Annihilation and the Threat of Change

***SPOILERS***

The word annihilation has two definitions. The first and most common to our understanding of the word is "complete destruction or obliteration." This definition shows us an object reaching a violent demise. It is finite. The second one, more closely associated with physics is "the conversion of matter into energy." This definition is a much more romantic idea of the word annihilation. It shows us that matter has no end. It just transforms. Reincarnates. It is immortal. And to fully appreciate a movie like Annihilation one must understand that the perception of a word, and what that word means to a person makes all the difference.
Annihilation is Alex Garland's film adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer's 2014 novel of the same name. It follows the story of Lena, a biologist played by Natalie Portman who ventures into a quarantined zone known as Area X to study a strange phenomenon known as "The Shimmer" that is growing increasingly bigger and threatens to engulf the environment outside of it. Lena, whose husband Kane recently returned from a classified mission into "The Shimmer" both changed and seemingly ill, wants to understand what is happening to her husband and volunteers to join a team of women venturing into ground zero of the quarantined zone. Lena is joined by psychologist and leader of the expedition Dr. Ventress, Cass, a surveyor and geologist, Anya, a paramedic, and Josie, a physicist. Tessa Thompson, who you may remember as the fantastic Valkyrie from Thor: Ragnarok, does a complete 180 from that character and plays the role of Josie with an understated grace and curiosity.  Gina Rodriguez, of Jane the Virgin fame, shows her range and shines as Anya.
The movie does quite well at being a simple sci-fi/adventure/mystery film, but the film also reveals itself as an effective horror movie (there's a lot of genre mixing going on here). When the team finally enters Area X there is enough curiosity established that you're eager to understand what is truly happening inside the event, but once the team is inside the dangers begin to present themselves. From here the movie, with a lot of help from the score, begins to create an effective atmosphere of dread. There is no doubt that what's going on inside Area X is radiantly beautiful, and the colors used in the film are truly characters unto themselves, but what's happening is also strange and frightening. The movie really amps up the horror vibe about midway through when paranoia begins to set in, and the creatures begin to come out to play. The tone the movie creates, striking a balance between beauty and horror is really quite remarkable. As we make our way through this strange world we take in a multitude of lush greenery, vibrant multi-colored blossoms, and the wet, gasoline sheen framing it all like a melted oil painting. I was often reminded of What Dreams May Come or the food fight from Hook. There is also new forms of wildlife that resemble something from a fantasy movie. All of this is the result of mutations as DNA is refracted by "The Shimmer" and absorbed and mixed into the many lifeforms that inhabit the area. The resulting ecosystem is something entirely foreign to the world before, and this threat to an old way of life is the philosophy at the heart of the movie.
Mankind from the beginning of time has had to fight and stumble through the darkness of its deadly beginnings, evading larger and more deadly predators with nothing but its own cunning. In this way man has become inextricably tied to the weapons it has used, and the violence it has employed while using those weapons. Through this violent connection and the threats constantly looming just outside man's peripherals has come a deep mistrust of anything unfamiliar. Change has always seemed like more of an obliteration, rather than transformation. Progress is always viewed as an attack on tradition. Other cultures are always seen as trying to replace an established ones. Annihilation has a deep understanding of this fear of the unknown and plays it up in the final act when the lifeform at the heart of "The Shimmer" reveals itself. When Lena finally confronts the new lifeform threatening to change the world as we know it, it is with fire, man's earliest tool of progression and earliest weapon of destruction, that Lena destroys the creature. In this scene we watch as this new being with abilities far more advanced than humans and just beginning to understand the world around it confusedly burns, and the world that came with it burns as well; and depending on your perspective, this scene might come off as the necessary comeuppance to a creature threatening the sanctity of life as we know it or a severely affecting and heartbreaking death to a new and fascinating lifeform that offers understanding of our own world. However, as the final scene shows when Lena embraces her husband again and their eyes both shimmer, the mutations live on inside of them. Showing us that the current of change in inevitable, and it will eventually sweep us all out to sea. Whether we drown or not depends entirely on whether we thrash against it or let it take us.

