#EVERY EPISODE SHE DIRECTED IS PHENOMENAL

[mydairpercabeth]

The warm lighting as Luke holds Percy at sword point because Percy trusts Luke. Luke would never hurt him.

Then Luke later betraying Percy in the very same woods and hurting him with the same sword as the lighting shifts to this ominous dark purple

i could write an essay on how the writers use lighting as a method of storytelling

#ITS SO GOOD #I CANT STOP THINKING ABOUT THIS #PERCY JACKSON THE SHOW THAT YOU ARE #JET WILKINSON THE DIRECTOR THAT YOU ARE #EVERY EPISODE SHE DIRECTED IS PHENOMENAL #I LOVE THE SHOW SO MUCH #I NEED SEASON 2 #percy jackson #pjo #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson the lightning thief #annabeth chase #pjo tv #percy series #pjo tv show #percabeth #luke castellan #walker scobell #charlie bushnell #leah sava jeffries

[greeenbeaaan]

What's your favorite scene from any season in Ninjago?

okok i have many scenes in ninjago that i just LOVE but my all time favorite scene has got to be the Oni Temple scene from season 8, episode 7. for multiple reasons:

first off the directing of that scene was phenomenal. the way the camera panned, how sometimes it hovered over the scene, the way everything flowed nicely, THE MUSIC??? I don’t know just every little detail the crew put into that scene was outstanding to me. the way the characters moved and interacted really had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. Lloyd and Harumi are just two characters that every time they’re on screen together, it’s just so gripping and interesting to watch ESPECIALLY in this scene. the way she would cozy up to him and caress his cheek then BAM she’s trying to drive a knife into his side. like wow. or when the camera pans around Lloyd’s head like the gears in his head are turning as he’s piecing together the puzzle in his head about how Harumi is the Quiet One. just everything is fantastic.

the dialogue and voice acting was another thing i absolutely loved. No offense to Jillian Michaels (i love her) but i don’t think having her voice Lloyd for this season and especially this scene would have played out as well as Sam Vincent voicing him. Props to him for real, because the emotion he put into this scene was just so raw and you could really feel the heartache and anger that Lloyd was feeling. And credit doesn’t just go to Sam, it goes to Britt McKillip as well for her performance as Harumi because man- everything she said down to her little voice inflections was phenomenal. how she was able to go from this sweet and caring princess to this just evil and bloodthirsty villain was amazing. there is just so much to say about both of their performances in this scene and this season really.

AND THE MUSIC!! the way it swelled when lloyd was catching onto what was really going on. and if you notice, the music kind of backs off whenever Harumi is gaslighting him to make him believe it’s not her just for the music to kick right back in when he doesn’t fall for it and pushes her away.

i just love hearing Harumi explain all of her motivations for doing what she is doing and having the viewers sit there and be like “well shit i never thought about people dying during the Great Devourer incident” but like dude. people DIED. and we are like Lloyd, who definitely didn’t think about that either and when it hits him you can just see the range of emotions going through him. especially from something he caused (indirectly). like remember when you opened up all the Serpentine tombs? and remember how Pythor unleashed the Great Devourer? yeah people died that day. and yes we know you can’t save everyone and Harumi being a direct result of all of that was perfect.

who knew a like 6 minute scene of just two characters talking to each other could be so gripping? Sons of Garmadon is just incredible and I could talk about it for hours.

i don’t know i just really like this scene a lot and there is so much more i can say but i don’t want this ramble to be too long. long story short, i really love Sons of Garmadon and the Oni Temple scene is my absolute favorite sequence in all of Ninjago. some other favorite scenes i have are Garmadon’s sacrifice in season 4, “why would you touch the scary picture jay” “i didn’t know it would do that cole” in season 5, and literally the last 3 episodes Ninjago Seabound.

#lego ninjago #ninjago #sons of garmadon #season 8 #ninjago lloyd #ninjago harumi #lloyd garmadon #harumi jade #live laugh love harumi #lloyd garmadon needs a hug #so much appreciation for this scene fr #lord garmadon #ninjago garmadon #jay walker #ninjago jay #cole brookestone #ninjago cole #ninjago possession #ninjago tournament of elements

[thepaintpirate]

IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED EP 1, SCROLL NOW.

Live action review -

One Piece: Romance Dawn

Episode one of the One piece live action... This is only my opinions and views, if you aren't interested in that then cool but I need somewhere to talk. This will be bullet points.

Introduction with Roger's execution and a narrator? A fantastic choice

Roger's casting is actually spot on though?? Why were people complaining he's great for the role, Roger is in his 50s here are you he's sick of course he's not gonna be a super model but he's still stoic looking and I like it

Scottish Garp I shouldn't expect anything less (if they ever get to Sabaody I hope Kidd and Killer are Scottish too lmao)

I like that you can see who's in the crowd too because for the anime/manga people it's like a lil treat (Dragon I see you stop hiding)

Iñaki is perfect. I don't think anyone else would have suited Luffy more, the more the episode continued the more convinced I became

Line delivery is... It could be improved. It's quite theatrical? Like stage place or musical type acting sometimes. Maybe it's what they were going for I don't know, I don't hate it but it made me pause for a few moments because I get really bad second hand embarrassment

Coby and Luffy moments are great, they're dynamic and it's a lovely relationship they have going and you can tell the actors work well together

Shanks and his crew? Absolutely phenomenal. Peter Gadiot is perfect but the trailer did him dirty. My only complaint is I don't think Benn's casting was the best, sorry to the actor but he just doesn't fit quite like the others.

Baby Luffy... Oh my heart is melting

Zoro's intro and choreography was great, lil hint to Baroque Works if we get a S2 hehehe

Nami slayed as per usual, trust in Emily is at it's peak. She isn't just playing Nami, she is Nami

"No, more is better. More is better". I'm sold.

Zoro lugging around the severed torso of Mr 7.

Again, great bar fight scene. I got some second hand embarrassment again from the line delivery but I recover fast and move on

Morgans is... Yh he's there.

Omg they're looking at the sky together, they're such sweeties I'm kicking my legs

Zoro and Luffy's lil talk is so on brand

Nami absolutely eating up every single one of her scenes yet again

Emily and Iñaki work so well omggg

I DIDN'T NEED TO SEE THAT MF BUTT ASS NAKED PLEASE GIVE ME A WARNING MY GOD.

The courtyard fight scene. The courtyard fight scene. Great direction, it's smooth and really well done.

If I'm repulsed when an antagonist has come onto screen then you know they've done the job right.

Coby slayed.

Jeepers creepers those snail phones make me flinch. Anyway, Garp and Bogard eeeee. I just know the Tiktok Bogard guy is happy.

BUGGY!? THE POSE!? THE BUILD UP AND SUSPENCE!? THE MUSIC!? THE SLUTTY LEGS ON THE CHAIR AND HEAD IN THE PALM!? THE VOICE!?

Honestly, 200/10 casting for him and Cabaji

In my most honest opinion, this episode was good. It wasn't the greatest, there's definitely more to come and it's a lovely scene setter and build up. The cast are great, I have a few comments about how they've been directed to deliver lines because it's honestly not the best.

