Category Archives: Immortality

Nara From jabara to sanbkan, Japan is home to an exceptionally diverse pantheon of citrus fruits. Among these, the tachibana (Citrus tachibana) is perhaps one of the rarest and least-known.

Besides the Okinawan shkuws, it is the only citrus genetically native to Japan. Unsurprisingly, it is also on the Global Red List of Japanese Threatened Plants. The average consumer is unlikely to be familiar with it, much less have tasted one.

The tachibana once held hallowed status in Japan. The eighth-century Nihon Shoki refers to it as the fruit of immortality, claiming that the first tree was brought back from the underworld and planted in the south of present-day Nara Prefecture. Around 70 poems in the Manyoshu celebrate its beguiling fragrance; Heian aristocrats often perfumed themselves with tachibana in lieu of bathing. Even today, many people will have unwittingly encountered this citrus: miniature representations of tachibana trees are an integral part of the ornamental dolls sets displayed on Girls Day, and the 500 coin has tachibana fruits and flowers engraved upon its face.

Why, then, has the tachibana fallen out of favor?

Though most people havent tasted the tachibana, everyone has seen it; the plants fruits and flowers are engraved on the 500 coin. | SIUNAM JO

Simply put, its exceptionally bitter. Though it looks like a kumquat, its flesh has the richness of a blood orange and the electric, mouth-puckering qualities of lemon and grapefruit. Its peel has an even more pronounced, medicinal bitterness that lingers in your mouth for a good hour afterward.

For fans of the tachibana, this bitterness is precisely what makes it special and worth preserving.

It was at once bitter and sweet, with a refined, restorative fragrance, says Nara-based food mediciner Kyoko Onishi, describing her first encounter with the fruit. Indeed, tachibana peel has a more complex volatile composition than many other citruses, which likely accounts for its distinctive aroma. Modern consumers will find it too bitter, she says, but it would be a shame to erase that bitterness with sugar.

These qualities, along with its rich history and cultural significance, led Kenji Jo and his friends to start the Nara Tachibana Project in 2011. Their mission is to revive interest and awareness in the citrus, preserving what they see as an integral part of Japanese culture while concurrently raising Naras culinary profile.

First, they began by planting more trees when they started the project, there were only 300-odd tachibana trees remaining across Japan and then creating new channels to promote the fruit after their first harvest six years later.

Initially, says Jo, who is the current chairman of the project and one of its five growers, they approached around 30 Japanese restaurants in Nara with samples to drum up interest, but were roundly rejected. Tachibana, they were told, was too bitter to use in washoku. An acquaintance suggested bringing the citrus to chefs who had trained in Europe. To Jos surprise, it was enthusiastically received.

In Japanese cuisine, bitterness isnt palatable, he says. But for the chefs specializing in European cuisines, it goes hand-in-hand with umami.

Tachibana is the kind of ingredient youd imagine Michelin-starred chefs parlaying into intricate, multi-component dishes. Available only by special request, the seasonal tachibana-themed course at Ristorante Borgo Konishi in Nara illustrates such possibilities: its zest is scattered over a beef goulash, its peel candied and paired with pumpkin puree. A tangy center of tachibana juice-soaked Savoiardi sponge replaces the usual chestnut in a Mont Blanc. A skewered Amazonian chocolate cube arrives soaking in a shot of aged tachi-cello a riff, says head chef Masaki Yamazaki, on Italian limoncello.

Kikka Gin is made with just three botanicals tachibana, tki herb and juniper berry. | FLORENTYNA LEOW

It has an incredible fragrance, Yamazaki says. Its both acidic and bitter, which translates well to drawing out umami in dishes. The juice pairs beautifully with roasted goat meat, he notes, and its leaves are excellent with seafood, as they dispel any unpleasant fishy notes.

Fresh tachibana leaves are edible and surprise, surprise extremely bitter, but also faintly reminiscent of sansh pepper, another member of the citrus family. Hiroshi Kawashima, owner-chef of modern Spanish restaurant Akordu, thinks they resemble makrut lime leaves, a common ingredient in Thai cuisine. While he reserves leaves from the first flush for tempura, the bulk of the leaves he sources from Jo are steeped in 65 degrees Celsius water to make a refreshing tea, which he serves chilled or warm as an aperitif.

Eating is an act of receiving life, Kawashima says. Tachibana is used at shrines to purify a place, so drinking this is like cleansing yourself before the meal.

Like most citruses, its well-suited to sweet applications. Kakigri specialist Housekibaco periodically serves shaved ice with tachibana syrup, while Hyogo Prefecture-based patissier Susumu Koyama produces a vibrant marmalade, as well as a chocolate bonbon flavored with its juice, essential oil, flowers and blossom honey.

