but Father Ted is one of the funniest bits of TV I’ve ever seen. A must watch if you like to laugh.” Alex Wilhelm, Extra Crunch Writer

Case Histories

“Dark adaptation of Kate Aktinson’s private detective character, Jackson Brodie.” Ron Miller, Senior Writer

George Carlin – Life is Worth Losing

“George Carlin, nuff said.” Robin Julius, Lead Software Engineer

Showtime

The L Word

“It’s super queer and I’m queer so it’s great.” Megan Rose Dickey, Senior Reporter

Homeland

“Claire Danes and Mandy Patankin. Roller coaster, watch it from beginning on Prime. Damien Lewis is in it too.” Yashad Kulkarni, Executive Producer

YouTube

Mobile Suit Gundam 0079

“Before anime became notorious and full of problematic tropes, there were shows like this one that are plain excellent and just HAPPEN to have giant robots in them. The 49-episode show was condensed into 3 movies for the US market, which aren’t commercially available, but can still be found!” Devin Coldewey, Writer

Canal+

Le Bureau des Légendes (The Bureau)

“Like everyone, I watch a ton of American TV shows. But Le Bureau des Légendes is by far the best written French TV show I’ve watched. It deserves one of top spots with my favorite American TV shows (Mad Men, The Sopranos…). Le BDL is an incredibly well-documented show on secret services, geopolitics and high-stake moral decisions.” Romain Dillet, Senior Writer

[entergamingxp]

Pirate Warriors 4 Review — This Pirate’s Life is For Me

April 2, 2020 2:00 PM EST

One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 offers a faithful retelling of the iconic series’ story with thrilling combat to boot.

My last review was for a game based on My Hero Academia, an anime series I’ve never seen. That impacted my entire approach to the game as I was playing it as an outsider. This time around, playing One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4, the situation is different, but not all that much. I loved watching Luffy’s weird pirate adventures as a kid, but as I grew up, the show dropped off for me. I’m shocked that it’s still continuing to this day, and can only imagine what’s changed on those pirate-filled seas. 

Regardless, I know what One Piece is, but I still didn’t know what to expect from One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4. What I found was a wonderful retelling of the Straw Hat Pirates’ adventures partnered with exciting, albeit repetitive, gameplay. And while there are some hang-ups in the story that seem to stem from localization issues, it hardly takes anything away from this epic journey to the Grand Line and beyond. 

“What I found was a wonderful retelling of the Straw Hat Pirates’ adventures partnered with exciting, albeit repetitive, gameplay.”

As I said, I went into One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 with a little bit of a background in the series. I knew who Luffy was, Zoro is one of my favorite characters from what I can remember, and the art style is more or less unsettling. And it seems like not much has changed since I watched the show as a kid, for better or worse.

All the same, the game’s story is a faithful retelling of this show’s 20-year saga. Billed as the dramatic log, you play through the story of One Piece from the very start, and I mean that quite literally. One of the first cutscenes you’ll see is of Luffy receiving his namesake straw hat from Red-Hair Shanks. The game takes you through all of One Piece’s main story arcs and, thankfully, doesn’t dwell on any filler. Sections of importance that you don’t play through are handled well through narrated cinematics and are highly reminiscent of the shonen anime. 

The real meat of the story comes at the climax of each arc, just as it does in the show. As emotions came to a head and tensions rose to a breaking point, I was engaged and enthralled. The world of One Piece is weird, juvenile, and wacky, but don’t think it isn’t filled with real drama or decent messages. I was even surprised to find some tear-jerking moments, like Usopp’s apology to the crew or Ace’s death. 

That’s not to say the story of One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 is without faults – there are plenty, they just aren’t written. The game’s more dramatic moments are shown through fully rendered cutscenes, and assumedly, they would showcase the game’s graphical fidelity. Admittedly, they do, but they’re also hindered by the often off-putting style of One Piece and some localization mix-ups.

The smallest of these sins are grammatical issues in the game’s translation – something I can more or less forgive. What I can’t forgive as much is the game’s beyond disappointing lip-syncing. In moments of high tension, the characters’ voices are almost completely desynced from their lips. Of course, neither of these take away from the fun I had with the game. However, they did take away from my experience with the story and detract from what should have otherwise been intense or heartbreaking moments.

In the end, the journey you experience in One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 is perfect for a game adaptation. The video game version of Luffy’s saga is enough to intrigue someone with little to no background in One Piece, and its handling of the series’ more memorable moments should leave die-hard fans happy. If you’re looking for a more digestible way to get into the story of One Piece, that’s what this title is offering. 

“The video game version of Luffy’s saga is enough to intrigue someone with little to no background in One Piece, and its handling of the series’ more memorable moments should leave die-hard fans happy. “

Looking over to how the game actually plays, it’s more or less the same story – a fantastic and rewarding experience with some hiccups in between. Overall, playing One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 is like playing a Dynasty Warriors title. Every mission places you on an enormous battlefield – sometimes a large town with destructible buildings, or a large barren wasteland filled with enemies to pummel. And pummel, you do! Playing as one of the super-powered members of the roster puts you a few rungs up the food chain from your basic enemies. 

Combat is pretty straightforward – in most cases, you can just button mash your way to victory. In others, namely going up against bosses, you’ll have to actually mind their attacks, dodge out of the way, and whittle down an armor bar before dealing any real damage. Fighting can get repetitive if it’s approached like this, and I wouldn’t blame a player for doing so. It’s incredibly easy to mash the light attack button through a level. However, varying your attacks and combos, and making use of super moves makes the game infinitely more interesting.

While this system isn’t all that complex, it is satisfying. With a few moves, Luffy can attack swathes of enemies, fling them into the air, and then slam an enormous, inflated heel down. Every character in the game is also exceptionally well animated. Every single regular and special attack is given special attention to detail that in turn lends weight behind each punch, or viciousness behind each swipe of a sword. Just watching fights in One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 is a treat, taking control of one even more so. 

To spice up combat, each character has their own growth map and a suite of special moves. Special moves are activated with a combination of button presses, and if you’re a fan of the series, you’ll likely recognize them. These attacks each have a cooldown, so they’re best used against tougher enemies. You’re able to upgrade these abilities, as well as gain others and upgrade stats on the growth map. Each character has their own, and these maps are extensive.

Besides basic upgrades to health, speed, stamina and such, you can unlock and level-up special attacks and perks. You unlock all of these combat bonuses with a combination of coins and berries earned in-game. I found myself hardly needing to grind for more currency for upgrades, but the few times I did, it didn’t take long to earn more – thanks mostly to the game’s alternate modes.

