Category: Journal
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📂 Journal
Thoughts on Phenomena
The next film in my Giallo journey was Dario Argento’s Phenomena — arguably one of his best. Although, to be fair, I haven’t seen a bad Argento film yet.
From it’s wide open start amongst the Swiss countryside — where a student girl misses her bus — to the claustrophopic, insane ending, this film had me hooked and anxious throughout.
I thought that with Jennifer Connelly as the main star, along side Donald Pleasence, I would feel relatively safer than I have with previous GIallo films. I knew her mainly for the film she did the year following Phenomena: The Labyrinth. But how wrong I was.
Phenomena — synopsis
The film is about a young girl, Jennifer, who is sent to a Swiss girls school by her father. She already knew that she had an affinity with insects, but it is during her short stay at this school where her affinity grows stronger and stronger.
In the area there is a serial killer who seems to be picking off the girls from the school. And after Jennifer witnesses something she shouldn’t have whilst sleep walking, she fears that she is next.
In her travels she meets a local scientist — one who specialises in insects (very apt) — who she teams up with to try and track down this killer on the loose.
The Soundtrack
Phenomena’s soundtrack was partly done by Goblin, as with other films of Argentos’. And it is as awesome as you can imagine, (if you’ve seen films like Deep Red or Suspiria before). If you haven’t, then you are in for a real treat in experimental music.
Joining Goblin, and some others, on this kick-ass soundtrack, is none other than Iron Maiden. Namely the song “Flash of the Blade” from their 1984 album “Powerslave”. One of my favourite Iron Maiden albums, and the first album of theirs that I bought coincidentally.
The soundtrack does wonders for this film’s pacing. At one point I was anxious and nervous following these characters. But then when that crazy opening to “Flash of the Blade” came on, a huge smile took over my face. I found myself simultaneously foot-tapping to a great song i’d forgotten about, and worried for a woman’s life as she ran from a merciless killer.
Jennifer from Phenomena Reminiscent of Hitchcock
Alfred Hitchcock is a huge influence on so many film makers, especially the ones worth their salt in my opinion. Some directors make this more obvious than others in some of their films (and I don’t mean that negatively). One good example that springs to mind is the look and feel of Martin Scorsese’s Cape Fear. I remember feeling that if Hitchcock was alive and made that film, it would be very similar aesthetically*. This was aided in no small way by employing Hitchcocks long-standing music maestro Bernard Herrmann.
*Disclaimer: I’m not a film student so am probably talking absolute crap 😀
Anyway, there is a scene in Phenomena where Jennifer is trying to track down the killers hideout using a very unconventional method — I’ll let you discover the method. But method aside, the entire bus ride she takes from the town centre out to the rolling swiss countryside hills was a complete callback for me to Torn Curtain — Hitchcock’s lesser-known, but no less incredible, political thriller film from 1966.
Vera Brandt misses her bus In Summary
This feels like the most accessible of Argento’s films I’ve watched up till this point. I mean, they have all been on Amazon Prime, but due to the use of more western actors who I’d known from previous films, this film felt that bit more familiar to me. Of course this is only from my own perspective. Also I often prefer not knowing any actors in these Giallo films — it somehow makes them feel more dangerous.
That said, I thoroughly enjoyed Phenomena for every single moment of its almost-two-hour run time. One thing I’m noticing from Argento is that I am finding myself remembering so much from his films — due to so many of his scenes feeling so iconic.
The violent pane-smashing opening, the unconventional vat of… stuff, and of course that scene with the chimpanzee (spoiler: the chimpanzee survives this crazy story**).
**If I thought a Chimpanzee was going to be killed I probably wouldn’t watch it, so wanted to put your mind at ease there. 🙂
Some stills from Phenomena
Jennifer is examined 
Jennifer strokes a bee 
Maggots are a strong theme 
Jennifer and Professor McGregor 
Inga the Chimpanzee
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📂 Journal
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📂 Journal
Watching Phenomena
Initial thoughts
What a fucking incredible film. From start to finish I was gripped. Jennifer Connelly is great; Dario Argento is at the top of his game; and Donald Pleasance was a joy to watch as always.
The film was violent, creative and awe-inspiring in equal measure.
And that ending. That vile ending that just kept me second guessing myself until the credits rolled.
Thank you once again, Argento you crazy beautiful film maker.
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📂 Journal
Welcome to Hanwell — first impressions
I picked up Welcome to Hanwell for a few quid in a recent PlayStation Store sale. On first playing it has a good creep factor. Waking up in a morgue and taking your first steps in the dark, dank blood-splattered underground is a great introduction to any horror game.
The opening had me walking through a couple of corridors into the adjoining rooms and office, as it taught me the basic game controls and mechanics. One of these mechanics was looking behind you as you run — this can only mean bad things ahead.