Theres also tremendous potential for alcohol-based beverages. Besides Nara Brewing Co. Ltds tachibana- and coriander-infused Belgian-style craft beer, one of the most exciting products in this sphere is Kikka Gin, a small-batch craft gin produced by brewer Naoki Itatoko of Yamato Distillery, a subsidiary of Yucho Shuzo, in southern Nara.

Tachibana has an extraordinary depth to it that other citruses like lemon dont, explains Itatoko, whose gin took home a Bronze rating at the International Wine & Spirit Competition in 2020. Plus, in terms of its narrative potential, it was perfect for gin-making in Nara.

One of Nara Tachibana Projects most popular items is tachibana kosh, a riff on the traditional yuzu-spiked chili pepper paste. | SIUNAM JO

Containing just three botanicals tachibana, tki (Angelica acutiloba) herb and juniper berry the 59% alcohol by volume gin is remarkably smooth and drinkable. From the three tons of Jos annual tachibana harvest, an entire ton peeled by Itatoko himself goes toward producing 6,000 liters of gin.

Products like these, says Jo, are key to raising awareness and attracting new growers. You cant survive by just growing tachibana, he says. You couldnt sell it in supermarkets, either.

His Hong Kong-born son-in-law, Siunam, with whom he works on the project, concurs. Besides tachibana farming, they spend their time developing food products. One of their most popular items is tachibana kosh, a riff on the traditional yuzu-spiked chili pepper paste.

This strategy seems to be working: Demand far outstrips what they can supply to their clients, who have found diners extremely receptive to the once-maligned citrus. While the tachibanas extreme bitterness means its unlikely to ever achieve mainstream popularity, the projects efforts are helping lift the citrus out of its endangered status today, the number of tachibana trees has surpassed 3,000.

This ingredient has a 2,000-year-old history, and has its roots in Nara, says Jo. The tachibana truly represents Japanese culture itself.

For more information, visit ytachibana.official.ec.

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Resurrecting the tachibana, Japan's oldest native citrus - The Japan Times

Mr. Nobody is (initially) set in 2092.

When it comes to thought-provoking sci-fi drama, you won't do much better than Mr. Nobody. At least, that's what a bunch of critics thought when it premiered in 2009 -- hitting best movie lists of the year. Only, no-one saw it until it was released two years later in the US, carrying a couple of Venice Film Festival wins tucked under its arm.

Mr. Nobody is sitting in HBO Max's vault right now. A cult gem over a decade old, forgotten, huddled in a corner, waiting for you to run out of other things to watch.

Explore movies, games, superheroes and more with CNET Culture. Delivered Tuesdays and Fridays.

Jared Leto stars as the titular Mr. Nemo Nobody, a 118-year-old man living in a future where "quasi-immortality" is the norm. The last mortal man, Mr. Nobody fascinates audiences all over, who wait patiently for him to die and say something meaningful in a TV spot.

We settle in for Mr. Nobody's life story, but Mr. Nobody's life story makes no sense.

From the beginning of time to the very end of time -- from a white void swirling with angels to a spacecraft heading for the Red Planet -- we see the full length of Mr. Nobody's existence.

Jared Leto as 118-year-old Mr. Nobody.

Yet -- wisely -- the movie sticks close to the human relationships that sew his life together.

We flash back to Jared Leto not wearing prosthetics as we cover pivotal periods in Mr. Nobody's life. They're all connected to his failed relationships tracking back to the '80s, with Elise (Sarah Polley), Anna (Diane Kruger) and Jeanne (Linh Dan Pham).

These periods, colored with blue, red and yellow motifs, represent different mindsets: Depression and despair (blue), passion and love (red) and material wealth (yellow).

Mr. Nobody is on a journey to figure out the absolute best way to live his life. His head is filled with every possible outcome from every decision he makes. Does he marry Elise, Anna or Jeanne?

Jared Leto as 34-year-old Mr. Nobody.

We see these outcomes in an album of sumptuous frames evoking colorful fairy tale versions of The Matrix, Inception and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

We flip from page to page via visual effects supervisor Louis Morin's peak creative transitions. The doors of an austere bank open onto a white beach swarmed by helicopters -- helicopters literally hoisting slabs of the ocean into place like a jigsaw puzzle. That's Louis Morin who worked on Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, to really stamp home the dreamscape coming at you.

Aside from an award-winning minimalist score, you've got Buddy Holly, Hans Zimmer, Otis Redding, Eurythmics and four different versions of Mr. Sandman to help transport you to this sci-fi fairy tale.

If there's one flaw, it's that the story holding everything together is dabbed on with a half-dried glue stick. Mr. Nobody isn't really going anywhere. That might be the point: He's exploring his options, back-treading, flinging himself into the future.