Music Dump: Every Time I Die's Low Teens

by Matt Mathis

Imagine a Great White Shark. A solitary sentinel perusing the world's waters, forever in service to its instincts and survival. So too is Every Time I Die: lean, muscular, and capably violent; purpose-built and devoid of tricks, slicing through the waves of ostensible genres. The band, with newfound confidence and intensity, continues to grow despite itself. It is, however, in singer/lyricist Keith Buckley's contributions that this metaphor holds true. Even a glance at his lyrics shows a man pushed to the brink, and his vocals further the point. There's a palpable, animal tension in his voice, a pyroclastic rage roiling even its most serene moments. Here, Buckley is better than ever and we're all richer for it. With Low Teens, he and the band have crafted something worthy of the beast itself: timeless, equally full of grace and terrible power.

Choice cuts: Map Change, Petal, It Remembers

Hip Hop Fusion: Hip Hop and Comics

Hip hop has come very far since it's humble beginnings in DJ Kool Herc's apartment room in the Morris Heights neighborhood of West Bronx.

Looping records at the drum break of disco albums while toasting over the beat has evolved into much more than a way to get a party turnt. It's now a musical genre that has become fundamentally embedded in our cultural DNA. You don't have to go to a house party in the Bronx to see hip hop's influence. All you have to do is turn on the TV and watch the train wreck of obnoxious politicians attempting the latest dance craze or walk down the street and see the fashion of the youth culture. Music, language, apparel, art, and everything in between has become a tapestry for hip hop minded people to weave their own unique vision into. Of course, a lot of people view this expansion and interweaving of hip hop as a misappropriation of the black community's own unique culture by the white majority, and without disregarding the fact that using an art form of the culturally oppressed for the monetary gain of the elite while the artists labor in penniless obscurity is unfair and socially corrupt; it doesn't change the fact that hip hop culture has allowed for many avenues and opportunities for minorities, increased awareness of economic and social concerns in inner city areas, and, in a metaphorical sense, created a bridge uniting many different kinds of people. As Martin Luther King once said "we may have come here on different ships, but we're all in the same boat now" and this sentiment should be echoed in a cultural mosaic like America, and in turn it's music. Hip hop is often a fusion for these different cultures. If we ignore the parrots that mimic a sound and style foreign to them and pawn it off as art lacking any significance or value and focus on the artists that actually use hip hop to paint their own unique and important stories, then we see how great an art form hip hop can truly be. And when we expand on the form to engulf other mediums then things start to get really interesting.

Another medium that hip hop has infiltrated and left a distinct mark on is literature, specifically comic books. Now I know there are many that dismiss comic's literary significance, but the proof of the pudding is in the eating. And where can one consume both the sweet craftsmanship of the visual arts and the awe inducing power of words? Comics, of course. Comic readers have known for years the deft and nuance that can come from it's unique storytelling devices. Comics have long had something to say about the world we live in and have expressed it with powerful artistic images. They're not just super heroes and soap operas. Comics have depicted stories of both cultural significance and universal importance such as Vietnam, the Holocaust, slavery, depression, political oppression, you name it comics have done it and often to critical acclaim. And not only are the topics varied but the art as well. Finding the right artistic style to accompany a certain story is an important part of the craft of comic book storytelling. Artists use both a figurative and sometimes literal suitcase full of styles, devices and influences to create a distinct experience for comic reader. Sometimes these suitcases happen to be filled with classic hip hop albums. Marvel has recently released a plethora of comics with variant homages to classic hip hop albums and the results are nothing short of delightful. Here they are in hip hop album chronology:

1. New Avengers Vol. 4 # 1 Variant by Ed Piskor

Inspired by Grand Master Flash & the Furious Five's The Message

2. Rocket Raccoon & Groot #1 Variant by Khary Randolph

Inspired by Run-D.M.C.'s King of Rock

3. Karnak #1 Variant by Kaare Andrews

Inspired by Schoolly D's Saturday Night!-The Album


4. Uncanny Avengers Vol. 3 #1 Variant by Jason Pearson


Inspired by Public Enemy's Yo! Bum Rush the Show


5. Spider-Man/Deadpool #1 Variant by Dave Johnson



Inspired by Eric B. and Rakim's Paid in Full

6. A-Force Vol. 2 #1 Variant by Adam Hughes

Inspired by N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton

7. Illuminati #1 Variant by Brittany Holloway-Brown

Inspired by Ice-T's Power

8. Civil War II #1 Team Cap Variant by Terry Dodson

Inspired by Ultramagnetic MC's' Critical Beatdown

9. Spider-Gwen Vol. 2 #1 Variant by Humberto Ramos

Inspired by Slick Rick's The Great Adventures of Slick Rick

10. Extraordinary X-Men #1 Variant by Sanford Greene

Inspired by De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising

11. Mockingbird #1 Variant by Jeff Dekal

Inspired by Kool Mo Dee's Knowledge Is King

12. Deadpool Vol. 4 #1 Variant by Mike Hawthorne

Inspired by Vanilla Ice's To the Extreme

13. Uncanny X-Men Vol. 4 #1 Variant by Greg Land

Inspired by Geto Boys' The Geto Boys

14. The Punisher Vol. 10 #1 Variant by Tim Bradstreet

Inspired by LL Cool J's Mama Said Knock You Out

15. Thunderbolts Vol. 3 #1 Variant by Anthony Piper

Inspired by Naughty by Nature's Naughty by Nature

16. Old Man Logan Vol. 2 #1 Variant by Tim Bradstreet

Inspired by Ice Cube's Death Certificate

17. All New Hawkeye Vol. 2 #1 Variant by Sanford Greene

Inspired by Pete Rock & CL Smooth's Mecca and the Soul Brother

18. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 4 #1 Variant by Shawn Crystal

Inspired by The Pharcyde's Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde

19. Dr. Strange Vol. 4 #1 Variant by Juan Doe

Inspired by Dr. Dre's The Chronic

20. Daredevil Vol. 5 #1 Variant by Alex Maleev

Inspired by 2Pac's Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.

21. Civil War II #1 Team Iron Man Variant by Rafael Albuquerque

Inspired by Onyx's Bacdafucup

22. X-Men '92 Vol. 2 #1 Variant by Afua Richardson

Inspired by Souls of Mischief's 93 'til Infinity

23. Squadron Supreme Vol. 4 #1 Variant by Mike Del Mundo

Inspired by Wu-Tang Clan's Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

24. The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 4 #1 Variant by Mike Del Mundo

Inspired by A Tribe Called Quest's Midnight Marauders

25. Weirdworld Vol. 2 #1 Variant by Juan Doe

Inspired by Snoop Doggy Dogg's  Doggystyle

26. Starbrand & Nighthawk Vol.1 #1 Variant by Keron Grant

Inspired by Gang Starr's Hard to Earn

27. Spider-Man Vol. 2 #1 Variant by Adi Granov

Inspired by Nas' Illmatic

28. Howling Commandos of S.H.I.E.L.D. Variant by Wilfred Santiago

Inspired by Gravediggaz' 6 Feet Deep

29. Astonishing Ant-Man #1 Variant by Mark Brooks

Inspired by The Notorious B.I.G.'s Ready to Die

30. Patsy Walker, A.K.A. Hellcat #1 Variant by Javier Pulido

Inspired by Digable Planet's Blowout comb

31. Red Wolf Vol. 2 #1 Variant by Mike Del Mundo

Inspired by Method Man's Tical

32. Carnage Vol. 2 #1 Variant by Ariel Olivetti

Inspired by Redman's Dare Iz a Darkside

33. Howard the Duck Vol. 5 #1 Variant by Juan Doe

Inspired by Ol' Dirty Bastard's Return to the 36 Chambers

34. Power Man and Iron Fist Vol. 3 #1 Variant by Theotis Jones

Inspired by Mobb Deep's The Infamous

35. The Totally Awesome Hulk #1 Variant by Mahmud Asrar

Inspired by Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...

36. Contest of Champions Vol. 3 #1 Variant by Denys Cowan

Inspired by GZA's Liquid Swords

37. Ultimates Vol. 4 #1 Variant by Mike Deodato Jr.

Inspired by Fugee's The Score

38. The Avengers Vol. 6 #1 Variant by Jim Cheung

Inspired by The Roots' Illadelph Halflife

39. All-New X-Men Vol. 2 #1 Variant by Ed Piskor

Inspired by Camp Lo's Uptown Saturday Night

40. All-New Inhumans #5 Variant by Damion Scott

Inspired by the Sugar Hill Records compilation The Sugar Hill Records Story

41. Black Widow Vol. 5 #1 Variant by Phil Noto

Inspired by Missy Elliott's Supa Dupa Fly

42. Hyperion #1 Variant by Lazy Mills

Inspired by Will Smith's Big Willie Style

43. Spider-Woman Vol. 6 #1 Variant by Natacha Bustos

Inspired by Big Pun's Capital Punishment

44. Ms. Marvel Vol. 4 #1 Variant by Jenny Frison

Inspired by Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill

45. Uncanny Inhumans #1 Variant by Damion Scott

Inspired by Outkast's Aquemini

46. All-New Wolverine #1 Variant by Keron Grant

Inspired by DMX's Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood

47. Venom: Space Knight #1 Variant by Mike Choi

Inspired by Kool Keith's Black Elvis/Lost in Space

48. Avengers Standoff: Welcome to Pleasant Hill #1 Variant by Andrew Robinson

Inspired by Outkast's Stankonia

49. Web Warriors #1 Variant by Damion Scott

Inspired by Clipse's Lord Willin'

