[Weekly Updates] January 31, 2021

You know, last time I said that was the last update of January. I totally didn't realized there is another one at the 31st.

24+7 = 31.

How does math work?

ABOUT CHANNEL

• Script for our next video is already completed and recorded. But since today there's already an update, I'll upload it tomorrow, just so I don't spam the page.
• Instead of picking between two romance films, I decided to make it a 3 in 1, similar to the Thai horror video.
• The three films will be: Comrades: Almost a Love Story (1996), Love in a Puff (2010), Turn Left, Turn Right (2003).
• Spoilers are kept to a minimum in the video, but I do recommend giving the film a watch if you can. All of them are available on DVDs. Love in a Puff is also on Netflix. And hey, why not watch it with your significant others.
• Afterward, we have a video on The Eight Hundred.
• For this summer, I think I'll try to cover a bit more Taiwanese films. It took me this long, because to me, the Taiwanese film industry is in a weird spot. I know them just enough to be familiar, but not enough to have a connection with.
• So, if you have a Taiwanese film I should cover, leave a comment and let me know.

ABOUT MEDIA

• So like a total normie, I started watching WandaVision. Sunk cost fallacy at works, I guess.
• Can't say I'm not curious, though. Its trailer made it to be such off beat show.
• TV shows have come a long way in the past decade. I don't know when the trend started, I suspect it was with Game of Thrones. But visual effects and other production costs have gotten so low, that TV shows are beginning to rival that of movie productions (while movies are beginning to look more like photo realistic animations).
• For a while, TV feels almost like the future. Cinema will be replaced. Heck, with all the extended universe stuff, movies are becoming high cost TV shows already.
• But then WandaVision comes along and remind me how art works.
• You see, in (modern) art, artists are encouraged to explore the unique limit of the medium. Static movies are bad, because it didn't utilize the unique quality of "motion" picture.
• On the other hand, Nolan movies are highly praised, because it frequently explores the topic of "time", a quality that is unique to film.
• Instead of competing directly with cinema, WandaVision goes the other direction: It is essentially using the format of TV shows, to explore TV shows. Or, post-modernism, if you want to impress your prof.
• The first two episodes are filmed in front of a live audience. And they either film the series on era appropriate film stocks, or have some amazing colorists to tune their images. Either way, there is an artist's obsession behind the show, something that is often missing in large budget blockbusters.
• What you get is this jarring contrast between authenticity and inaccuracy. It feels just like a 50s/60s sit-com, but behind your mind, you know it is a modern Marvel TV show.
• This constant conflict forces you to realize how fake everything is. It is deliberate fighting against your immersion. Because it is not supposed to be immersive. In universe, it is also a fake TV show.
• And because show is about the idyllic suburban life of a married couple, the show is letting you realize how fake this idyllic setting is. And through that, forces you to think about how fake every sit-com is, and makes you think about how real life families are supposed to be.
• Since the show is still on going, I can't really say if my reading is correct. But chances are, the show is commenting on Wanda's desire for an idyllic life. About how fabricated happiness is no happiness at all.
• And if that is the case, kudos to the show runners for marrying the show's format and story this well together.

Now that's the actual end of January. Hopefully 2021 has been treating you well so far. And hopefully at least some of you are having fun with $GME, lol. New videos will be up in a week or so. In the meantime, why not start planning your date night? A virtual date night can be just as romantic.