1990. Martin Scorsese's Mafia epic, Goodfellas, arguably the best gangster movie ever made, is released. Robert DeNiro, as Lucchese point-man Jimmy "The Gent" Burke, jocularly mock-mused "What's the world comin' to?!" A cue for Joe Pesci (as Tommy DeSimone) to open fire on future Soprano half-wit, Michael Imperioli's character, the Spider. More than 20 years later, through a time-tunnel of Devolution lined with cultural narcissism, the rape of communication, obsessive consumerism, and communal illusion, Tommy's answer to Jimmy's taunt reflects, in artful criminal violence, our journey to now.
2013. The jackals are here to stay, and they will multiply. To feed a need that grows in ferocity every second, creators of media must frenzy to manufacture audience hyper-pleasure. The problem isn't in fun-fabrication, it is in the need itself. A need that only grows. Not only are there a shitload of salivating jackals outside, but, no matter what you feed them, their hunger persists…and intensifies. Adapt to their presence, or become them. Use your freedom of choice. Freedom of choice.
Every era has a Zeitgeist. Literally, a time-ghost's ether that envelops a place in space-time. I spoke before of the monstrous one which slithers through the murder-waters of 1980-2013, Miami. (See Post 16:
LINK) In an attempt to identify our beast of time, I'm putting together a sort of time-capsule, or more a Zeitgeist anal suppository. I'm putting inside it, a triforce of highly-potent media products. The movie, game and album of the year. Time to give the future a taste of where the world was by the end of 2013. Love it or fuck it, we are here.
No Spoilers Follow.
Spring Breakers
Wunderkind, Harmony Korine, wrote the script for the most realistic teen-movie ever made when he was just 19. Kids (1996) was an accidental Zeitgeist. It depicted a culture I was already submerged in myself as a teen degenerate. Line-dropping from this film was commonplace among those of us whose skateboards tripled as rolling trays and weapons of war. For our kind, kidom (pronounced: kid-dumb) was a time of ignorance, violence, sexual discovery, drugs/alcohol and creative vandalism. Kids embodied this time, with humor and respect, despite some of its brutally honest over-the-top dialogue and content.
Most notably, Kids depicted exploitive sex and drug use in a vividly honest way no other movie had yet. Spring Breakers does this too, but more artistically, and with more focused intent. Anyone offended by this movie, should shit their pants, and cry them a river of waste. It's an exploitation movie…As ART. It's designed to panic the scolding fingers of the fragile and easily-off-put. Shake your heads till they fall the fuck off, ye moral tyrants. I loved Spring Breakers. But it was not a love won easily.
I found myself alongside the tyrannical at first. Annoyed by the repetitive narration. Not scolding, but disliking the characters, and the complete lack of tactical realism in some of their actions. (Personal NOTE: I have actually, in real life, over 10 years ago, known and fucked actual girls who really went to the FL College they shot in this. Believe it or not.) Since I had long ago walked the storm-stained slums of Gummo, I thought I knew what I was in for. Grin and bear it. Where was the shock? How would it turn? When would it come?
The enlightenment hits…in montage form. Why glamorize exploitation and amorality? Because we fucking can. As I stared unblinking, I realized. Duh. You're not supposed to like them. They're living a fantasy. An unrealistic, dumb, pretty, Spring Break girls' phantasm orgasm. A lie of a fable an idiot might tell. This is where we are. A runaway train with a psychotic coked-up conductor who doesn't care about death or arrest. He's run to the front. Killed the engineer. He's driving now. Nihilism. Narcissism. Ignorance. They're speeding up. The track behind them may as well burn.
Spring Breakers proves that not only has our runaway train gained momentum, it is always about to go off the rails. No one on board cares, and everyone not aboard, wants to watch. Whether in admiration or hatred, they'll all watch. All of us want to escape. Pleasure as escape. Peril as escape. Anything to escape. Whether you live to remember, or to forget, you live for escape. We all do. Every generation is hypnotized by the great soul prison around us. Our bodies. Our lives. A world is developing, where nothing tastes better than the next wrong. Nothing is more escapist than death. Nothing is closer to dying than killing. No one is safe. Live with it.
...
