deerstalker
If you’ve ever wondered what the take on the superhero genre from Nicolas Winding Refn (The Neon Demon) would look like, Netflix has you covered in the new year.
Four years after directing his first television series Too Old to Die Young, the Danish visionary returns to streaming with Copenhagen Cowboy, a neo-noir set in his native Denmark. The six-episode series was penned during the pandemic by Refn and co-writers Sara Isabella Jønsson Vedde (Miss Osaka), Johanne Algren (Kamikaze), and Mona Masri (Snabba Cash). The production was also a family affair with his wife, filmmaker Liv Corfixen (My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn) executive producing the series which stars their daughters Lola and Lizzielou.
The female-centric story of Copenhagen Cowboy follows Miu (Angela Bundalovic), a young woman of mysterious origins. We first see her in the servitude of an older woman Rosella (Dragana Milutinović), just one of the many evolving masters employing Miu as a “good luck charm” or “lucky coin.” Her seemingly magic abilities aren’t explicitly explained, but she’s able to help greedy people with things like fertility issues and migraines.
Though it seems like she lacks humanity, Miu is a good person at her core, seeking justice for the wronged. She finds herself going further and further into Copenhagen’s crime world, which is filled with temperamental gangsters and their various human trafficking empires from sex work to drug dealing. Her petite size is brought up often and she’s always talked about like she’s not there, but these things don’t seem to bother her. As one person says to her, “You’re a strange one.”
She’s passive, introspective, and generally emotionless, like the other enigmatic protagonists of the Refn-verse. The director told Cineuropa, “She is indeed of the very same, very dim, mysterious family as One-Eye, the Driver and Lieutenant Chang in Only God Forgives — a kind of alter ego I like to revisit from time to time.”
The first couple of episodes drag, but things get more interesting once Miu meets restaurant owner Mother Hulda (Li Ii Zhang) and subsequently meets gang leader Chiang (Jason Hendil-Forssell). She later crosses paths with a wealthy serial killer Nicklas (Andreas Lykke Jørgensen) who is oddly similar to Michael Pitt’s Mason Verger in NBC’s Hannibal though not nearly as flamboyant or talkative. As described in the series synopsis, Miu also encounters her nemesis Rakel (Refn’s eldest daughter, Lola Corfixen) who makes a brief but memorable appearance.
Miu is an unconventional hero, super or otherwise. She has an ethereal quality that reads more like a mythical being with unseen and undefined supernatural abilities who we’re not sure is a witch, fairy, angel, alien, robot, or an enhanced human a la Winter Soldier. I predict that her blue tracksuit, glitter eye makeup, and bowl cut combo will be one of 2023’s top Halloween costumes. She sort of looks like an anime character, and, with her inexplicable fighting skills, the latter half of the series feels like she’s stuck in a twisted Nintendo game that can’t be won.
Refn is a divisive artist often accused of valuing “style over substance.” He has received plenty of criticism for his films having characters gazing for long stretches without dialogue. The series does the same, and the prolonged silence is frustrating and intentionally uncomfortable. I wonder if this gripe inspired the writers to have a character say to Miu, “You’re stressing me out with your gaze.” But all the silent stares and awkward pauses build tension that gives the short yet brutal action scenes more of an impact. Refn also has a distinct brand of cinematic violence. He uses brutality in a way that isn’t glorified but stylized, telling Variety, “Art is an act of violence. It’s meant to violate you, penetrate your mind. It’s like giving birth. It’s beautiful, but also a violent act.”
There’s not a lot of depth in terms of plot and character development, but those elements aren’t necessarily sacrificed in favor of style. That’s just how Refn chooses to tell his stories. Instead of traditionally structured scenes, it’s like he’s created moving paintings. The stunning cinematography of Magnus Nordenhof Jønck (A Hijacking) further creates an otherworldly atmosphere with slow-motion sequences and sweeping shots.
Refn’s trademark of nearly nothing but neon lighting soaks the streets of Copenhagen, making the characters look like they’re perpetually in the red-light district of another dimension, or maybe hell. It’s this blend of the seductive and surreal that reminds me a little of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. Though the frequent unnerving sounds of squealing pigs (that sometimes come from human men) are more along the lines of Sorry to Bother You.
