Category Archives: Immortality

Message of the Day By Renooji

20.08.2020

Just heal, because

Every feeling is energy. When we think, negatively or positively, our thoughts cut the passage of the energy. The volume of the energy is immense when our thoughts are very strong. All our troubles of life are due to our concentration of negative thoughts. Undesirable consequences are due to our losing our centre of balance and positive energy. One has to keep redirecting thoughts to positive things and further send the healing energies to change the events in life in the light. We must keep examining our intentions and thoughts in order to know where we are heading. Every pleasure has its pain and every idea of healing brings respite to the end result. Eventually we have to keep our mind focused on our own experiences with the divine grace guiding our spiritual path. Stay focused on the evenness of the mind, and allow the dawn of the fullest light to manifest divine knowledge within and without. Healing hugs of immortality. Love from the centre of soul consciousness.Renooji.

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Astrology 2020: Message of the Day (August 20) - NewsroomPost

Mikhail Prokhorov.

With Covid-19 still a constant threat, Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov announced on Monday that his virtual reality and artificial intelligence company, Sensorium Corporation, is developing a new VR social platform, where users can attend attend virtual concerts, music festivals, and more.

Imagine watching your favorite artists in space, not a stage with absolute freedom to get as close as you want, Prokhorov said in an email to Forbes. VR is a new form of art.

The platform, called Sensorium Galaxy, is scheduled to launch in the first half of 2021. But there are still many unknowns. The company says it has attracted $100 million in investments from entertainment companies, but would not disclose the names of any investors. Despite claiming that it has great artists onboard, the company did not disclose which musicians or bands have signed on.

Virtual reality is still nascent, and as such, an unproven business. But Prokhorov is not the only billionaire betting on virtual reality. Mark Zuckerbergs Facebook, which spent $2 billion in 2014 to buy virtual reality hardware company Oculus, early this year launched Facebook Horizon, a VR platform that is open to a select group of beta users.

Now peoples world seems to be limited by a tiny screen in front of them, Prokhorov said in his email. The emergence of technologies that combine artificial intelligence with virtual reality represents an opportunity to fix the current situation, broadening digital communications through a new generation of virtual environments for social connections. A statement from the company on Monday said one of its goals is to achieve digital immortality.

The concert industry has cratered in 2020, with shows and festivals cancelled around the globe in an effort to curb the spread of Covid-19. While there have been some efforts to hold socially-distanced live shows, from Chicagos drive-in concerts to socially distanced shows in northern England, where attendees were separated on 500 raised metal platforms, the majority of live shows have been postponed. According to industry trade publication Pollstar, the live industry could lose up to $8.9 billion in revenue this year if the current situation continues.

The pandemic has also impacted Sensorium Galaxys timeline, with minor delays in terms of development, says Matias Lapushin, a spokesperson for the company. We have a huge [motion capture studio] where we virtually recreate artists in VR, but the crisis has obviously prevented us from doing so these past few months. However, all our partnerships are still in place and great artists are on board. Lapushin adds that the platform, where users can also chat and play games among other features, can be accessed with both through a VR headset and a personal computer.

Sensorium, founded by Prokhorov in 2018, is registered in the Cayman Islands, with offices in Moscow, Zurich and Los Angeles. It owns a 27% stake in Redpill VR, a Los Angeles-based tech company that is also using virtual reality for entertainment events. The company is using a 3D creation tool created by Epic Games, the maker of popular videogame Fortnite, for its virtual platform. Other partners include the charitable foundation of Sergei Polunin, a Ukrainian-born ballet dancer who in 2019 had an invitation to dance at the Paris Opera Ballet withdrawn due to homophobic comments he made on social media.

Prokhorov is a seemingly unlikely investor in a virtual reality entertainment company. His fortune originates from the messy Russian privatization era in the early 1990s, when he founded Onexim Bank with fellow billionaire oligarch Vladimir Potanin. At the time, the bank handled loans to the government and bankrupt state enterprises and eventually got control of Norilsk Nickel, a metals giant which the two men sold in 2008 to another Russian billionaire, Oleg Deripaska. That year, Prokhorov was on the Forbes Worlds Billionaires list at an estimated $19.5 billion. Forbes currently pegs his net worth at $11.4 billion.

