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Picks: July

Hello everyone! Summer is finally upon us and with it comes once again the end of one month (June) and the beginning of another (July). I must admit that with the 4th of July weekend recently having passed I am in a particularly patriotic mood, and have as such picked the only logical theme to go in a month with such a holiday - a theme that exemplifies what's so great about America - Foreign (media)! I'm trying to pick some stuff way out of my comfort zone this time, so let's get into the picks!

Album: Black Earth

Artist: Bohren & der Club of Gore


Why I chose this Album: What better way to get this month kicked off than with the fourth album from German ambient/jazz band "Bohren & Der Club of Gore", "Black Earth". Like I have said before one of the biggest motivators in doing Year of Critique is stepping out of my comfort zone and I must say that this is certainly doing so. I like Jazz for sure, but dark, ambient, Deutsche Jazz? I'm unsure, but what I can say is I'm super excited to give it a listen.


Book: One Hundred Years of Solitude

Author: Gabriel Garcia Marquez


Why I chose this Book: Written by Colombian author and apparent Nobel Prize winner, "Gabriel Garcia Marquez" this multi-generational epic goes through seven generations of the founding members of a fictional town's lives and gives you insight into how things develop around them. It has been heralded as one of the greatest books ever written and is a staple piece of Colombia's literary cannon. It will be good to see what all the hype is about for this book I've been hoping to get around to this year, and I will hopefully get some good insight into Colombian culture in the meantime.

Film: Oldboy

Director: Park Chan-Wook


Why I chose this Movie: If there is one piece of media that has not changed since I originally brainstormed the list for my foreign media month near the beginning of the year, it's this one (perhaps because my friends don't stop talking about how good it is). I have heard this is a must watch absolutely brutal action thriller, from the amazing Korean director Park Chan-Wook, something that has been on my to watch list for far too long and that I am eager to check off. 

Detention

Developer: RedCandleGames


Why I chose this Game: Choosing a game has never been this hard before. I tried so hard to find a game set in a non-fictional place outside of America, specifically developed by a non-american person, but alas I found close to nothing (it's unfortunate I didn't save Okami for this month). I was going to play the game "Baba is You" developed by the Finnish Hempuli Oy and even originally posted my picks for July with that game as my game for the month, but then I watched a video on a game developed by RedCandleGames called "Detention" and I knew I had to play it. Now it's no secret to anyone who knows me that I hate all things horror, but when I saw what this game had to offer I knew I would have to set that hate aside so I could play this awesome looking game (also diversifying my tastes is important or something). It's a game that follows the lives of a few individuals living through the White Terror in Taiwan, a horrifying time of censorship and oppression of the Taiwanese people. Learning more about some of the major events that have taken place and shaped other cultures is one thing I was hoping to gain from my month of Foreign (media) and my apologies to "Baba is You" but I feel that "Detention" will be much more successful in delivering on that.

...

And those are my picks for July! I had a lot of fun choosing my picks this month, funny enough this is the first time I have ever made a change to my picks for the month after making the blog post. That's not something I want to become common place, but every once in a while it may happen. Look forward to my review of Ziggy Stardust coming out later this month - I have a lot to say about it so it should be a spicy one!

Until then!

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