Young Nemo choosing between his mother and father.

And yet Mr. Nobody keeps you sitting through the end credits. At its heart is an impossible decision: Mr. Nobody, as a young boy, must choose to live with his father or his mother, after their divorce. Brutal.

Here's the twist: add a third choice to that. What if you didn't have to choose at all?

Choice and meaningful choices are what concern celebrated Belgian director-screenwriter Jaco Van Dormael. He explains it through Mr. Nobody's gig as a science TV presenter: We're covering chaos theory, the butterfly effect, pigeon superstition and the space-time continuum. We're covering the Big Crunch and entropy, a term that will be familiar to anyone who looked up the meaning of Tenet. (Someone should splice the entropy section of Mr. Nobody into a Tenet primer.)

By this point, you'll probably know whether this movie is for you.

It takes a while to form its final message, a message about making big decisions. If you're worried about jumping onto moving trains heading in different directions, maybe you'll be comforted by the idea that all outcomes are valuable in their different ways. One decision, Mr. Nobody argues, doesn't necessarily outshine the other.

What hurts is not making a decision. It's not making any decisions that turns you into a

Mr. Nobody.

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Why you need to watch the best sci-fi gem on HBO Max - CNET

People live and die, regardless. Some go ahead of others- but there will be a final reunion, many wishing this not be soon enough. But the true essence of All Souls Day (Nov. 1) for Christians, lest we forget, is to be reminded about the immortality of mans soul.

And this belief in the forevercan only find meaning if we believe in an Eternal God.He has been there from the beginning of times-until forever. In fact He has no beginning, no end- He is the Alpha and the Omega.

The true meaning of All Souls Day is the renewed belief that while we honor the mortal endings of friends and relatives- we rejoice in the existence of an after-life. Not imbibing that belief would make all our earthly days restless; to do- so results in calmness all the days of our earthly lives.

We have heard of people in near-death situations -seeing and hearing the wondrous existence of a Heaven for us to suspend our belief in the life ever after. Secular life has triumphantly even given birth to a trillion dollar wellness and longevity (how to live longer) industry. But no matter how Science tries to defy Nature placed by God- all, and everyone, will die someday.

As an indictment to us all ,we all profess to be wanting to see God, but no one of us really wants to die -that is why we take prescription and maintenance medicines. But, perhaps, that is human nature- that is why it is not called- divine.

Christs own resurrection and His own Ascension proved the indestructibility of the soul.In observing Commemoration of All Faithful Departed- let us not only pray for and seek intercession from our departed loved ones -but let us also meditate on our own souls. Before we dream of playing card games and exchange fun with them in Heaven , we must make sure we are all journeying to their same direction by taking care of our souls. All Souls Day, therefore, is for all of us with souls. Shalom!

The secular world has affected our religious observations.Catholics now equate Christmas as mere gift-giving (though nothing wrong there) and youngsters expect Santa Claus more than Jesus.Halloween night on October 31 today is observed with devilish masks and outfits when it is the evening where, supposedly, the little angels -angelitos- including our child relatives dying before the age of innocence- visit us.

Hallow-in fact means holy- and een (evening).So why do we scare ourselves to death on Halloween? We even joke that we must visit the dead or the dead will visit us. Thats why Cardinal Chito Tagle warned us not to treat it as a costume party, although admittedly some folks around do not need masks to scare us.

Sound electronic systems have been banned from these burial places ,otherwise even the dead might hip hop and tango to the sound of loud music. All cemeteries are closed OCT 29- NOV 2

Todos los muertes Day of the Dead- All Souls Day, we celebrate is observed with tradition by Catholics, whose relatives have a big reunion day with festive food to visit their dearly departed. They refurbish the graves or repaint them white from dust and being weather-beaten which is fine. But it ended Oct 28, only to reopen on Nov. 4.For comments: email to dejarescobingo@yahoo.com or bohol-rd@mozcom.com(BY BINGO DEJARESCO)

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The Essence of immortality Negros Chronicle - Negros Chronicle

IT is undas with the tremendous difference that we cannot troop to the cemeteries like we used to, to reverence the resting places of our loved ones and for the attendant merriment that made November 2 some kind of a carnival day rather than a somber remembering of the dead, because of the lingering threat of Covid that has sent many of those we knew and loved prematurely to the cemetery!