But he differs from other oligarchs as well. Prokhorov bought the Nets, an NBA team, in 2010 for $200 million and worked with billionaire media mogul Jay-Z to move the team from New Jersey to Brooklyn. Prokhorov then sold the team and the arena rights in 2019 for an estimated $3.3 billion to billionaire Alibaba cofounder Joe Tsai.

He is known to frequent the Spanish island of Ibiza famous for its nightclubs. That may be why one of Sensorium Galaxys first content partners is Yann Pissenem, a DJ who owns two nightclubs on the island.

Prokhorov ran against Vladimir Putin as president for Russia in 2012, winning 8% of the vote. And hes the only oligarch to have appeared on The Daily Show with Stephen Colbert.

Though Prokhorov had told Forbes in 2013 that he planned to run for president again, it appears that he has put his political ambitions behind him.

He is not an active user of VR products, he said in his email, but explained that he is attracted by its potential. Virtual worlds are part of an evolution of human communication, said Prokhorov. Its a natural process, and people shouldnt feel scared about it In a virtual galaxy, the only limitation is your imagination.

Excerpt from:

Why This Russian Billionaire Is Creating A Virtual Reality World For Music Festivals And Concerts - Forbes

Immortality or Bust follows the 2016 presidential candidacy of Zoltan Istvan from the Transhumanist Party. If someone believes that immortality is possible and wants to run for president, their name better be Zoltan.

Transhumanism is the belief or theory that the human race can evolve behind its current physical and mental limitations with the help of science and technology. Now, whether you believe in Transhumanism or not, it does not make this documentary in less interesting. Zoltans life story sounds like a sci-fi film.

In his twenties, Zoltan Istvan traveled the world on a sailboat by himself with five hundred books aboard. In his more recent years, he had the idea to drive across the country in a coffin bus (Yes, a coffin bus) to raise awareness of Transhumanism. While doing so, he also reveals that he was running for president in 2016. At this point, just about anyone run for president, except Kanye West, he was a bit late to the party.

During the documenting of his trip and candidacy, we are given information about how technology has evolved and how it relates to human life. At one point, Zoltan talks about a heart that runs on wifi and is meant to be a life-long replacement for a human heart. We are also taken into a facility that houses frozen human bodies in hopes of waking them up/bring them back to life when science has a way of doing so and curing whatever illnesses they may have.

Zoltan talks about a heart that runs on wifi and is meant to be a life-long replacement for a human heart.

This idea of wanting to extend life is one thing, but to be immortal is something I really question. Why would anyone want that? There are far too many ethical and moral issues that come with this idea. The documentary explores these issues a bit, but not enough. It is definitely a one-sided argument and an agenda-driven documentary. With that being side, it is still quite interesting. Zoltan (along with others) gives his reasons for wanting to look further into technology to help evolve the human lifespan. Although some might have decent reasons, some are just hilarious. Zoltan often uses sex as reasoning. He talks about being able to have a heart that can withstand sexual interactions when you are older and then talks about how technology can and has made way for people to experience sexual activities while being in completely separate locations.

There is somewhat of an uneasy moment in the film. The film opens with Zoltan and his mother crying, but it is not clear why. It is not until the end of the film. It is made clear. They are crying over Zoltans fathers dead body. I get that this can push his argument further, but its also something very personal that a normal human being would probably not want on camera.

Immortality or Bust could be a documentary that is meant to sway a persons view on Transhumanism, but it is also a story of an interesting man with interesting (or far-fetched) ideas. It is surprisingly a quick watch even though it is a little more than an hour and thirteen minutes in length. Much of the documentary will also make you think of classic sci-fi movies that show how technology can change the world. Its not a good thing when Zoltan keeps mentioning Jurassic Park in his argument. We all know what happens there.

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Immortality or Bust - Film Threat

This year, thanks to the global pandemic, Netflix has proven to be a much-needed distraction for those stuck inside. During the second quarter, the company added more than 10 million new subscribers worldwide. And now one lucky person could end up winning 1,000 free months of Netflix service. That works out to more than 83 years of service. You read that right. Who knows? COVID-19 might be eradicated by then. Netflix calls it the immortal account.

To win the contest, you need to play a Netflix original game based on its new action film The Old Guard. This is themotion picture version of a graphic novel written by Greg Rucka. Starring Charlize Theron, the film is about a team of noble mercenaries who just cannot die. And this immortality is the reason why Netflix is giving away 83 years of service. As the streamer asks, But how long is immortality, really? Netflix cant promise a truly eternal subscription to its service, but it can offer the closest alternative: 1,000 months of service, which comes out to a bit over 83 years.