The CGI even now, where there wasn't much needed, is really promising. My favourites so far? Definitely Shanks, Luffy (both mini and big) and Nami. They honestly made the first episode for me. It's got the fun feel of the show, and for a live action it's quite good. I do agree it's not to everyone's taste, my brother watched one scene and didn't like it but that's because he's a skeptic. I have high hopes, let's just hope incels and chronically online shit wipes don't ruin this for me or others... Don't listen to them, it's worth a watch.

#one piece #coby one piece #one piece live action #one piece review #monkey d. luffy #nami #roronoa zoro #romance dawn #episode review #One piece live action spoilers #spoilers

[kim-ruzek]

Review of 10x14

I'm going to begin this with saying, before getting into the specifics, how much I loved this episode. You could tell how much effort was put into making this, and how much Marina busted her ass to provide us with such an amazing portrayal. And that's the kind of effort and energy that got us to 200 episodes and also, like all the episodes this season, the new energy and determination to tell and follow through with an amazing story that Gwen has brought back to the show. And that it truly showed and supported everything I had been saying for why I stood by their decision to make 200 about Kim (and her 200 traumas).

Now to proceed with the specifics and this is going to get long because there was SO MUCH I loved about it:

The opening scene.

This, for me, really set the whole tone for the episode. I love domestic burzek + mack and this served that up for me. I also loved it because of the formula of the show, we haven't got to see much of them settling into the house as a family, but that this showcased that, and the well oiled machine that they've clearly grown to be. It very much painted the picture of two parents and their child. I very much liked Mack watching the TV, and Kim refocusing her, that was very domestic and made everything feel really real and that this dynamic is well lived in, which it should.

Cpd episodes as a whole tend to kick of amazingly, but really for a milestone episode I always believe that it should kick off from the start, because every second you should feel gripped to the screen. And this delivered. I've got to attribute that to Marina's excellent acting, because the way she reacted and delivered that panic attack, especially with Kim being thrown into a flashback was truly phenomenal. And I loved how Adam handled it, while also handling Mack and making sure that she could see that at the very least, Adam has a handle on the situation which will make her feel more secure despite there being something wrong with her mom.

The therapy scenes.

I'm going to talk about both of them here. I loved how Marina held herself in these scenes, it felt so very believable and exactly in line with everything Kim is experiencing. I loved that Kim didn't fight back on Adam being called her partner, especially because I was concerned that we'd be still stuck on them not voicing what's between them. I mean, they still aren't, but Kim isn't actively trying to clarify he's technically not that, officially. And it very much feels like they are embracing this dynamic, and honestly they don't have to name it, at least not where they are currently.

I also loved that you could see that her walls were up, and that she is only here because of freaking out in front of Makayla and that she's not ready to accept help yet, and that they even more went up and she got on the defensive when her therapist was listing symptoms she has been experiencing. Kim's walls are so high up, and she's been going around thinking she's fine and that she's dealing with her trauma, and she doesn't want to admit just how much she's not been fine, especially when she hasn't really admitted it to herself.

I loved, loved, loved the ending therapy scene. I've already talked about how much I love that she said "not for Adam", that he's someone she wants to get help for, but it's worth resaying. That, on it's own, is more she's been admitting over the past few years, and it also gives me faith/hope in the direction the writers are taking them in. I also loved seeing her breakdown, and admit she needs help. It's long overdue and everything I've been wanting for my whole time in fandom. And I'm just really happy with this development and how realistic it was.

The manifestation of Kim's trauma/ptsd.

I've touched upon this already, but there's so much more to say. The portrayal and how they chose to show it, and Marina act it, was truly incredible. Not just the big moments, but all the small, little moments too.

I've talked about the opening scene, and her walls in therapy. Now for the train. This scene... Honestly there was so much to love about this whole episode, and the well scene was amazing, but I've got to say that scene was one of my favourite scenes ever. The way you could see Kim's trauma being triggered, how she portrayed how scared she was, that she was making herself small, and also how she struggled to keep a grip on reality to try and help the poor boy, and how she lost that grip when it was becoming more and more clear that he was heading to death -- and how it coincided with everyone leaving the train, leaving them alone, which didn't help to not play into Kim's trauma of dying alone.

I loved that her hand shook again, and then the scene when she was lying down and reliving her own trauma. It was truly amazing and great shooting work as well. All the blood, and the white shirt. I also loved how close she was to him, not just because she was helping him, but because she was clearly scared in that moment and being nearer someone else, even a dying stranger, was what her instincts did. I also really loved how in the midst of this she was trying to hard to keep her hand on his wound.

Now the well scene. First, hopefully Kim will learn to stop going into places alone without backup. Second, the shooting for this was equally wonderful. Her vision, the way she kept trying to refocus on Lucas, the way her body was pressed against the wall and the fact she was once again trapped somewhere dark. It was also the first panic episode this episode where she didn't have Adam to bring her out of it, and she had to struggle to try and regain focus into reality to help the boy. Her desperately trying to reach the team was lovely as it showed both how hard it was physically and signal wise, and also her will to survive, while also showcasing her vulnerability when she left the missed voicemail.

I also really loved the imagery of once again her determined attempts to survive, and her amazing ability to rescue herself, to put herself in a better place for help. That climbing very much parallels the journey she'll take with therapy, and also I think shows-- especially when she broke free and passed the threshold of the well-- when she got to the point where her mind was made up and that she was going to accept help. Which I think is really beautiful.

I also think it's really beautiful how she had to leave the boy behind to get a better signal, as it very much embodied the expression "put your safety mask on first", and yet again parallels the journey she'll have to take in therapy. She's been pushing herself aside for others, like Mack, but in order to keep doing that, to keep helping people, she has to lok after herself first, and trust in the help that comes from making that journey. And of course, by doing that, she got out, and Adam arrived to help the boy.

But that just because she got up that time doesn't mean she's okay, as shown by her immediately collapsing by the outside of the well.

Now to touch upon the other little ptsd effects throughout the episode. I loved how when catching the team up she got a bit distant, and in the train when the photos was taken. And I loved, like fully adored, how she was confident walking into the room until she saw herself on camera and then you could see herself retreat within herself. She almost looked ashamed, which is not uncommon, and when she answered her phone, her 'burgess' was so quiet and un-kim like and I loved that, it was so so realistic.

Kim, Adam, Burzek.

Adam throughout this was truly Kim's rock and I utterly adored it. I loved how her comforted her, grounded her. The moment in the train specifically as if was so so reminding me of their early days of comfort and how close their faces were in that casual intimacy you can only get with the love of your life in this situation. I also loved that scene after the therapy, Adam coming to pick her up and how he knew how to talk to her and what she was thinking when she looked at him and I just can see how much they've truly become partners.

The things the therapist said and how they fit how Kim's been.

I loved very much what she listed, because it fit Kim so well, and honestly really showed exactly why Kim and Adam hasn't officially gotten back together. It just really highlights that along the way it stopped being about whether he was ready, and all because of her ptsd. And I just loved that.

I also loved it because I had been getting nervous again. Mostly because it feels like Kim's episodes always includes Adam/burzek development, but Adam's this season, except 02, hasn't really. And it's made me feel a bit nervous because we aren't getting to see Kim being an important part of helping him. But by the therapist saying that, it's explaining what's going on in Kim's mind, showing that the writers are aware of that, and it makes me feel better about it. Because it's just that Kim's not in that place right now, not fully, but hopefully in the future that'll be different.

Other things I really loved about this episode:

Kim, Adam and Kevin being in a room together searching. I love my burzekwater.