The Catholic Church instituted the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed in the belief that though dead, they still form part of the Church that community assembled by Jesus Christ, made heirs to the promise of the Resurrection. So, in traditional catechism books, there were distinguished the "church militant" that referred to us who are still on our pilgrim way, the "church triumphant" that has reached the prized goal the Vision of God and the company of the blessed and the "church suffering," those being prepared for participation in the joys of heaven and that needed our prayers and suffrages. (In Catholic theology, a suffrage is a good deed cast, like a ballot, in favor of someone.) November 1, All Saints' (All Hallows hence Halloween!), was the day of the church triumphant; November 2, All Souls', invited prayers for the church suffering. Of course, the Catholic doctrine of "purgatory" has been one of the hotly contested teachings of the Church but all Christians find it meaningful and praiseworthy to pray for the dead! There is no sect I know that has absolutely no rite of farewell or commendation!

Cemeteries and memorial parks exist largely because of belief that the dead somehow live on. How they do is a matter of philosophical position and theological orientation. And this is more than just belief that their "memory" lives on or that their "cause" is alive and well. Rather, it is the belief that death has not brought about the annihilation of those we love. Of course, it is true as Gabriel Marcel, the French existentialist philosopher, taught decades ago that love always says of the loved one: "You shall not die," and clearly, a very powerful motive for belief in "immortality" is love which is not to say that it has no better philosophical foundation than wishful thinking! In this vein, there was pointed out, very usefully, the difference between "body-object" and "body-subject." It is not a gratuitous distinction nor a worthless a priori postulation. People see me and my body statistics body mass index, height, physiological processes, anatomical proportions may be the object of study. This is the body as an object. But the body as subject is the body as I live it, the body that lies at the boundary of being and having that body that I identify myself with of which none can have an experience but myself. And while at death, we know what happens to the body-object that gives us no reason at all to decide that the body-subject has receded into inexistence. To do this would be to eliminate the clear, experienceable difference between the body as "thing" and the body as "me" or "mine!"

In Thomas Aquinas and many medieval thinkers, the soul exhibited subsistent activity activity apparently not dependent on any bodily organ. Thought was the sterling example. While it is true that somehow that which is thought must have been sensed antecedently to arrive at an understanding and not merely a sense experience of what a thing is, and to affirm that it is, or is not so were, to Aquinas and his tribe, achievements of the mind that were independent of the body. The mind, or the intellect, was taken to be one of the "faculties" of the soul the will being the other. Now, it was reasoned, if the mind is capable of subsistent activity, the soul, of which it is a power, must likewise be subsistent and must be capable of existing even in a state of separation from its material co-principle. Peter Geach has recently restated this argument in contemporary terms.

Another concept of immortality comes from the process notion of the "consequent nature" of God. If I am affected, transformed, constituted by events in my immediate past, the same thing should be true of God who is the nontemporal actual entity. In other words, God prehends everything and everyone. While process thinkers thought this true of every actual entity prehending entities in its immediate past and in turn co-constituting the entity that succeeds it there is something more in respect to the consequent nature of God. Why is it that after some time, the memory of those we loved intensely and mourned for disconsolately seems to fade? Why is it that after several years, we no longer hear the sound of their voices, nor remember the wrinkles on their faces, nor the smiles that made us smile? Their memory "fades." And the answer is clear: Because our memories are imperfect, short, fickle. But God, being God, his memory is perfect; the integration within the Divine life of the lives of those we loved is perfect and none of the immediacy of their personal lives is lost.

For the Christian, the axis of faith is actually the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Without the Resurrection, Christianity does not make much sense, not even as an ethical theory. The core proclamation of the early Church was: He is Risen and the reason that everything that Jesus did and preached, taught and laid down, has eternal meaning and value is because he was raised not the other way round! In fact, the criterion of apostolic succession when the remaining apostles had to choose a successor for Judas Iscariot was that he had to be a witness to the Risen Lord. And that, too, was Paul's life-changing experience on the Road to Damascus. Not only is this the faith that has sustained Christians through persecution and martyrdom, kept them afloat for centuries through the vicissitudes and trials of life. It is also what has allowed the Church to endure despite everything that its detractors and foes can point to as its historical faults and failings. Its proclamation has never ceased to draw the attention of the world and to sustain the hopes of humankind: "He is Risen."

May the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen!

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The dream of immortality - The Manila Times

Angela Bassett inducts Tina Turner onstage during the 36th Annual Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Oct. 30, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio.Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

LL Cool J got together some of his heavyweight musical friends to usher him into rock immortality.

Part of an eclectic 2021 class that includes Carole King, Tina Turner, The Go-Gos, Jay-Z, Foo Fighters and Todd Rundgren, Cool J was joined on stage by rapper Eminem and Jennifer Lopez for a powerful performance on Saturday night during the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

With New York street style and swagger, Cool J was one of hip-hops first superstars in the 1980s and remains a relevant artist more than 40 years later.