Besides the story mode – which admittedly offers the most fun in the game – there are two other main game modes. Free logs simply give you the opportunity to play through story missions with any character, a fun little mix-up, but ultimately it doesn’t add much. Treasure Logs are where the game’s writers had the most fun, and you might too. In this game mode, you’ll find yourself in different scenarios and have to fight your way through them. They don’t change the game up much, but wacky scenarios and dialogue are well worth playing through some of them for, if not just for the coins and berries. 

“One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 is what I look for in a game based on an anime or manga.”

While this all seems like a good experience, the most fun I had in One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 was when I was able to play as one of the giant characters. For most of the game, you’re stuck playing as a regular-sized person. In One Piece standards, that’s pretty boring. However, playing as Whitebeard the pirate, a towering goliath wielding a staff that controls the wind, I was immediately thrilled. It’s the same kind of fun you have playing a Godzilla or King Kong game as you’re this giant, unstoppable force that smashes through the opposition. I understand why you don’t experience playing giant characters more in the story, but you haven’t really played the game until you give it a try. 

One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 is what I look for in a game based on an anime or manga. It was clearly made with special care directed towards the source material, and even if you’ve never heard of One Piece before, you’ll come out of this game loving its characters. And I have to say, as someone who’s not really a fan of games like Dynasty Warriors, One Piece: Pirate Warriors 4 pulls off the combat style with grace. Its combat has that one trait that takes a fighting system from good to great. It’s not just fun to play, but it’s fun to watch. 

I haven’t played many One Piece games before, but Pirate Warriors 4 has set my sights on the series. For those getting into One Piece now, this title is a fantastic introductory that sets a high standard for future entries to come. 

April 2, 2020 2:00 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/04/pirate-warriors-4-review-this-pirates-life-is-for-me/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=pirate-warriors-4-review-this-pirates-life-is-for-me

[ivegotsomethingtosay]

A Series of Unfortunate Events (opinion piece)

From Page to Screen to Screen... Again...

Normally, this would be the point in the week where I’d post a movie review, but seeing as nothing very interesting came out this weekend, I decided to try something new. Today, I’ll be looking at both the 2004 movie and recent Netflix TV adaptations of Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, and seeing how they each hold up against the books on which they’re based. Sure, there’s about a dozen other articles/video essays that I can think of off the top of my head that deal with the same question of “which is better,” but being that I’m such a big fan of the books, I figured I’d throw my hat into the ring, an expression which here means: “write a big long think piece for my blog that nobody reads because I’m bored at work.”

So anyway, there seemed to be a general sigh of relief when Netflix dropped their long-awaited adaptation of the classic 21st century children’s series, which was seen by many as a sort of apology for the crimes committed by the 2004 Jim Carey version. “UGH,” said the collective millennial public, “FINALLY we get a proper adaptation of these books I haven’t picked up in over a decade!” The whole thing felt eerily similar to the reaction against the Star Wars prequels when The Force Awakens came out almost two years ago (holy shit, it’s been almost two years hasn’t it?) The fact is, no matter which side of either debate you stand on, it’s impossible to deny that we’ve backed ourselves into something of a corner when it comes to judging movies/television on its own merits. Save for the occasional original gem, the vast majority of modern entertainment is comprised of re-workings and re-hashes of material that’s previously existed in some form or another, meaning it’s impossible to analyze said material without at least discussing its fidelity to the original source, and close to impossible to not let that influence how you think about it on its own. No, you CAN’T like Episode I because Jar-Jar isn’t nearly as funny a Chewbacca. No, you CAN’T say Game of Thrones is better than the books because Daario’s hair isn’t blue in the TV series (seriously, this is the shit people argue about now-a-days).

And now, it appears not even A Series of Unfortunate Events is safe, which is really *ahem* unfortunate, considering Dan Handler’s 13-part YA saga might be one of the best things to happen to children’s literature since… ever. No, seriously, go back an pick up one of those books. Dust it off and shower yourself with some of with wittiest, most (literally) devastatingly brilliant writing this side of Oscar Wilde. For those who grew up with the Baudelaire orphans, these books were a watershed. Not only did they accomplish the insurmountable task of actually getting us to read on our own when we were 9-years old, but they taught us all the hard lessons about life, death, and morality that the adults were too scared to mention even amongst themselves.

So yeah, of course we were going to get a movie with a $150 million budget once they were selling in the same leagues as Harry Potter. And yeah, of course we were going to get a Netflix series once streaming gave us the opportunity to do long-form storytelling on a large canvas without spending $150 million. Which one of them is better? Neither, if you ask me, but I’d argue that bashing them in relation to each-other and/or in relation to the books isn’t going to get us anywhere. A “Cinema Sins” video is going to take us nowhere on the journey to analyzing great art, or even appreciating it. And if there’s anything to come out of the zeitgeist in the last couple of decades that could clarify as great art, it’s A Series of Unfortunate Events.

To start, I want to talk about what each of these adaptations do right. I’ll come right off the bat and say that I love both the show and the movie for many different reasons, and that even though the books will always hold the top spot in my mind, they hold that spot for reasons that go beyond some bullshit like whether Klaus wears glasses or not.

The show, for one, covers a lot of ground. I really despise judging an adaptation on how much they cut out of the source material (more on that later), but there’s something to admire about how closely Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events sticks to the books. Four novels in and it seems like everything on the page has ended up on screen and then some. Adapting for long form television has given the showrunners (one of whom is Handler himself) to actually expand on the story, something rarely seen even in our Game of Thrones age. The argument of whether or not the show “gets the books right” is rendered almost completely irrelevant because it IS the books, just with Neil Patrick Harris. We get to witness all the stuff we’ve been picturing in our mind for years, we get to see the Lucky Smells Lumber Mill come to life, we get to experience going to the movies with Uncle Monty. I think a lot of the reason fans responded so well to the show was because it reflected the books so slavishly, giving us exactly what we asked for by giving us everything we asked for, all at once. It reminded me a lot of the PBS Pride and Prejudice in that it was difficult not to be a fan of the book and not be a fan of the show for no other reason than the show treated the book as a Bible.

The film, on the other hand, is two hours long. Not only that, but it spends those two hours going through the first three novels in the series, something that takes close to six hours in Netflix land. Our automatic instinct is to see this as a fault, but when was the last time you actually watched the movie? Rather, when was the last time you read the first three books? They’re fantastic, sure, but they’re also fantastic books. What enjoys and pleases us sitting with a bulk of paper by a crackling fireplace might not bring us the same joy when sitting in a dark, stuffy room with dozens of other people. One of the big faux pas in all these “which one is better” conversations is a misunderstanding of what different mediums can do and what can be achieved in each. The 2004 film might compress the books, but it illustrates them beautifully. The detail isn’t in how well we get to know each member of Olaf’s troupe, it’s in the little, subtle ways in which they express themselves onscreen. Sure we don’t get to spend hours and hours with Uncle Monty like we would watching the show or reading the books, but with Billy Connolly’s exceptional performance, we feel like we’ve spent hours with him.