The rest of the team's reaction to Kim being covered in blood. None of them, including Voight really, bought too much that Kim was "fine". And Kevin's expression when he walked up will always live in my brain rent free. That and Trudy's.

That Kim identified him through a scrap of luggage paper. I know there's other reasons to why she could've recognised it, but to me it'll be because of her past as flight attendant.

I'm sure there was over things I loved and wanted to talk about, but I've talked a lot and this has taken me, no joke, an hour to type up so I'm ending it here. Feel free to come talk to me and send me asks if you think I missed out something, or just want to talk about it/ask me questions.

It was truly an incredible episode and I feel so happy to be a part of this fandom when this is unveiling.

#ree has thoughts #chicago pd #burzek #kim burgess #adam ruzek #chicago pd spoilers #i wrote a meta post for the first time in months!!!! #this got so long so i hope y'all enjoy it #ree.meta #ree.reviews #10x14 #i feel like I've missed out things but i can't think of anything else #I'll just add to it later if i remember

[billpottsismygf]

The Church on Ruby Road (spoilers)

Oh my god! I absolutely loved that! Ncuti Gatwa is phenomenal. He's got so much presence right from the start, and there were some lovely little Doctor-ish quirks that he got across very nicely. I particularly liked his disdain for the Goblins' supposed time travel, him loving the name Lulubelle and the way he rattled off his police interview answers (though the bit about the proposal was perhaps a little too Sherlock). On a sadder note, his 'maybe I'm the bad luck' line was also delivered really well.

Ruby Sunday is pretty cool too, though I'm not quite as sold on her yet. Millie Gibson's performance felt just a trifle stilted to me, but I hope that goes away as she relaxes into the role. I loved her family, especially her gran. It's so nice to have a wider companion family like this again. We got it a bit with Yaz (and sort of Ryan and Graham), but I hope we get to see a bit more of this lot!

I wasn't sure what I was going to think of the Goblins, but I really like the alternative physics time travel thing they have going on with the language of luck. The Doctor's line about learning the vocabulary of rope was great; some real 'resonating concrete' vibes. But yes, the Goblins were fun and interesting. I don't know if they'll become anything particularly iconic, but not every villain needs to be.

The musical number was enormous fun. Obviously the first part was released ahead of time, but the Doctor and Ruby launching into a second part was unexpected and fantastic. Ncuti has a damn good voice. There have been questions about whether a musical episode of the show could work before, and I'm definitely here for it if there's ever a plan to give us more than just one song! Ruby's own ability to sing (improvisationally!) was also quite nicely set up with her being in a band.

Perhaps the best part of the episode was when Ruby was taken out of time. Her mum being a far more jaded and unhappy person, with even the lighting getting dimmer, was incredibly effective. Her declaring she was happy alone with tears in her eyes, the Doctor also crying, really got me. Ncuti's performance throughout that as well gave me a lot of faith in what's to come (not that I needed any, given what I've seen of him in Sex Education). (That 'then why are you crying' also had more than a hint of Amy crying for Rory.)

I have to mention the timeless child stuff. As with what he did with the flux in Wild Blue Yonder, I'm over the moon that RTD is taking things from the last era and actually doing stuff with it. I know there will be people angry about it because they expected him to retcon the whole thing, but I far prefer this approach. Granted, I never minded the timeless child stuff that much (unlike the flux), but it was really effective having the Doctor actually bring up the fact that he doesn't know where he's from. I wonder if RTD is planning to do anything more with it, or if it will just be used as character and relationship building material.

Smaller stuff:

We got another mavity mention, so is this just here to stay or is it part of a longer arc?

The way the gloves work didn't make sense to me. The way the Doctor explained them was as if the weight just shifted to the glove (which makes sense for making balancing and gripping easier), but if that's the case where does the extra weight come from when pulling the rope down? Oh well, I'll just imagine they're magic weight deletion/creation devices and move on with my life.

That spike through the Goblin King at the end was brutal! I'm surprised they were allowed to show it. No blood or anything, I suppose, but still!

Ruby's mother (we presume) was somehow still walking away after the Doctor's whole escapade with the Goblins. Bad directing (I might have bought it if she were much further away on a long road) or an indication of more at play? Either way, presumably this isn't the last of that plot thread!

What the hell is going on with Mrs Flood? When she was watching the Doctor towards the end, I thought it was pretty strange, and then in the mid-credits sequence I started to wonder if she was something more than she seemed. Then came the look to camera and her line about TARDISes… Technically, this could be a weird little moment a la Feast of Steven, but it seems more likely something else is at play. The Toymaker could bend the rules of reality, so perhaps she could be part of the legions he mentioned, able to break the fourth wall at will. We shall see, I suppose!

#doctor who #the church on ruby road #ncuti gatwa #millie gibson #ruby sunday #fifteen #doctor who spoilers #dw #mine #dwe15 #this is my new tag for now to match the way I tag classic stuff #since we're going to be back at series 1 again (my way of tagging new who) #the e stands for era btw in case anyone is for some reason curious about my tagging system #as opposed to dws1 for example for series 1 #I suppose I could have used d for doctor but I like it as it is #reactions #dwmine #I don't know why I'm using a title for once #but there we go #also - tiny thing - how did the priest not hear the raging goblin battle right above him? #and the final episode of ghosts is starting in less than half an hour! #my brain is being pulled in two directions oh no

[man049]

The Giggle to me feels like the new Twice Upon A Time.

That statement definitely varies in meaning depending on the person, but to me it means an episode that on paper had the correct direction to take with The Doctor but did it in a way that wasn't very good while having some massive lore reveal that takes out more than it adds.

The Doctor taking a rest is phenomenal, no questions about it, but did we really need bi-regeneration for that to happen? I really don't see why we couldn't simply have a The Husbands Of River Song type ending with The Doctor deciding to live a normal life for a couple years and then returning for full blown adventures the next episode.

What's worse is that according to Russel now every incarnation of The Doctor is fully separated and is out there doing their own thing. To me this just make multi-Doctor stories a lot lamer now, it isn't about meeting your past self anymore but a clone of you with a different face and personality.

While I did enjoy these specials a lot, they have really highlighted the biggest problem with Russel's writing. His obsession with eliminating consequences.

Pete is dead? Don't worry, a version from another universe can replace him.

Rose is separated from The Doctor? Don't worry, a clone of him that perfectly fits her desires now lives with her.

Donna got her memories removed and can never see The Doctor again? Don't worry, she remembered and is now okay because she could simply 'let go'.

As sad as it is every face has it's time and "fixed" end? Don't worry, now there's a clone of literally EVERY FACE out there having new adventures.

Wild Blue Yonder was by a long shot the best special as it's entirely what Russel T Davies is best at. A stand alone Doctor Who story that is fun, dark, creative, and with some great character moments.

I'm still excited for his new era of the show as seeing how 15 seems to be the "happy" Doctor, I'm expecting The Giggle to basically be the end of all the angst for The Doctor and go back to the more episodic nature of classic Who. Basically what The 13th Doctor era tried to do before introducing the timeless child. Meaning that Russel is back at doing what he does best.

#doctor who #doctor who 60th anniversary #the giggle #14th doctor #the fourteenth doctor

[ncisladaily]

NCIS: Los Angeles may have wrapped last year after 14 seasons, but fans are still getting a double dose of Daniela Ruah (who played Kensi Blye) on April 15: She guest stars in the franchise’s 1,000th episode, airing on NCIS, and directed the franchise’s 1,001st episode, with Hawai’i.

