Glen Porter's Falling Down: The Sound of Slowly Dying

 

Listening to the album Falling Down it is impossible not feel as though death is slowly approaching. The dark, slow, deliberate beats, like the last gasps for air, are accompanied by haunting melodies that seem almost, almost soothing. Even the album cover is deceptively unnerving, with a young girl apparently falling to her death as a shadow smiles on.

Some tracks stand out more than others, but as whole the album sets a mood, and does so beautifully, filling the air with a weighty atmosphere that invites throwing caution to the wind, as though edging closer and closer to a cliffs edge, looking over a taking it all in.

Even the faster tracks, or portions thereof relay a discordant harmonies that works to create a feeling of urgency and danger; percussion as heartbeats at the end of the line.

Each piece feels carefully constructed, with a variety of instruments and samples used to paint the its various moods. It is hard not to think you are being told a story in sounds, punctuated by limited vocals expressing, that illustrate the difficulty of being alive.

Glen Porter's work is unique, beautiful and full of emotional weight often lacking in modern musical offerings. Do yourself a favor and give it a listen, then do so again.

Westwood Studios: Forgotten Gems of a Fallen Giant

Westwood Studios occupies a special place in video game history. As the progenitor of real time strategy (RTS) games, the company was either directly or indirectly responsible for some of the biggest games in history, such as Command and Conquer, Warcraft, Starcraft, DotA and Leage of Legends.

Their first breakthrough, Dune 2, was like no other game at the time. Based on the Frank Herbert series of the same name, Westwood created a tactical game that was true to the universe it belonged. Westwood had produced a number of games prior to Dune 2, but it was this game's success that placed the company on the map.

Dune II: The Building of a Dynasty

Command & Conquer, and its many sequels, were built on the foundation Dune 2 established,exchanging the borrowed property for one grown at home. The series spawned a number of sequels and spin offs, including a first person shooter, with the later Electronic Arts developed games in the series proving lackluster.

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 

The Lands of Lore of lore series was similarly conceived, having grown from Eye of the Beholder, a Dungeon's and Dragon's property. The series saw three installments, all with a compelling stories, a unique fantasy world, and varying game play mechanics.

Lands of Lore

Legend of Kyrandia was Westwood Studios foray into the adventure game genre. Three comedic entries taking place in a bizarre fantasy world. The third installment was particularly interesting as you took on the role of the villain from the previous two games.

The Legend of Kyrandia Book 2: The Hand of Fate

Westwood would also produce the amazing Blade Runner game, also in the adventure genre, but built with changing story elements and multiple endings to increase replay value and keep true to the film's sci-fi detective atmosphere.

Blade Runner

And then there was Nox, an online, isometric RPG with an in depth story and varying online game modes to, such as death match and capture the flag, to keep online players playing long after the main quest was completed.

Nox

A lot of parallels can be drawn to competitor and contemporary Blizzard Entertainment. Both companies were known for their respective RTS franchises, had moderate success with 16-bit console titles, offered online connectivity, and had a stable of properties that defined their style and focus. But where Blizzard managed to maintain autonomy and identity within after acquisition by Vivendi, Westwood Studios was summarily dismantled and absorbed by Electronic Arts.

Given the lack of development and support for non-Command and Conquer Westwood Studios properties it is clear they were bought by EA solely for the Command and Conquer name, leaving their fans of their other work without follow-ups to those other forgotten gems.

Westwood Studios 1985-2003

-Kami Lebaredian

River's Edge: Apathy in America

River’s Edge is a forgotten classic of the eighties, accomplishing a feat that few films have manage to do:

Accurately portray teenagers in a movie.

Dennis Hopper, Crispin Glover, and Keanu Reeves lead a cast that portrays American despair at its finest. They are the embodiment of a disconnect between generations; the unheard and unimportant children of an aimless age forced to find refuge in the company of one another.

The plot involves the death of a high school student named Jamie, strangled on a hill overlooking a river by her lover; a troubled teen named Samson. Void of feeling and remorse, Samson nonchalantly admits his crime to friends.

The revelation is met with amusement and disbelief until they are brought to the hill and see the body first hand, sparking the actions and conflict of the film.

Samson is an emotionless and uncaring monster, his act of murder a transcendent moment of clarity that allowed him to accept and possibly even embrace his depravity. No longer caring, he gracelessly accepts Layne’s (Crispin Glover) attempts to assist him, recognizing that it is offered in an attempt to maintain the status quo rather than any genuine friendship.

Matt (Keanu Reeves) is noticeably unnerved,and his conflicting feelings regarding loyalty and justice are central to the film. Matt finds comfort in the arms of Clarissa (Ione Skye), resulting in the film’s only genuine relationship, illustrating a sharp contrast between them and their peers.

Writer Neal Jimenez based his script on the 1987 murder of Macy Renee Conrad in Milpitas, California. Fictionalizing the account for film, Jimenez captured the youth of that time perfectly, creating a thoughtful and unnerving window into the past.

River's Edge is a lasting portrait of fear, angst, drug culture, teen sexuality, lethargy and hopelessness; themes that have resurfaced in American culture generation after generation. Though the film’s setting and characters belong wholly to the 1980’s, its subject matter is timeless, universal and disturbing.

-Kami Lebaredian

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The Monkees' Head: Questioning Free Will in Vignettes

In perhaps the most self-aware moment in a film full of self aware moments, toward the of the movie there is a scene where the main characters find themselves trapped in a black box. After breaking through, they are placed in a second box and in that moment realize that they will be always be identified as The Monkees, placed forever in the box they helped create.

Welcome to Head, introspection on acid.

Full of random moments, lacking anything resembling a plot or structure, Head instead adopts comedic vignettes to deliver its ideas. The film's subtext and cyclical narrative suggests a darkly humorous worldview, one that questions the actuality of choice and the nature of free will. An appropriate sentiment given The Monkees were a prefabricated band brought together for a television program and lacking anything anything close to autonomy.

Bob Rafelson created the show, choosing the players, constructing their identities, and defining their style. When the show ended and the film was green-lit, Rafelson again took the helm, working in conjunction with Jack Nicholson (as writer) to burn his creation to the ground.

Much of the film spoofs the sixties era, including the Western obsession with eastern philosophy, the burgeoning worship of celebrity, and the power of drug culture.

The Monkees, consisting of members Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork, actually managed to form a band, creating music which at the height of their popularity managed outsell contemporaries The Rolling Stones and The Beatles; no small feat for a group playing make believe. The musical maturity of Head's soundtrack a testament to their skill.

Ironically it was the success of the Monkees that proved most detrimental to the film's success. Their waning popularity and the changing times, allowed them to produce something meaningful and personal rather than simply recreating their television show.

Head is notable for its experimental nature and failure at the box office. Too cool and strange for the Monkees fan base, too mainstream for the hip and cool, the movie failed; and for decades after the film survived as a cult favorite with video cassettes passed along from friend to friend and generation to generation.

Recently Head has experienced a revival. Once panned for its unsubstantive plot and lack of direction, it is now praised for its boldness, experimentation and uniqueness. The critical acclaim once denied to the film, is now heaped upon it.

Head is an example of the creative risks often avoided in the modern age of film-making and a perfect example of a movie ahead of its time finally finding the right audience.

-Kami Lebaredian