What are we CONSUMING? Ep3
A terrifying horror flick with NO DIALOGUE?! How to RUIN Train To Busan! Steph with another audio book review (no lie!) and Metal at the Olympics?! All this PLUS some quick #TeamINSYM news and notes!
As always, it’s busy around these parts - but we wanted to get a new WHAT ARE WE CONSUMING Blog together for you! Hang around until the end and we’ll have some other #TeamINSYM NEWS AND NOTES: Geek’d Con, Story Progress, MUSIC progress, and more!
WHAT ARE WE CONSUMING? EPISODE 3
We have FOUR ITEMS to share with you today: How to RUIN Train To Busan, a terrifying near silent horror movie, we’re not lyin’ that STEPH throws down another AUDIO BOOK review, and lastly, the significance of METAL at the Olympics!
HOW DIALOGUE (OR LACK THEREOF) CAN HELP OR HINDER A PRODUCTION
We consumed two movies recently that show just how much dialogue plays a part in the overall feel of a movie. First, we’ll talk about the absolute WORST way to watch TRAIN TO BUSAN, and then we’ll discuss a terrifying movie that’s nearly devoid of all dialogue: NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU.
Train to Busan is widely regarded as one of the best zombie flicks of all time, and it resides in both of our respective ‘Mount Rushmores’ of the genre. Neither of us had watched it in a while, so we decided to check it out again, this time however, with the American language overdub. Hoooo boy what a mess. In the original Korean language (with captions for us English speakers to understand), this movie is an edge of your seat, panic filled jaunt. Unfortunately, with the English overdub it becomes a parody of itself with some silly, unmatched voices, and some that even went the comedic route (why in the world is there a southern drawl on a character?) It’s not like every voice is some caricature, but with a movie like this, you need to be FULLY engulfed by the hopelessness of the scenario, so any little misstep can take you out of the sheer terror.
If you’ve never seen TRAIN TO BUSAN, watch it in the original language. If you have seen it and want to get a wholly different (and not nearly as scary) vibe, watch with this overdub.
Which brings us to NO ONE WILL SAVE YOU. Alien invasion / abduction movies are a tough breed, because so much has already been done, and it’s difficult to make an ORIGINAL compelling end that doesn’t jeopardize the human race all together, or have them ‘resolve’ the situation in the most absurd and unsatisfying of ways.
So how do you make something unique? How about make the movie almost entirely devoid of dialogue (there’s like 3-5 spoken words overall). That doesn’t mean this is a Charlie Chaplain-esque silent film. The use of sounds, screams, shrieks, and silence enhance the insanity of this movie. Neither of us have truly been ‘scared’ by a movie in quite a while… until this one.
Granted, the end of the movie is the most talked about aspect, because it IS so artistic and divisive. At first, we both were like WTF was that? However, after reading all the fan theories, and upon watching it again, the complexity, nuance, and foreshadowing of the end had a lot more meaning.
Highly recommended watch that’s currently on HULU.
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Next up, here’s Steph’s thoughts on the audio book for LISTEN FOR THE LIE:
Every now and then, I’ll listen to an audiobook that’s SO good, it makes me wonder, “how the heck does anyone get the same satisfaction from reading it on their own?”. My favorite audiobook of all time, Daisy Jones and the Six (Taylor Jenkins-Reid) is, in my opinion, the pinnacle of audiobook production. Casting multiple voice actors (and high-level ones at that, like Benjamin Bratt), it felt like I was listening to a movie. When it was over, I found myself in a bit of a slump, wondering if I’d ever listen to anything of that caliber again.
Well, let me tell you - I just finished Listen for the Lie (Amy Tintera) and boy, does it come close. I’m not sure if anything will knock off Daisy Jones from the top of my list, but this was, by far, the second-best audiobook production I’ve ever listened to.
Narrated by January LaVoy and Will Damron, it switches back and forth between two-character perspectives - main character Lucy (LaVoy), and podcaster Ben (Damron). What makes this so unique is the seamless implementation of the fictional podcast within the audiobook.
Lucy is the unofficial main suspect in the unsolved murder of her best friend, Savvy. When Lucy was found bloodied, dazed, and injured wandering along the side of the road, just a short distance from Savvy’s body, she became the source of intense scrutiny for her involvement in Savvy’s death. It doesn’t help that Lucy has no memory of what occurred.
Ben, who is host of the wildly successful “Listen for the Lie” podcast, is determined to uncover the truth. When Ben and Lucy band together to dig deeper into what happened that night, they get entangled in a complicated web of secrets amongst the citizens of the small town in which the murder took place.
What makes this audiobook so great isn’t necessarily the story itself (although I still would rate it a 4 out of 5), but the innovative way in which they involve the podcast into the story. At certain points, you depart Lucy’s narration and are taken into the podcast itself, narrated by Ben as he interviews a whole host of people close to the crime. I was astounded to discover that all of those interviewees are also narrated by LaVoy and Damron, who do an excellent job of setting all of these personalities apart. You even get the music introduction to the podcast within the audiobook, letting you know when it's transitioning to that sequence.
I could go on and on. If you’re looking for an actual EXPERIENCE when listening to an audiobook, give this one a try. It stands out amongst a sea of others that I have consumed lately, and is one I likely will remember for a long, long time.
GOJIRA METALIZES THE OLYMPIC GAMES
If you’re into the Olympics, you’ll probably check daily for the MEDAL COUNT to see how your respective country is doing. This time, however, many people are talking about the METAL count at the Olympic games, which currently stands at ONE: with GOJIRA taking home the gold Medal in “most badass opening ceremony performance ever.”
As a lifelong metalhead, this has been a long time in coming. The Tokyo 2021 games ALMOST had the first (with Wagakki Band coming close to a selection), but that trigger was not pulled. So to see a death metal-esque symphonic performance that is widely regarded as the best aspect of opening night, be the FIRST, it brings me (Matt) more joy that you can imagine.
For many, this was their first true exposure to how cool metal music can be. THIS is exactly why we have a metal soundtrack that goes along with our titles. We know how powerful music is and we hope it enhances your ability to enjoy the stories we tell!
News and Notes:
GEEK’D CON (Shreveport, LA) attendees, we’re gonna have a cool little con-exclusive item for you. We’ll explain more about it as the show draws closer.
‘SUPERNATURAL SABBATICAL’ - The song for HEIRS OF ISILDUR: THE PERILOUS PROSPECTS III is nearing production completion. Working on a simple lyric video now. We’re hoping to have both the SONG and the LYRIC VIDEO ready soon!
Production on HEIRS OF ISILDUR: The Perilous Prospects: Book Four - The FINALE is ongoing. We got a significant amount of art already done for it. How much? Oh, as much as was in TPP3, but this one will be much longer with so much to resolve and wrap in the FINALE of this arc! So Get excited!
Lastly, we’re exploring some different avenues to get our stories out there and into your hands. We really love our characters and universes, and we know you will, too. So just know that we are diligently exploring different types of delivery methods. More news on this soon, as well!
That’s all for now. Don’t forget to get out our website to learn more about our stories, and our massively updated STORE with more SWAG than you can shake a stick at!
Thanks!
Matt & Steph
#TeamINSYM
www.linktree.com/insymmetrycreations
