#environmental movie

[tinyreviews]

Tiny Review: Humane 2024. Intriguing mix of human psychology and environmental message.

I went into this with low expectations. I don’t particularly enjoy horror. But this pretty good, at least up until the end. And it isn’t really that horrible, more Purge-like.

Great characterizations. Intriguing premise. Good setups, tension, and turns. Recommended.

Humane is a 2024 horror thriller film directed by Caitlin Cronenberg, and written and produced by Michael Sparaga. It stars Jay Baruchel, Emily Hampshire, Sebastian Chacon, Alanna Bale, Sirena Gulamgaus, Uni Park, Enrico Colantoni, and Peter Gallagher.

[kael-writ]

The gradual degradation of Brennan's costume in Never Stop Blowing Up is a common environmental story telling trope in 80s action movies where the main character get progressively more injured but doesn't let it slow him down as he keeps fighting.

In a horror movie, these injuries would be slowing the character down, putting them in more peril, showing weakness and anguish.

In Action, it (at least) borders on comical how little injuries can matter - as Brennan showed in the hospital scene. Action is defiance of and triumph over death, it's about feeling like you're insanely tough, a badass who can defeat and overcome anyone and anything (physically).

The art and make up team here are telling a story. This is a character who exists parallel to our main story who is going through his own action journey, patching himself up when he can as he goes but bleeding through those bandages later as he rips a wound open that probably needed stitches but he doesn't have TIME to get a much needed blood transfusion, goddamnit, he's gotta get to the thing with the thing before the bad thing happens.

There's so many little interesting details unraveling in the story the make up is telling, like having one side of the body clearly have gotten exposed to an explosion. Meanwhile the cut on his left arm goes from open, to cleanly bandaged, to bleeding through the bandage. The latest episode brings us to the point in the movie where he finally just throws off the torn and bloodied dress shirt.

Which is part of action stories too, where the main character moves further and further from someone who was trying to be a Business Adult in the Real World before shit hits the fan and the battle can't be fought by a civilized man in a suit and tie, it's gonna get fuckin messy.

(as always please be mindful and respectful anytime you think about commenting on a performer's appearance).

[ghostoffuturespast]

[musings-and-overanalyses]

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind: Why This is My Favourite Ghibli Movie

CW: Major high-school English teacher vibes ahead. Proceed at your own risk.

Nausicaä of the valley of wind is a story of the titular character Nausicaä and her being a bridge between the world of humans and nature to bring peace, thus fulfilling an ancient prophecy.

Nausicaa is the princess of the Valley of the Wind. The film begins with her walking and exploring the Sea of Decay, an area with toxic air, plants and fungal spores. She collects some spores and finds the hard molten shell of an Ohmu (gigantic blue-blooded trilobite-looking creatures), which her people use to make weapons and tools. As the name suggests, the Valley of the Wind is a civilisation that depends on and bases their culture around wind, which one can see through an abundance of windmills and gliders, including the one that Nausicaä rides. They are shown to be peaceful people who do not interfere with the politics of the warring human kingdoms or disturb nature. Nausicaä in particular is shown to have a special gift with animals—from calming Ohmus to having a pet fox-squirrel. As the existence of the kingdom depends on the sea wind that shields them from the effects of the sea of decay, there is a general reverence towards nature and its other members such as the Ohmus, that are often referred to with honorifics.

This was an element I liked: the symbolism goes deep in this film; for example, with the nature of wind—it being the very breath necessary for life is contrasted with its other face, through toxic spores in the sea of decay capable of killing anyone who inhales it.

It is revealed that humans had built The Giant Men, weapons so dangerous—not unlike our atomic bombs as shown through the characteristic mushroom cloud—that the destruction caused by the war had unleashed the fury of the Ohmus, an otherwise gentle species. They wiped out entire civilisations and where they died, the Sea of Decay grew on their decomposing corpses, showing how all life is interconnected and that even in death the rage of the Ohmus, and through them the rage of nature, wouldn't subside. It is then that the viewers find out that this is not some far-off planet, but a post-apocalyptic future on earth.