The grand prize winner must ring up the highest score while playing Netflixs The Old Guard video game. You must be at least 18 years of age and reside in one of the 50 U.S. states or the District of Columbia. The contest ends at 8 am PT on July 20th which means that time is a-wastin. You can play the game as often as youd like until the contest ends, and the top 10 scores will be posted on a leaderboard.

The grand prize winner will receive a special code good for 1,000 months of free Netflix service covering two screens. The person who achieves the second-highest score wins the second prize consisting of a code good for one year of free Netflix service for two screens. And the entrant who manages to get the third-highest score playing the game wins a code that can be used to obtain six free months of Netflix for a pair of screens. The codes must be redeemed within one month of their activation which is expected to take place on July 20th. The ARV (Approximate Retail Value) of all of the prizes adds up to $10,169.82.

The Old Guard video game mirrors the events of the movie and in the game, you play the lead character looking to fight off your enemies using a one-handed Labrys. The latter is a giant, double-bladed ax. Netflix hints that getting killed in the game slows you down, so to ring up a high score, you need to defeat enemies quickly, without getting hit.

While Netflix is the most popular subscription streamer in the world, the companys estimate for new subscribers during the current quarter was 2.5 million. That is less than half the 5.27 million expected on Wall Street and the company is blaming the shortfall on short-form video app TikTok. Netflix told stockholders that TikToks growth is astounding, showing the fluidity of internet entertainment. Instead of worrying about all these competitors, we continue to stick to our strategy of trying to improve our service and content every quarter faster than our peers. Our continued strong growth is a testament to this approach and the size of the entertainment market.

If the U.S. government gets its way, TikTok will be banned in the statesbecause it is owned by Chinese firm ByteDancer. The U.S. is concerned, as it is with all apps and products owned by a Chinese company, that ByteDancer is secretly collecting information that it sends to a server in Beijing. The company has denied this and no evidence to support the allegations has ever surfaced.

Besides TikTok, a number of new streamers could prove to be competition for Netflix. Disney+, launched last November, is off to a strong start. HBOMax and NBCUniversals Peacock are also available to iOS and Android users.

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Here's how you can win over 83 years of free Netflix service - Retail News Asia

While Meryl Streep is often adulated for her dramatic turns Sophies Choice, The Iron Lady, The Deer Hunter the actress is no stranger to comedy. Several of her more humorous characters remain fan favorites. Meryl Streep can do it all, and getting viewers to laugh out loud as tears stream down their faces is one of her many talents.

Possibly the best campy cult movie of the 1990s, Death Becomes Her depicts a rivalry between two best friends turned enemies, with Goldie Hawn and Meryl Streep leading the way.

Meryl Streep plays actress Madeline Ashton Menville, who discovers a potion that prevents aging perfect for an actress reaching the end of her prime. Yet, Madelines rival, Helen Sharp (Hawn), discovers the potion too. And, the immortality treatment comes with its consequences for both. For starters, they have to spray paint on some skin every now and again.

RELATED: Meryl Streeps 30-Year Marriage Gives Her Relationship Insight Anyone Could Benefit From

As for best scenes, theres a moment in which Madeline cocks and shoots Helen with a big ol gun. Helen Sharp goes flying ten feet in the air, landing in the pool. Upon the realization that she may be dead, Madeline exclaims, These are the moments that make life worth living with a sense of joy and relief. Each word slowly slips through her mouth with a subtle air of superiority. Its just juicy.

Miranda Priestly is a woman on top of the world; she has it all, and good enough is inevitably subpar, while anything less than ingenious is idiotic. All those around her are committed to fulfilling her every unreasonable wish. She is a little empty on the inside, yet, as a result, her observable disposition is filled to the brim with wit, sarcasm, and unpredictability.

RELATED: Devil Wears Prada Is Becoming a Live Musical and Fans Are Living for It

There are many great Miranda Priestly scenes. The comment that its just drizzling amid a thunderstorm that cancels all flights is at the top of the list. Yet, who could forget when she schools Anne Hathaways character on cerulean blue and the path from designer decision to bin in a discount store? Fashion is never just stuff.

Meryl Streep captures Julia Childs energy perfectly, and the accent is on point too. She conveys the chefs loveable nature and determination to succeed. As for funny moments, what beats when she explains to her husband that what she loves to do is eat, going on to note that shes so good at it, as she says shes growing right in front of him. The scene is not only funny but quite beautiful, as it takes a moment to focus on the characters marriage and the humor and dynamic that defined the couples relationship.

