Last updated on March 4, 2013
Welcome to Monday Update! Well, looks like I’m not going to cover 5 things, because some of the things were just blatantly better than others.
Election and Election 2 – No, we’re not talking about the Matthew Broderick/Reese Witherspoon class president dramedy; this is the Hong Kong film series by Johnnie To, known as the savior of HK cinema after the departure of other well-known directors to “greener” pastures (John Woo, for example). As such, To usually directs Triad gangster genre films, each with either a unique twist or some facet that differentiates it from all the others – because if it doesn’t, wouldn’t that get really boring?
Election, and its sequel (which, as far as English names go, bears the title “Triad Election” for some reason) tell the story of the Triad tradition of electing a leader every two years. This is a tradition over one hundred years old; as there are many competing Triad families, and they just all want to make money, leadership passes from “society”, a Triad gang, to society, which helps level out the balance of power. This leadership position, represented by a dragon headed baton, ensure symbolically and in reality that the leadership continues to make everyone money and prevent all-out war on the streets of Hong Kong. Even the police, knowing they can’t eradicate this force, hopes for a smooth election process.
However, this isn’t meant to be in our case here, as Big D wants to be elected leader and Lok will become the next leader. Triad “hijinks”, so called, ensue. Without spoiling anything, this is a really different kind of movie from the usual “gangster” flicks from the United States. Rather than assuming they are horrible people by virtue of their profession, the movie tries to flesh out these various Triad members to see their motivations, whether it is tradition, power, money, or a combination of other aspects of the “game” these gangs play. It’s truly fascinating and interesting because the first film has only a few action sequences in its entire duration – this allows To to exacerbate the tension with each movement and twist in the plot, as the threat of violence looms overhead at any moment. Sometimes, the payoff turns to more dialogue, but that only punctuates whatever violence actually happens. The second movie extends this technique even further, pulling us into new dimensions of mindgames and brutality.
And, let’s say, these movies are brutal in their themes and in the violence depicted onscreen. When it happens, it happens and takes it to new extremes, and I just can’t recommend it to just anyone. If anything, the movie takes a blatantly nihilistic view of Triad gang violence (which, from what I’ve read, is true of the actual social conditions in Hong Kong’s youth), portraying it as an inevitable part of their society – once you get sucked into its allure, you can never escape. The boundary of tradition, though espoused throughout, is really just a facade. Force rules the day, but it makes hollow men out of everyone in the film, people who get too greedy and wind up losing everything. I like this; it shows real consequences, and doesn’t romanticize the lifestyle, unlike the Godfather films. I suppose that’s why no one likes the third one, which I happen to enjoy greatly. Great movies, all around; anyone who can deal with these kinds of themes (no sexuality at all, surprisingly) should watch this set. Both are on NetFlix Instant Queue at the moment, so watch them while they’re on that service.
Lots and Lots of WarCraft PvP – Wow, did I play a lot of PvP in the past week. My Priest, Kesis (which also means the same thing in Turkish, so I hear), is in the level 70-74 bracket, and he’s pretty much maxed out on the gear in that level. Now, mind you, I did not like healing at all, but that’s what I do in PvP.
My first experience in healing was my Druid, Kashel (who has passed to a new owner – my father). Back when dual talent specs didn’t exist, I was Balance, which is NOT the healing tree. Thus, when I tried to heal a 5man 60 instance, I had exactly 9 big heals and little else. Let’s say that the experience did not make me a better healer – it made me hate it utterly.
So, when I started new characters with family a month ago, choosing a Priest, and healing with that Priest, wasn’t something that appealed to me at all. However, Priests are (debatably) the best healing class in the game, as they have two different trees dedicated to the purpose. I tried Holy, which basically amounts to direct heals – that’s completely boring. But Disipline is another story – it’s about preventing damage, rather than healing it, which is an interesting twist on the whole deal. That makes it quite fun for PvP, as you can shield yourself and others as a preventative measure, plus whatever else you can throw at your team to keep them alive (and yourself). Being a Priests means YOU are the target, especially if they realize you are healing, but over time that part becomes second nature to the job, and you learn how to survive as long as possible with 7-8 people attacking you. It’s challenging, but fun.
What I don’t like, though, is when other people in battlegrounds refuse to coordinate attacks and get together. I learned that acting authoritatively in chat means most people will listen to you, but sometimes everyone just wants to kill other players and not bother with the objectives. You can do that, sure, but higher brackets require teamwork, like everything in World of WarCraft, and by ignoring them or giving up you’ve accepted defeat right from the beginning. I don’t like losing when I see an opportunity to win, is what I’m saying.
That usually gives you the opportunity to play better, however, and try new techniques, so it’s all good. I suppose that’s why I play WoW so much – you always have something to do, and you can always get better at your role the more you play it. Experience from one class and role carries over to another, and it’s not always about who has better gear (but man, it sure does help!).
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That’s that for this week’s update. The Fall of Seiken Densetsu will continue for the next three days (integrated with a List entry, in fact – if you can’t guess it, you haven’t been reading them).