The fact is, taken on its own merits, the 2004 Series of Unfortunate Events is a great movie. The aesthetic, the visual storytelling, the writing, and the performances are all so universally fantastic that comparing it to the books feels oddly irrelevant. The word “adaptation” implies some level of interpretation. It implies a level of taking what’s on the page and filtering it through our own personal beliefs and opinions. For all the talk about which one of these versions is “better,” little has been said about the different contexts in which they were made. The general attitude towards the concept of “evil,” which is a big theme in the Series books, was vastly different in 2004 than it is (was?) in 2016. In 2004, the United States had just invaded Iraq. We were still reeling from the single most devastating terrorist attack in human history, and our enemies seemed, at least at the time, very concrete. In the film, there’s a lot more of an emphasis on the idea of “fire” as a weapon. The wreckage of the Baudelaire mansion is shot and treated with the sobriety of a lot of post-911 photography. Jim Carey’s Olaf is significantly more insidious than Neil Patrick Harris’. He gets what we wants through fear mongering and cunning, often fooling nice, reasonably intelligent adults through a series of carefully planned and lethal actions. Much like… you know… a terrorist.  

In the Netflix series, however, the enemy isn’t so much “evil” as it is stupidity. Olaf in the show is treated like a complete idiot who just so happens to get his way because literally everyone else is too stupid to know what’s going on. One could argue that while Olaf is the source of the conflict, the real antagonist of the show is Mr. Poe, who, despite “seeming” to care about the kids, constantly places them in harmful, potentially life threatening situations because he thinks he knows better. There isn’t a set enemy here. The enemy, if you can call it that, is ourselves, our own blindness to the reality of our present situation. If that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s one of the many excuses we gave for electing a fucking James Bond villain into one of the most powerful positions in the world. Donald Trump is an idiot, sure, but he’s an idiot with access to nukes, and *apparently* that’s somehow our fault.

You see what I’m getting at here? Whether intentionally or not, art is always in some way reflecting the world in which its produced, and that’s especially true of Series. One could argue that, simply by consequence of the time it was born into, the Netflix show is closer in tone and aim to what Handler originally intended, but I’m not sure I’d agree with that. Sure, the show is significantly more ironic than the movie, much like the books. It contains much more references to pop culture, classic literature, and the world in which it was written, much like the books. But unlike the books, everything I just said comes off as funny, surreal, and at times even distancing. Watching the Netflix show is like watching an eight-hour long Wes Anderson film. It’s fun, colorful, and WAY more educated than you are, but for those very reasons, its harder to identify with what’s going on up on screen. The books, on the other hand, are deeply involving, deeply dark, and deeply funny. It’s a swirl of contradictions that can really only work properly when you’re reading it off a page. Postmodernism works differently on film than it does in literature. Translating directly from one to the other causes a kind of whiplash that the show suffered from on multiple occasions.

See, this is why I’ll always treasure the books. Specifically the Snicket books, because while I’ve gotten emotionally attached to characters in other stories and novels, Series was able to ignite the imagination in such a specific way, that literally taking it and putting it up on screen automatically lessens the effect. When I was ten, I had no idea what the Squalors’ endlessly large penthouse in Eratz Elevator actually looked like. I had no clue what it would be like to see Hector’s hot-air home in Vile Village. I have only the vivid, mysterious pictures that were painted in my mind, and nothing Netflix or Nickelodeon can conjure up will ever compare to that.

I envy all the kids who are going to grow up watching the Netflix series. I envy all of them who are going to go back and experience the movie as a result. What I do not envy is missing out on one of the better reading experiences of a lifetime in favor of either of those things, or vice versa. There’s an important lesson to be learned from all this: when we pit up art against itself, we rob ourselves of the opportunity to appreciate it on a deeper level. When we breathe a sigh of relief when we get the adaptation we always wanted, we miss out on the chance to challenge, and possibly refine our own points of view. Sometimes, we loose sight of what makes these things so lovable in the first place, and that’s unfortunate.

[angrycollectordaze-me-blog]

Essay代写：British and American literature and movies

下面为大家整理一篇优秀的essay代写范文- British and American literature and movies，供大家参考学习，这篇论文讨论了英美文学与英美电影。电影是文学的延续和载体，文学则是电影创作的基础和源泉，电影与文学之间有着密切相融、相互作用的关系。虽然文学与电影在某些方面是存在差异的，如语言特征和表现形式等，但以英美文学原作为原型拍摄的英文电影在一定程度上有助于提高文学作品在观众心中的知名度，增强其感染力，而英文电影也因为文学元素的添加，提升了自身的格调及魅力。二者相互发挥各自的优势，相辅相成。文学在其发展道路上必定会和其它艺术形式互动融合，互相影响。而文学元素及其自身的艺术价值的添加能有助于提高电影的内涵魅力与品味水准，电影反过来对文学的发展也起到了重要作用。

Film is the continuation and carrier of literature, and literature is the foundation and source of film creation. As two forms of expression of art, film presents dynamic beauty and can bring audio-visual enjoyment to people, while literature embodies static beauty and allows people to feel the connotation of language and culture. Although the literature and film is there are differences in some aspects, such as linguistic features and form, but to British and American literature as a prototype of English films to a certain extent helped raise public awareness of literary works in the heart of audience, enhance its appeal, and films in English is because of the literary elements added, improve their own style and charm. They play to each other's advantages and complement each other. Based on a brief analysis of the famous American novel to kill a mockingbird, this paper discusses the relationship between British and American literature and movies.

The birth and development of film plays an active role in promoting and deepening the dissemination and development of literature. It USES its unique advantages, such as immediacy, vividness and onsite, to display the language art, aesthetic consciousness and image thinking in literary works incisively and vividly. On the other hand, literary works are the source and foundation of film creation. Their rich contents and diverse plots help to inspire film creators and improve the quality and level of film production. Harper lee's 1960 autobiographical novel, to kill a mockingbird, made her famous in the literary world and won the Pulitzer prize. The film of the same name, which was released at the end of 1962, won many Academy Awards and became a huge success. The incomparable literary connotation and excellent artistic materials lay a solid foundation for the success of the film. Without the excellent content of the novel itself, it is difficult to create such a shocking influence and appeal in the film. Through its unique artistic tension and unique form of expression, the film shows the strong racial discrimination, various emotional struggles of the characters and the rendering of the scene incisively and vividly, presenting the audience with a real feast of senses.