The entire Mamma Mia movie is funny, using ABBA songs as both catalyst and commentary to drive the plot and reflect on it. The movie works because its an ensemble film, in which everyone steps up to the plate. Donnas funniest scenes often include her two best girlfriends, because the chemistry between the three actresses is palpable. Who can forget when all three girls are getting massages?

Meryl Streep dives into comedy headfirst, unafraid to venture out of the dramatic world to inspire a few laughs. And, when she does, she raises the bar. Her comedic timing is impeccable and her delivery is always perfectly in tune with whomever she is aiming to create.

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Meryl Streep's Funniest Movie Characters and Their Best Moments - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

Director Gina Prince-Bythewood's latest movie is called "The Old Guard." She's also directed "Love & Basketball" and "The Secret Life of Bees." Alberto E. Rodriguez/Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images hide caption

Director Gina Prince-Bythewood's latest movie is called "The Old Guard." She's also directed "Love & Basketball" and "The Secret Life of Bees."

From Gilgamesh and the Holy Grail to "Altered Carbon," the hunt for immortality has been fodder for great fiction.

But "The Old Guard" has a different spin on the old story.

Netflix's new action drama tells the tale of a group of immortal warriors who keep saving the world. But they're starting to question whether the world is still worth it, after witnessing atrocity after atrocity for hundreds of years.

The film is directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, a Hollywood veteran who has directed films like "Love & Basketball," "The Secret Life of Bees," and "Beyond the Lights."

She joined us to talk about her film and what being the first Black woman to direct a major comic-book movie means for her and the industry at large.

Like what you hear? Find more of our programs online.

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A Conversation With Director Gina Prince-Bythewood : 1A - NPR

Jeff Howle was able to deliver one of the most appropriate lines in high school graduation history Saturday morning.

As principal of the Academy of Technology, Engineering, Math and Science, which has the mascot of the Phoenix, Howle stood in front of his students, the Class of 2020and told them to rise.

ATEMS graduates move their tassels during commencement Saturday morning. The ceremony for the Academy of Technology, Engineering, Math and Science, whose graduation was delayed for over a month due to the pandemic, held their ceremony at Shotwell Stadium.(Photo: Ronald W. Erdrich/Reporter-News)

Not from their seats, but from the ashes of their destroyed senior year, cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Not from their seats, but from their youth and naivete.

This group truly embodied the spirit of their namesake, the mythological bird that achieves immortality through its death and resurrection.

"My message to you all as we have gone through this worldwide pandemic together would be this:often the living of life is our greatest accomplishment," Howle said. "Never again should we take for granted sitting down at a restaurant, going to a friends house, seeing your grandparents, going to watch a game, going to the movies (or) going shopping at a store."

Robert Tinney walks back to the seats after graduating from ATEMS at Shotwell Stadium on Saturday.(Photo: Ronald W. Erdrich/Reporter-News)

Howle completed just his second year leading the faculty at ATEMS. But it was enough time for him to understand the group of students who stood in front of him as individuals but also as one.

He recognized the personalities they are, from athleticism to seriousness, competitiveness to politeness and from the Rubick's cube to the Lewis hair.

And their quirks. Such asDaniel Smith, who attended Saturday morning's graduation ceremony in uniform. Just not the uniform that one might expect.

As a re-enactor in several groups in town, including Abilene Axis & Allies, Smith wore a Soviet Union major's military uniform under his cap and gown.

It's nothing new. He's been participating in events since before high school and his classmates have just come to expect it from him.

"It's been my passion and my hobby for a long time," Smith said. "I like it, I feel comfortable in it and everyone knows me for the uniform. I've been wearing it since about eighth grade."

With a graduation toy stuffed in his jacket, Daniel Smith salutes in his Soviet major's uniform which he wore beneath his cap and gown at the ATEMS commencement.(Photo: Ronald W. Erdrich/Reporter-News)

It's not the only uniform he'll wear in his life, though.

While he reenacts as a Soviet, he's about to be a real-life U.S. Marine.Smith ships out for basic training later this year, he said.

There was a sense of accomplishment, Smith said. But, like the Phoenix, it's not where you've been but where you're going that is important.

"It's the start of new beginnings," Smith said.

