Velocerix

Communication as the world's most important instrument. Especially in the world of the Internet it is possible to communicate with every person in the world, because it is understandable that there are also misunderstandings. It is obvious that these can be solved because of translators. But how do you go about living creatures that speak a completely unexplored language? This theme sets Arrival brilliantly. It concentrates entirely on the first interactions between humanity and the aliens, without departing into a CGI battle, but it is by no means boring. There is always a fascinating tension in the room (well, tent) and you want to know all the time why the aliens are on Earth and what they want to tell the people. The movie offers great pictures and an overwhelming sound. Highly recommended.

Jason Scott is presenting a long gone era of computer games: text adventure games. I was specifically fascinated by the documentary's peek into the culture of Infocom. Here was a company that was founded on an uncertain premise -- to make some sort of business software -- yet it somehow stumbled upon interactive fiction. As the company grew, it became a Mecca for smart, literate, inquisitive people who would start out as testers and end up designing and writing their own games. This made it all the more sad when Infocom, like all other text adventure game companies, suddenly went away in the late 1980s. I'm glad the story of Infocom isn't lost!

I saw GOBD at the Vermont International Film Festival. Loved every overbearing second of it. I'd call it a braindump on stages of disappointments with persistent political ideologies. Being embedded deeply in leftist, political nerd culture, the movie tries to address topics in depth, and as the filmmaker stated in the Q&A, he couldn't have dumbed it down further. It's also a marvelous trip through film styles and packed with popcultural inside jokes. Buffer overflow! (Can't believe I'm giving a doc with a political agenda 8 stars. I've never done that before! I usually like films about animals!)