Many English movies are based on some excellent works of British and American literature. One of the main factors to measure the success of such a movie is whether the adapted script is faithful to the original. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to think that British and American literature has a great influence on the main thought trend of English films. Excellent materials of British and American literature are conducive to promoting the horizontal and vertical development of English films. If the films want to have strong social influence and high cultural charm, they must present the profound cultural color and historical charm of literary works. In the film adaptation of Harper lee's novel of the same name, to kill a mockingbird, the actor won the best actor Oscar for his excellent performance. Even those movies that are not based on British and American literature should pay attention to whether they have literary connotation, concise language, rich implication and other factors in the creation process. The frame construction and content creation in film production are inseparable from literature.

For example, the movie adapted from the novel of the same name of to kill a mockingbird derives its success from the fidelity to the original work and respect for the author's creative motivation and writing intention. The author's motive is to create a righteous and brave character, so that people can have a correct and comprehensive understanding of southern America, and hope to eliminate racial discrimination and prejudice. Meanwhile, the film also endowed the protagonist finch with a more sacred duty and a deeper meaning, making him become a messenger of justice. He infected every audience with his image of wisdom and courage and positive and optimistic spirit, and bit by bit eliminated people's misunderstanding of southern America. In terms of the theme, the film is also adapted according to the original author's intention to create a tall image of a white southern lawyer, finch, who is also the protagonist through the fierce debate on the appeal of the wronged black youth. This is the greatest respect a film can show for its author and its novels. The film fully shows the profound connotation of the novel, and makes the whole story plot more visual and specific. For example, the film USES literary means to constantly evaluate and polish the dialogues of a large number of characters in the original novel, so as to combine the film and literature more effectively without any feeling of violation. Actor to accurately grasp the dialogue and let the audience a deeper understanding of the interpretation of the main characters of different image characteristics, such as the finch bold spirit of justice, Scott brother and sister naive character, black Tom's natural goodness innocent and weak, mei ara and the essence of the father's sinister diabolical are portrayed incisively and vividly, astute, to highlight the theme. Film also adopted with the novel of the same flashbacks, in children's memories of telling the story to the audience, the audience into childhood, with children that day really brilliant mood swings to promote the plot, to downplay the ugly racial discrimination in the adult world, highlight the wisdom and courage of the south, to better the author wants to express emotion. In a word, British and American literature is the source and foundation of the creation of English films, which greatly influences their emotional direction and narrative development.

Since the birth of film, after a hundred years of vigorous growth, has become a popular art expression. With the progress of The Times, the taste and style of the audience are also improved, and the requirements for films are becoming higher and higher. To meet the growing demand from audiences, filmmakers are looking for ways to enhance their exploration of depth and detail. This is why the film industry is increasingly involved in the field of literature, so that the perfect integration of British and American literature and English film. Because British and American literature is rich in profound cultural deposits and rich thoughts, just like fertile soil, it can provide nutrients for film creation. The film directly presents the life and social phenomena in literary works on the screen, allowing the audience to experience the stories of the joys, sorrows and joys in the novel in a more intuitive way. For example, the novel to kill a mockingbird reflects racial discrimination and traditional prejudice. The author intends to awaken people trapped in racial prejudice through the novel, hoping that people can gradually eliminate discrimination and prejudice, treat black people equally and give them due care. Since its publication, the novel has received unanimous praise and won several international awards. The honor of multiple international awards and the profound theme of the film itself has attracted a lot of attention. Film is the second creation of the original novel. The film adaptation was a great success, which is undoubtedly a win-win situation for both the novel and the film. It not only strengthened the social influence of the film itself, but also promoted the acceptability and social appeal of literary works to a large extent.

The film makes full use of its technical advantages, such as montage narration and expression techniques, time-space transition, close-up and other skills, as well as its vivid and intuitive images, to show the audience the obscure language, abstract writing techniques and rich connotations in literary works. In this way, it is easier to arouse the audience's emotional resonance and deepen their understanding of the film's content, which naturally deepens the theme of the original literature. Novel to kill a mockingbird "in the film by using flashback narrative method, with a new and highly expressive perspectives - Scott a childhood memory of the whole story to the audience, drawing her adult voice and to the narrator also let in the film are present in the form of story content more rich, more rich. Audience by Scott's point of view, also return to the memory of childhood, saw her father's justice and brave, and saw the racial discrimination against southern blacks cruel, see how the black social status of the era of low, see the court two forces of good and evil, saw a stick to defend the innocent black father tall brave image. The main line of the novel is the trial, with the story of "eccentric" Arthur as the auxiliary line, the two lines supplement each other and constantly promote the development of the whole story, highlighting the theme of the novel -- the justice of southern white people. In order to make a deep description and positioning of each character image in the novel, the novel borrows the exaggerated expression technique of comic style at the end to make each image appear on the paper. In the creation of the film, the producers used a lot of comparative forms to highlight the justice and courage of the hero, to highlight the sinister and vicious of mayala and her father, which was complementary to the main and main parts of the novel. The end of the movie scene, finch or lost to the prejudice and discrimination, went out of the court, frustrated by the finch close-up and black are present stood silently, to extend the high respect to their hero, to foil a brave hero of justice, and for those who traveled to racial discrimination and prejudice, for justice to people of all RACES, deepen the theme of literary works. The film can be said to be a condensed version of the story of a novel, presenting various contradictions in just two hours, promoting the development of the plot and highlighting the theme of the story, which requires the joint efforts of the film makers to achieve a satisfactory effect.

The life of fast rhythm makes great part of the people, especially the students now are not willing to or don't have enough time to read a large number of words of literary works, English teachers in order to make students learn more literary works, also tend to be preferred to recommend some good film adaptation to let the students through appreciation of the film increase their understanding of British and American literature knowledge and consolidate. This is more convenient and effective to promote the development of English teaching, promote the development of English teaching, and play an important role in promoting the spread of British and American literature. As a new carrier of spreading literature, film can present the characters and plots of literary works more vividly and vividly, which is conducive to deepening the connection between film and literature. English films have been endowed with more humanistic atmosphere and vitality by British and American literature. In addition, English films have developed rapidly, and British and American literature has received more attention, which ultimately promotes the development of the literary industry. For example, the film "to kill a mockingbird" after the release, caused the strong response from all over the world, the author of the novel also instantly became the world well-known figures, at the same time the film there was an "reading a novel heat", people of all walks of life are as literary treasures, have used to education children, is also used as a summation of the court, etc. It has to be said that the rise of people's consumption demand has affected the development of the whole literature-related industry.

