Silk

...

...get your mind out of the gutter.

(The front of the DVD case on the right here claims that "The realism of WHITE NOISE with the sheer terror of THE EYE" is what you'll find in this movie. Realism being quack -scientific terms being thrown around in the hopes that no one knows what they're talking about, and sheer terror being a bizarre story line that leaves you wondering what the heck is going on between the living and the dead, with one creepy-ass little boy wandering around reenacting his death)

I just had the time and interest to view "Silk" otherwise known as "gui si," a 2006 Taiwanese horror about a team of scientists and a sniper ("Tung," pictured on the left in the poster below) hired by the government to work with them in studying a ghostly boy using a new protein in the form of the "Menger sponge," a structure that acts like a black hole sucking all manner of energy into it at a microscopic level, somehow allowing you to see ghosts when it is put into a liquid then sprayed into your eyes (apparently embedding itself permanently in there - can you say cataracts?)

(Chang Chen as Tung, Yosuke Eguchi as the bitter scientist Hashimoto)

The movie is well reviewed and summarized here - with more skill and effort than I could possibly muster in regards to this flick - but long story short, "Silk is one overstuffed film. It tries to be a ghost film, a supernatural thriller, a character drama, and even a pulse-pounding action flick, complete with a familar-sounding score from Peter Kam (Purple Storm, Tokyo Raiders). There's also some unexpected humor, and even some effective heartbreak involving Tung's relationship with his comatose mother. It's all a bit much, but Silk manages to string things together thanks to an involving storyline, well-developed tension, ace production values, and Chang Chen's charismatic central performance. Chang has always been an actor to watch, and Silk is worth seeing if only see this veteran of Wong Kar-Wai and Hou Hsiao-Hsien films stalk all over Taiwan shooting ghosts with Menger Sponge-enhanced bullets. Yeah, it all sounds a bit silly, but this is clearly a commercial film intended for international appeal, and it achieves its aims in an efficient and entertaining manner. It's not scary, nor is it really that conclusive, but hey, it's also not bad. (Kozo 2006)"

It's stuffed to the gills with completely bogus sounding pseudo-science and strange lighting, freaky-looking ghosts in the tradition of the Ring, Grudge and Eye, but if you're looking for a good time with a scary movie that's more thought than jump-tactics horror, have 108 minutes of spare time, and if you don't mind sub-titles, I think you'd enjoy seeing "Silk."

Here's a taste in the form of a partial English, partial sub-titled preview. (I apologize for the horrible sound quality, but this isn't my video)

Warning: Reading this may cause harm to innocents.

...So why the heck are you reading it?

(warning, the following post contains spoilers of the movie "Untraceable")
I'm assuming it was because you were curious, or just blew it off as a creative title (which it really isn't, but the intention was to get your attention.) However, the idea is, people really don't seem to get it. "It" being the internet, and the profound effect it has on how we - we as people, we as a nation, we as a race of sentient beings - behave.

Yes, I'm a little behind on the curve to be writing about this movie now, but just today, I finally saw "Untraceable" with Diane Lane. (If you're wondering why I waited so long, it's because there's a theater in my area that charges any where from $0.50 to $1.00 to watch a movie, when they show it long after it's been released.) In case you didn't see it, the movie follows the efforts of Agent Marsh of the Cyber Crimes division of the FBI, and her partners as they work to stop the actions of the mastermind/killer behind the website "www.killwithme.com," a site that streams live the videos of his victims deaths. Snuff? Yes. Typical? Not quite - the murders are all set up in such a way that if no one watched, nothing would happen. However, the more people who visit the site - thus boosting the numbers on the hit counter - the quicker the death mechanism goes off. The people of the internet - as revealed in the movie, actually just the people of the US - literally become the killers themselves as every hit to the site causes the deaths of the victims.

The theme of the internet being a method of death has been explored in past movies already, either as having no way out without solving some sort of puzzle under a time limit (fear.com, pulse) or being a method of meeting the killer through a chat room or luring them in some other way, like a predator meeting a victim (the movie Hard Candy), but it continues to find new ways to scare us. The internet, with its easy anonymity and utter vastness, can easily evoke fear: especially in those who have little to no idea of how it actually works, making it seem literally like magic with information and resources pop up on your screen.

But I digress.

The point I was trying to make was that people of all ages, from the very young to the very old, tend to abuse the ability to access the internet because of how easy it is to interact and effect others without ever having to show your face or say what your real name is. During this day and age, it functions under a very "wild west" sort of law system. "Inappropriate" or malicious posts - viruses, malware, etc - are held loosely in check by a system of private site admins, viewer votes and PC protection software. As a result, the internet is able to run rampant with the things we as humans seem to demand the most - sex and violence, and very often, a mix of the two.

The movie Untraceable received only a %15 approval rating at the popular review site www.rottentomatoes.com, and was reviewed as being only "run of the mill" when it came to thrills, shock, and horror tactics - a sad truth that people today are so used to such a thing being entertainment, as many scenes depicted graphic gore and death. However, was it realistic? I'd have to say so.
While I can't attest to how many super-hackers there are out there capable of taking on the FBI head on with nothing more than a few towers and gadgets in their basement, being a self-proclaimed troll in my own younger years, I definitely say that yes, the depiction of viewer response was highly realistic.
A forum window, available besides each depiction of torture, allowed viewers of the site to discuss the deaths and what was happening - while you did have the "YOU'RE KILLING HIM!!!!" protest posts, you did have such posts as "HAHA he needs better sunscreen" (death by heat lamps) or "what didn't he kill her" and "I tuned in for this?" comments revealing disappointment when the killer showed footage of Marsh's daughter, but didn't harm her. While these were all just part of a script, they were spot on when it came to the sorts of responses shock videos tend to receive.