Ruah’s no stranger to being behind the camera for the NCISverse. She directed six episodes of LA (seen above) and one of the mothership earlier this season. “This [Hawai’i episode] was a bigger challenge than the other ones, I think, because it was an incredible storyline, and add to that, that it was a new cast and crew for me, but it was, oh my gosh, I had the absolute best time,” she raves to TV Insider. “I called my husband after day one. I was like, ‘We have to move here. I want to keep working with these guys.’”

In the aptly-titled “The Next Thousand,” when a Marine is murdered during training on the Big Island, the team tracks the suspect deep into the woods and discovers a disturbing secret. Below, Ruah talks about directing this episode, reuniting with her LA co-star LL COOL J (who’s a special guest star on Hawai’i this season), and more.

It’s wild that we’re on 1,001 episodes and counting of the franchise.

Daniela Ruah: I know! And by the way, I am so honored to have been given Episode 1,001. I mean, that’s insane.

When we spoke for one of the episodes of LA you directed, you said you like directing both action and character-driven moments and you get both with this Hawai’i episode. What excited you most about the story when you read the script? 

First of all, the case itself really takes you in one direction, and then the episode about three-quarters in kind of flips on its head. … You take the audience on a journey in this episode, for sure.

The fact that we got to shoot in forestry and jungle areas, just the production value, the richness of that was really exciting. And then add to that, the sort of volcanic barren area that you get to contrast that with diving into Tennant’s [Vanessa Lachey] past is also really interesting. Showrunners Matt Bosack, Jan Nash, and Christopher Silber, who wrote the episode, did an exceptional job, not only with the story, but also the dialogue. And oh my gosh, our guest cast was absolutely phenomenal, and they carried this episode just as much as our main cast.

The case takes everyone in different directions so you got to play with different pairings.

Oh, yeah, absolutely. I have to say, I think Alex [Tarrant] and Noah [Mills] are so charming together. Those guys really love each other in real life. So watching their chemistry, they’re so different. Alex’s character Kai is so zen, and he’s so connected to the island. And then you have Noah’s character, who’s not originally from that area. So that contrast is really cute to play with.

And then, yeah, Kate [Tori Anderson] and Sam [LL COOL J], I loved watching those two together, to be honest with you. The guy who’s so comfortable with himself and is used to using his gut to solve things as well as obviously facts and science, and she’s by-the-book and still learning to kind of relax into a case and just solve it with every tool you have, which includes your gut. So yeah, it was really cool to watch these pairings.

And then Vanessa was such a game player. She was so open to just diving into an intense emotional journey with these scenes that she had. Yeah, I love directing, and every time I direct an episode of something, I’m extremely happy. And this latest one just made me fall in love with directing even more.

You also reunited with LL COOL J and directed him again. And this episode really lets Sam be funny.

I know. I love it when Kate walks in and she’s got all these files and he’s got parfait. [Laughs] Yeah, working with Todd, it is like we never skipped a beat. It’s like no time had passed between seeing him at the end of last year on our show and seeing him now. I mean, in his own words, we’re homies. He’s my guy. It’s been 14 years of growing next to him and finding my stride as an actor and finding my stride as a director. And he’s been nothing but supportive and gracious and kind and open. Yeah, I mean, it’s Todd, it’s Uncle Todd to my kids.

Now that you’ve directed NCIS, NCIS: LA, and NCIS: Hawai’i, is there something you specifically enjoy about directing each one?

I love directing on our show because obviously it’s where I started. It’s the show where I was the most comfortable. I knew the characters, the tone, the rhythm, the crew, the cinematographer who I worked closely with. There were no surprises there. And I had a team of people who knew me so well that they weren’t going to let me fail, if I forget something because I’m new at it and it’s a lot of multitasking. No one was going to let me drop the ball at anything. So I really had that support. I would say that actually goes for all three shows, but that was just where my passion for it all began.

And then the mothership is an incredibly well-oiled machine. I definitely knew the cast from before, not just from crossovers, but our characters got introduced on their show. So I knew a lot of the crew members as well, and the producers and people who started off on set and rose up throughout the years into being into the production office. So there was a big comfort level there. And being a fan of NCIS, I had watched a bunch of episodes prior to that. So I just feel like I knew the characters really, really well, and that brought a lot of comfort to me as a director. I just felt like I was coming home. It was interesting. As soon as I walked onto their set, I was like, “I feel like I’m home.” And this wasn’t even my show.

And then with NCIS: Hawai’i, you have so many exterior scenes—the mothership is set in D.C. but it’s shot in Santa Clarita, so you actually have to be very careful about how you shoot exteriors, not to make it look like you’re in California, you have to make it look like you’re in D.C.. So there’s actually a lot of sets that are built and that you’re inside for. And in Hawai’i, it was more similar to our show where you’re actually shooting where the show is set so you can shoot as much as you want of the outside, and that really visually enriches their show. But also they’re in Season 3, so they’re still finding their characters, and I think it’s really, really fun to be in that process with them of finding new things that they haven’t done before. So, yeah, I just love the NCISverse, let’s face it.

#Daniela Ruah #LL Cool J #ncis la #ncis hawaii #ncis

[orangepeelshortbreadcookies]

So I'm seeing quite a bit of seething outrage in the tag and maybe I'm just adding fuel to the fire here but... the Netflix adaption was pretty good? It's not perfect, the modern storyline in the first two episodes are quite bad in parts (thanks a lot, Auggie 🙄). Some of the dialogue is also weird and clunky in the first two episodes. But it really, genuinely picks up the pace afterward. First and foremost, the visuals are beautiful. I like how the show expanded on the characters in modern times, adore the friendship between the Oxford Five, and I'm in delulu about Jin's and Will's ending (something something ships in the night 😭). Even Auggie has her moments in later episodes, and I find myself pretty satisfied with the end of her arc. The transition from page to screen is mostly effective, and I appreciate that they can just let the visual storytelling do the talking instead of just a lot of declarative statements for character introduction in the books, that could (at least to me) get tedious at times.

I find it to be one of the adaptions where the changes make sense. The diverse cast makes sense. The book takes place in China but it's a story about humanity. Plus you already have your all-Chinese adaptation (a few times as well). Widening the geographic scope to get a new perspective on the story is a pretty valid reason for an adaption. Plus, transnational adaptions happen All. The. Time. Taking shows and movies from other countries and putting your own national take on it is a pretty popular practice. China definitely does it.

The Netflix show has these intimate, quiet moments that are very compelling, and the besutiful music helps further highlight that. On the other hand, I can see where the white-washing argument from some of y'all came from. While I don't necessarily agree with it, I think it's a reductive and just not very accurate description for this show in particular, there are however certain scenes that I would dub Joseph Campbell-infected, which seems more fair and specific to me.