50. Invincible Iron Man Vol. 2 #1 Variant by Brian Stelfreeze

Inspired by 50 Cent's Get Rich or Die Tryin'

51. Black Panther Vol. 6 #1 Variant by Brian Stelfreeze

Inspired by Jay Z's The Black Album

52. Mighty Thor Vol. 2 #1 Variant by Mike Deodato Jr.

Inspired by Madvillain's Madvillainy

53. Silk Vol. 2 #1 Variant by Woo Chul Lee

Inspired by Mos Def's The New Danger

54. Deadpool Vol. 5 #7 Variant by Rahzzah

Inspired by Bun B's Trill

55. Captain America: Steve Rogers #1 Variant by Jeffrey Veregge

Inspired by J Dilla's Donuts

56. Black Knight Vol. 4 #1 Variant by Gyimah Gariba

Inspired by Lupe Fiasco's Food and Liquor

57. International Iron Man Vol. 1 #1 Variant by Marco D'Alfonso

Inspire by the compilation Mark Ronson Presents Rhymefest: Man in the Mirror

58. Scarlet Witch Vol. 2 #1 Variant by Bill Sienkiewicz

Inspired by Eminem's Relapse

59. Deadpool Vol. 5 #1 Variant by Kaare Andrews

Inspired by Wale's Attention Deficit

60. Hercules Vol. 4 #1 Variant by Theotis Jones

Inspired by Lil B 'The Based God''s Blue Flame

61. Deadpool and the Mercs for Money #1 Variant by Rahhzah

Inspired by Pimp C's The Naked Soul of Sweet Jones

62. Drax #1 Variant by Mike Choi

Inspired by Kid Cudi's Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager

63. Angela: Queen of Hel #1 Variant by Annie Wu

Inspired by Nicki Minaj's Pink Friday

64. Vision Vol. 3 #1 Variant by Vanesa Del Rey

Inspired by Wiz Khalifa's Rolling Papers

65. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 Variant by Dave Johnson

Inspired by Curren$y and DJ Drama's Verde Terrace

66. Spidey #1 Variant by Gyimah Gariba

Inspired by Lil Wayne's Tha Carter IV

67. Nova Vol. 6 #1 Variant by Erica Caneta

Inspired by J. Cole's Born Sinner

68. Star-Lord #1 Variant by Tradd Moore

Inspired by 100s' Ivry

69. Spider-Man 2099 Vol. 3 #1 Variant by Afu Chan

Inspired by the GOOD Music compilation Cruel Summer 

70. Captain America: Sam Wilson #1 Variant by Mahmud Asrar

Inspired by A$AP Rocky's Long.Live.A$AP

71. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1 Variant by Phil Noto

Inspired by Tyler, the Creator's Wolf

72. Silver Surfer Vol. 8 #1 Variant by Cliff Chiang

Inspired by Drake's Nothing Was the Same

73. Moon Knight Vol. 8 #1 Variant by Ricardo Lopez Oriz

Inspired by ScHoolboy Q's 

74. All-New Inhumans #1 Variant by Marco D'Alfonso

Inspired by Future's Dirty Sprite 2

75. Captain Marvel Vol. 9 #1 Variant by Marguerite Sauvage

Inspired by Iggy Azalea's The New Classic

76. The Unbelievable Gwenpool #1 Variant by Woo Dae Shim

Inspired by ILoveMakonnen's ILoveMakonnen

77. Nighthawk Vol. 2 #1 Variant by Bill Sienkiewicz

Inspired by Big Sean's Dark Sky Paradise

78. Guardians of Infinity #1 Variant by Marco Rudy

Inspired by Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly

79. Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #1 Variant by Jeffrey Veregge

Inspired by Vince Staples' Summertime '06

https://forbiddenplanet.com/log/recommendations/50-best-best-graphic-novels/

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/hip-hop-is-born-at-a-birthday-party-in-the-bronx