Brad Wheeler: Guess Who wont make it into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

What does LL really stand for? asked rapper/produced Dr. Dre at the opening of his induction speech for his good friend. Ladies love? Living large? Licking lips? Im here because I think it stands for living legend.

Cool J then did a medley of his hits, including Rock The Bells accompanied by a bearded Eminem before he was joined by J-Lo for All I Have. Cool J wrapped up his blistering performance with one of his biggest hits Mama Said Knock You Out.

After the final note, Cool J pointed to a photo of his mother behind the stage and said, Mom, I made it.

He was enshrined for musical excellence along with keyboardist Billy Preston and guitarist Randy Rhoads.

Electronic pioneers Kraftwerk, singer-poet Gil Scott-Heron and Delta blues legend Charley Patton are being inducted as early influencers and Sussex Records founder Clarence Avant is receiving the Ahmet Ertegun Award.

Superstar Taylor Swift opened the show by performing one of Kings best-known songs, Will You Love Me Tomorrow, which appeared on Tapestry her seminal 1971 album. It became a soundtrack for a generation and has sold more than 25 million copies worldwide.

Swift gave a moving, heartfelt induction speech for one of her musical idols.

Taylor Swift performs during the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony, Saturday, Oct. 30, 2021, in Cleveland. Swift paid a tribute to Carole King, calling her the greatest songwriter of all time.David Richard/The Associated Press

I cant remember a time when I didnt know Carole Kings music, Swift said, saying her parents taught her several important lessons as a child with one of the most important being that Carole King is the greatest songwriter of all time.

King thanked Swift for carrying the torch forward. She concluded her remarks by noting other female singers and songwriters have said they stand on her shoulders.

Let it not be forgotten, King said. They also stand on the shoulders of the first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. May she rest in power, Miss Aretha Franklin.

King then introduced Jennifer Hudson, who did a powerhouse performance of (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman before King sang You Got A Friend.

The 81-year-old Turner, who found her greatest success when she left abusive husband Ike Turner, lives in Switzerland and did not attend the ceremony.

If theyre still giving me awards at 81, Turner said in a video message. I must have done something right.

She was inducted by actress Angela Bassett, who played the magnetic singer and tour de force stage entertainer in the 1993 biopic Whats Love Got To Do With It.

Bassett called it one of the most demanding roles Ive ever played and one of the most fulfilling. Like Tina, I was a little black girl who had dreams far beyond what the world expected of me.

Keith Urban and H.E.R. then performed Turners Its Only Love a duet Turner did with Bryan Adams before Mickey Guyton sang Whats Love Got To Do With It and Christina Aguilera belted River Deep, Mountain High one of Turners first hits.

This years ceremony was held for the first time at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the 20,000-seat home of the NBAs Cleveland Cavaliers and a venue familiar to Jay-Z and Foo Fighters, who have played shows in the arena before.

It was a return to normalcy for the event, which was forced to go virtual in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Artists are not eligible for induction until 25 years after release of their first recording. There are lively debates every year over omissions, and as Public Enemys Chuck D noted during a plague induction ceremony on Friday at the hall, patience is sometimes another requirement for entrance.

It aint no overnight thing, he said. You cant stumble into this place.

That was certainly the case for King, who had been eligible for enshrinement as a solo artist since 1986. She went in previously as a songwriter with Gerry Goffin, her late husband, in 1990.

It was also a long wait for Cool J, who had been nominated six times.

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Rock Hall 2021: LL Cool J, Carole King, Tina Turner ushered into rock immortality - The Globe and Mail

Developer Arkane Studios has revealed some of the environmental inspirations for its time-twisting shooter Deathloop.

Blackreef Island, the central location inDeathloop, is a striking place cold and isolated, yet populated (admittedly by hedonistic cultists living the same day on repeat as a desperate grasp for immortality) and possessed of striking natural beauty. While that taps into the sense of protagonist Cole having no one to rely on but himself as he faces down an entire island thats out to kill him, its also based on real-world locations.

On the officialDeathloop Twitter account (as spotted by GamesRadar), Arkane revealed that Blackreef is inspired by Edinburgh, Scotland, with dark shades of stone facades made from the rock present on the island.

It added that the studio also took inspiration from the Faroe Islands, to give it that isolated village feel.

Given the population of the Faroe Islands in 2020 sat at a mere 52,337, with a population density of 38.1 per square kilometre compared to the UKs density of 270.7 per square kilometre it probably served as excellent reference material for Blackreefs vast rocky expanses and icy tundra.

Deathloop launched on September 14 on PS5 and PC. In NMEs review of the game, it was dubbed Arkanes most ambitious game, with reviewer Jordan Oloman saying they wereblown away by Arkanes ambitions in game design, and how they manage to maintain them alongside such strong aesthetics, and compelling writing.