Something that's more baffling to me is the disagreement over Ye Wenjie's portrayal in the show. That she's a bitter, mental old lady in comparison to her counterpart in the book. Did we read the same book??? What did I miss? How was she not a bitter, mental old lady in the book? It's the whole point of her character. That she was a deeply lonely, traumatised woman whose repressed anger and resentment were indistinguishable with intellectualism and who mistook her cynicism for objectivity. Of course she was mental. She was in the midst of a silent breakdown, for otherwise an emotionally functional person would not have made the choice she did and DOOMED THE ENTIRE HUMANRACE TO EXTINCTION. Also her confession to Shi Qiang in the book? Where she believed that the Trisolaran would save humanity based solely on the fact that they are more technologically advanced? That was bonkers. She echoed the sentiment of many real people from her generation, people of invaded countries who look upon the historical colonialism fondly or as a desired solution, because the system in power has failed them. I know actual people like that in my life. They are my loved ones, and they enforce such beliefs on their children, us, like how Wenjie condemned her belief upon the rest of humanity. It's a complex, thorny legacy to carry, and it is insane that we have to carry it. Wenjie is a genius, she's a grieving, empathetic woman who could not access her emotions in a healthy way because she was fucked over in 100 different directions, AND she is an old, bitter, intergalactic war criminal whose mental state is definitely in jeorpady. She is all these things, and both the actresses in the Netflix show did a phenomenal job of portraying every facet of her character.

#the three body problem netflix #ye wenjie #the three body problem

[the-rewatch-rewind]

A day late and a little scratchy but we got there.

Script below the break

Hello and welcome back to The Rewatch Rewind! My name is Jane, and this is the podcast in which I count down my top 40 most frequently rewatched movies in 20 years. If you’re a regular listener, you may have noticed that this week’s episode is a day later than usual, and that’s partly because as you can probably tell I’m a bit sick, so I was trying to wait until my voice sounded better to record, and partly because it felt appropriate to release this episode on a Friday instead of the usual Thursday. So welcome to my late and somewhat scratchy-voiced discussion of number 24 on my list: Disney’s 2003 fantasy comedy Freaky Friday, directed by Mark Waters, written by Heather Hach and Leslie Dixon based on the novel by Mary Rodgers, and starring Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan.

Teenaged musician Anna Coleman (Lindsay Lohan) and her widowed therapist mother Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis) seem to be in constant conflict, fueled partly by their generation gap and partly by Anna’s reluctance to accept Tess’s relationship with her fiancé Ryan (Mark Harmon). Anna’s band is offered an audition that conflicts with Tess and Ryan’s rehearsal dinner, which leads to a heated argument between Anna and Tess at a Chinese restaurant. Overhearing this, the restaurant proprietor’s mother (Lucille Soong) gives them fortune cookies with identical fortunes, causing an earthquake that only the two of them can feel. When they wake up the following morning, Anna and Tess have switched bodies. In trying to live each other’s lives, each finally begins to understand the other.

I feel like I might have seen this movie in theaters, but I don’t actually remember. I do know that it was one of the first DVDs my family got, and I have lots of memories of playing around with the interactive menu and watching the bloopers over and over. I saw the movie once in 2003, so that may have been in a theater, then four times in 2004 and three times in 2005, back when we didn’t own many other DVDs. Then I saw it once each in 2007, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2018, and 2019, and twice each in 2020 and 2022.

I’ve only seen the 1976 version of Freaky Friday once, and that was in 2006, so I don’t remember much about it. From what I do recall, it’s a very silly, broad comedy, which is not a bad thing by any means, but one of the main things that I particularly appreciate about the 2003 version is that despite its wacky premise, it feels grounded. The characters feel like real people. Even the body-switching is almost believable. And that is almost entirely due to the phenomenal acting by the two main stars. Lindsay Lohan had already demonstrated her ability to play multiple characters in the same movie five years earlier in The Parent Trap (which unfortunately just barely missed my top 40 with 14 rewatches while I was keeping track), and she is thoroughly convincing as both a teenager and her mother here. Jamie Lee Curtis got arguably the more fun role and absolutely nailed it in every possible way, which is extraordinarily impressive given that she was only cast a few days before filming started. Originally the part was offered to Jodie Foster, who had played the daughter in the 1976 version, which she declined because she didn’t want stunt casting to become the main focus of the film. So Annette Bening was cast, but dropped out at basically the last minute and was replaced by Curtis, who proceeded to give one of my favorite performances of all time. She is the perfect blend of fun and serious, entirely believable as both Tess and Anna in Tess’s body. Neither Lohan nor Curtis seems to be trying to do an impression of the other, which potentially could have made the swap even more believable, but personally I’m glad they didn’t get hung up on trying to mimic each other’s mannerisms and instead focused on capturing the attitude of each other’s character. The movie isn’t about how Jamie Lee Curtis would act in Lindsay Lohan’s body or vice versa. It’s about people who are exasperated with each other learning that the other’s life is more complicated and difficult than they realized. And that could not have possibly been more perfectly portrayed.

While this movie is a comedy and has many very funny moments, the climax always makes me cry. After all their fighting and misunderstandings, it is so satisfying and beautiful to see Tess and Anna finally learn to feel and display the selfless love required to change them back. The series of beautiful moments starts when Anna’s friends show up at the rehearsal dinner to take Anna to their audition. Anna in Tess’s body explains the situation to Ryan, commenting that she knows he doesn’t care because Anna’s just some kid in a stupid rock band, and then Mark Harmon, who has spent most of the movie being politely confused, gets his big moment, when Ryan tells Anna (who is of course really Tess) to go to the audition, and then goes off on Tess (who is really Anna), saying he doesn’t intend to be an uncaring step-father, he very much does care about Tess’s children and wants to be part of their family, and encouraging Tess to go watch Anna’s audition. Jamie Lee Curtis perfectly conveys Anna’s realization that she has underestimated Ryan before rushing off to the concert, where she is desperately needed because Tess has no idea how to perform in a band. Side note: it would have been completely understandable for this teenage band to just be okay, but they are legitimately awesome, and their song slaps so much harder than it needed to for the purposes of this movie and I absolutely love that. Anyway, when they start to perform, Anna sees that Tess is petrified and makes her way backstage, reassures her mom that she just needs to fake it, and then Anna in Tess’s body plays her epic guitar solo offstage. That shot of Lindsay Lohan’s face when the solo starts and she turns in shock still gives me chills. That “Holy moly, my daughter is super talented, how did I not realize that until now?” look. Ugh, it’s so good. And then when the band finishes slaying, they both return to the rehearsal dinner, and Tess tells Anna to explain to Ryan that they need to postpone the wedding. Instead, Anna starts a toast about how even though she still misses her dad, she’s willing to welcome Ryan into their family because of how happy he makes her mom, and it’s in the middle of this that another earthquake hits and they switch back, and I just cannot even begin to explain how perfect it is. And of course, the only reason this pays off so well is because of how meticulously and realistically their relationship and individual objectives have been set up throughout the movie. We know that Anna cares about her music while Tess merely tolerates it, and we know that Tess is in love with Ryan while Anna only reluctantly accepts that he’s going to marry her mom. And seeing these two people who are so focused on their own objectives finally understand and acknowledge that the other’s are equally important is so thrilling to me because I desperately wish things like that would happen more in real life.

