A kid had to face the world in his own animated version and conquer life's biggest monster. ANI (The Harvest) It's as if a child's imagination is a safe haven, a place where the world is a playground for all the possibilities the mind could think of. And even the tight and humble space called home, situated on a busy Metro could not hinder the inquisitive headspace of a young Mithi (played by Zyren Dela Cruz), a boy who accomplishes the day by playing with his colorful toy robots that perform a vital role in his imaginary narrative. With a loving father and a mother that sings him a self-assuring lullaby, Mithi is blissfully unaware of the harsh reality. But life decided to toy with his fate, and Mithi's perfect little world is now showing its cracks, putting his vulnerability to the test and slowly depriving him of his happiness he thought would last forever. And through his eyes, the world suddenly transforms itself into a menacing monster. Set in a lush
An anthology of stories that harbors the idea of a society that has so much power with technology that everything is literally possible, be it for the betterment or the destruction of our lives.
Black Mirror Season 5
What Black Mirror has done and continuously and successfully doing so far is its clever way of telling a story about highly-technological advancements and its negative (and quite frankly, horrifying) impact on the humanity especially when dealing with the psychological effects of it all. It answers the what-if of a dystopian future where humans abused these advanced knowledge and use it for selfish purposes that usually feeds on their ego, greed and their hunger for absolute control.
Charlie Brooker, creator of the show, has tackled a choose-your-own-adventure type of schtick in December 2018's Bandersnatch, a Black Mirror special where viewers have the ability to choose decisiona for the protagonist that affects the flow of the story. Now, Brooker is back and promises to pull us back to the basics and true enough, with Season 5, I thought Brooker has delivered yet again and has done an amazing job of presenting 3 different and disconnected episodes that collectively punches you with just a rollecoaster of emotions, shock, and total entertainment.
Striking Vipers
Striking Vipers is a video game ala Street Fighter that, as the game obviously suggests, lets you choose your avatar but instead of controlling them using a joystick, you play as them in a virtual world, able to simulate pain and the feeling of these characters as if you are them, adding in a different level of immersion as you play it.
Danny (Anthony Mackie) and Karl (Yahya Abdul-Mateen) are two estranged college friends who were reunited years later and has found their bond by playing as their favorite characters in Striking Vipers. However, a real-life frustration and sexual confusion led them to play the game in a different fashion as a sort of a virtual sex machine instead rather than just a mere brawling entertainment.
What I love about this episode is that it tackles relationship problems, masculinity, sexual satisfaction and the overall weight of letting go of your teenage habits in favor of being a responsible parent. The acting was great and the way it unfolds by the end of the episodes leaves you chasing for more.
Smithereens
Chris (Andrew Scott) is a cab driver who felt trapped and desperate, leading him into hostaging an intern who works for a social media giant called the Smithereen, and has only one goal and that is to talk to its creator, Billy Bauer (Topher Grace).
Now this one is tough, and I mean emotionally tough. You see a depressed person who's dealing with his own demons and the only way to kind of free him from that mental prison is talk to a quasi-Mark Zuckerberg and desperately drive his way in into this layers of wall just to connect with him. A hostage crisis that spiraled into this very messed up and out of control situation which fleshes out his motivations as to why he is doing this and you feel his pain and his battles.
The best part of this episode is its strong message about people and their strong bond with social media especially how everyone nowadays was seemingly glued on their screens and how just a split second of not paying attention to the environment may change (or should I say, destroy) our lives.
Best episode this season in my opinion.
Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too
Ashley (Miley Cyrus) is a global pop sensation managed by her greedy aunt that wants nothing but total control of her life. Rachel (Angourie Rice) and Jack (Madison Davenport) are two sisters who happens to own an Ashley Too doll, an advanced toy companion that can talk to you like an AI with Ashley O hair and pre-recorded collection of programmed voice and words from Ashley O.
This episode basically explores the toxicity in the music industry especially how money and fame diminishes one's freedom of creating their own sound in favor of what will people would actually listen to. It also mirrors Cyrus' real life journey starting from her bright and poppish Hannah Montana days up to the type of persona and music she is doing now.
They also used a reimagined Nine Inch Nails Head Like a Hole as Ashley's hit song On a Roll which I gotta admit was a real bop and I am still listening to it.
I liked this episode as a sort of jab to Cyrus' Disney heydays but doesn't feel like a Black Mirror episode to me, thus becoming the weaker entry of this season. I also find it weird and formulaic that the episode basically suggests that teens will only like pop, Arian Grande type of sound and will automatically reject (and literally run away from) a more grunge and hard-rock bangers. A total misconception on an othwerise entertaining and fun quasi-Disney episode.
Let's Be Reel
Black Mirror Season 5's strong suit this time is its abilty to put the audience into the shoes of its characters, giving us a taste of what we would feel if we were in their position, dealing with the same messed up situation and downright depressing predicament.
A 3-episode season which is too short but allows the show to trancend a stronger and tactful message about the horrors of wrongful usage of technology without pushing the idea that technology is all bad.
Miley's voice over work is actually really good. She voices Mainframe, one of the original Guardians of the Galaxy. This episode was too happy for Black mirror 6. Felt like a Disney movie ironically.
Miley's voice over work is actually really good. She voices Mainframe, one of the original Guardians of the Galaxy. This episode was too happy for Black mirror 6. Felt like a Disney movie ironically.
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