Night Watch and Wikileaks: Blood, Black Magic and an ongoing new-media story …

You know, it’s not that often I do a double posting.

After all, I generally stick some good advice I once received.

In other words, stick to one subject, per post: it’s makes that post a lot easier to find by search engines.

Well …

That …

And adding relevant tags …

And back-links, front links, what-have-you …

But the one about one subject per post is the main one I had in mind: mostly because I try not to break it, these days …

First off … ?

I’ve got to admit, I saw a couple of articles about WikiLeaks float past.

Firstly … ?

Well, the first one concerns a piece I noticed a couple of days ago, and have been meaning to show you: this one.

Seems that three of WikiLeaks’ supporters on Twitter now will have their details examined in serious detail by a US Court.

The other piece … ?

Is that Bradley Manning, the US marine accused of passing the recent batch of government documents to WikiLeaks has had comments made: by P. J. Crowley, a US State Department spokesman, no less, who’s described Manning’s arrest and confinement as is ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid.”. “None the less Bradley Manning is in the right place”.

Which sounds, frankly, contradictory …

Almost as bad as WikiLeak’s treatment of Private Manning …

»»•««

Let’s move on, shall we … ?

Yes, lets …

Now, I’ve got to admit, I have left this a little late, but I’m also very aware that Kevin D, Movie Night Adrian and I were all at my place, last night.

And watching something of an old friend.

Well …

Me and Kevin, at any rate, any way.

The film in question … ?

Was one I know I’ve watched, before, the 2004 Russian film, Ночной дозор: Nochnoy Dozor, or Night Watch if you’d like it in English.

Now, I’ve written about Night Watch, before now.

So I’ll point you at the my previous post about it, and its sequel, Day Watch: I think they’re good reading.

But I also know the one thing I can add to those, here and now.

Is that Movie Night Adrian, Kevin D and I all agreed on this …

Adrian: Keeper ★★★☆

Paul: Keeper ★★★☆

Kevin: Keeper ★★★☆

Day Watch

“Day Watch” …

Well, there’s an interesting sequel …

And one that isn’t so creative with the subtitles as the original.

Mind you, I’ve just sat myself down with Brentwood library’s copy, which explains the differences; the version of “Night Watch” I had was one I’d had sitting on my exterior drive, and finally got round to watching, recently and makes innovative use of subtitles; the ones on this version of “Day Watch” are fairly vanilla in comparison.

Which is disappointing, but a lot more naturalistic feeling than the English dubbing available as an option on this particular DVD.   Which is very strange, as these things always are …

But, at any rate, “Day Watch” follows on a year after the events of the first film, and shows us Anton seeking out the Chalk of Fate owned by Tamerlane; Anton wishes to restore his son to the forces of light.

This is only a comparatively small part of the story, though; the bulk of it is — of course — the escalation of the cold war between the Day Watch an Night Watch.

Part of that is the framing of Anton for the murder of a member of the Night Watch.

He does carry a lot of plot, our Anton, doesn’t he … ?

It’s still quite an exciting to watch film, though, one that picks up where its predecessor finishes, adding to, and expanding upon, the background universe.   Well worth watching, despite the lack of arty subtitles.   And I can’t believe Alicia did that to a Toyota!   I can’t!   Have a look at the clip, it’s at the bottom of this post.

I want to know how the hell they set that up … !

I also know it leaves a few loose ends for the potential sequel; what exactly happpens to the Chalk of Fate, for starters.

I’ll leave that there, I think; but I will urge you to check this pair of films out.   The visuals are quite a bit better than “Screamers”, and it has a very substantial plot to it …

Cast.
Actor	Character
Konstantin Khabensk	Anton
Mariya Poroshina	Svetlana
Vladimir Menshov	Gesser
Galina Tyunina	Olga
Viktor Verzhbitsky	Zavulon
Zhanna Friske	Alisa
Dmitry Martynov	Yegor
Aleksei Chadov	Kostya
Valeri Zolotukhin	Kostya's Father
Nurzhuman Ikhtymbayev	Zoar
Aleksei Maklakov	Semyon
Aleksandr Samojlenko	Bear
Gosha Kutsenko	Ignat
Irina Yakovleva	Galina Rogova
Yegor Dronov	Tolik

I’ve also picked up news that lawyers for The Pirate Bay are planning to appeal for a retrial, today.   I’m not sure whether this is good news or bad.