English film and British and American literature, as a form of art, do not exist in isolation, but complement each other. On its way of development, literature is bound to interact with other art forms and influence each other. The movie to kill a mockingbird is the perfect combination of British and American literature and English film. It not only promotes the complementary advantages and disadvantages of literature and film, but also mutual achievements, so that they can achieve a win-win situation. It also makes people realize that film can better spread and promote literature. The addition of literary elements and their own artistic value can help improve the connotation charm and taste level of films, which in turn plays an important role in the development of literature.

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Tiger Eye Stone | PHYSICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE TIGER-EYE

The tiger-eye is a mineral of the great family of Quartz, belonging to the group of Oxides and SiO2 chemical formula. It is yellow-brown to golden, with shimmering reflections and slightly translucent to opaque. Its crystalline system is hexagonal and its luster is vitreous. It has a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale and its density is 2.68. Its fluorescence is zero, either under long ultraviolet or short UV. On the other hand, it is among the materials that present the curious optical phenomenon of triboluminescence, like other quartz and minerals: when it is broken or rubbed, brief flashes of light can appear, probably due to brutally separated electric charges who try to react.

COLORS OF THE TIGER-EYE

The tiger-eye presents itself in all shades of golden yellow to brown, passing through the golden brown and it is especially remarkable for its effect of shimmer, these shimmering movements that seem to come to life when the observer moves with respect to stone.

MAIN TIGER-EYE DEPOSITS

The tiger's eye is formed in the alkaline granites and pegmatites associated with them. The genesis of this mineral is very particular; it follows a slow process called pseudomorphosis. Originally, there is mineral called crocidolite, a form of riebeckite arranged in fibers. Over time, the crocidolite changes and dissolves, and quartz crystals come to take its place, following the original fibrous structure. This is how the areas of shimmer appear. Another theory advances rather an alteration of the original crocidolite by cracks and crackles.

It is in South Africa and Sri Lanka that one finds the most important tiger-eye mines. But it is also extracted from deposits located in Australia (Wittenoom Gorge), Brazil (Minas Gerais), China (Hunan), India, Burma, Namibia and the United States (California, Arizona).

THE ADVICE OF OUR GEMOLOGIST: HOW TO CHOOSE A TIGER'S EYE?

To evaluate the quality of a tiger's eye, it must be checked that there are no cracks and that its color, its shimmer, have been highlighted best by size. The lapidaries most often cut the tiger-eye in a cabochon well polished and set, or pearls. But it can be easily carved in small object, in egg, and some pieces are even adapted to a faceted size. Be careful not to expose your tiger-eye to a strong source of heat, as it may change color and evolve towards the bull-eye, more brownish-red.

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METALS ASSOCIATED WITH THE TIGER EYE IN JEWELERY

The tiger's eye is a very affordable mineral, which opens up vast possibilities in jewelry, whether it's fancy creations or jewelry. Tiger eye jewelry is often found in silver but also sometimes in gold plated or vermeil.

STORIES AND LEGENDS AROUND THE TIGER-EYE

Curiously, despite the very particular appearance and the iridescent reflections of the tiger-eye, few stories and traditions have come down to us. However, it is known that in Mesopotamia this mineral was already known: it was called the eye of Bellus, knowing that Bellus-Marduk was a very important god in Babylon, especially in the time of Nebuchadnezzar. Another tradition, of unknown origin, tells that formerly, the men, before leaving for a long trip, gave to drink their milk of milk in which had soaked a amulet carved in the eye-of-tiger: that guaranteed them (perhaps) not the fidelity of their wife, but the absence of pregnancy in case of misconduct ... It is also said that the Romans went to war equipped with tiger-eye talismans who were supposed to protect them from injury during battles.

VIRTUES AND BENEFITS OF THE TIGER-EYE

For those who see stones as aids to health and well-being, the tiger-eye is a protective stone; it has benefits on the nervous system and heals the joints. Let's go into detail...

The tiger-eye would protect against the malevolence of others and against all negative waves. For that, it would be good to wear on oneself as to dispose of it at the entrance of his house.

Linked to the ground and stability, it would be beneficial for the knees and would cure joint problems that hinder walking and mobility in general: rheumatism, osteoarthritis, inflammation ... It would preserve the spine which it would promote the proper alignment. Some even think it would help reduce bone fractures.

The tiger-eye would have powers over stress: it would balance the nervous energy and have effects on the digestive system, the functioning of which is largely regulated by our nervous system. It would help us find our calm and refuel positive energy. Delivered from our inner blockages and the negative thoughts that haunt us, we would be able through the tiger-eye to be better able to focus, to act constructively, to make good decisions and to build good relationships with others. Others. According to some Asian traditions, the tiger-eye would be a balancing stone that would restore harmony between the yin and yang tendencies present in each of us.

ASTROLOGICAL MATCHES OF THE TIGER'S EYE

The astrological signs commonly associated with the tiger-eye are Gemini, Virgo, Leo and Capricorn. The tiger-eye is linked to the chakra of the solar plexus; the corresponding star is therefore the Sun and the day, Sunday. In Chinese astrology, the tiger-eye is the stone of the sign "Monkey", which often corresponds to an exuberant personality, changing mood and hectic days, which has a rich relational life. No wedding anniversary is tied to the tiger eye. On the other hand, it is customary to match a particular gem with each age: according to this tradition, the tiger's eye corresponds to the eighteenth birthday.

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Here's how the US's new Abrams tank matches up against Russia's next-generation T-14 Armata tank

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Army and industry weapons developers have begun work on an advanced next-generation Abrams tank specifically engineered with new weapons, ammunition, laser-spotters and advanced thermal sights able to outrange, outgun and outmatch the most modern Russian and Chinese tanks, service and industry officials said.

Advanced networking technology with new, next-generation sights, sensors, targeting systems and digital networking — are all key elements of an ongoing upgrade to position the platform to, if needed, successfully engage in combat against rapidly emerging threats, such as the prospect of confronting a Russian T-14 Armata or Chinese 3rd generation Type 99 tank.

“Right now we are at parity with near peer competitors, and a sight upgrade will give us operational overmatch,” Lt. Col. Justin Shell, the Army's product manager for Abrams, said recently at the Association of the United States Army annual convention.

While, quite naturally, the range and particular technical capabilities of the US Army’s emerging tank sights are not available for security reasons, several Russian news reports — such as GRU Pycckoe (site here) — report that the new Russian T-14 Armata’s thermal targeting sights are able to discern tank-size targets during the daytime at ranges out to 5 kilometers. The same reports state the nighttime sights can reach 3.5 kilometers.