I love the atmosphere of the game so far — despite having been unable to escape this basement area for about 45 minutes or so. The idea of an open-world horror game does tickle my fancy somewhat, so I really hope I can get past this first challenge.
And no — I’m not going to spoil what that challenge is. 😀
Welcome to Hanwell title menu 
Welcome to Hanwell loading screen 
Starting point in the morgue 
Eyes open – first sights 
Some bloody escape One draw back for me
I have to mention one thing that has me a bit miffed. I can not find any option to invert the Y axis. 🙁 . This may seem like a petty thing, but I find it super jaring to play any game without the inverted Y axis. I think this can only be due to the many many hours I spent playing Ace Combat 2 on the PlayStation as a youth.
I have tweeted the developers in the hope that it could perhaps get added in an update. Not sure if this will happen, but if you don’t ask you don’t get.
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📂 Journal
Thoughts on Resident Evil 4
It’s felt like the longest time to get into the swing of things with Resident Evil 4.
When I first tried it about four or so months ago, I didn’t get the appeal – at least not now in a post – RE2 Remake world. After my first failure and struggling with the control system I didn’t think I’d ever go back.
But I did go back — months later — and I am so so glad I did.
Resident Evil 4 has become a favourite of mine. I would put it alongside RE2 Remake in terms of enjoyment and replayability.
The Controls
The control system felt entirely foreign to me on that first play months before. I went into it expecting similar fluid controls of the recent RE remakes, but instead was greeted by something half way between that and the old tank controls of the originals.
The aiming felt so constricted — having to stop running, begin aiming, and then slowly move the gun’s reticle to where I needed to shoot.
However, after an hour or so of playing something happened — I noticed that I was just moving along and playing the game. I was no longer forcing anything.
What I first thought to be constricting was in fact what was helping to give tension to the game play. The fact I couldn’t walk and shoot meant I had to choose my moves more wisely.
Castle corridors The Setting
The Eastern European setting is absolutely gorgeous. And the excellent soundtrack really helps tie the whole thing together.
The game never lost its claustrophobic feel for me either. Despite the early parts of the game being in relatively more open surroundings, the levels are designed in a way that leaves many corners to be surprised from. There were many times when I would hear a shuffling noise and not be able to fully pin point it.
Later on, the setting takes on a more Gothic tone in a huge, decadent castle — before leading you to it’s final location, which I’ll leave you to discover. The castle is a really stunning level and some great, sometimes over the top, moments in it.
I especially enjoyed a no-combat section where you have to control Ashley to get her to Leon safely. Some truly spooky moments in that little section.
Overall, the game was much longer than I was expecting. Just as I thought it was moving towards a resolution a whole new chapter would begin. Despite the 16 or so hours of play time I spent, the experience felt so much longer — and I mean that in a good way.
Approaching the Castle The Enemies
The game really throws you in at the slightly deeper end. I thought I would never get past the first village encounter — it felt impossible with just too many enemies coming at me at once. But after persevering and reaching the end of the first chapter, it felt like it was all coming together.
The early part of the game sees Leon fighting off the village’s residents who have all become victim to a mind-controlling parasite. Controlled by some unseen entity they run at you before slowing to a walk just a few metres away. This gives you that time to aim the weapon and fire — so they don’t just all run at your face at once.
Later on you’ll meet creepy cultists and flying bugs, before working your way through the game’s hierarchy of main villains.
There was one enemy type in particular that was equal parts inventive and terrifying. But I’ll leave you to discover those for yourself, should you dare to play. 😛
The Graveyard and the Church In Summary
Resident Evil 4 went from being a game I couldn’t stand — just down to it’s controls — to one I couldn’t do without now. After getting past the initial confusion over the half-tank/half-fluid control system, it really is a blast to play.
The village and Gothic setting make me even more excited for the upcoming PS5 “Resident Evil 8 (Village)”. Taking what they learnt and developed with RE7 and applying it to this kind of Gothic setting, Capcom could be making something really special to experience.
I can’t recommend RE4 enough. For it’s crazy story, hideous and tough monsters and often cheesy dialogue.
Leon needs you.
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📂 Journal
Moving my video share links to my own Peertube
Peertube is a self-hosted alternative to YouTube and, to a lesser extent, Vimeo.
I say lesser extent because I think Vimeo’s business model is very different from YouTube’s (Google inc’s).
Whenever a YouTube video is shared on a web page, it is basically like a Trojan horse. Yes, it lets your visitors watch a video directly in your website, but it’s doing so much more behind the curtain.
It is allowing your visitors to be tracked across the web. When a person lands on a web page that has a YouTube video embedded into it, they are seen and tracked by YouTube’s owners: Google inc.
Please don’t do this.
