The Underground – Issue #114
Everything you need to know about in this weekly series: A declassified nuclear test, what real people would look like in those Chevy ads, a lost D-Day documentary in amazing HD, and a new Netflix series that will scare the hell out of you.
At Social Underground we go beyond the mainstream stuff and see what’s underneath the surface. What should we get into, listen to, read, eat or watch? If there is something in our culture that needs attention that’s our job: Show you the underground things that you need to know about: Books, music, television, movies, comedians, art, and whatever else we can find to get you into something you never knew about. That’s The Underground
1. Watch a newly declassified nuclear test. The United States military has test a lot of nuclear weapons in its day. During the Cold War, the US and the USSR kept having to test the bombs to show each other force as well as making each weapons bigger and bigger. It was enough to put both nations in a panic because getting nuked is a terrible way t to get a suntan.
Recently, a lot of declassified military videos of nuclear detonations have gone online. I think it’s about time we get to see these, don’t you? We’ve seen the ones go of that actually killed thousands of people, so I think it’s safe to say we know what is going on when a nuke is detonated in a place where there isn’t people. One of them seems a bit less of a big deal.
Check out this explosion that looks straight out of a movie below. You can then go from there and see many more. Nuclear explosions are devastating, but they sure are fun to watch being tested.
2. What real people would look like in those Chevy ads. Have you ever seen those commercials where people are taken from the streets and brought in to see some new cars? The host will tell these gullible idiots all about how awesome the cars are, how many awards they won, stuff they didn’t know, and some other crap that most people will roll their eyes at. Can’t a real actual person be invited in there to poke holes in how stupid this is? Well, this is that video, albeit it’s fake, yet still enjoyable.
I’m from Detroit, so these ads are all over the place. Imagine watching a Tiger’s game with this crap. Every time they go to commercial, there are multiple car ads with this gimmick. I don’t want to spoil these Chevy ads, but someone enjoying me in to a showroom would just have me trying to interrupt the car salesman with, “Yeah, I can’t afford this. No…. no, don’t look at my credit. Even in the 800 range, I will be screwed. I’m out.”
Enjoy what would happen if a real guy off the street gets dragged into a Chevy ad.
3. A lost D-Day documentary in realistic 60fps HD. Most of the documentaries on D-Day are filled with the same videos and images cut together to be original documentaries with different voice-over. I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing, it’s just that I get a sense of deja vu every time I see a a new one being promoted on various history channels. This documentary is one I haven’t seen before. Since the frame rate is so high, it actually looks like you’re there. It’s in black and white, so I’m sure people will say it’s not quite like that, but the way everything is moving in the video, it feels like you’re standing on a boat watching.
To verify if this was good or not, I sent it to the war documentary expert — my Dad. He’s a Vietnam vet, so he will watch anything and everything associated with war. He had no idea about any of this footage. I sent the YouTube video to him and he watched it immediately. Loved it. It comes as no surprise. Even someone who isn’t very interested in war could appreciate this for the historical significance. War sucks, but the guts people have to stand around with a camera during it is pretty admirable.
Watch the lost D-Day documentary below.
4. Watch the trailer for Netflix’s Death Note. A Japanese anime came around in 2006 which really grabbed the attention if anime fans. Some fans loved it for the dense story, mind games, deductive reasoning, scary visuals, and overall darkness of the series. Others clung to it too much and it became a controversy. Let’s see if you can figure out how some fans went a little too far:
Premise: A student who discovers a supernatural notebook that allows him to kill anyone begins a crusade against evil in order to rule the world as a benevolent human god. Then a deadly game of cat and mouse begins when a reclusive detective begins to track down the young man, attempting to end his reign of terror once and for all.
So, a kid writing people he wants to die in a notebook that will actually kill the person he writes into it. Gee, couldn’t see a bunch of stupid high schoolers getting caught with those books. Besides the morbidity of the anime themes, it was an incredible anime to watch. The amount of inner dialogue between characters is unlike anything I’ve seen before. If you’ve even seen a show or movie where two mortal enemies are secretly battling each other to the point where they people and become friends, then this is the show for you.
Now, to the point. Netflix is making a film version which changes the setting to Seattle and has a white guy as the lead. More controversy. White people are taking the leads in this version since it’s set in America. I get it, but there have been multiple live versions in Japan, and they were alright. I think this version deserve a chance, especially with Willem Dafoe coming in to voice Ryuk. That should be amazing.
Watch the teaser below, then go on Netflix and watch all 37 episode of the anime. You won’t be sorry.
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Jeff Sorensen is an author, writer and occasional comedian living in Detroit, Michigan. You can look for more of his work on The Huffington Post, UPROXX, BGR and by just looking up his name.
Contact: jeff@socialunderground.com