Another Refn signature is the haunting synth-focused score from previous collaborators Cliff Martinez (Too Old to Die Young), Peter Peter (Pusher), Peter Kyed (Valhalla Rising), and Julian Winding (The Neon Demon). With dreamy synth-wave beats and striking red, magenta, purple, and blue hues, some scenes play like a music video.
Similar to other auteurs like David Lynch and Yorgos Lanthimous, Refn has a specific style that doesn’t work for everyone. The six-hour series could’ve been a 2-hour film, but I appreciate his approach to episodic television, challenging the norms as he does with films. It’s not an ideal binge; perhaps only three episodes at a time. The sprawling story would be easier to digest in smaller doses. However, I doubt that’s anything Refn’s concerned about.
Copenhagen Cowboy is a beautiful mind-bending noir crime thriller about exploitation and greed, as well as a revenge-fueled science fiction fairy tale. Anyone familiar with Nicolas Winding Refn’s previous work will know what to expect with this latest addition to his oeuvre — extremely slow-moving storytelling that requires patience and a reasonable attention span.
Copenhagen Cowboy had its world premiere at the 2022 Venice Film Festival. The series begins streaming Thursday, January 5, 2023, on Netflix.
If you’ve ever wondered what the take on the superhero genre from Nicolas Winding Refn (The Neon Demon) would look like, Netflix has you covered in the new year.
Four years after directing his first television series Too Old to Die Young, the Danish visionary returns to streaming with Copenhagen Cowboy, a neo-noir set in his native Denmark. The six-episode series was penned during the pandemic by Refn and co-writers Sara Isabella Jønsson Vedde (Miss Osaka), Johanne Algren (Kamikaze), and Mona Masri (Snabba Cash). The production was also a family affair with his wife, filmmaker Liv Corfixen (My Life Directed By Nicolas Winding Refn) executive producing the series which stars their daughters Lola and Lizzielou.
The female-centric story of Copenhagen Cowboy follows Miu (Angela Bundalovic), a young woman of mysterious origins. We first see her in the servitude of an older woman Rosella (Dragana Milutinović), just one of the many evolving masters employing Miu as a “good luck charm” or “lucky coin.” Her seemingly magic abilities aren’t explicitly explained, but she’s able to help greedy people with things like fertility issues and migraines.
Though it seems like she lacks humanity, Miu is a good person at her core, seeking justice for the wronged. She finds herself going further and further into Copenhagen’s crime world, which is filled with temperamental gangsters and their various human trafficking empires from sex work to drug dealing. Her petite size is brought up often and she’s always talked about like she’s not there, but these things don’t seem to bother her. As one person says to her, “You’re a strange one.”
She’s passive, introspective, and generally emotionless, like the other enigmatic protagonists of the Refn-verse. The director told Cineuropa, “She is indeed of the very same, very dim, mysterious family as One-Eye, the Driver and Lieutenant Chang in Only God Forgives — a kind of alter ego I like to revisit from time to time.”
The first couple of episodes drag, but things get more interesting once Miu meets restaurant owner Mother Hulda (Li Ii Zhang) and subsequently meets gang leader Chiang (Jason Hendil-Forssell). She later crosses paths with a wealthy serial killer Nicklas (Andreas Lykke Jørgensen) who is oddly similar to Michael Pitt’s Mason Verger in NBC’s Hannibal though not nearly as flamboyant or talkative. As described in the series synopsis, Miu also encounters her nemesis Rakel (Refn’s eldest daughter, Lola Corfixen) who makes a brief but memorable appearance.
Miu is an unconventional hero, super or otherwise. She has an ethereal quality that reads more like a mythical being with unseen and undefined supernatural abilities who we’re not sure is a witch, fairy, angel, alien, robot, or an enhanced human a la Winter Soldier. I predict that her blue tracksuit, glitter eye makeup, and bowl cut combo will be one of 2023’s top Halloween costumes. She sort of looks like an anime character, and, with her inexplicable fighting skills, the latter half of the series feels like she’s stuck in a twisted Nintendo game that can’t be won.
