Media Recommendations

Media I consider worth watching and share with others.

A tirade against social media tracking platforms

I despise social media media tracking/rating/catalogue platforms such as Letterboxd, IMDB, GoodReads, AOTY, RYM, and the like, because of the damage they have indirectly caused to their users and their critical thinking when it comes to expressing opinions. These platforms have pushed people away (either the platform itself or the fans themselves) from writing unique and sincere opinions/reviews.

All the worth reading reviews tend to be buried under stupid one line jokes, irony poisoned reviews, and opinions from weaklings that only want to align their reviews to the opinion of most. Reducing any media work to a bland, unimaginative, flat score or letter, followed by a one-liner joke, is the second worst thing that has happened to media criticism after fascism.

I am well aware that these websites should not be used or considered as a reference or the go-to for any media criticism, that I can easily ignore the existence of those websites, that we should rely on our own judgment and the honest personal opinions of others, but we should also not underestimate the damage and influence these websites have made on us, regardless of whether we use them or not.

MUSIC

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	(1982) For You Tatsuro Yamashita The first album that made me cry.
	(1984) Timely!! ⭐ Anri Amazing
	(1994) Adventure Momoko Kikuchi A really comfy and relaxing album. The world within this album is amazing. A lot of people don't like the "Overture" opening but to me it's one of the best parts of the album.
	(1997) Around The Fur Deftones Aggresive, harsh and loud.
	(2000) Kokyū ⭐ Lily Chou-Chou Ether.
	(2014) bury me out at makeout creek mitski Packed with youth angst and yearn for love that sounds way too personal and despairing. Notable mention.
	(2015) Powers That B Death Grips Listened to days on end.
	(2017) ssri_sessions ⭐ deuteronomy as DOWNLOAD A cacophony to cleanse the mind. A discordant and somber sound.[GET]
	(2022) Fudeki (and their entire discography) ⭐ Tricot I would suggest to listen to their entire discography, but Fudeki takes the place here for me because of how different and experimental it sounds from their other "better" sounding albums. It's spectacular how tricot can still sound good in their messiest release.
	(2022) Weatherglow EP Asian Glow & Weatherday A short EP packed with a harsh but welcoming combined sound of Weatherday and Asian Glow. [GET]
	(2024) Imaginal Disk Magdalena Bay A dense, hypnotic, and compelling storytelling album told through Magdalena Bay's mastery of synth-pop
	Other --- - Deftones - White Pony (2000) - Machine Girl - The Ugly Art (2018), WLFGRL (2014) - Black Dresses - Forever In Your Heart (2021) - femtanyl - CHASER EP (2023) ⭐ - Car Seat Headrest (Entire discography) - Death Grips (Entire discography)

[TOP]

BOOKS

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The Chaos Machine
Max Fisher

Gamergate. The Sri Lankan communal unrest. Cambridge Analytica’s quiet manipulation. The Capitol insurrection. All accelerated by these algorithmic enginereed interactions that result in hate speech and extremism. Every research and tale compiled in this book depicts social media as a malignant organism torn straight from a dystopian horror.

Digital Minimalism
Cal Newport

Digital Minimalism is much more than a set of rules, it’s about cultivating a life worth living in our current age of alluring devices.

Stolen Focus
Johann Hari

Learn and be horrified in how and why our own devices and social networks have invested billions in designing themselves to be as addictive as possible. Burning Silicon Valley has never sounded this great.

[TOP]

FILM

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	Watership Down ⭐ (1978) I am a fond of the world building and mythology this film sets.
	Penguin’s Memory: A Tale of Happiness ⭐ (1985) If you get past the annoying "club penguin war movie" one-line jokes, you will find a down to earth post-war movie with a lot of depth. The visuals are pretty. Seiko Matsuda's voice really sets the tone of the movie.
	Battle Royale (2000) The precursor of the gaming genre, both the book and the movie are really great.
	REC (2007) My Blair Witch Project, I love the found footage genre a lot due to its dynamical range and capabilities to tell a story while still remaining cinematically enticing.
	Children of Men (2007) Excellent cinematography with a lot of analogies and metaphors.
	Robot Dreams (2023) 🤖🎶🎶