However, nearly two months on from release, Arkane says players still havent uncovered all of the game or Blackreefs secrets.

In other news, the famously difficult Tetris: The Grand Master a Japan-only version of the block-dropping puzzler that tests even the most committed players skills may finally be coming to consoles in the west.

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Deathloop based Blackreef Island on Scotland and the Faroe Islands - NME.com

This year, there is one game world I have enjoyed exploring more than any other. Were so spoiled for visually rich open environments these days, it takes something special to keep players immersed, to keep them wandering about looking at stuff, just for the sake of it. Deathloop is a shining example. Developer Arkane is known for its highly refined and individual approach to game art, thanks to the astonishing Dishonored titles, set in a steam-punk dystopia of rats, robotic guards and ornate classical architecture. This time around, the team created a strange Groundhog Day-like adventure set on an island populated by mad scientists and spoiled billionaires, all looking to gain immortality by living the same day over and over again, thanks to a localised space-time phenomenon.

The island of Blackreef, where the whole game takes place, provides a fascinating example of how Arkane works. At first, the team built a timeline to explain the variety of natural and human-made features in each region. The location itself is a remote, wintery outpost, heavily inspired by the Faroe Islands, with craggy cliffs and windswept grasslands. On top of this are the monolithic concrete buildings constructed by a group of military researchers who arrived in the 1930s to investigate the islands weird phenomena. And then, decades later came Aeon, a cabal of rich tech bros, looking for a new playground. It was kind of like if Elon Musk had said, lets go to the Bermuda Triangle and study it! explains art director Seb Mitton. They came with all this money and realised they could create these strange events. They said were going to start this loop and were going to live forever.

So in the islands architecture, you see different layers co-existing: the islands flora, the military buildings, with bunkers and towering antenna (inspired by abandoned sites in northern Europe, Japan and Russia, such as Chenobyl), and in addition, a hedonistic society, re-purposing and re-decorating everything they see. For this element, Mitton and his team were heavily inspired by the end of the 1960s. It was all about freedom of mind, he said. If you think about hippies, people really wanted change at that time, people wanted to live differently, but you had the cold war as well; there was a lot of violence. We found inspiration in the era of the Vietnam war that helped us build the Aeon programme: the visionaries and their guests what are their goals in life? For some its drinking all day, its partying, for others its about killing people. But there are no consequences because there is no tomorrow, so, even though theres a lot of violence, its very lighthearted.

The 60s influence is clear in the games interiors the buildings throughout are filled with brash, multicoloured furnishings, weird art and gigantic Saul Bass-style posters. However, Mittons team worked hard to avoid kitsch excesses they didnt want it to become Austin Powers: the game. At the same time, we looked at contemporary materials and there were a lot of rugs, a lot of rounded plastics it was very different to what we did in the Dishonored games, where it was a lot of straight lines. Theres a big contrast between the outside where everything is cold and hard, and the interiors, where everything is colourful. At Arkane, we love creating contrast because it plays with the players emotions. We also developed different layers depending on each of the visionaries background: some build laboratories, but Frank has a casino for him its a party. So we took these different themes inspired by the 60s and we developed them differently to reflect the characters.

Another big influence on the interior architecture was Frank Lloyd Wright, whose approach suited the experience Arkane wanted to provide. As he explains, He made these huge offices and in our game thats very useful we couldnt make very small interiors because we want a lot of mobility. Also, he was one of the first architects to work with diffused light so youd look up and think you were seeing the ceiling but actually it was the light behind it. It was such a different approach to office design. For the parties, we looked at how he lit interiors to make inside light look like outside light, we looked at all his work with lines and wooden curves. As soon as you go in Joannas house at the very beginning of the game, you see the 1960s has taken hold: these big rooms, huge lamps, feature fireplaces thats 60s interior design.

Mitton reels off the cinematic influences on the look of the game. It feels like Kubrick is in there, as well as Roger Vadim, but he also cites Jacques Tatis futuristic classic Playtime, and Tarantinos Jackie Brown. Importantly though, the townscapes in Deathloop are designed to be play spaces, to encourage joyful exploration. Here, the team was inspired by Italian towns such as Positano, which tumble down steep cliffs towards the sea and look climbable. You see it on Google Earth or Street View and you think I could jump from this roof to that one, that would be great. We call our districts mini open worlds because theyre not linear, you can go everywhere, there are very few buildings closed off some that are closed during the day might be open in the evening. We play a lot with physics and water levels, so some places unlock when tides go out. Its really important to make sure players dont get burned out. When people play Dishonored, even today theyll still find different passageways.