Additionally, the 48-ton modern T-14 tank is widely reported to be able to reach speeds of 90-kilometers per hour; it is built with an unmanned turret, without a “fume extractor” and is designed for a 3-man crew surrounded by an armored capsule. While much has been made of the T-14 Armata’s cutting edge technology, including its active protection, 12-round per minute firing rage and 125mm smoothbore cannon in numerous public reports and assessments, it is not at all clear that the T-14 in any way fully outmatches current and future variants of the Abrams tank — at least according to available public information.

Nonetheless, while not discussed much by US tank developers, Abrams modernization efforts are without question being designed to meet and exceed any dangers posed by rival nation tanks, such as the T-14. Concerns about the threat posed by the T-14 Armata are, without question, informing US tank and weapons developers.

Thomson Reuters

The Army is working on a new SEP v4 variant, slated to being testing in 2021, is being specifically engineered as a “lethality” upgrade to position the platform as the world’s most advanced and threatening main battle tank.

(Army officials of course explain that many of the details of the next-gen systems for the future tanks are not available for security reasons)

The new tank will include new laser rangefinder technology, color cameras, integrated on-board networks, new slip-rings, advanced meteorological sensors, ammunition data links, laser +warning receivers and a far more lethal, multi-purpose 120mm tank round, said Maj. Gen. David Bassett, Program Executive Officer, Ground Combat Systems.

A recent news report from Sputnik reported that tank-maker Uralvagonzavod has developed a "remotely-detonated" 125mm shell for the T-14 Armata.

The US Army’s Multi-Purpose 120mm tank round, to integrate onto the v4, is now being engineered to integrate several different kinds of ammunition into a single, tailorable round.

Without offering much detail, Army developers explain that the lethality upgrade, referred to as an Engineering Change Proposal, or ECP, is centered around the integration of a higher-tech 3rd generation FLIR — Forward Looking Infrared imaging sensor.

The advanced FLIR uses higher resolution and digital imaging along with an increased ability to detect enemy signatures at farther ranges through various obscurants such as rain, dust or fog, Army officials said. Further details are not available, developers say.

US Marine Corps

Improved FLIR technologies help tank crews better recognize light and heat signatures emerging from targets such as enemy sensors, electronic signals or enemy vehicles. This enhancement provides an additional asset to a tank commander’s independent thermal viewer.

Thermal targeting sights, as demonstrated during now famous Gulf War tank battles including Abrams tanks against Russian-built T-72, can create range mismatches enabling tanks to destroy enemy tanks without themselves been seen.

A report in Popular Mechanics earlier this year, by Kyle Mizokami, says the T-14s new, now-in-development 3UBK21 Sprinter missile can hit ranges more than 7 miles, basically tripling the current 2.48-mile range of an Abrams 120mm round, according to the report. The Armata’s current round, the 9M119 Reflecks, has a range of 3.1 miles (roughly comparable to the current Abrams) and can penetrate up to 900 millimeters of armor, Popular Mechanics writes.

It goes without saying that the lethality of a round is, by any assessment, contingent upon the range, accuracy and fidelity of the sensors and targeting technology in place to provide guidance; accordingly, exact range of fire may be far less important than the range and relative resolution of on-board sights and sensors.

Furthermore, not only will the Abrams v4 improve range and lethality of the tanks main gun, but it will also bring long-range laser detection and rear-view sensors. Also, newly configured meteorological sensors will better enable Abrams tanks to anticipate and adapt to changing weather or combat conditions more quickly, Army officials said.

“Meteorological sensors are being integrated into the fire control system. It provides information into fire control algorithms that help increase the accuracy and precision of your weapon system,” Ashley Givens, spokeswoman for the Army’s Program Executive Office Ground Combat Systems, told Scout Warrior in a written statement.

Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP

The emerging M1A2 SEP v4 will also be configured with a new slip-ring leading to the turret and on-board ethernet switch to reduce the number of needed “boxes” by networking sensors to one another in a single vehicle.

The maturation and efficacy of active protection systems also bears prominently upon this calculus; the Army is now accelerating development of a handful of APS systems to better enable tanks and other armored vehicles to detect, track, intercept and destroy incoming enemy RPGs, tank rounds and anti-tank guided missiles. The Army is now integrating an APS system called Trophy onto its Abrams vehicles.

Citing Russian news sources, a story in The National Interest by Dave Majumdar says Russian weapons developers claim that their Afghanit active protection system mounted on a T-14 Armata "has been proven effective at intercepting depleted uranium-core armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot (APFSDS) cannon shells."

First MIA2 SEP v3 tank arrives

The first v3 pilot vehicle, already delivered to the Army, features technological advancements in communications, reliability, sustainment and fuel efficiency and upgraded armor, developers and Army senior leaders told Scout Warrior.

This current mobility and power upgrade, among other things, adds an auxiliary power unit for fuel efficiency and on-board electrical systems, improved armor materials, upgraded engines and transmission and a 28-volt upgraded drive system.

Abrams-maker General Dynamics Land Systems is already on contract to build 500 of the M1A2 SEP v3 tanks for the US Army.

DVIDS

The v3 is built to lay the ground work for subsequent v4 variants in a number of key respects. On board command and control, force tracking technology, power generation and sensors are, as is regularly the case with today’s new acquisition strategies, incorporate a common set of standards known as “open architecture.” This approach is intended to engineer hardware and software in a way that enables it to quickly integrate and merge with new technologies as they emerge.

“The v3 will be the foundation for future tank upgrades,” Shell said.

Alongside these efforts, the v3 is also built with a specific “protection” or survivability flexibility to afford commanders an opportunity to tailor the tank’s protection level to adapt to whatever threat the combat circumstance may merit.

Shell explained how the modern v3 construction approach, seeking to expand upon the previously integrated Tank Urban Survival Kit (TUSK), allows for rapid switching of underbody armor protection, reactive armor tiles and other protective applications such as a commander’s gun shield and loader’s gun shield.

“We can scale the protection level and increase the weight depending upon the threat. We took the underbody kit and took one-thousand pounds out of it using an aluminum alloy,” Shell said in an interview with Scout Warrior.

Next generation combat vehicle

The Army is now seeking to finesse a careful and combat relevant balance between upgrading the current Abrams to the maximum degree while also recognizing limitations and begin conceptual work on a new platform called Next-Generation Combat Vehicle.

Thomson Reuters

While the Army is only now in the early stages of concept development for this technology, Bassett did tell Warrior that it may indeed evolve into a family of vehicles. Many reports and Army comments have indicated that the configuration of the new vehicles may resemble hull forms of an Abrams, Mobile Protected Firepower vehicle, Bradley or even elements of a Stryker vehicle. However, it is without question that, whatever NGCV evolves into, it will be built to consistently accommodate the best emerging technologies available.