New species of plants and fungi made the Sea of Decay their habitat—nature and life always find a way. It is implied that the humans lost the war referred to as the Seven days of Fire, but the truth is that it is not a war that can ever be won. Even if you win the war against nature you lose. As the story progresses, we see that the plants and fungi that Nausicaä collected from the Sea of Decay are actually trying to purify the soil and water—nature holds no grudges but only seeks balance.

The seventh of the Giant Men, a sentient atomic bomb if you will, apparently hid underground for a thousand years until the kingdom of Pejite found it for use against their enemy, the Tolmekians. They both remain oblivious to the sheer destruction that can be caused by this Giant Man and they don't care either. Despite the balance between humans and nature being a delicate one, instead of trying to rebuild together, they justify to themselves that the war is necessary for self-preservation and to put humans back on top of the food chain.

In their hubris, the Tolmekians and their princess Kushana believe that with the help of their superweapon they can destroy the Sea of Decay despite knowing that it will trigger the wrath of the Ohmus. The Giant Man however is not complete and hence, though the devastation is great, the final giant man dies and all that is remains to be done is to calm the wrath of the Ohmus.

Nausicaä saves an Ohmu child who was injured by Tolmekian soldiers to lure the Ohmus into a war. She saves the baby Ohmu and sacrifices her own life to calm the sea of maddened Ohmus. The now-calm Ohmu then revive Nausicaä, symbolising the mystical healing power of nature and its ability to support and create life.

Nausicaä is an excellent protagonist, and how the trope of the chosen one is utilised is beautiful and full of symbolism. Right from the get-go, we see her being inquisitive and brave. She is willing to defend her people but not through violence. And it is made abundantly clear that her avoidance of violence is not due to any lack of strength; when she strikes down the soldiers who killed her father, rather than feeling any sense of pride (as one might expect from a character not used to strength), it sickens her. She shows understanding even towards Kushana, whose men took over her kingdom. She sincerely loves and respects animals and plants.

There was a prophecy among the people of the valley of wind that a person clad in blue over golden fields will save their kingdom and bring peace. And towards the end of the film, Nausicaä's clothes becoming blue with the blood of the baby Ohmu she saved and the golden fields being the tendrils of the Ohmus healing her is poetic to say the least.

In addition to a good female protagonist, we also get a powerful female antagonist in Kushana, who starts out as a one-note expansionist ruler, but it is revealed that she lost her limbs and got severely maimed by the sea of decay, motivating her to destroy it once and for all. Proud and arrogant, sure, but she has a motive beyond just wanting power and possesses some form of a moral code. In another story she could be the protagonist bravely defending humanity against the evil, alien-esque trilobites and spores.

It was a unique and meaningful choice on Miyazaki's part to symbolise nature through the Ohmus—alien-looking giant insects—instead of something cute and fluffy. Oftentimes humans care more about the conservation of animals that they find cute (pandas over, say, Panamanian golden frogs), but an animal doesn't have to appeal to human aesthetics to be worth conserving.

Absolutely not to be missed is the breathtaking soundtrack by Hisaishi. There are symphonies, techno music, sitar-like instruments and a child's humming, all elevating every scene to give a moving experience.

Ultimately it is an ambitious story that aims to deal with themes of coexisting with nature, the futility and dangers of war, and of how innocent children who should live carefree lives are dragged into it and made heroes. This film is often categorised as falling into the genre of Solarpunk: a literary and artistic movement that centres around building a sustainable future interconnected with nature and community. Although this film does depict violence and wars, it ultimately shows a peaceful future is possible.

Truly a masterpiece. 9/10.

[alpaca-clouds]

"Save the Bees" is not enough

Yo, Solarpunks. Let us talk bees. And yes, everyone else, too. Like, yeah, bees.

See, whenever we are talking about insects dying, people will go "save the bees". And whenever I hear "save the bees", I will just go and say: "You don't get it, do you?"

