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Debilitans Productions: Italian Film/Game Fandom

I have written about Ayana Sato's Debilitans Productions a while ago on Rolling Stone magazine and in this very blog (for example, here and here). When it comes to parodies of popular video games like Metal Gear Solid or Ouendan, nobody does it better than these guys. Like Pure Pwnage and Mega 64, Debilitans is now moving into DVD production as well (Click on the images to see the full covers of the first examples). I cannot wait to see Grand Theft Auto: Montevecchia (before Rockstar Games sends out a cease-and-desist letter).

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The Manhattan Project

"By nature, code names and cover stories are meant to give no indication of the secrets concealed. “Magic” was the name for intelligence gleaned from Japanese ciphers in World War II, and “Overlord” stood for the Allied plan to invade Europe. Many people assume that the same holds true for the Manhattan Project, in which thousands of experts gathered in the mountains of New Mexico to make the world’s first atom bomb Robert S. Norris, a historian of the atomic age, wants to shatter that myth. In “The Manhattan Project” (Black Dog & Leventhal), published last month, Dr. Norris writes about the Manhattan Project’s Manhattan locations. He says the borough had at least 10 sites, all but one still standing. They include warehouses that held uranium, laboratories that split the atom, and the project’s first headquarters — a skyscraper hidden in plain sight right across from City Hall." (William Broad, The New York Times)

This is a movie waiting to happen.

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Carlo Zanni Strikes Back

"My Temporary Visiting Position From The Sunset Terrace Bar" by Carlo Zanni (documentation available here; a small movie)

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Woha, did you feel that?

"Scientists called Tuesday's quake moderate, but try telling that to Audi Andaya. The 24-year-old was working in a Subway sandwich store in San Jose's Eastridge Mall when the store started to shake, sirens began to blare and dust rained down from the ceiling like snow. "I thought I was going to die," he said. "I thought, 'I don't want to die young. I don't want to die like this.' There were no initial reports of major damage or injuries. The quake struck at 8:04 p.m. and was centered five miles northeast of the Alum Rock neighborhood of San Jose on the Calaveras Fault. It was felt as far away as Oregon, and some people said it seemed to last forever. Close to the epicenter, in some spots such as the Eastridge Mall, the shaker caused pandemonium." (Heather Knight, The San Francisco Chronicle)

Being a total idiot, my main concern was to hold firmly my Samsung LCD HDTV, which was oscillating dangerously on the stand during the quake for something like forever. I wish I could say that my mind was occupied with something profound in those few, interminable seconds - like the meaning of life or the possible winner of this year's Serie A - but all I remember is "Man, I have not played Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare yet so there is NO way this is the Big One".

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(Image: "A moderate earthquake occurred at 8:04:54 PM (PDT) on Tuesday, October 30, 2007. Courtesy USGS"; via The San Francisco Chronicle)

Play Protoganda now!

I mean  it. This is going to be the next Everyday Shooter. (via Indie Gaming)

Hooray to Apple!

"NBC Universal president Jeff Zucker claims that Apple killed [the music industry]. While being interviewed by The New Yorker's Ken Auletta at a benefit for Syracuse University, the executive claimed that Apple has made millions on its iPod "off the backs of our content" and that the software maker "destroyed the music business in terms of pricing." (Terrence Russell, Wired)

Can you please destroy the television industry as well? Thanks.

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Cross-Cultural Moments

I realized a long ago that the only way to make sense of Italy is through the hermeneutic filter of different cultures. International commentators are as biased as Italians, obviously, but I find their biases much more interesting. As a matter of fact, nobody "gets" Italian culture better than the Brits and the Americans. Elizabeth, who has spent "half of her life in Rome" and "asked for political asylum" (LOL!), is one of those acute observers. In her blog, Cross-Cultural Moments, she writes about the fictions/frictions of living in such a quizzical country and offers brilliant insights into the passions/obsession of the local tribes. Check it out here or jump in media res with an ongoing debate on Starbucks (also here), witty comments on "Bella Figura", and thought-provoking ideas on cross-cultural tools.

Cross-Cultural Moments

Starbucks to invade Italy through Autogrill?

Makes sense: after all, Autogrill and Starbucks are already partners.

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BBFC: Why Manhunt 2 Is Worse Than Hostel

“If the majority of Hostel was the same as some of the most violent scenes in it, it's entirely possible it could have been banned. But it's not. Most of the running time isn't violence, that's mainly crammed into a few short scenes. Also, in Hostel you are very much required to identify with the victims more than in most games.” (BBFC's examiner Jim Cliff talks to British website Spong)

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Grand Theft Scratchy

"[The Simpsons video]game begins with Bart wanting to play a game called Grand Theft Scratchy. Of course this is a parody of Grand Theft Auto. And Marge immediately takes it away from him. She tries to clean up the town and stop the game from being distributed in Springfield because Marge is against video game violence. She uses horrific violence to stop video game violence... in a video game." He then added: "That's called irony. The people who make Grand Theft Auto - they spazzed out like little babies." (Mike Jackson, Computer and Videogames)

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