For instance, Shell explained that some early developmental work assessing lighter weight armor and hull materials able to provide the same protection as the current vehicle at a much lower weight.

“We could look at some novel material such as lightweight tracks or a hull replacement,” Shell said.

Key parameters for the NGCV will, among other things, include building a lighter-weight, more mobile and deployable vehicle. Weight, speed and mobility characteristics are deemed essential for a tank’s ability to support infantry units, mechanized armored units and dismounted soldiers by virtue of being able to cross bridges, rigorous terrain and other combat areas less accessible to existing 70-ton Abrams tanks.

Bassett explained that specific cross-functional team leads have begun to explore concepts and early requirements for the NGCV effort to, among other things, look for common, cross-fleet technologies and build in flexibility.

“We are standing up a cross functional teams defining the art of the possible as we look at what technologies are available,” Bassett said in an interview with Scout Warrior. “We could change some assumptions. We want to give the Army some flexibility.”

3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division

One possibility now receiving some attention, Army senior leaders say, is that the NGCV may implement a lightweight 120mm cannon previously developed for one of the Manned-Ground Vehicles developed for the now-cancelled Future Combat Systems program. The vehicle, called the Mounted Combat System, was built with a two-ton 120mm cannon roughly one-half the weight of the current Abrams cannon.

The Army’s MCS program developed and test-fired a super lightweight 120mm cannon, called the XM360, able to fire existing and emerging next-generation tank rounds.

The MCS was to have had a crew of two, a .50 caliber machine gun, and a 40mm automatic grenade launcher.

The Army’s recent Combat Vehicle Modernization Strategy specifically mentions the value of adapting the XM360 for future use.

Special new technology was needed for the XM360 in order to allow a lighter-weight cannon and muzzle to accommodate the blast from a powerful 120mm tank round.

Elements of the XM360 include a combined thermal and environmental shroud, blast deflector, a composite-built overwrapped gun, tube-modular gun-mount, independent recoil brakes, gas-charged recuperators, and a multi-slug slide block breech with an electric actuator, Army MCS developmental documents describe.

Abrams & robotic wingmen

While not specifically referring to the T-14s unmanned turret or Russian plans for an autonomous capability, Basset did say it is conceivable future armored vehicles may indeed include an unmanned turret as well as various level of autonomy, tele-operation and manned-unmanned teaming.

Bassett also emphasized the future vehicles will be designed to incorporate advanced digital signal processing and machine-learning, such as AI technologies.

Computer algorithms enabling autonomous combat functions are progressing at an alarming rate, inspiring Army and GDLS developers to explore the prospect of future manned-unmanned collaboration with tank platforms. It is certainly within the realm of the technically feasible for a future tank to simultaneously control a small fleet of unmanned robotic “wing man” vehicles designed to penetrate enemy lines while minimizing risk to soldiers, transport ammunition or perform long-range reconnaissance and scout missions.

“The Chief has stated (Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley) has said that all future vehicles will be tele-operated. We take those things into account and we’re are going to get some great experimentation in this area,” Bassett said. “There are things you can do in a next-gen vehicle which you cannot do in a current vehicle due to physical requirements.”:

Levels of autonomy for air vehicles, in particular, have progressed to a very advanced degree – in part because there are, quite naturally, fewer obstacles in the air precluding autonomous navigation. GPS enabled way-point technology already facilitates both ground and air autonomous movement; however, developing algorithms for land based autonomous navigation is by all means far more challenging given that a vehicle will need to quickly adjust to a fast-moving, dynamic and quickly-changing ground combat environment.

“There is a dramatic difference in size, weight and power performance if you make something tele-operated,” Bassett said.

NOW WATCH: Trump approved the largest weapons deal in US history — here's what Saudi Arabia is buying

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The Cuban hustle - Doctors drive cabs and work abroad to make up for meager pay