People like bees. Because bees make honey, right? Yeah, only they don't. No, really. The honey bee is just one species of bees, while other bee species do in fact not make honey. Which is why we domesticated the honey bee, but not those other species. Duh. Because one was useful to us, while the others were not. As such we love the honey bee, but do not care about the other insects that are dying off.

Meme culture tells me, that you have probably seen Bee Movie. And I will now shock you. The movie lies to you! ("No!" - "YES!") And with that I do not mean, that actual bees are unable to speak. Or the fact that most bees are female (if we really wanna impose genders on bees). No, with that I mean the big thing that happens in the finale of the movie of all plants and what not dying off.

For those, who somehow have not seen that 90 minute meme: In the movie the honey bees sue the humans for stealing their honey. They win. Have their own honey and stop working. (Boy, lots to unpack there, eh?) and because of it all the flowers and crops die.

Well, here is the thing: Honey bees are actually not that important as polinators. Like, sure, they polinate a lot of crops and flowers, but... normally they are not the big pollinators, even though we kinda make them to, by shipping all those honey bees around. Other bee species pollinate a lot of plants, too. And so do other animals, like bats and birds for example. And that is without going into the less liked animals that pollinate, like flys. And then we also have all those self-pollinating crops and flowers, as well as air polinating plants.

Let me make one thing clear: You should care about bees. All the bees. (Because hint, the honey bees have the least of a problem.) But you should also care about the other insects that are dying off. Not only because of the pollination, but also because insects play a bigger role than just pollination.

Insects, for example, are important as prey animals for lots of birds and smaller animals. Just as some insects might actually play a role in dealing with natural waste. So, the dying off of insects is a bigger problem of "plants don't get pollinated".

So, why do the insects die?

Yes, part of the reason is habitat loss. You know, your lawn is a fucking desert to most insects. They not only need a bigger variety of plants around (not just flowers), but maybe also some old wood to borrow into and some loose earth on the ground. Stuff like that.

Insects usually also do not deal very well with the climate change. Be it with the growing heat or with the more erratic weather patterns of draught and then just quick and sudden rainfall, that does not linger.

And, of course, there is also the fact that we use a lot of anti-insect pesticides in agriculture. Which does not only hit those pests, but basically any other insect around.

And then... there is the invasive species. We kinda spread a lot of invasive insect species around, that also kill a ton of the local insect species.

So... What can you do? Well, if you have a garden, you can make it more insect friendly. Duh. You also can leave out some water for insects and birds. They all need it.

But most of all: Become politically active. Make sure that pesticides are used less. It is maybe the most important.

[screamingatmyfandom]

I don't know which person manifested main character energy in my area but I'm literally living through a Hallmark movie plot as a background character.

For context, I live in Washington state, specifically behind one the main headwaters for many lakes, rivers, creeks, and watersheds in the area. It is also a major marshland that prevents major flooding when it rains, which is always, bc it's Washington.

This place is just forest and marsh, and our small neighborhood that's accessible by travelling down a one lane road through a swamp. (We have one singular lamp that lights that road like Narnia, especially in the fog XD).

Recently a big company came out and went door to door going "Hey, just letting you know that we're gonna be building a facility 10 ft from your houses. We chose this cute little neighborhood because there would have been pushback from bigger ones! So guess we'll be neighbors soon!"

To which we collectively went "No? N-no, you're not allowed to build back there. We almost weren't allowed to build back here when the neighborhood was first established. There are native plants and animals that live here, along with about 60% of pierce county's usable water. Also that "cute little neighborhood" remark sounded really condescending?"

So now here we are, about 2 months later, protesting with actual signs and a website because they still tried to build there, then stopped and nearly got in trouble for doing illegal things.

So. To whichever person is living out their main character Hallmark fantasy in Washington state, could you please hurry up and kiss the love interest and realize that you hate your corporate job so the black bears in my neighborhood can go back to the forest and stop curbstomping my trash can? Thank you.

[thoughtportal]

In this episode we explore a relatively new subgenre of science fiction called Solarpunk, which aims to imagine better, more ecologically harmonious, futures on earth. In many ways Solarpunk is a reaction to both the real-world climate crisis and to the many apocalyptic visions of collapse filling our screens. Andrew Sage from the YouTube channel Andrewism joins host Jonathan McIntosh and friend of the show Carl Williams for this conversation.