Photojournalist Ronald W. Erdrich contributed to this report

In the age of COVID-19, the Abilene Reporter-News will continue providing public health content free to all. But while that information is vital, that's only one portion of the overall picture. Please consider, if you're able, purchasing adigital subscription to ReporterNews.comto help support the hard work provided by Timothy Chipp and the rest of the staff needed to tell Abilene's entire story, like this one. Without you and your support, this operation is impossible.

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ATEMS graduation allows Class of 2020 to rise from the ashes of a broken year - Abilene Reporter-News

In the nineteenth century, poetry was immensely popular, a deeply revered art form, and one of the most highly regarded American poets was William Cullen Bryant. Among other things, school children across America read and recited his poems "Thanatopsis" and "To a Waterfowl"widely regarded as classics. Although he was from Massachusetts and lived most of his adult life in New York, he was also familiar with central Illinois and had family members that he visited in Jacksonville and, later, Princeton. So, a few of his poems relate to our state.

But I have also noted, over the years, that poems by him appeared now and again in the "Macomb Journal." His focus on coping with death was clearly one theme that engaged many readers, but in fact, there was controversy over whether he accepted the traditional Christian belief in immortalityand that provides a glimpse into the mindset of people during his era.

Bryant was born in 1794 at Cummington, Massachusetts, and he started publishing poetry in periodicals while in his early teens. His first small book, titled "Poems" (1821), appeared two centuries ago, when he was 17. He eventually moved to New York, where he edited the "New York Evening Post" from 1829 until his death in 1878and became a revered American poet.

In 1832 he came west to visit brothers who lived in Jacksonville, and with one of them he rode to Springfield and then north along the Illinois River. That experience provided inspiration for "The Prairies," a poem that celebrated our states most famous topographical characteristic and was often reprinted in newspapers and books. In it, he not only views the Illinois wilderness in mythic terms, as an Edenic garden of dazzling beauty, but also meditates on the mysterious "mound builders"who had lived here centuries earlier but had "vanished from the earth."

Bryant visited on other occasions and wrote Illinois-inspired poems called "The Painted Cup" and "The Hunter of the Prairies." The latter associates freedom with the prairie landscape and presents the white hunter as a kind of American Adam, united with the unspoiled wilderness.

Later, after Lincolns assassination, Bryant wrote a notable tribute poem, "Abraham Lincoln," which was read to the throng of mourners in New York City on April 24, 1865. He declares that the great mans "proudest monument shall be/ The broken fetters of the slave."

But his most famous poem was, and still is, "Thanatopsis" (which means, "meditation on death"). It appeared in the "North American Review" in 1817, when the poet was in his early 20s. As that reveals, the theme of death was already important to young Bryant, and it remained so throughout his life. Influenced by British Romantic poets, he often wrote to commune with nature and the divine spirit that lay beneath it all. In a poem called "The Death of the Flowers," for example, he links human mortality to the cycles of the natural year, and in yet another often-reprinted poem, "A Forest Hymn," he declares that wooded areas were "Gods first temples," and they are still a "Fit shrine for a humble worshipper to hold/ Communion with his maker."

Raised in an old New England family, Bryant was aware of the frightening Calvinistic view of death taught by the Pilgrims, which emphasized the Judgment and everlasting punishment for sinners, so he sought a more positive relationship to God by appreciating His creation and understanding humanitys relationship to it. Thats why he says, in "Thanatopsis,"

"When thoughts

Of the last bitter hour come like a blight

Over thy spirit, and sad [death] images

Of stern agony, and shroud, and pall,

And breathless darkness, and the narrow house

[i.e., the dark, narrow grave]

Make thee shudder, and grow sick at heart,

Go forth under the open sky, and listen

To Natures teachings. . . ."

And he asserts that death is a reaffirmation of our interconnection with everything else, not a condition of ultimate separation. For after all, at death each of us will "mix forever with the elements," and beyond that, we will join with all other past humans, who now lay within the earth, "the great tomb of man." And remember, he says, that all who are living "will share thy destiny," for the old and the young "Shall one by one be gathered to thy side." So, death should not be approached with fear, as he indicates at the close of his famous poem:

"So live, that when thy summons comes to join

The innumerable caravan, that moves

To the pale realms of shade, where each shall take

His chamber in the silent halls of death,

Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night,

Scourged to his dungeon; but sustained and soothed

By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave. . . ."