I admit to often finding it difficult to understand other people’s perspectives and motivations, no matter how much I want to. And in some ways this movie doesn’t really help because it implies that the only way to overcome that barrier is to literally switch bodies with someone else, which as far as I know is impossible. But I think that at least in Tess and Anna’s case, they could have reached a similar understanding without the magic if they’d just listened to each other. Early in the movie, Tess thinks Anna is being ridiculous when she says that certain people are out to get her, like her former best friend Stacey Hinkhouse (played by Julie Gonzalo) and her English teacher Mr. Bates (played by Stephen Tobolowsky, and apparently named in reference to the character who killed Jamie Lee Curtis’s mother Janet Leigh’s character in the movie Psycho). But once Tess attends school as Anna she learns that Stacey really is very mean to Anna, for no apparent reason, and that Mr. Bates really is grading her unfairly because he’s still bitter that Tess wouldn’t go to their high school prom with him. If Tess had taken Anna seriously to begin with, she wouldn’t have needed to literally live her life to learn that. So that’s the lesson I’ve tried to take from Freaky Friday: listen to people, give them the benefit of the doubt, and bear in mind that their lives are probably more difficult and complicated than they appear to you.

Surprisingly, an aspect of this movie that I think works remarkably well is the romance. This is unexpected both because of how much time I spend complaining that there is too much romance in movies in general, and because in this particular movie the two main characters aren’t who their love interests think they are for most of the story. Anna has a crush on Jake (played by Chad Michael Murray), but they’ve never spoken until the day before the switch. They have one kind of cute conversation that is interrupted by Mr. Bates, and then the next time they meet, Anna is Tess. Jake doesn’t like this version of Anna, but he runs into the real Anna (in Tess’s body) at the coffee shop where he works, and they have a great conversation about music. As someone who does not experience sexual or romantic attraction but does understand compatibility, watching people bond over shared music taste makes way more sense to me than watching people make out. This is a type of romance I can wrap my head around. Maybe it should seem a bit creepy for a middle-aged adult and a teenager to be flirting with each other, but the audience so thoroughly believes that Jamie Lee Curtis is Anna that it doesn’t come across as weird at all. Later, when Tess as Anna kisses Jake to try to get him to leave the person he believes is Tess alone, he says, “You’re beautiful, but you’re not her,” and it is so wonderful to see this deviation from the stereotype that teenaged boys just want to sleep with every girl they can get. Jake really likes Anna for who she is, and that makes so much more sense to me than something like Anna’s initial crush on Jake before they’ve even met. My brain needs there to be a reason why people like each other beyond “they’re attractive,” and “we have the exact same taste in music” fits that. So I support Anna and Jake’s romance, and I hope they’re happy together. And of course, I already mentioned that I love when Ryan makes it clear that he’s marrying Tess not only because he wants to be with her, but also because he wants to be part of her children’s lives. Given Disney’s typically negative portrayal of step-parents, this is huge. Ryan recognizes that this is a difficult situation for Anna and her brother Harry, and he’s doing his best to make the transition easier for them, and it’s so nice to see that. I feel like I can easily picture what Tess and Ryan’s life together will look like, which is more than I can say about a lot of couples who get married at the end of movies. I realize that romantic films are intended to be about the wooing and falling in love parts, but often I find it hard to believe that romantic leads will actually have a functional relationship going forward, so I appreciate that this movie doesn’t have that problem.

And of course I also appreciate that this movie heavily focuses on non-romantic relationships in the midst of romance. The main relationship is between Tess and Anna, but there are several side relationships that mirror this, including the conflicts between Pei-Pei (Rosalind Chao) and her mom (Lucille Soong) and between Anna’s brother Harry (Ryan Malgarini) and their grandpa (Harold Gould). I wish Pei-Pei and her mom were better developed characters, and the one aspect of this movie that doesn’t quite sit well with me is the whole fortune cookie thing. I appreciate that the filmmakers were trying to find a creative mechanism to initiate the switch, and maybe it would have worked better if the rest of the cast was more diverse, but something about the only Asian characters in the movie having mystical powers feels uncomfortably close to racist stereotypes of “exotic foreigners”. So I wish that had been portrayed differently. But I do like that there’s a mother-daughter conflict between Pei-Pei and her mom about how or whether to resolve the mother-daughter conflict between Tess and Anna. Pei-Pei wants her mom to stay out of it, but her mom can’t seem to help herself. Meanwhile, Harry and his grandpa are constantly teasing and misunderstanding each other throughout the movie, so at the wedding at the end, Pei-Pei’s mom offers them cookies. Three different endings of the movie were shot, two of which imply that Grandpa and Harry are about to switch bodies, but the one that made it to the final cut has Pei-Pei tackling them and successfully retrieving the unopened cookies before they have a chance to wreak more havoc. I hope this means that Harry and Grandpa (and for that matter Pei-Pei and her mother) will find a way to resolve their differences without magic.

The fact that a movie with this ridiculous of a premise manages to have characters that feel real enough that I care what happens to them after the events of the film is exactly what I love about it. If you’re a frequent listener of this podcast, you may have noticed that a lot of my favorite movies are based on ideas that don’t sound like they should work, but somehow turn out much more enjoyable than they have any right to be. In Freaky Friday’s case, the incredible writing and acting turned what could have been a mildly entertaining but forgettable romp into a moving, powerful crash course in empathy that I cannot stop revisiting.

Thank you for listening to my analysis of another of my most frequently rewatched films. Next week I will be returning to obscure Old Hollywood to discuss another movie with a ridiculous premise, which coincidentally also involves an adult pretending to be a child, although under very different circumstances than Freaky Friday. So follow or subscribe to stay tuned for that, and as always I will leave you with a quote from that next movie: “You should be very glad I’m not 12. I was a very straightforward child. I used to spit.”

#freaky friday #lindsay lohan #jamie lee curtis #the rewatch rewind

[boku-no-anime-phase]

Sugar Apple Fairy Tale first season review

(with apologies to the friend who recommended this to me, for thinking way too hard about this piece of media like I do everything. Sorry friend. I'm incapable of being a casual enjoyer.)

Spoilers for Sugar Apple Fairy Tale S1 upcoming, as well as discussion of topics like sexism, discrimination and slavery.

SAFT follows Ann Halford, an aspiring sugar artist, as she enters sugar sculpture competitions, takes freelance work with unreasonable clients who don't know what they want, trains under sugar sculpture masters, and deals with politics and sexism in the workplace. Oh yeah, and falls in love with her man-sized gothboy fairy friend.

I honestly don't even know where to start with this show 😂

Let's talk plot. When I watch anime, I expect to have to swallow some wild stuff in the first episode to establish the premise. My Hero Academia said "suddenly everyone got powers, idk how." Fruits Basket said, "these boys turn into animals (literally) when a girl touches them." Once you get past the wild initial premise, you can pretty much sit back and enjoy the show. And those shows are kinda classic! So having a ridiculous premise doesn't mean you can't have a great show (especially in the case of FB, which has an absolutely absurd premise, but is a phenomenal and moving show once you accept that and immerse yourself).

With SAFT, I felt like every episode I had to accept some new aspect of the world that was difficult to swallow. I don't think it ever explained why sugar and sugar sculptures are so culturally important to this kingdom. That wouldn't have been an issue as long as they established how important sugar sculptures actually were - I was surprised over and over again by minor characters' investment in the over-arching plot. 🤷 The storytelling also didn't feel internally consistent. Certain plot beats or themes were introduced like halfway through the season, where they definitely should have come up before. And certain plot points definitely felt contrived - characters coming up with solutions to problems that felt like they could have been solved another way.

It's not like I didn't have a good time watching this show - I did - but also I'm cursed to never just enjoy something, I have to Actually Think About It.