For the strange costumes worn by the games non-player characters, Mitton looked at late-60s fashion. It was an era in which people were moving away from tailored clothes, toward expressive fashion with lots of new fabrics and printing technologies. With swinging London, he says. People really took hold of their look, they joined fashion gangs. We looked at Twiggy, she really brought forward that whole ready-to-wear, off-the-rack look. People would choose clothing and assemble their own style. Were still Arkane, though, so we always look at the lines, we make sure everything reflects the light beautifully, we looked at new shaders for the different fabrics

The decision to have all the characters wear masks was partly technological (its still difficult to portray authentic emotions on the face of a game character), but it was also about the idea of using fashion, design and art to express emotion. Aeon is living like an endless party, so it made sense to express this in the decoration of the streets and buildings such as the coloured powders used in Hindu festivals, or the paint-throwing in the Cascamorras festivals of Andalucia, or of course, the vast street murals of the hippy era. I mean sometimes theyd paint entire building facades, says Mitton. There are pubs in London that were entirely painted, even the roof tiles, and these were exterior projections of their emotions: this is our party, our place. For the people of Aeon, why not just live an exalted crazy life?!

I think thats why the world of Deathloop is so arresting and explorable it isnt just a pastiche of historical architecture and design. Everything has a place in the fiction of the world, and everything expresses an underlying theme or idea. As Mitton puts it, we looked at the Beatles and Rolling Stones, but we tried to understand what was cool about those haircuts, and what was just too goofy. He pauses for a second before adding. That took us a really long time.

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Deathloop: how Arkane used Frank Lloyd Wright, Tarantino and Twiggy to build a world - The Guardian

This weekend sees Saul Canelo Alvarez take a huge leap towards boxing immortality. The WBA, WBC and WBO super-middleweight champion takes on IBF champion Caleb Plant for the chance to become undisputed. After a heated build-up, which has seen the great Mexican uncharacteristically lose his cool, the main event has potential to become an absolute cracker.

Heres everything you need to know ahead of one of the biggest fights of the year...

Where:

MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

When:

Saturday, November 6.

How To Watch:

The fight will be shown on BT Sport Box Office for a price of 19.95.

Tale Of The Tape:

Alvarez

Place Of Birth: Guadalajara, Mexico

Alias: Canelo

Age: 31

Pro debut: 29/10/05

Record: 56-1-2 (38)

Height: 58

Reach: 70

Plant

Place Of Birth: Nashville, Tennessee

Alias: Sweethands

Age: 29

Pro debut: 10/5/14

Record: 21-0 (12)

Height: 61

Reach: 74

Last Fight:

Canelo was last in action back in May, beating Billy Joe Saunders in eight rounds to add the WBO strap to his collection, breaking the Brits right orbital bone in the process. The Mexican also stopped mandatory challenger Avni Yildirim in February. Plant has fought just once in 2021, outboxing Caleb Truax to a unanimous decision win in Los Angeles in January.

What They Say:

Canelo: Im 100% focused on this fight. Theres nothing else crossing my mind. After its over, well figure out who the next opponent will be.

Being the undisputed champion is huge for my legacy. Not only would it be an honor to be the first Latin American fighter to do it, but theres only a select club of fighters who have achieved this. Eddy [Reynoso, his trainer] and I said in the beginning that the goal was to be undisputed, and now were one fight away.

Plant: This is personal for me, but every fight is personal for me. Ive sacrificed a lot for this sport and dedicated myself completely, so anybody whos getting in the way of my goals makes it personal to me. No matter who it is.

There are a lot of things that I possess that are going to give him issues in the fight. Every fighter says this is their best camp, but I am honestly saying that. Ive had no injuries, amazing sparring and Im ready to rock.

Undercard:

Anthony Dirrell vs Marcos Hernandez, super-middleweight

Rey Vargas vs Leonardo Baez, super bantamweight

Elvis Rodriguez vs Juan Pablo Romero, super-lightweight

Betfred Odds:

Canelo: 1/10

Draw: 25/1

Plant: 6/1

Read the rest here:

Everything You Need To Know About Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez vs Caleb Plant - The Sportsman

Service: HBO Max

Show Title: "Dune"

Tune in every week for a new review for what is trending on your services.

The desert world of Dune is a monotonous, bleak sphere of sand. But hidden underneath the titular landform is a precious substance which grants virtual immortality, god-like prescience and the capability to travel to far-flung locales across the universe. The film, released in both theaters and on HBO Max Oct. 22, is the second adaptation of Frank Herbert's acclaimed 1965 novel, possibly the most popular science fiction book of all time, if sales are any indication. Directed by Denis Villeneuve and starring Timothe Chalamet, Oscar Isaac and Rebecca Ferguson, the movie is undoubtedly the year's highlight for its genre, combining thrilling visual drama with a unique story of political intrigue.