Bryant does not specifically refer to God in the poem, but after all, the creator of everything is the one who inspires the "trust" that he mentions. Nevertheless, some Christian readers felt that the noted poem did not affirm immortality like it should have. For that reason, someone wrote a poem called "Vision of Immortality," labeling it as a "sequel to Thanatopsis," and signed Bryants name to it, and that was printed in a great many American newspapers. Of course, it is a kind of "Hymn to Immortality," talking about how the dead shall awaken to "the dawn of the immortal day." Among the periodicals that carried it, in 1852, not realizing that Bryant never actually wrote it, was Macombs first newspaper, the "McDonough Independent."

Of course, that reveals how much the 19th-century mind was focused on affirming the afterlife. And in a sense, while "Thanatopsis" remained very popular, that issue continued. In fact, after Bryant died on June 12, 1878, the "Macomb Journal" carried a front-page article in which noted preacher Henry Ward Beecher criticized "Thanatopsis" as "pagan poetry." But on June 27 the "Journal" editors also printed a little-known poem of Bryants titled "The Two Travelers," in which a person who is heading toward death affirms that he "Shall sleep, to rise, refreshed and strong/ In the bright day that yet will dawn." So, the editors wanted to reassure Macomb readers that the great poet, who had a lasting impact, did affirm immortality.

And it was such a huge public concern that, on July 4, 1878, the "Journal" reprinted an article from "Harpers Weekly" titled "He Believed in Immortality." It quotes an 1876 letter from Bryant to one of his readers, which declares, "I believe in the everlasting life of the soul." And he also affirms "the life to come of those who are dear to us here." So, it was reassuring.

It would be impossible today for any American poet to create such a stir, but in the death-haunted, poetry-loving, overwhelmingly Christian 19th century, whatever a beloved poet thought about such a key aspect of religious belief was obviously a matter of deep concern.

Writer and speaker John Hallwas is a columnist for the "McDonough County Voice." Research assistance was provided by WIU archivist Kathy Nichols.

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Looking at nature, death, and immortality with a famous poet - McDonough Voice

A surprising development in The Old Guard sees a character stripped of their powers - here's why it happened and what it means for the future.

Warning: SPOILERS forThe Old Guard.

A twist in the third act of The Old Guard sees the leader of the immortals, Andy, lose her powers - here's a breakdown of why that happened and what it means. Based on the titular comic book series by Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernndez, The Old Guard was released via Netflix in July 2020. Rucka returned to pen the film adaptation and Gina Prince-Bythewood served as the director. Charlize Theron starred Andy (aka Andromache of Scythia), alongside a cast that included KiKi Layne and Chiwetel Ejiofor.

The Old Guard centers on a group of immortal mercenaries that have spent varying centuries fighting on the behalf of humanity. When they are approached by James Copley (Ejiofor), they begrudgingly accept a mission to rescue a group of kidnapped children. Unfortunately, the mission turns out to be a trap that ultimately leads to Joe (Marwan Kenzari) and Nicky (Luca Marinelli) being captured by the ruthless Steven Merrick (Harry Melling). As her friends are experimented on to determine the source of their powers, Andy leads the charge to rescue them. To that end, she eventually teams up with a new immortal named Nile Freeman (Layne). Andy and Nile also enforce the assistance of Copley and Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts) as they seek to atone for their respective betrayals. Andy's efforts, however, are further complicated when it's revealed that she has been rendered mortal.

Related: The Old Guard Ending & Sequel Setup Explained

The new development was first revealed when a stab wound she received didn't heal as it traditionally had. Andy's newly vulnerable state was also hammered home when she was shot by Booker. Though several characters questioned how it was happening, The Old Guard refrained from offering a definitive answer. In fact, the film didn't delve much at all into the technicalities of the immortality - both in terms of what caused or what removed it. The scientists experimenting on the immortals to unlock the secrets drew a blank. As far as they could tell, the subjects seemed entirely ordinary. The immortals themselves believed that each of them just had a set, preordained time and that their powers would fade the moment they'd reached it. The comics also offer little illumination on the matter, with Andy never facing such a power loss in the issues already released. Nor was there much interest in the idea of exploring what makes the immortality tick. As Rucka told Polygon:

"[The mythology] was something that I had no interest in exploring in the comic. In the first The Old Guard story, I didn't want to waste time or real estate, because comic book pages - that's your premium, that's what you're spending to tell your story."

