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Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Bionic Commando Flag 1988 or Hilter's Resurrection - Top Secret (ヒットラーの復活 - トップシークレット)


A classic long forgotten game is Bionic Commando 1988 for the original Nintendo.  An enemy flag of red, yellow, and black is in the distance.  You can see it in the background here; it features a black falcon on a yellow-orange sun, upon a field of red.  The bad guys are known as the BADDS.  You might be thinking it's vaguely similar to the Nazi. And if you ever beat the game, then you might remember fighting Hitler in the end.  If you beat him, then you would have seen his head explode in graphic 8-bit graphic glory. 

The original game was known as ヒットラーの復活 - トップシークレット (Hitler's Resurrection - Top Secret) as it was known in Japan.  However when it hit the American market, a name change was in order. Apparently American kids were deemed too soft to handle the Nazi imagery?   Game play consisted as you controlling a red haired American hero, fighting the Badds/Nazis.

Here is a side by side intro scene of the Japanese and English versions.  Notice the change in the flags.  In the Japanese version the Neo-Nazi group had a flash lighting bolt symbol underneath the swastika.  

Bionic Commando illustrates cultural censorship through flags and symbols in video games, which continues onto this day.

Nevertheless Bionic Commando is a memorable experience, with great game play, challenges, and is fun to play.  The end fight scene is amazing action that gives the player total 8-bit satisfaction.


Monday, April 23, 2018

Bluntman and Chronic vs Cocknocker: the Emblems - Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back 2001



The Hemp Knight, also known as Bluntman, is an off the wall superhero who appears in the movie Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back 2001.  The emblem of Bluntman has a yellow pentagon with a five leaved plant on top.   The colours of his suit are black, yellow, green, and purple.  His side kick is Chronic whose emblem features an irregular shaped disc with a cigarette of some sort in the middle.  Chronic's superhero colours are grey, red, and black.

The nemesis of Bluntman and Chronic is Cocknocker, who uses the colours blue, yellow and black.  Cocknocker has an oversized right hand and carries a flaming sword. 







Sometimes you hit the lottery, and sometimes the lottery hits you.  Never mind, since Kevin Smith was able to beat the system and become a trailblazer for the next generation, often ignored by the powers that be.  Smith smashed opened the gates of Hollywood and was able to bring a voice to the hometown underdogs of New Jersey, the original Hollywood of America. 



Mooby Flags - Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back 2001


Mooby's is a fictional company in the Jay and Silent Bob universe.  It is burger joint that has the colours of violet and yellow.  Somewhat based upon American fast food restaurants, its feature role was from the movie Dogma 1999 as the place of the 'Golden Cow.'


Friday, April 20, 2018

US Flag in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back 2001


US flag at Leonardo, NJ in the 1970s in front of Quick Stop Groceries - Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back 2001.  Jay and Silent Bob were a new type of campy and edgy comedy that the Big Wigs in Hollywood overlooked.  However director Kevin Smith was able to rise to the top and showcase the life of people outside under the radar of Hollywood lights.  Today such comedies are a mainstay.  People always say, they should make a movie about "this and that".  Well, Kevin Smith scrounged up the balls to follow through, and became pathfinder for a new generation.

The US flag makes a clear centered appearance 'during the filming of Good Will Hunting II - Hunting Season.'  Here a snobby person is getting 'hunted' for being so arrogant.




You can just barely see a reversed American flag on the plexiglass sticker next to the clerk, Dante.  It was the movie Clerks 1994 that started the launch of the legendary unsinkable duo: Jay and Silent Bob.

A celebration of crass, raunchy, yet honest American humor of the likes of George Carlin would love and did love... Jersey Style.  Although seemingly stupid at times, it is also deeply intelligent when you look at it from the proper prospective.




Sunday, April 15, 2018

Goonies II Shield - Nintendo Game

 
Fratellis Shield of Arms - Goonies II
 A coat of arms appears on the knight in the Goonies II game for Nintendo. The arms are hard to make out but you can see it on the enemy shield.  There was a Goonies I video game, but it was not released for the Nintendo console in the USA.  It was released in Japan!  However an arcade version of the Goonies I video game was made public in the USA.

A Goonies II movie is still possible!  It's one reboot that I'd pay to watch.


Operation Wolf - Trooper Insignia 1987


In 1987 the movies featuring Hollywood actors spilled over into creative Cold War atmosphere of coin operated video games.  Gun video games are an old thing, but perhaps the best original game that came with two buttons was Operation Wolf  by Taito.  This game was truly one of the first first person shooters to hit a high mark in the 1980s.  Although the standard thumb game controller is the main item of now, a controller that looked like a real life weapon was used in Operation Wolf.

Of vexillological consequence are the insignia upon our hero.  A coat of arms appear as patch upon his beret in the first cut scene.  It has dark green field with a three striped yellow sinister bend.

Our hero gets a new hat because the patch changes direction.  In the later cut scene the beret arms patch changes unto a sinister yellow and red dexter bend. 




Thursday, April 5, 2018

Space Cobra Adventure - Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend 1991


In Matthew Sweet's song Girlfriend 1991, the Anime series from Space Cobra Adventure is in the background.  Of vexillological significance is the triangle insignia from the series.

Sweet wrote this sweet song, that just opened the feels of the 1990s, distinct from the 1980s.  Goodbye hair metal, rock took on a more soulful grunge character.

Upon the shoulder of one of the tech guys is circular insignia with two stripes indicating his allegiance and rank.

Here is another guy with a triangle insignia upon his hat. The insignia is gold with a small circle near the right side.