KEEP RECORDING THIS, PABLO! a.k.a. [REC]

Despite being a zombie myself, I have only a passing interest in zombie movies and zombie media in general, largely because modern zombie media is unscary and also, very often, stupid.

But not this, not [REC]. I didn’t even know it was a zombie movie at first really, because it isn’t advertised as so. No, it’s advertised and appreciated as a horror movie because that’s what it is: a horror movie.

I got this film from 4chan’s /x/ board, where it’s very popular as the scariest film evar and stuff, and they ain’t kidding. [REC] is a very scary movie, and it achieves this effect via intensity. You don’t have Hollywood special effects and other fancy shiznit, it just grabs you by the eyeballs (or bites you by the eyeballs, as one scene would have it) and doesn’t let go.

This is how horror movies are made, Hollywood, sheez. I’m not going to watch the less-scary Hollywood remake of this, called “Quarantine” because I don’t want to see it bastardized like that. [REC] is a horror masterpiece, you don’t remake it.

Goddamn, two scenes near the end: absolutely incredible. Insane.

Eden of the East

This Production IG anime has my attention. It’s one of the few anime with a completely original plot, and it’s pretty cool. What’s important I guess, is that it stays cool and doesn’t fall from promise like Xam’d did.

Set in modern day (without, surprisingly, any bizarre changes), Eden of East follows a girl sight-seeing in America who comes across a completely naked guy without any memories of himself, and only an unusually high-tech cellphone and a pistol in hand.

After a couple episodes in the US, the action shifts to Japan as Akira Takizawa (the former naked dude) tries to find out who he was, how he ended up where he did, and pretty much what the hell’s up. This wouldn’t sound so intimidating a concept in itself until you bring into the picture the possibility that Akira is a terrorist, and having committed mass murder, and that the situation he is in, is all a game.

A pretty screwy plot that’s still being unfolded (only 4 episodes so far, and I’ve finished 3). I love the visuals: Production IG means that the animation quality is top-notch and the OP and ED, while not particularly memorable tracks are the most visually beautiful I’ve ever seen (okay, the OP still only matches Ergo Proxy).

I see some Ghost in the Shell themes (the project is written and directed by Kenji Kamiyama, director of GitS), like heavy use of imagery and references. Probably the biggest reference to GitS is the Falling Man-style logo of what I think is the Seleçao System (which is, I believe, the game.

The quote on it reads “The abuse of greatness is when it disjoints remorse from power“. Google tells me that’s Shakespeare, said by Brutus in Julius Caeser, to be precise. I’ve spotted a number of other literary references in the OP, most likely Shakespeare again (the only one I care to remember is “The King has come!” and something more).