Rucka was much more interested in exploring the personal and emotional toll that such an extended life has on people. The detail of the characters eventually losing their power was simply a device used to add some stakes to the action. Though they are functionally immortal, they can eventually die. As a result, the characters of The Old Guard still go into every battle with it potentially being their last. The removal of Andy's power is likely a more visceral extension of that, serving to visually increase the tension going into the final showdown. Furthermore, the stakes will already be high from the outset when Andy is finally confronted by the vengeful and still-very-much-immortal Quynh. That being said, Rucka did concede that "when you're making a movie, you're a little more obligated to at least promise answers to questions." As such, definitive answers regarding Andy's power loss and the overall source of their abilities could come in future The Old Guard installments.

In the meantime, much of why Andy lost her immortality can be found in the themes of the film. At the start, Andy was losing faith in humanity and questioning the purpose she'd held onto for centuries. Believing that the world was moving too fast and now beyond saving, she was ready to lay down arms and quit. After losing her immortality, however, a monumental shift occurred. Firstly, in line with an element of destiny conveyed as being in play, her new fragility led to her being reminded that a more compassionate side of humanity exists. It also reminded her of just how tenuous and precious life actually is. As such, she was left at the end of The Old Guard more determined than ever to fight for and protect innocent lives.

More: What To Expect From The Old Guard 2

Kevin James Adds Himself To No Country For Old Men Coin Toss Scene

John Atkinson has been a news and feature writer for Screen Rant since late 2018. Before that, he had articles published across a number of different outlets. A graduate of the University of London, John was raised on a small island by television and movies. As such, he pursued a career in screenwriting and film journalism when it became apparent that actually becoming Spider-Man was impossible. John's fondest wish is to one day produce a film of his own. Until then, he's more than happy to spend countless hours just talking about them. John's love of film and television defies genre and sometimes even logic. Nothing is off-limits to his passion - be it Marvel, DC, Rian Johnson's Star Wars, or Tommy Wiseau's latest cinematic offering. Away from screens, John can often be found in a park reading mystery and/or fantasy novels, jumping up and down at various music events, or thinking too deeply about Keanu Reeves' career and why Edgar Wright doesn't have an Oscar.

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The Old Guard: Why Andy Loses Her Immortality | Screen Rant - Screen Rant

One Good Thing is Voxs recommendations feature. In each edition, find one more thing from the world of culture that we highly recommend.

The Old Guard, Netflixs newest blockbuster, is actually multiple love stories in a big action flick coat.

Based on the 2017 comic book written by the indomitable Greg Rucka and drawn by Leandro Fernandez, The Old Guard is ostensibly about a group of killing machines who can never die. But its really about the aching loneliness of being a killing machine who can never die.

Andy (Charlize Theron), a.k.a. Andromache of Scythia, has been alive to know this better than anyone. The story is set in the present day, but Andys birth predates the Ancient Greeks. She has over time learned that the only way to survive forever is to never let mortals get to close to her. Booker, another of Andys fellow immortals, tells Andy from personal experience that watching your kids die isnt something you want to reckon with. And it becomes one of the first things Andy teaches Nile (KiKi Layne), the newest addition to her chosen family of immortal soldiers.

Joe (Marwan Kenzari) and Nicky (Luca Marinelli), the couple that rounds out Andys never-dying family, are the lucky ones among the group because they have each other, forever and always.

Joe and Nicky arent the main protagonists in director Gina Prince-Bythewoods film, but since the films release on July 10, theyre the characters who have garnered a lot of attention because of how rare it is that gay men are featured in action movies. Even rarer is that were allowed to watch Joe and Nicky share a passionate kiss and other physical moments of affection throughout the film.

And The Old Guard takes their love story a step further. Straight people are regularly part of myths and legends but LGBTQ people rarely feature in them. The times that queerness does pop up in popular, mainstreamed ancient histories, myths, and legends, it can sometimes come across like its written in code, or is found buried in footnotes, or is glossed over as brotherly love or friendship, not romantic affection.

That The Old Guards Joe and Nicky are unapologetic about their love allows queer people, and gay men in particular, the opportunity to see that throughout all of history, weve been there all along and in such a mainstream, typically heteronormative medium, no less. That representation in itself is not just thrilling, but revolutionary.