Refn is a divisive artist often accused of valuing “style over substance.” He has received plenty of criticism for his films having characters gazing for long stretches without dialogue. The series does the same, and the prolonged silence is frustrating and intentionally uncomfortable. I wonder if this gripe inspired the writers to have a character say to Miu, “You’re stressing me out with your gaze.” But all the silent stares and awkward pauses build tension that gives the short yet brutal action scenes more of an impact. Refn also has a distinct brand of cinematic violence. He uses brutality in a way that isn’t glorified but stylized, telling Variety, “Art is an act of violence. It’s meant to violate you, penetrate your mind. It’s like giving birth. It’s beautiful, but also a violent act.”
There’s not a lot of depth in terms of plot and character development, but those elements aren’t necessarily sacrificed in favor of style. That’s just how Refn chooses to tell his stories. Instead of traditionally structured scenes, it’s like he’s created moving paintings. The stunning cinematography of Magnus Nordenhof Jønck (A Hijacking) further creates an otherworldly atmosphere with slow-motion sequences and sweeping shots.
Refn’s trademark of nearly nothing but neon lighting soaks the streets of Copenhagen, making the characters look like they’re perpetually in the red-light district of another dimension, or maybe hell. It’s this blend of the seductive and surreal that reminds me a little of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. Though the frequent unnerving sounds of squealing pigs (that sometimes come from human men) are more along the lines of Sorry to Bother You.
Another Refn signature is the haunting synth-focused score from previous collaborators Cliff Martinez (Too Old to Die Young), Peter Peter (Pusher), Peter Kyed (Valhalla Rising), and Julian Winding (The Neon Demon). With dreamy synth-wave beats and striking red, magenta, purple, and blue hues, some scenes play like a music video.
Similar to other auteurs like David Lynch and Yorgos Lanthimous, Refn has a specific style that doesn’t work for everyone. The six-hour series could’ve been a 2-hour film, but I appreciate his approach to episodic television, challenging the norms as he does with films. It’s not an ideal binge; perhaps only three episodes at a time. The sprawling story would be easier to digest in smaller doses. However, I doubt that’s anything Refn’s concerned about.
Copenhagen Cowboy is a beautiful mind-bending noir crime thriller about exploitation and greed, as well as a revenge-fueled science fiction fairy tale. Anyone familiar with Nicolas Winding Refn’s previous work will know what to expect with this latest addition to his oeuvre — extremely slow-moving storytelling that requires patience and a reasonable attention span.
Copenhagen Cowboy had its world premiere at the 2022 Venice Film Festival. The series begins streaming Thursday, January 5, 2023, on Netflix.
Recently released from Pendulo Studios is their next adventure game, Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo. There is something to be said for remakes. Once made there is the inevitable comparisons that can fairly or unfairly color the experience.
Back in the late 1950s, Alfred Hitchcock released his mystery thriller of the same name, which starred the iconic Jimmy Stewart. Based on a novel written in the same decade, the movie when watched now is very campy, which may be a why it was not consistently well received at the time. Some critics saw the movie more as an examination of Hitchcock himself, while others had issue with a mystery thriller being solved early in the movie. Pendulo’s offering reflects the cerebral nature of the movie, even though at its center is the examination of one man’s psyche and for the most part that is where the similarity to Alfred Hitchcock’s film should and does end.
In the game, a psychologist is enlisted to work with an author who was in a car crash and claims he was traveling with his wife and daughter. However, the remains of his family were not found. The story jumps to him in a cabin alone and then out of the blue rendering aid to a beautiful injured hiker. While recovering, she “innocently” ends up half-naked in his shirt and…yep. For an alleged grieving car crash survivor that seems to be a strange place to start up, but hey the therapist asked, right? Not even close.
This is where the ability to connect with the protagonist seems to go astray, which is very early in the story. While there is quite a mystery that unfolds, it is sort of hard to care about the angst of the protagonist as the consequence of the initial car crash seem to be secondary to the author’s writer’s block.