On that topic, let's talk about themes.

This show seemed like it had a few thoughts about sexism, slavery, and minorities... But I don't feel like it really committed and delivered its message, at least in the first season.

Fairies in this are often enslaved to humans and at the beginning we see some distrust from fairies directed towards Ann because of this dynamic, which I thought was interesting; but she quickly "proved herself" as an ally and won their trust.

The other messaging about fairy slavery is super mixed. Ann is against it and frees the only fairy she buys as soon as she is able (actually before it's even feasible but whatever). Another character we meet is a benevolent master to a fairy who is only "technically" enslaved - he could claim his freedom at any time, but doesn't because he enjoys his situation (😬). In another situation, an enslaved fairy is in love with her master. But then we meet another character who treats fairies, including free fairies, as subhuman, and the show highlights how she treats fairies differently than humans because she looks down on them, and that's bad. But it doesn't seem to make a consistent moral stand on the slavery of fairies, and often casts humans who "own" fairies in a sympathetic light, or paints the relationship between the human master and enslaved fairy as a mutually-agreed-upon, mutually beneficial thing. That made me pretty uncomfortable. It seems like the show wanted to really grapple with slavery as a topic, but couldn't stick the landing.

Also, towards the end of the season we find out that female sugar artists are extremely rare (feels like this should have come up earlier tbh!), and the show introduces ¿¿Christianity?? Or like a religion that seems to borrow really heavily from Christian creation myths and their sexist undertones? Anyway. Ann experiences a lot of gendered discrimination at this point. It seems like a weird time to introduce such an important theme, but 🤷 it also feels like it wants to grapple with sexism as a topic, but imo it fumbles there too - sexism is a factor in the harassment Ann experiences, but it's not really the thing that ultimately puts her in trouble. Also around this time, the show's second significant female character is introduced, and she actually fits a bunch of sexist stereotypes so it feels like the show shot itself in the foot.

The way the season ended, it seems like slavery is going to be an ongoing Big Topic, but I'm concerned that it's going to be a plot point rather than something to be truly grappled with and dealt with on a moral plane. If I were gonna make a prediction, I'd say S2 will be mostly concerned with slavery in the sense that Ann will be upset that Challe is serving someone else, and the orders his new master gives him will hurt Ann's feelings bc she thinks he's doing it because he wants to. That feels like an icky way to talk about slavery, to me. I could be wrong though (let's hope so).

I don't want to be one of those moral purists that's like, "shows shouldn't depict XYZ", but I do think it's kind of irresponsible to depict stuff like chattel slavery without giving it adequate moral consideration, and this show just... Doesn't seem like it's the type of show to spend a lot of time challenging the morals of something. Maybe S2 will be surprising but 🤷 I also recognize that this is Japanese media and idk what their history is with slavery but maybe it's not such a sensitive topic there. I'm not sure.

Last thing, which is more of a generalized anime gripe - the main character is 15 (which she takes care to inform us is the age of legal majority in her country). She's in love with a 100+yo. WHY 💀 they could have at least made her an adult - 3-4 years is not that different! Why is it always teenage girls in love with powerful immortals?

All in all, it's a fun brainless show with a cute developing interspecies romance if that's your thing. I can't turn off my brain and I also do intersectional feminist analysis here so here ya go 😅

Did you watch it? What did you think? How is S2 so far? I don't know how to end this post help

#sugar apple fairy tale #saft #anime #anime analysis #anime review #bnap anime review

[morganas-pendragons]

Halo Episode 9: Season Finale 

"When the game is over, the King and the Pawn go back into the same box."

APPARENTLY THEY DO. Spoilers for Episode 9!

I have some very mixed feelings about this episode. For the most part, I enjoyed it. There seems to be a consensus of dislike for this episode.. but I want to elaborate on the ending. I'll do that a bit further down.

Honorable mentions before I get into the deep stuff: I've seen Pablo's instagram posts over the last couple of weeks, and this man is 100% dedicated to bringing the best possible version of the Master Chief to screen. I will blame the bad writing (which has been several episodes this season) on the writers, because Pablo himself has done an absolutely phenomenal job as John. Also, he has these gorgeous colored eyes that I literally cannot stop staring at.

Hats off to Makee's actress too, because she aced that role. I'm not entirely sure if she's completely gone -- but I don't quite understand if she'll have a future role in season 2. She's too key a player to have just.. been killed off. I wasn't surprised by it at all. There was no way a human was going to kick off the Great Journey (even though for a while there, I really thought she would.) The Covenant despise humanity. Even if Kai hadn't killed her, I still believe she'd be dead.

"There's always a place for the Blessed One if that is what you want."

I'm just not entirely sold on her being dead yet.

Natascha. Natascha and Halsey. She has definitely become my favorite character in this entire show so far outside of Cortana because I love how different and yet so similar they are to their game counterparts.

Now, to the episode... deeper meta underneath of this.

SLEAZY AIDUN FINALLY DIED GOD BLESS

Halsey, Queen of War Crimes and BFFS with ONI: arrest me? hah. hahahaha. hahahahahahahahahaha.

kai taking off at full sprint and somehow making it onto Halsey's ship is definitely a mirror of Kelly, who is canonically the fastest of the Spartan II's. GO OFF QUEEN!!!!!

I love how desperate the Spartans are to learn about their past. This entire show has done the one thing that the games didn't in focusing on the Spartan's and their humanity. 

kai? fakeout death? lol

i really need to know why these four are the only spartans, paramount. please.

shut up the scene in the lab with cortana and john was so freaking cute i swear my heart exploded

where this show lacks in writing, they excel in cinematography. they've aced it.

same goes for the music!

THEY USED SO MANY SIMILAR SONGS TO THE OG SCORE IN THIS EPISODE

the spartan banter is so.. so.. so funny

BUT PLEASE PARAMOUNT GIVE RIZ AND VANNAK SOME DEPTH

okay so fun fact for the first scene occurring on whatever planet this is.. the fact that the elites are dressed in ceremonial armor? this is a direct callback to the games where the elites were the designated protectors of the prophets until regret died, and then the brutes took their place.

and speaking of that planet, for about thirty seconds i was absolutely convinced this was meant to be sanghelios

you know

the elite homeworld????? (it's not but it SURE LOOKS LIKE IT)

this conversation between john and cortana in the cockpit of the pelican is so.. so telling of the growth since their introduction. she's making her own choices.. she isn't letting Halsey dictate her or letting her programming decide what she does. She is choosing her own purpose.