"Dune" is distinctive among a sea of other space epics by its overt rejection of futuristic technologies: set centuries after humanity destroyed all forms of artificial intelligence and banned any use of computers, the film depicts the use of analog machinery not unlike our own alongside psychic powers which resemble magic. If you expect laser crossfires, planet-hopping space travel and deus ex machina technobabble, "Dune" will surprise you instead with swords, human thinking machines and a story confined primarily to two locations. In fact, the most prominently featured technologies are nothing more than the water conservation and recycling systems necessary in an extremely arid climate.

This refreshingly simple backdrop is the perfect foil for familial rivalry: a war between two fiefdoms engineered by an insecure and power-hungry emperor. Once again betraying the sweeping scale typical of its genre, "Dune" focuses much of its runtime on the personal travails of protagonist Paul Atreides, heir to a prosperous dukedom who is forced to flee into the deep uncharted desert. Paul turns to the indigenous population of Dune for help but is forced to contend with their understandable mistrust of outsiders, who historically oppressed and enslaved them.

Near the end of the film, it becomes clear that "Dune" is only the first installment of a new franchise. I for one eagerly anticipate the next! The film is a treat for both committed sci-fi fans and anyone in search of a good action movie, thanks to its clear plot, immaculate special effects and creative repudiation of conventional sci-fi tropes.

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Streaming Now: "Dune" | Opinion | reflector-online.com - The Reflector online

DC ComicsThe Swamp Thinghas been a story about a lot of things. Its a series about environmentalism, the immortality of ideas, and its a story about family.The Swamp Thing #9 manages to touch on all of those themes, while also eagerly employing classic comic book tropes. Writer Ram V, artist Mike Perkins, colorist Mike Spicer, and letterer Aditya Bidikar have tons of fun withThe Swamp Thing #9. Its an issue with lots of heart.

V brings all of the threads of this sprawling series together. Our mysterious villain, Mr. Pilgrim, and our heroes are finally meeting face-to-face. And, nearly immediately, Pilgrim begins monologuing. Vs pulling right from classic comics with this scene, and it feels just right. Part of what makes Pilgrims history lesson work is that V is constantly jumping around in this script. We see Levi racing to the rescue, thinking back on all the omens and warnings hes scene that have told him everything would lead to this, then we come back to hear more about Pilgrims plans.

As we reach the final scene, V shows how his deep, philosophical character study and his pulpy, tropey comic script fits together. Braiding both aspects of the story together seamlessly, V leaves us on a rousing story beat. It will leave you on the edge of your seat, waiting for the last issue in this miniseries.

So much of this comics ability to have its cake and eat it too comes from Perkins brilliant art. When Vs script transitions from a pulpy action sequence to a scene of Levi wrestling with his past, its Perkins who makes the switch feel seamless. Thats because, even in Perkins action sequences, you can see the fear in Swamp Things eyes. He never loses the humanity at the core of this story. But hes also full of the comic book tropey fun, too. Pilgrims face shows up in a variety of sinister expressions throughout the issue. Hes a character whos evil and proud of it. Perkins makes the character terrifying, though you still cant help but kind of love him too.

In this issue, we see Pilgrims collected research on the Swamp Thing. He has screens lit up with decades of research. Each screen, Spicer colors in a shade of green. But its not the rich, dark green that weve become familiar with in this series. Its a yellowing green, a green that almost seems to be rotting. With this, Spicer makes Pilgrims efforts to connect to the Green look counterfeit and off. Then, when Levi shows up as the Swamp Thing, we see the deep green of nature come flying into the picture. Spicers coloring is both stunning and meaningful.

Bidikars lettering choices are always rich with purpose. When we see one of Levis memories, the dialogue is shown in a faded grey font. Its easy to picture the sound of it, like an echo in your head, not something you hear out loud. Later, Bidikar shows Swamp Thing screaming in desperation. The letters burst past the outline of his word balloon, like they cant be contained. Then, as the issue closes, we see Swamp Thing speak his first bolded word. Bidikar holds off using bold earlier in the issue to give this final moment all the punch it needs.

DC Comics The Swamp Thingcontinues to be bafflingly beautiful. V, Perkins, Spicer, and Bidikar have delivered a series thats both complex and fun at the same time. This issue sets us up for a grand finale. Hopefully, thats not the last we see of these characters. There still seems to be plenty of story to tell. Pick up The Swamp Thing #9, out from DC Comics November 2nd, at a comic shop near you!

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Review: THE SWAMP THING #9 Brilliantly Sets up the Final Issue - Monkeys Fighting Robots