The thing about adventure games is that there is the need to care about the outcome, which requires you to care about the protagonist. Other adventure games can lose this in the adventure part. Vertigo seems to get lost in the gaming experience at the expense of the story. There was the exploration of various past memories that are meant to help explain the source of the author’s vertigo, but again the reason to really care was missing. The story pacing was interesting, with a creepy kitchen scene and an investigation on a farm, which has some Hitchcock easter eggs, including a Psycho shower scene. While entertaining, given the day and age, there is a certainty that many of these will be missed.
The gameplay prompts seem inconsequential. While I understand the need to keep a story along a central story line, choices made in various places do little to change the outcome. This lack of player impact on the direction of the story in seemingly any way changes it from a game experience to a digital video, which leaves the graphics.
Graphically, this is not the most stunning presentation since the boxy graphics harken back a decade or so. While not required for an adventure game, as the locations tended to be remote, there is a chance to at least have stunning venues or iconic music to help the story along. With neither present, this may not be the best offering for someone stepping into the world of adventure gaming.
This virtual novel seems to have too much mystery and not enough story to make you care about how it ends. But if you are really into the genre and have some time to spend there are some interesting hours ahead. Be careful, though, that the constant environment swirling around without much of a center doesn’t give you vertigo as well.
You can find Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo on most of the gaming platforms and on PC.
Winter Anime Season is upon us, and we’re getting what hopefully is more than just a fresh coat of paint on a classic that I grew up with. Perhaps, you’ve seen the anime community trading bars about this Trigun Stampede, and you’re wondering what all the fuss is about? I got you, fam. Here’s a mostly spoiler free guide for anyone who wants to know the details on one of the most anticipated anime series coming this January!
Log line:
Vash the Stampede, a gunman on the run with a “60 billion double dollar” bounty on his head, wreaks havoc and mayhem everywhere he goes.
Who Created it:
Yasuhiro Nightow, a manga artist whose major work Trigun was adapted into an hugely successful anime series and film. He is also responsible for designing the characters for the video game and anime series Gungrave. His more recent work, the manga Blood Blockade Battlefront has inspired two stage plays. He’s fairly active on Twitter and according to Anime News Network, some of his favorite creatives in comics include Rumiko Takahashi to Jean Giraud (Moebius) to Peanuts (Charles Schulz.).
What is it About:
The “Humanoid Typhoon” is estimated to be about twenty-four years old. His birthplace and current residence are unknown. He’s suspected in the murders of multiple criminals and gangs, and he is yet still a suspect at large. He’s a madman who, on paper, wouldn’t have any allies or a home base because of the mayhem he causes.
Worth 60 billion double dollars, Vash the Stampede has the largest bounty on record placed on his head, and it’s yours if you bring him in–dead or alive. But there’s one thing: Vash is actually a pacifist, and he’s not keen on hurting others. Confused, yet? Stick around for the wild ride in the not-so-distant future on a not-so-distant place that’s not Earth where Vash searches for one person for answers.
Who Would this Appeal to:
- Fans of the original manga and anime series, of course
- Newer fans of anime who want to be introduced to Yasuhiro Nightow’s work
- Fans of the action, science fiction, and even space western genres
- Folks who love a goofy character and will be looking forward to laughing
Where Can I Read it:
Keep in mind that the first volume of the manga was released back in…wow…January of 2003. So while the books are not impossible to find, you’ll need some patience in hunting some volumes down. The original Trigun manga ran from 1995-1997, with the continuation titled Trigun Maximum running from 1997-2007. Dark Horse released the English edition of the series.
If you want physical copies, the site that I’ve found the most listings available is (as of writing- January 2023) is Amazon. I am a big fan of finding older and of print manga on apps and sites like eBay and Mercari, so check there if you’re set on finding physical printed volumes. I’d also check your local comic book shop just because I’ve found older manga in discount bins over the years from time to time.
If you are looking to read and purchase it digitally, try the Dark Horse website where you can purchase the entire series.
Can My Kid(s) Read the Source Material:
According to the Dark Horse website the rating is for ages: 14+. I’d suggest leaving this series for the older teens who are manga readers in your life and finding some all-ages appropriate manga for the younger ones you know.
Important Info You Need to Know:
This isn’t a prequel, this is a reboot.