GTAV
Living a 100% criminal life without ever fearing death or arrest is something left mostly for storybook characters, psychopaths, and sociopaths. This September, Grand Theft Auto V changed all that, and gaming forever. Again. As was expected, this game was spectacular. I'm saying that cause I beat it. If Rockstar North's track record is any indication, you knew this was going to kick ass. Even better than Red Dead Redemption, or Max Payne 3 (See Post 4) before it, GTAV is the smoothest, cleanest gameplay you will see in a virtual environment of this size. New games will be ripping off aspects of GTAV's gameplay, just like they did with all its previous inceptions. Los Santos has no Saint's Row.
GTAV is much more than just mere entertainment, though. It's like getting tons of games in 1. Driving, shooting, shooting while driving, stunt driving, racing, munitions, stealth/tactical, tennis, flight simulator, BMX/mountain bike, motorcycle, quad/dirt bike simulators, lap dance simulator, and golf. One of the biggest improvements I noticed was that the flying controls are much better than part 4, but all-around the controls are superior. It is repayable forever, as long as you don't mind your eyes crusting over like Homer Simpsons' did that one time. It's so addictive. Sometimes you just drive and drive…Zen.
In GTAV you get to live vicariously through not just one, but 3 different criminals. Two of them are older, and have a past criminal history, while the other is a new, younger member of their crew. There is a spot for a 4th playable character, though I either haven't unlocked them, or this is just a switch to jump into online play. The different characters have special abilities that become enhanced through gameplay. Ala Max Payne 3, Michael has Dead Eye Bullet Time (slowed aim time), Franklin has Dead Eye Drive Time (slowed time while driving), and Trevor has Dead Eye Go Time (gives more damage, receives less damage).
A fundamental feature in this, as in all GTA games, is freedom. You can do whatever you want. My favorite thing is to drive bad on purpose, then when I'm tired of the car, or have rendered it undriveable, I just blow it up in the middle of a crowded street with a remote bomb. Another fun thing is to honk at people on the beach, then, drive slowly behind them as they walk away. Honk again. If they scream and run, give chase, but never hit them. Stay close, and keep spooking the fuck with more honking. I once did this to a guy for like an hour. Try harassing someone with your car like that out on the real Venice Beach. No really. It's fun. Do it.
In addition to its obvious visual triumphs, the music in GTAV is equally phenomenal. The score was a dream-team cinematic soundtrack collaboration project. Tangerine Dream, DJ Shadow, Gangrene, and Woody Jackson make up the mad scientist clan in charge of the tunes you hear at the most intense points of the game. (during missions and when the cops are after you) The dark, synthy heart-pounding soundscapes complement the gameplay perfectly. While ravaging this virtual Los Angeles hyper-reality, you can be really creative. You become the director of any movie you want. Everything looks great, even the ugly shit. The more trouble you get into, the better the music gets.
...
M.I.A: Matangi
Everyone already knows M.I.A. is bad ass. The only assholes who don't like her are racists, and people who hate dancing. Either way, if you rock M.I.A. at your party, you can be sure it'll boot out the riff-raffs. She was way too awesome to be one of People's most beautiful people. Her latest album, Matangi, is another treasure in this artist's already double diamond-chipped discography. Every track is great. Especially Exodus & Sexodus. Don't take my word for it, I'm just one thoughtful man, kissing the ass of a woman who's art I respect immensely. You can listen for yourself. M.I.A.'s YouTube channel has released audio for every track on Matangi for your listening/dancing pleasure. It's great for driving, and other activities too. Give it a listen. If there's any cool in you at all, you will probably get this album. At your holiday party, when everyone is pumping the fuck out of your dance floor, you'll get why.
...
It is a dangerous world we live in. It always has been. It always will be. Somehow through all the chaos and violence, love survives. There is a savage tsunami of emptiness, blacker than a reptile's iris, swimming in the skies. No drone can pick it up. It pounces indiscriminately. Once it takes you, you're empty. Stay full. Avoid the devil butt-hole in the sky and the deep dumb brown-eye of the mind. Hate is waste. I love where the world was, where it is, and where it can go. Even in this arctic wind, these 3 gems cut through the cold. Outside, my boogers crystalize, but inside, it's "Sprang Brayke..."
-2013 Wielgorecki
