Evangelion 1:0 – You Are (Not) Alone

“At last my arm is complete again!”

I enjoyed the new animation in the Evangelion movie — Evangelion 1:0 – You Are (Not) Alone — and let myself indulge in a bit of nostalgia for those memories of when I first watched the original Evangelion series. And I was glad to have the chance to introduce a seminal anime work to the Other Half.

As I recall them, many scenes from the original series were kept – seeing Eva-01’s launch sequence again nearly brought tears to my eyes – but the movie is mostly new animation, particularly after Ramiel turns up.

Of the Angels, Ramiel was one of the most boring (pun intended), being a large floating blue octahedron. As an example of what computer technology had enabled since 1994, Ramiel is now constantly changes forms when firing its Beam o’ Glowy Death(TM). In addition, the old mechanical drill bit from the series has been replaced by a swirling corkscrew that morphs from Ramiel’s bottom apex.

The new movie animation looks better, but then again I’ve only seen the original TV series with its washed-out look so Anno etc could’ve reused Renewal footage for all I know :p

But the whole movie looks consistently new. Contrast with the visually jarring mix of old (1984-6) and new (2005-6) animation in the Zeta Gundam: A New Translation movies.

(Incidentally why didn’t those come here? Bandai/Sunrise wanted too much money for screening fees?)

Some deliberate discrepancies mysteries:

– The numbering of the Angels has changed. Sachiel, the first angel to appear in the series, is the 3rd Angel, but in the movie he’s identified as the 4th.

– Lilith is wearing a mask like Sachiel’s face in the movie, but in the series she has one with seven eyes on it.

– The entire moon sequence at the end of the movie. There’s another Lilith-like being?!?

Was hoping to watch the trailer for the second movie at the end, and was disappointed that the preview seems to have been cut from the prints at both the Cathay and at Cineleisure. Odd.

Thankfully, the Net provides. Watch the trailer here. (More mysteries!)

The movie brochure didn’t make it here either. None of the merchandise did. As expected

(earlier post on Evangelion 1:0)

Why people believe conspiracy theories

Interesting article from the New Scientist, reproduced in full at The Razor.

(Or if you subscribe to the New Scientist you can use this link instead)

To appreciate why this form of reasoning is seductive, consider the alternative: major events having minor or mundane causes – for example, the assassination of a president by a single, possibly mentally unstable, gunman, or the death of a princess because of a drunk driver. This presents us with a rather chaotic and unpredictable relationship between cause and effect. Instability makes most of us uncomfortable; we prefer to imagine we live in a predictable, safe world, so in a strange way, some conspiracy theories offer us accounts of events that allow us to retain a sense of safety and predictability.

So the more disaffected and disempowered you feel, the more you believe that some big shadowy organisation is responsible for events. It’s a perverse sense of self-worth: this sense that you live in an rational and orderly world instead of the abyssal, complex chaos it really is.

(via Bruce Schneier’s blog)

The Last Wayang – 31 Aug

Was browsing the pamphlet for the upcoming Singapore Art Show (which btw comes with special post-its attached) when this event caught my eye:

The Last Wayang

Situated at the disused Capitol Theatre, The Last Wayang provokes a reflection on Singapore’s old films.

Date: 31 Aug
Time: 7pm – 12am

I emailed NAC for more info:

The Last Wayang is a project helmed by Lasalle Masters students and graduates. It consists of video projections on the facade of the disused Capitol Theatre. One projection is of stills of old film posters, and the other is an MTV style video.

Below is an excerpt of the project description from the artists “The video comprises of [sic] images of past films and how they have contributed to the flourishing local films of today. The highlights will be done in a trailer / MTV superimposition to apply this contradiction of nostalgia and modern times. “

I often wish the Capitol would reopen as a cinema.

(earlier posts about the Capitol)

Evolution of Apple products

From the Apple I to the iPhone. Download a nice, big version from his website.

Created to show the evolution of the form factor and industrial design of the products, not to show every single model or upgrade Apple has launched.

Just in case you thought he missed out something 😉

(from Underwire)

How to create a Golem

Creating a golem from clay:

Creating the golem from clay will take several hours. Be sure to start early in the day.

More at Religious Studies: How to Create a Golem From the Comfort of Home