I’ll be honest, I’d be lying if I said I’d never been tempted to use their services*.    After all, free music and film is tempting.   But, having meet a lot of working musicians, I do know they, like all of us, like getting paid.

In this day and age, the The Pirate Bay’s organiser’s gaoling is a story that’s going to run and run.

And cause ethical discussion in every pub in the country.

* Saying that, when I’ve got the money, I far prefer using the iTunes Store; it’s a lot easier to use than the torrent sites I’ve seen.

The Night Watch

You know, it isn’t that often I watch a subtitled film.   Not that often, at all; I think the last one I saw was Luc Besson’s “Nikita”.   But the few times I do watch them, I pay attention.

After all, one has to, with subtitles.

And, as with “Nikita”, paying attention to the Russian made, Timur Bekmambetov directed, “Night Watch” pays; or that’s my thinking.

I also know that an ex-girlfriend of mine wouldn’t have wanted to see it, given her severe dyslexia.*

Even if — as she was — you’re not one for subtitles, I’m told there’s a dubbed version doing the rounds;  you may wish to track this down, as I believe Nightwatch worth at least one watching, dubbed or subtitled.

It would be a shame to lose out on those, though, as the films makers use them them in very interesting ways.   As one example, when one of the characters, Yegor, is having a nose bleed in a swimming pool, the subtitles are red, and swirl out of sight, as if they were blood dissolving into the pool; at other times, they appear from behind parts of the set, only to disappear behind characters as they walk across the screen.

It’s a very watchable way of turning a necessity into a minor work of art. 

That’s not only where Night Watch scores, I feel.

It has a very different emotional feel to it, I think.

I’m reminded, here, of William Gibson’s Neuromancer, as well as the film version of Trainspotting in that both have an world weary, streetwise feel to them, although, of the two, I feel Night Watch shares its tone more with the latter.   They both want to show that their subject is incredibly sleazy.

Saying that, Trainspotting — dealing, as it does, with with the lives of a group of Edinburgh heroin addicts — has its roots in the real world.

Night Watch, however, is more supernatural in the tale it has to tell

The prologue telling us how the truce between Good and Evil is formed by its leaders and policed by the Night Watch —the Light Others— and the Day Watch — the bad guys, if you don’t mind my putting it simply — and how they are expecting a prophesied Great Other to tip the balance in one or the others favour.

That’s the films basic premise, although it opens with its central character, Anton, going to see a very urban witch, to hire her to cast a spell for him.

It turns out the witch is being watched.

By the eponymous Night Watch.

In the process, Anton discovers he’s an Other, and has to make a choice.

Which is where the film gets going …

I think I’ll leave that there.   But I will point you to Night Watch entry on both IMDb, and on Wikipedia.

But that opening scene …

The witches insistence that Anton assume the sin of what he asks her to do — something I’m told is a feature of real-world paganism — is what caught me, and the feeling that it was telling you a sleaze ridden story of a supernatural vice squad is what kept me watching.

And seriously has me wanting to watch the follow-ups …

Cast
Konstantin Khabenskiy	Anton Gorodetsky
Vladimir Menshov	Gesser
Valeriy Zolotukhin	Kostya's Father
Mariya Poroshina	Svetlana
Galina Tyunina	Olga, the sorceress
Yuriy Kutsenko	Ignat
Aleksey Chadov	Kostya (Anton's young vampire neighbor)
Zhanna Friske	Alicia Donnikova
Ilya Lagutenko	Andrei
Viktor Verzhbitsky	Zavulon

* The lady in questions was a qualified chêf, and had an IQ somewhere in the upper 120s; I’m told that’s pretty good, and is certainly brighter than me.   Nasty temper she had, though, I seem to recall …