References & Links • The Andrewism YouTube Channel • Walkaway by Cory Doctorow • Ecotopia by Ernest Callenbach • Sunvault: Stories of Solarpunk and Eco-Speculation • Fighting for the Future edited by Phoebe Wagner  • Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler • Princess Mononoke from Studio Ghibli • The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin • Emergency Skin by N. K. Jemisin • Monk and Robot book series by Becky Chambers • Dear Alice from THE LINE • Dear Alice’ Decommodified Edition by Waffle To The Left • Our History Is the Future by Nick Estes • 3000-Year-Old Solutions to Modern Problems by Lyla June  • Capitalist Realism by Mark Fisher

[sullyfortress]

I've been bustin' booty on commissions which is so satisfying but I've been having this desire to draw child Neytiri since drawing Tuk, cuz I have this theory that Neytiri looked identical to her daughter as a child. Also I love the idea of tiny warrior Neytiri living in her older sisters shadow and it makes me think of Lo'ak and maybe that's what he and his mom have in common they both grew up the second born to the eldest to be leader of the clan. BUT ALSO CHILD NEYTIRI WAS JUST LIKE TUK A TINY RAY OF SUNSHINE AND HOPE UNTIL THE PASTY UGLY ASS SKY PROPLE SHOWED UP AND SHAT ON EVERYTHING. ALSO both lost their siblings to gunshot wounds. (Actually Jake did too, but seeing how Neytiri and Lo'ak didnt seem to have much else in common or to, pardon me, bond over, im curious if that shared experience of loosing an older sibling to sky people with connect them more)Idk thought rant.

But for real James GIVE THE WOMAN A BREAK like I would not blame her if she completely cracked the next movie and went of a hard-core killing spree I mean she sorta did but I mean MEGA Rambo killing spree. I'd sit back be like

[skrunksthatwunk]

jsjdkdbjsskh this fucking movie man

^^destruction caused by a fight his boys and some randos got into

[bitbytebot]

older “key art” i made for a continuation fic concept…ness WILL be in fnaf 2 (manifesting)

[evilhorse]

The Return of the Swamp Thing ad (circa June 1989)

[wealmostaneckbeard]

Minecraft always sucked

I dislike minceraft because it started off as a neckbearded-internet-libertarian's fantasy simulation of "living off the grid," in the mid-2000s. Since then it's been bought by Microsoft and marketed by YouTube's algorithm, two massive mostly untrustworthy corporations.

Okay, it's origins and current state are obnoxiously capitalistic but the gameplay is cool, right?

Yes, it is cool that people can express themselves through in-game architectural/interior designs, or learn about programming automation. But last I checked the unmodded game doesn't teach people how to live sustainably by keeping industrial/agricultural pollutants out of the water table. Or how replacing biomes with urban development can result in natural disasters such as floods and disease outbreaks. The game is basically teaching people that the destruction/exploitation of nature for industry and self-expression is an unavoidable necessity with barely any downsides. And as I've implied that is so very wrong!

Which brings me to my last point: The problem with a lot of survival-crafting games is that it reinforces the libertarian homesteader delusion. That society (with all it's efficient conveniences and life saving public services) can collapse and every one will be fine because they can just live off the bounty of the land. Therefore it's okay that in real life, corporate lobbying destroys governments around the world while corporate industry renders the earth uninhabitable for all life. As long as you have the ownership your little plot of land with your little log cabin, everything is okay! Fuck the rest of the world and everyone in it!

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

.

[suburbanfairy]

How To Blow Up A Pipeline (2022) "If you're seeing this, let those who profit from mass death know their properties will be trashed. They will detain us and claim this was violence, and vandalism, but this was justified. This was an act of self-defense."

[lastoneout]

I'd like to think in the hypothetical post-scarcity/capitalism utopia there would still be people who want to make movies and there would thus also still be people like me, who want to open theaters where you can go and watch them.