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    • Showing only topics with the tag "analysis". Back to normal view

    2. Film and feelings: Stalker (1979)

      ~movies Ask
      I recently acquired the criterion release of Stalker (1979), a film I have not seen since I was a teenager. I remember liking it back then, but I didn't appreciate how much it would simultaneously...

      I recently acquired the criterion release of Stalker (1979), a film I have not seen since I was a teenager. I remember liking it back then, but I didn't appreciate how much it would simultaneously wash over me as well as work it's way into the back of my mind, like an eel of a tone poem.

      For those who have not seen Stalker, it is a journey of three men into a mysterious and beautiful "Zone" in search of their deepest desires.
      I full throatedly recommend. Gorgeous film.

      While the symbolism has been thoroughly discussed elsewhere on the internet, a less talked about aspect (of this and other films) is how it makes the viewer feel.

      For me personally, the three moments that most affected me on a visceral level all involve people lying down.
      Why, I'm not sure.
      But they are: The scene where The Stalker lays in the tall grass, I felt such a calm bliss as he soaked in the lush green nature of The Zone;
      The scene where The Stalker sleeps on a tiny dry piece of ground in a large flooded canal, I felt a sense of sublime misery. The only thing I could compare it to is when you get suddenly awoken when you haven't had enough sleep, and have to go out into the cold early morning still nodding off, and nothing feels real;
      and third is the lingering shot of the dog sitting guard over the entwined bodies near The Room.
      I felt a profound longing sadness. I imagined that the entwined lovers died together in some relation to their deepest desire.

      I really love films that wash over the viewer in this way like a tide, and I hope that some of you do as well.

      Another film that has a similar aspect is Upstream Color (2013), and while the creative mind behind that film is....perhaps a mentally unwell abuser, I can't dismiss the art he has created. I guess my relationship with his work is complicated.

      How do you Feel about stalker?

      Are there any films that had a similar effect on you as this one did to me?

      Always looking for recommendations!

      19 votes

    4. Norway Chess 2023 | GothamChess YouTube recaps

      ~games.tabletop Text 446 words
      Background The 2023 Norway Chess is an elite over-the-board tournament in Stavanger, Norway. The event starts on May 29 at 10 a.m. PT/19:00 CEST with a blitz tournament, followed by a classical...

      Background

      The 2023 Norway Chess is an elite over-the-board tournament in Stavanger, Norway. The event starts on May 29 at 10 a.m. PT/19:00 CEST with a blitz tournament, followed by a classical event beginning May 30 at 8 a.m. PT/17:00 CEST.

      This edition of Norway Chess features a kr$2,500,000 prize fund, roughly equivalent to $234,000 at the time of writing.

      Format

      The 2023 Norway Chess features a blitz tournament that precedes the classical event. The final standings of the blitz event determine players' seeds for the classical event.

      Blitz Event
      • 10-player single round-robin.
      • Players earn 1 point for a win, 0.5 for a draw, and 0 for a loss.
      • The time control is 3+2.
      • In case there's a tie, the following tiebreakers apply:
      1. Direct Encounter
      2. Sonneborn-Berger
      3. Koya System
      4. The Koya System Extended
      5. Drawing of lots

      The winner of the blitz event picks their pairing number. The remaining players pick their pairing number, one by one, according to their final standings in the blitz tournament.

      Classical
      • 10-player single round-robin.
      • Players earn 3 points for a win, 1.5 for a draw and armageddon win, 1 for a draw and armageddon loss, and 0 for a loss.
      • Players can't draw by agreement before Black's 30th move, unless it's an armageddon game.
      • The time control is 120 minutes for the entire game, with a 10-second increment per move starting on move 41.
      • In case there's a tie, players contest an armageddon game where White has 10 minutes on their clock and Black has seven, with a one-second increment starting on move 41. Black has draw odds. The player who played White in the classical game plays White in the armageddon.
      Classical Tiebreaks

      If two players tie for first place, the following tiebreakers apply:

      • A two-game blitz Playoff match with a 3+2 time control.
      • If the tie persists, players contest another two-game blitz match.
      • If still drawn, players contest an armageddon game. White gets 10 minutes, and Black gets 7 minutes with draw odds. The armageddon game has a one-second increment per move, starting on move 41.

      If more than two players tie for first place, the following tiebreakers apply:

      • Drawn players contest a double round-robin with the same tiebreakers as the blitz tournament.

      Players

      Below is a list of the players confirmed to play in the 2023 Norway Chess tournament:

      • GM Magnus Carlsen
      • GM Alireza Firouzja
      • GM Anish Giri
      • GM Wesley So
      • GM Hikaru Nakamura
      • GM Fabiano Caruana
      • GM Shakhriyar Mamedyarov
      • GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov
      • GM Gukesh D
      • GM Aryan Tari

      Source: Chess.com

      16 votes