Two Takes

I have talked about Horizon Zero Dawn and the concept of how humans and machines  are living in this reality and why humans are not the head of the food chain anymore; how we are actually considered irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

And, you know what? That is how it should be.

We shouldn't consider ourselves so important that everything else is deemed inferior. And there is a good reason for this.

We are all the same, and we are all important in the grand scheme of epic proportions, especially if we expand our horizons onto a global scale. And both Horizon Zero Dawn and Final Fantasy VII make a good example of this type of philosophy.

So let's dive in and explore this further.

Copyright to Two Takes Podcast

In this post-apocalyptic world, is the concept that humans are no longer the head of the food chain. It's not necessarily that something else has taken its place, but rather, humans are no longer the most important thing anymore. Remember, the world had survived throughout humans' self destruction and their selfishness for hundreds of years; but the introduction of AI just escalated its destruction in a matter of months.

And what's even more interesting, is that it took other AI to actually save Earth from itself.

The game has shifted from what we know as an outcome from world disaster and turned it into something else. Something more. It seems, even if it's just in this episode, we need to look back to look forward.

Sometimes we wish for that perfect something to complete our lives. It might be something just out of reach, someone, an idea. But what happens when that idea comes to life?

Ruby Sparks follows the concept of how a man can want a woman from afar but never really know her. Love her from his own ideas of her personality, and not have room to adapt. Learning as he goes, Calvin and his creation, Ruby, find that a person is more complicated than its fictional counterpart.

Howl's Moving Castle, a beautifully animated tale following a hat shop owner, Sophie, and how she gets wrapped up in the chaotic but magical world of witches and wizards. From the very beginning, we understand what kind of character Sophie is by how the people around her react and judge her; she places herself as unimportant. Her heart is closed to herself, but is open for others so that they can enjoy their lives whilst she takes care of everything else. But she is not the only one with worries about the heart. As the story unfolds, the more we realise that Sophie has a lot more in common with the fantastical world of witches and wizards than first realised. But having someone in common, is that enough? what can we realise about this story? Let's find out.

Copyright to Two Takes Podcast

The soul can be a funny thing; its regarded as an incorporeal essence of a living being, and yet, because of the many religious, philosophical and mythological traditions, the soul (or psyche), can be various things to many different people; it can be mortal or immortal, seen or unseen, factual or even fictitious.

Whatever the scope of anyone's belief on what the soul is, Pixar Studios, with the direction of Pete Docter, inspired to go further from what emotions stimulate within us (in 'Inside Out') to what purpose and drive can inspire within all humans in the pursuit of the meaning of life. A big question for an animation, but beautifully crafted to roll up it's sleeves and give it a try.

So let's dive in and explore 'Soul'. 

Copyright to Two Takes Podcast

This is a short film that won semi-finalist in the Los Angeles Cinefest. 'Well Water' was directed and written by Sharisse Zeroonian, who you can look up IMDB with her various other projects.

Capturing a brief period in both Cora and Ben's lives as they progress from an early innocent love to a more mature one with its twists and turns. When the foundation that sets them together stays the same, but the structure ontop shifts to different things, it can be daunting to either accept the change or accept the defeat of a doomed relationship.

To accept one person's version of a perfect life or to adapt and change with their partner, Cora and Ben hold ideals that are completely different, almost marking the difference in their gender, their thoughts on sex before marriage, and even whether things can be placed as a joke or a need to be serious all of the time. The more conversations we find ourselves being a fly on the wall for, the more we understand, from an outsider's perspective, how different these two people are; how their parents have shaped them to be these young adults, and why, in the end, how we can understand how precious their relationship is, until it potentially isn't.

Copyright to Two Takes Podcast