Moving to Peertube
I am very technologically privileged in that I have the know-how to set up my own “peertube” site (an instance as they are called). So I am not saying that people should all use that.
But do at least consider something like “Vimeo” as an alternative, or maybe even self-host the videos on your website if you have the available storage space.
I am in the process of migrating videos in my older posts over to my own Peertube website (My Jams are already moved). If you notice any I have missed, please do let me know in comments below. 🙂
I don’t want the few people who visit my site to be tracked whilst here. I want this to at least be a safe space from the surveillance and advertising swamp that is the modern web.
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📂 Journal
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📂 Journal
The Man by The Killers
I’ve never been much of a fan of The Killers. However, this song is an absolute banger. Loved it from the first listen.
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📂 Journal
Notes from British History podcast episode 2
- Covering 70,000BCE to about 100BCE
- 70,000BCE start of the last ice age, temperature dropped by less than 10oF
- There were Woolly Mammoths and Giant Deer in Britannia
- 40,000BCE neanderthals started arriving to Britannia
- 30,000BCE modern humans started arriving to Britannia
- 22,000BCE A “cold snap”. Britannia became a treeless tundra for 1,000s of years.
- Everything went south.
- Things that did stay adapted to the dropping temperature.
- Sea level was about 417 feet lower than it is today
- Britannia was connected to both the continent and Ireland
Doggerland was the connecting area of land that connected britannia to the continent that, by around 6,500BCE, was completely underwater:
Map showing the location of Doggerland and Doggerbank 14,000BCE
- People started arriving back to Britannia as the temperatures began to rise again. The came from southern France and Spain.
12,000BCE
- End of the last Ice Age.
- Ireland is split off from Britannia completely.
- Britannia still just about connected to continent by a land bridge
- Woodlands began coming back
- Humans begin using small flint tools
- Many animals dying out due to rising temperatures. That, and the humans hunting them.
7,150BCE
- Cheddar Man
- Man of about 21 years old
- From the Cheddar Region
- Died due to a blow on the head
- Marks on his skeleton due to bones being scraped clean:
- This is thought to be either burial rituals (secondary burial)
- Or possibly cannibalism
- He is related to at least two residents of modern-day Cheddar
- Also related to about 11% of modern European population
- The land from Britannia to continent becoming marshy.
6,500BCE
- Doggerland now completely sank into the channel
- Britannia is separated from the continent.
4,000BCE
- Britannia hits the Neolithic Age (aka New Stone Age)
- Britannia Population of about 10,000
2,500BCE
- Stonehenge was built.
1,000BCE
- Hill forts begin popping up across country.
- Britannia now in Bronze age, whilst the rest of Europe was in the Iron Age.
700BCE
- Iron begins being introduced into Britannia.
- There was a slow switch over to Iron, probably sped up by warring tribes wanting the upper hand in battle.
500-400BCE
- Celts begin arriving from France and Northern Spain
- At least 2 groups of Celts:
- Goidelic (which became Gaelic) – Settled in Ireland around 350BCE
- Brythonic (which became Welsh, Cornish and Briton)
- Celts as a whole came from the Hellstat Territory in central Europe around 6th Century BCE
- Britannia was actually known of Albion, from the Latin word meaning white.
325BCE
- Greek navigator Pytheas arrived on shores of Britannia
- Had a way of navigating and mapping the island by putting a stick in the ground and noting it’s shadow at various times of the day.
- The name Britannia came from him calling the people he found “Pretani”, meaning “The Painted People” – This made “Pretannike” – The land of the painted people. In Latin P’s often substituted to B’s and so became Britannia.
- Distinct cultural groups
- Coastal people — often traders.
- Kent was most advanced
- Inland people — often hunters and scavengers.
- Coastal people — often traders.
- The way the land was meant that many communities were small in size.
200BCE
- Trade is increased
- Contact with Greece emerges due to the widely available Greek coins.
- Major exports from Britannia were thought to be Tin, Copper and Hunting Dogs.
100BCE
- Gallo Belgic coins start appearing.
- Believed to be due to people accepting payments from military services.
- Some Britons were mercenary fighters for hire.
- “Oppidum” sites increasing — this is according to Caeser.
- Large walled towns often in thickly wooded areas, protected by ditches.
- Britannia was largely an agricultural economy.
- Population now around the 1,000,000 area.
- They spoke a Celtic language
- The “Traditional English countryside” pretty much had its beginnings at this point.
- The Religion of the time was Druidism.
- Discovery of Lindow Man in a peat bog at Lindow Moss near Wilmslow in Cheshire
- Possibly struck on the head (but not killed)
- Then strangled (but not killed)
- Then his throat cut.
- Mistletoe pollen found in his stomach.
- A possible back up for the claim by Romans that the Druids did human sacrifice.