Untraceable was a movie about - in the simplest terms - viral videos. Videos about killings, rape, violence and disturbing sex acts spread at an amazing rate among people who seem to be so amazed by the footage that they simply must show all their friends. The footage of Saddam's execution, caught by a video phone at the scene, was online and on youtube within minutes, and from there, to the news worldwide. Goatse, tubgirl, and most recently - two girls one cup - (shock images and videos) get picked up and spread like an epidemic, purely through email and word-of-mouth. There really isn't any purpose to them except to cause a reaction, and you don't gain anything from seeing them. No one, at least not that you'd know it, is hurt by their being viewed. But even if they were, people would click the links and tune in. The official fakeout promotional website for Untraceable offers an interesting bit of information on this - if you follow the link above and follow the buttons provided, you'll find that %89 of people still clicked "yes" that they would like to enter the website, even when warned that entering may cause harm to someone. It's possible that many people decided that it was simply a promotional website, but other websites - www.killwithus.com, for instance - thoughtfully provide real-time counters that show that, even as privately run websites that depict torture (fake, but real looking nonetheless) directly linked the viewer, they will still get an astounding number of views.
Forums that provide sickening images - animal and human torture, death, abuse - show that many people, with no apparent risk of being tracked down and forced to defend their comments, will praise these things as highly entertaining, joke about them, and post their own images to add to the stew that makes up the garbage of the internet.

I mentioned that I was troll myself at one point - in some ways, I still am - but I no longer actively search these sorts of things out any more. I just don't find them entertaining in the way I used to. But that being said, while I could link you to all sorts of horrifying things used as entertainment on the internet found during my surfing, I'll instead leave you with this:
No matter how bad things get, not matter how disgusting the content, no matter how sickening the imagery - whose choice is it to view it? It's not forced on anyone, and there wouldn't be so much of it if it wasn't in demand. Think on that.



...Well! After so much depressing ranting, here's something following a lighter track of mind - some kittens frolicking! Make sure to watch to the end. It's worth it.

Yeah, so I killed like 3 people, but I also died about 20 times.

(Photo courtesy of http://www.bobafettm.com/eryndor/page_joining/joining.htm, Dagorhir players from the 1980's - check out those weapons XD)

A little confused by the title? Assuming I must be talking about some bizarre game?

Damn straight.

For those of you who have never heard of LARPing (Live Action Role Playing), it's time you learned.
In the late 70's, a group of friends in Maryland got together, dressed up, made some foam weaponry, and proceeded to beat the crap out of each other. Why? Because it's an amazing way to kill time, as well as each other (or at least pretend to, of course).
While it is a full contact sport (yes, it is a sport), there are strict safety regulations and a large set of rules regarding weaponry and how you may strike your opponent. Weapons, garb (the costumes) and of course, the number of people involved, have all evolved and changed. There are hundreds of thousands of players world-wide.

I just recently got involved, though I'd known about related activities for years and wanted to try it for some time now - and now I'm hooked. For those of you who think it's dorky or lame, I'd like you to consider that while many Dagorhirrim (as players are called) are teenager-early 20's age range and are indeed interested in "geek" activities such as D&D, Renaissance Fairs and the like, many are also ex-military, practitioners of martial arts, actors and other interesting characters. You are, if you have no battle experience whatsoever, likely to get your ass kicked several times at your first practice... but those there will also take the time to show you what you're doing wrong. Not only will you learn something about fighting with a sword (and come on, who doesn't want to do that?) but you'll also meet some really unique people, have a good time, and experience something something solid and energetic however imaginary the idea may be.
You create a persona, you put on their clothes, you pick up a weapon, and you charge onto the field of battle - perhaps to watch a movie and eat pizza later at your guild leader's house.
It's a fantastic mix of history, fantasy and original creation, with warrior types ranging from Pirates, to elves, to orcs, to Romans to Samurai, with a wide array of techniques and fighting styles, costumes, languages and tight-woven groups of comrades and an open-arms approach to welcoming new players.
Interested but don't know if there's a chapter in your area? Google Dagorhir or visit the official national website here, and check out whether or not there's a recognized chapter or unit that you can hook up with. Don't want to play, but still interested? That's fine too - this is some really fun stuff to watch. Sympathizers - people who like to be involved but not actually fight - are also welcome to become part of the story line and join in in events such as Ragnarok, the annual upcoming gathering of 1000+ Dagorhirrim in Ohio to battle it out, camp out and hang out. No unit or chapter in your area? Don't fear! Contact the High Council (emails available at the website) about starting one up yourself. It's easier than it might sound, and a good deal of fun as well.

To give you an idea of how fun this can be, here's a short 5 min and some "documentary" on Dag. Sums it up pretty well. And oh - yeah. Watch for the guy that falls down at the very beginning. >:D
Enjoy


And a rather spiffy (if a bit un-energetic) student commercial for Dag.