Since the movies Netflix premiere, theres one scene in particular that viewers have discussed over and over, rising above the battle axes and bullets. Midway through the movie, the villains who are seeking to steal the secrets of immortality capture Joe and Nicky after an all-out assault on Andys team. While transporting them to the lab where scientists plan to poke, prod, and experiment on them, a security guard mocks Joe and Nicky, asking if theyre boyfriends. Its likely that to some queer people watching, the mocking isnt unlike stuff weve heard on playgrounds or even in adulthood.

Youre a child, Joe snaps back. Hes not my boyfriend. This man is more to me than you can dream. Hes the moon when Im lost in darkness, and warmth when I shiver in cold. And his kiss still thrills me even after a millennium. His heart overflows with a kindness of which this world is not worthy. I love this man beyond measure and reason. Hes not my boyfriend. He is all, and he is more.

Joes response is equal parts snappy retort and love poem. At its heart is a simple message: that straight people might not ever fully understand what its like to be gay and to find love. Their love is not better nor more profound, but innately different. Their love is forged from generations of being taught that its unnatural, forbidden, and wrong by a society that, for many centuries, has relegated queer people to the margins and encouraged us to be people we arent.

The Old Guard gets at this adversity through Andys own broken love story, another queer romance. Andy and Quynh fought together through thousands of battles, and its implied that the two womens love is more than just platonic. When captured and tortured for being witches, Quynh is separated and thrown into an iron coffin at the bottom the ocean.

You are too powerful together, the guard tells Andy, as Quynh is pulled away.

The guard could have meant that their combined immortality was too frightening. But he also could have meant that that these two women and their love for each other is something to be feared, too. From then on, Andy lives every day carrying the weight of losing Quynh.

Its so clear that neither the guard who separate Andy from Quynh nor the one who taunted Nicky and Joe can even begin comprehending that queer love is just as powerful as any other kind. It may not immediately look like a heterosexual romance, but it is no less meaningful.

Joes declaration of passion for Nicky also invites the viewer to imagine the 1,000 or more years theyve seen and spent together. I, for one, hope they got to see spectacular, silly, beautiful things. We learn that they met fighting on opposite sides of the Crusades, have been by each others side for so very long, and will ostensibly continue to endure even after all of us turn to dust.

Thankfully, Joe and Nickys mythic queerness is far from the only foray into the genre in fact, The Old Guard has a perfect complement in the novel The Song of Achilles.

A week before Netflix released The Old Guard, I was on vacation at home, because that is how we vacation now and finished reading Madeline Millers The Song of Achilles. I was already a fan of Millers after reading Circe, her retelling of the immortal witch and temptress from The Odyssey.

The Song of Achilles is Millers first novel, from 2012. She gives life to the myths of Achilles from his companion Patrocluss point of view, telling a story about love that endures when forces of nature, fate, and war are determined to tear you apart.

Growing up, I knew Achilles had that pesky foot thing and played a part in the the Trojan War, but all I really knew about Patroclus was that he was really good friends with the very heterosexual Achilles in 2004s Troy.

Beyond that not-great movie, Achilles and Patrocluss homosexuality has been debated over and over, usually coming down to dissecting Ancient Greek culture and the semantics of gay. Miller sees it simpler than that.

I would also add, more specifically, that I think the culture is ready for the kind of love story that transcends gender and time, Miller said in a Q&A about the book on her website. I did not deliberately set out to tell a deliberately gay love story; rather, I was deeply moved by the love between these two characterswhose respect and affection for each other, despite the horrors around them, model the kind of relationship we all can aspire to.

Miller has an uncanny ability to make you nostalgic for voices youve never heard, places youve never been. Her novels leave you wistful for true love youve never had the chance to lose.

The Song of Achilles is something you should read if you think that The Old Guard, which spends most of its runtime on focused on Andy teaching Nile about life, should have been about Joe and Nickys infinite love above all else. It expands on the themes touched upon Joes speech and the supernatural aspect of immortality thanks to gods, goddesses, and deities.

But The Song of Achilles is easily beautiful enough to stand on its own. Though Miller says she didnt deliberately set out to create a gay love story, its a fantasy that unravels and justifies the feelings and vulnerability of the LGBTQ experience, gay men in particular. Just as The Old Guard does for new Netflix viewers or long comic book fans, this novel indulges the desire to want and be loved, no matter your sexuality. And The Old Guard and The Song of Achilles both reassure queer readers that weve always existed even when we havent always been seen in the ancient history books.

The Old Guard is streaming on Netflix.

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Netflixs The Old Guard: A revolutionary, ancient gay romance - Vox.com