This was a recommendation from the boy, something to watch while we were away in Utah. Shame that didn't work out, but if it had (and I'd a brought a PC or tablet) it would have been good camping fare. There are abundant reviews of it online, good, kinda-reminded me a bit of "Super-8", only serialized, and it got me to thinking - of the last 5 or 6 TV shows I've watched - Breaking Bad, etc - easily half of them have been sponsored/created by Netflix. "Better Call Saul", the third (??) season of "Arrested Development", then this. Clearly Netflix is winning the Cable Quality Awards...and they're not even cable...
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- Category: Film
Found a referral to this in a couple of neural hacking videos I was watching, so I downloaded.
To sum up the plot, young struggling writer is presented with magic pill that improves his thinking by a couple of orders of magnitude. Silliness ensues. Not a bad movie, not one I'd recommend, it has a few moments, but an observation before I leave it:
- The embedded narrative that the drug must be addictive and have unpleasant side effects
Now this seems to be a part of our cultural narrative - perhaps largely generated by big-pharma, with their rush to release new placebos of suspect value and frequently real harmful side effects. Or it's the innate belief that all good things must involve a trade-off, there's an inherent belief that all coins have two sides...
...but, aside from the film (these effects are needed to create or further the plot) - think, in the real world, that most things don't have that trade off. A carrot is good for you. Period. So is an Apple. So is breathing. Just noting, the attitude regarding drugs is always one of a "mixed blessing" or "necessary evil" whereas real world experience doesn't always substantiate this. Just found it curious is all...
...now back to the neural hacking videos, some interesting points of view - contrasting, one presenter in favor of every new touted enhancer, TDCS, drug, supplement, vitamin, etc, the other, a doctor, empirically demonstrating the benefits of breathing, exercise and meditation...two very contrasting views on how increase performance...
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Saw this with the boy last night. It was good, well done, the reviews reflect that. With the grey moral tone of "No Country for Old Men" it tells the twilight tale of lawmen and outlaws in Texas. You might enjoy...
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Catching up with the boy, finally, after the disappointment of Suicide Squad (I was looking so looking forward to it, but trusted the abundance of bad reviews, how could I not?), a movie worth watching.
Lo and Behold - Warner Herzog - reveries of the connected world. It's good, although not much that I haven't thought about, watching various experts and victims of the world wide web share their experiences, it's amusing, Herzog, a Luddite, grappling with the social and moral complexities of something he has no investment in, but there's so much more to be explored here, and maybe that's the point, it's impossible to predict or forecast how or when (even now?), but the future will be an interesting place. If you like technology there will probably be nothing new here for you, if you like Herzog you'll enjoy this.
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- Category: Film