The Cuban hustle: Doctors drive cabs and work abroad to make up for meager pay By ROB WATERS FEBRUARY 8, 2017 HAVANA — He knew as a child that he wanted to be a doctor, like his father. He went to medical school, became a general surgeon and ultimately a heart specialist. He practiced at Cuba's premier cardiovascular hospital, performed heart transplants, and published articles in medical journals. For this, Roberto Mejides earned a typical doctor's salary: about $40 a month. It wasn't nearly enough, even with the free housing and health care available to Cubans, to support his extended family. So in 2014, Mejides left them behind, moving to Ecuador to earn up to $8,000 a month working at two clinics and performing surgeries. It's a common story here, where waiters, cabdrivers, and tour guides can make 10 to 20 times the government wages of doctors and nurses — thanks to tips from tourists. "Doctors are like slaves for our society," said Sandra, an art student and photographer's assistant who makes more than her mother, a physician. "It's not fair to study for so many years and be so underpaid." Cuba is proud of its government-run health care system and its skilled doctors. But even with a raise two years ago, the highest paid doctors make $67 a month, while nurses top out at $40. That leaves many feeling demoralized — and searching for ways to improve their lives. Some enter the private economy — by renting rooms to tourists, driving cabs, or treating private patients, quasi-legally, on the side. Thousands of others accept two-year government assignments to work as doctors abroad, collecting higher salaries for themselves and earning billions for the state, which helps keep the stagnant economy afloat. In fact, health workers are Cuba's largest source of foreign exchange. A few doctors, like Mejides, arrange foreign employment on their own, putting at risk their future ability to return to a government job in the health system back home. "It's hard to migrate and be alone," Mejides said in Spanish, during a video phone call from Ecuador to a reporter visiting Havana in October. "It's stressful. I am in the wrong place. I should be with my family in my country, working and being rewarded properly." Still, with his Ecuador earnings, he was able to buy his wife, two daughters, and two stepdaughters a $23,000 apartment in Havana, and he sends them $300 to $500 a month. Renting out rooms to make ends meet While doctors back in Cuba grumble about their low pay, they usually find ways to make do. Sandra's mother, Nadia, a genetics researcher, earns about as much as she pays a cleaning woman to maintain her three-bedroom Havana apartment. Whenever she can, she rents one of those rooms to tourists for $40 a night, making more in two nights than she does from her monthly earnings as a doctor. She asked that her full name not be used to avoid any problems with the government. The rental income allows Nadia to have a modestly comfortable life and to be able to buy fruits and vegetables at farmers markets. But a restaurant meal is a rare treat, and traveling abroad is impossible. Still, she loves her work and the intellectual challenge of her research into genetic diseases. She said many Cuban doctors are committed and provide excellent service, in part because of the ways they have learned to overcome shortages of equipment and technology. "We don't have all the electronic tools, so we have to learn to do things other ways, to diagnose just by external examination," she said, over a dinner of fish and rum at her apartment. She'd like to earn more money, of course, and she understands why so many doctors, including many she knows, have chosen to leave Cuba. "I'm not ambitious for money," she said. "I get rent from visitors, and I get to live in Cuba. I have a nice house, and I'm happy with what I have. But I'm not a millionaire." Cecilia, a 60-year-old former nurse who also asked that her full name not be used, spent 25 years working in government hospitals and clinics. To adapt to the shortages, she learned to make inventos medicos — medical inventions — using a chair or bench to raise the back of a patient's bed, for example, or cutting the tip off an intravenous line to fashion an oxygen feed to a patient's nose. But she became disillusioned by the chronic shortages and the stress she saw in both her patients and colleagues. "The material scarcity is so overwhelming that it keeps people from dedicating all the passion, love, and brain power that they should to their patients in need," she said, sitting in a rocking chair in her third-floor Havana apartment. "I was the one who had to face the patients and tell them we don't have the drug that you need. It was very common. And I didn't want to do that any more." Doctors and nurses "have the best intentions, but they face so many obstacles, there are so many things on their mind," she added. "The doctor might be treating a patient but they are actually thinking: 'When I get home, at God knows what time, what am I going to feed my kid?'" She quit nursing in the early 2000s and later began to pursue her passion, doing hands-on alternative medicine that combines techniques of massage, kinesiology, magnetic therapy, and so-called floral therapy, which uses extracts of flowers and herbs as healing agents. Her work with private clients, who come to her apartment, is permitted under a license for massage, the only form of healing work included on a list of government-approved private services and businesses. Working three days a week, she earns almost $120 a month "if all my appointments show up," she said. "I use to make that in six months working at the hospital." A surplus of doctors In the years after Fidel Castro seized power in 1959, Cuba invested heavily in education and science, training tens of thousands of doctors, nurses, and scientists. As a result, Cuba, a country of 11.2 million people, today has 90,000 doctors, the most per capita in the world. About 25,000 of these doctors, along with 30,000 Cuban nurses and other health professionals, are working in 67 countries around the world. They earn about $8.2 billion in revenue for the government, according to a recent article in Granma, the official paper of the Cuban Communist Party. The bulk of the doctors, about 20,000, are in Brazil and Venezuela. Over the last three years they provided treatment to 60 million Brazilians, mostly the rural poor, said Cristián Morales Fuhrimann, the Pan American Health Organization's representative in Havana. Cuba receives about $5,000 a month per doctor from Brazil, pays each doctor about $1,200, and banks the rest, said John Kirk, a professor of Latin American studies at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, who has researched Cuba's program of medical missions. Most of the doctors' shares are deposited in their Cuban bank accounts, requiring them to return home to collect it. "Cuba has too many doctors, so their main source of hard currency is to rent out medical services," Kirk said. Once close allies of Havana, Brazil and Venezuela have been engulfed in political and economic crises that will cause them to reduce their use of Cuban doctors in the coming years. That may lead Cuba to redeploy some doctors to other parts of the world, including the Middle East. In Qatar, an oil-rich emirate about as far from Cuba geographically and culturally as any place in the world, the so-called Cuban Hospital is fully staffed by 400 Cuban doctors, nurses, and technicians. Cuba's dispatch of doctors not only generates revenue, it is also an exercise in soft power that allows the country to spread its influence around the globe. "It's a major contribution to the health of the world," said Morales. "They made a big difference in fighting Ebola in Africa, in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew in Haiti." Some Cuban doctors working overseas have defected to the United States, aided by a policy launched during the administration of George W. Bush that permitted Cuban medical personnel to go to the US with their spouses and children. In its last weeks in office, the Obama administration announced it was ending the program. Since the Cuban Medical Professional Parole Program began in 2006, more than 9,000 medical professionals and their family members were approved for admission to the US. In the past four years, the number of entrants spiked, reaching almost 2,000 for the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30. The Cuban government and the Pan American Health Organization protested the policy as a form of poaching that undermined Cuba's health system and impeded newfound cooperation between the US and Cuba. In a statement, Obama acknowledged that the program "risks harming the Cuban people." Cuban doctors are in demand internationally because they come cheap, are well-trained, and work in a public health system that is highly organized and well-run. In Cuba, primary care clinics are available in every neighborhood. Specialists in cancer, immunology, genetic medicine, and cardiovascular disease staff the hospitals. Life expectancy rates, which two generations ago were at Third World levels, are today roughly equal to those in the United States. But the absence of so many doctors also provokes complaints from patients, who say it keeps them from getting the best care. They also grouse that they have to bring their own food and bedsheets, wait for appointments or medications — and provide gifts to doctors to ensure good treatment. When the 61-year-old father of Concepcion, a young Cuban professional, was diagnosed with prostate cancer last summer, she used personal connections to enable her father to see a specialist promptly. Concepcion, who asked that her full name not be used to avoid reprisals or damage to her professional standing, also provided daily gifts of food, cosmetics, and sometimes cash to doctors, nurses, and technicians while her father was hospitalized for a month in Holguin, a city in eastern Cuba. "Doctors are used to receiving gifts," she said. "You give the gift and the attention starts getting better. If you stop and the attention goes down, you go back to handing out gifts. You feel sorry for the doctors because they work really hard under bad conditions and you always feel like they're not being rewarded." She estimated she spent about $500 on gifts and food, an amount she said would have doubled had he been hospitalized in pricier Havana. Jose dos Santos, a Cuban journalist who needs regular treatment for his diabetes, said the care he receives is excellent. Bringing gifts to doctors "has become a habit because we know that the job doctors do needs to be better rewarded," he said. "We don't produce oil," he added, "but we produce talent, and it makes sense that that talent is acknowledged and rewarded." In December, Roberto Mejides moved again, this time to Merida, Mexico, where he plans to work for the next four years. His income will be roughly the same as in Ecuador, but now he's just 90 minutes by air from Havana. He hopes to bring his family to join him in the coming months, "My hopes have always been the same, to work honestly and to provide my family with an adequate life," he said. Someday, he added, he wants to return to Cuba: "It's my country, my homeland." Rob Waters can be reached at robwaters@pacbell.net Follow Rob on Twitter @robwaters001 Source: Cuban doctors drive cabs and work abroad to compensate for meager pay - http://ift.tt/2lq478j via Blogger http://ift.tt/2k3w3Nz