This new anime originally raising some eyebrows earlier this year with the news that this new entry in the Trigun universe has a very different look than its original counterpart, as it will be 3-D animated. Handled by animation studio Orange who has handled some standout faves like Land of The Lustrous and Beastars, I will admit that the visuals at first threw me for a loop, but I’m going to still watch and give it a go. Not all reboots are created equal, surely. Yet just as I urged folks to watch the newer version of Urusei Yatsura, I want my fellow anime watchers to at least try the first episode.
The original Trigun will forever, in my heart, be a part of the crop of 90’s anime that rode to wave to my generation growing up in the early 2000’s (related twitter thread of interest here!) According to Anime News Network, the original anime adaptation aired for 26 episodes in Japan in 1998. The anime launched in North America for home video back in 2000. Geneon Entertainment (formerly Pioneer) originally released the series on DVD, but Funimation has since licensed the series and released it on Blu-ray Disc and DVD. The series is now streaming on Crunchyroll following Sony’s Funimation Global Group’s acquisition of Crunchyroll from AT&T. Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim programming block aired the anime in 2003 which is when I remember coming across it as a teen.
Who are Some Important Characters I Should Know About:
Vash The Stampede: The Man, The Myth and not the legend–Vash is an actual goofball of a guy who is being chased and hunted by everyone and they mama. How he amassed such a incredible bounty is hinted towards his unique nickname: “The Human Typhoon.” There’s no where he doesn’t go where things pop off and whole towns and cities are damaged in the process due to folks trying their hand at capturing him for the reward.
Meryl Stryfe: In this new series, it looks like Meryl is a journalist versus the job she held in the original working for a insurance company. So far it looks like she’s a rookie reporter who’ll stop at nothing to get a scoop and paired with another person, possibly a veteran in her field. Meryl in the original series was known to be hot-headed, impatient, and not at all trusting of Vash. It looks like that has carried over to this rebooted series.
Nicholas D. Wolfwood: In the original, Nicholas cut an imposing figure on traveling with a giant cross with a really cool reveal. As a fellow gunman, he crossed paths with Vash and the gang several times, and eventually join them as a companion in their travels. He, like Vash, has a complicated backstory involving his childhood and audiences will once again hopefully be able to see how he acts as foil to Vash’s character.
What to expect:
When I was a teenager, I’d tell you that Trigun is an anime about family, responsibility and yearning to…save whatever planet in which we call home. Lost technologies, longing for the past and crumbling hope and dreams on a barren land also complicate the plot.
I’ve looked through all the trailers and teaser videos and while the animation looks amazing, I wonder if this Trigun Stampede will capture the fun and charm of the original, or if it will create a new formula that makes its own while paying homage to the foundation of yesteryear. In watching the trailers, I’m startled that I did not see two beloved characters of the original series. One of them who really felt like the heart of the gang that ended up befriending Vash.
There looks to be an introduction of a new character that switches up the dynamic of the folks that end up allies of the man on the run. But it is too early to make assumptions and I’ll just have to put those reservations on hold and tune it to watch. I’ll be watching come January to see what this newest vision of Trigun and if it shakes up the first batch of new anime in the new year.
The original Trigun series is currently available to stream on Crunchyroll.
The new Trigun Stampede anime will premiere on January 7, 2023.
Trigun Stampede will stream on Crunchyroll as it airs when the series premieres in January 2023 worldwide excluding Asia, but including the Philippines, Singapore, India, Pakistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.
Crunchyroll reports that: Kenji Muto (Land of the Lustrous episode director) is directing TRIGUN STAMPEDE at studio Orange with Kouji Tajima (GANTZ:0 character artist) drawing the concept designs and character concepts based on the original manga by Yasuhiro Nightow.
The anime will star:
- Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Vash the Stampede
- Junya Ikeda as Knives Millions
- Tomoyo Kurosawa as Young Vash
- Yumiri Hanamori as Young Knives
- Maaya Sakamoto as Rem Saverem
- Sakura Andou as Meryl Stryfe
- Kenji Matsuda as Roberto De Niro
- Yoshimasa Hosoya as Nicholas D. Wolfwood
Cover Image via Crunchyroll
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The post The Beginner’s Primer to the ‘Trigun Stampede’ (2023) Anime appeared first on Black Nerd Problems.