And once Cortana says "I was also designed to learn, John. I have. From you." he begins to believe that she's not all she thought she was and some modicum of trust begins to form here. More then we probably realize.

the scene with the stars in john's eyes is my favorite shot in the entire series and i will die on this hill because it's absolutely beautiful

the absolute bitterness and rage behind miranda's eyes and every word she has with halsey in that interrogation room just.. ugh

it's so powerful

BUT ESPECIALLY THE FACT SHE CALLED HER MOTHER?????

the halo infinite and show parallel with dropping out of the pelican. art. magnificent. show stopping.

vannak absolutely is the guy who uses two needlers for the dramatic flare

okay so the keystones are not the activation index.. they were really just meant to be the keys to a star map.. gotcha

okay now the REALLY important part

the brute who took the artifact the first time? that giant hulking mass of muscle who keeps showing up and cortana said "remember him?"

that brute is atriox

for context: leader of the banished, the guy who beat the absolute crap out of john at the start of halo infinite, yeah that atriox

which to me makes no sense to have this early, it would be far more likely to be tartarus at this point but oh well

can't wait until they find out there's multiple halos lol

also guys... it's not that easy to crack the helmet visor

spartan locke (a spartan IV) just barely managed to break it in halo 5 with his fists

i'm blaming all the lack of strength in the armor due to it being such an early version of the mjolnir

the way cortana has to move her hands and her arms because she's never been in a human body before...

also kudos to pablo because both he and pedro pascal have mastered the art of making armors appear as second skins

you can tell it's not john by the way he moves after cortana takes control

i love the little touch with the blue in the hud

fred - vannak

kelly - kai

linda - riz

john - john (LOL)

i am very very curious how this is going to go into next season, because I'm not quite sure how the UNSC would feel knowing Halsey got what she wanted with Cortana taking control of John and essentially have the master chief but not having john.

Now. To the questionable part.

I really do not dig that we don't get a glimpse of the silent, stoic canonical John until Cortana takes control of his body. Her taking control was a huge show of trust on his part -- because everyone has taken control of John's life except John (until recently) and to allow Cortana to do the one thing he said he never would is exponential growth of trust between them. I just don't think this was the way to go even if that was the purpose of Cortana's creation.

The show of trust? That I did like.

Her purpose was not to meld with John and be the ultimate soldier. That's not what it was at all. Not in the games. They were meant to work together. To protect each other and take care of one another.

She chose him. I just keep leading myself back to the opening of Halo 3 every time I watch this, to all these lines I've memorized over the years of why John and Cortana's relationship became the way it did.

"Could you sacrifice me to complete your mission? Could you watch me die?"

"I can't watch you die."

By taking over John, Cortana is essentially watching everything that makes him John die. She's fulfilling a purpose she doesn't even agree with anymore.

Also. The chest touch? Perfect pull from Halo 4, Paramount. Well done.

"When the game is over, the King and the Pawn go back into the same box."

They did go back into the same box. They both went into John.

overall, this season gets a 7/10 from me. there was alot of parts i liked, many i loved, and much i didn’t. i really hope soren and kwan are side characters in the next season because they provided no real scope of use for this one, and i don’t quite see how they’d fit - other then Kwan with the Protector role of what looks to clearly be a Monitor and a portal I am convinced has to do with getting to Halo. 

That’s all I have. Let me know what you think! 

#Halo paramount #Halo spoilers #show: Halo #halo show #halo series

[2xhbergggg]

What I thought of the Wednesday series:

!!SPOILERS AHEAD!!

So I did watch some episodes while multitasking so I am re-watching it with a friend but here are some of my initial thoughts:

- I’ve seen people say Jenna Ortega carried that show and ngl it’s kinda true, the rest of the acting for the most part I thought was pretty good as well but oh my gods Jenna was phenomenal in the role of Wednesday.

- I’m not surprised this show was amazing, Tim Burton directed it and he is a king.

- I love Enid but her character kinda made me cringe during a few of the episodes (especially eps 1 & 2)

- I feel like Enid cursing just doesn’t fit right. Like yes she’s a teenager, they curse, but she has such a sunny disposition that I feel like every time she cursed it was a bit out of place. Especially since like none of the other students cursed very much

- Okay I’m sorry (I’m sure most people can agree) I’m sure someone work hard on the misters CGI but like… come on you guys, what am I looking at rn?

- Tyler has minimal emotional range. He has like 3-4 moods and I find that funny. (Confused idiot, lovesick but expressionless, backstabbing murder psycho, just angsty idk

- I’ve been seeing a lot of Wednesday c Enid and I don’t hate that… idk if I’m fully on board or not I havnt made up my mind yet but I think they’re kinda cute…

- I feel like even though I’ve been wearing my hair in braids for a couple months now people are gonna think it’s just because of this and judge me, which is not true and also I don’t even think I care bc the show is pog fr

- Can you tell I’ve been watching a lot of old Minecraft streams from the way I ended that last point?

- idk I might add more l8r but that’s all I can’t think of for now :)

#wednesday netflix #Wednesday #wednesday addams #enid sinclair #winclair #wednesday series #thoughts #my thoughts

[sunny-cyrus]

Okay :]

(in response to this post)

Sunny omori BJ Cyrus

Film Critique; South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut

Fun fact! The movie is called “South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut” because of the original title “South Park: All Hell Breaks Loose” but the MPAA forced them to change the title. So Trey Parker and Matt Stone came up with a worse name in spite, the title also in itself a double entendre. 

    This movie came out on June 30th 1999. It’s a tv movie on the long running show South Park. It’s 81 minutes long, and the director is Trey Parker, the same guy who made the show (co-creator Matt Stone but he’s not the creative direction of this show/movie). It ended up making 83.1 million in the box office, its budget was 21 million USD and it got an 80% on rotten tomatoes. This movie is actually a musical, making fun of the Disney Renaissance thing at the time when they were making the movie.

• One review I found that describes this whole movie perfectly is “This is probably one of the best adaptations to a cartoon I’ve ever seen. To start things out, I love the writing. It’s brilliant, smart, and entertaining. And don’t get me started on the music, it’s probably one of the best soundtracks to an animated movie in film history. With songs like “What would Brian Boitano do?” And “Blame Canada” being earworms to the brain because of them being REALLY catchy. And despite being an over 20 year old film, the movie still feels very funny with the edgy, raunchy humor that South Park is known for, and I think it pulls off REALLY well. So if you ask me, this is a must watch film if you are a fan of South Park or just wanting a fun, hilarious movie, South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut is WAY worth your time. Just don’t watch it while the kids are around.”

• The summary as shown on it’s about page; In this feature film based on the hit animated series, the third graders of South Park sneak into an R-rated film by ultra-vulgar Canadian television personalities Terrance (Matt Stone) and Phillip (Trey Parker), and emerge with expanded vocabularies that leave their parents and teachers scandalized. When outraged Americans try to censor the film, the controversy becomes a call to war with Canada, and Terrance and Phillip end up on death row -- with only the kids left to save them.”

Most of the people who voiced/played in this movie are Trey Parker and Matt Stone themselves. There’s also Mary Kay Bergman ( someone who has voiced over 400 characters in media so you'll be bound to know one of her voices), Isaac Hayes, John Venzon, and Marc Shaiman. Some other voices were audio samples and guest voices. 

The movie was based on the first season episode called “Death” Parker and Stone wanted to continue the idea of the parents protesting against a tv show they found inappropriate for children. They originally made that episode with a movie in mind too. 

Elements of this movie are the songs, considering that the movie is a musical there’s exactly sixteen songs. Each of them is phenomenal and amazing. They were written by Trey Parker, someone who has written many other songs before and also Marc Shaiman wrote the songs along with Trey Parker. For example “Mountain Town” is the song that introduces the main characters; Stan Marsh, Kenny McCormick, Kyle Broflovski and Eric Cartman where they go towards the movie theater which then introduces the main conflict of the movie. Every song is so amazing and well written, they also move the plot along. 

Elements and things that could’ve been improved, isn’t really anything. The music was great, the storyline and different plot points were interesting and tied together well. The only complaint I was even able to find was the time the movie came out! There’s not much to pick at for this movie, there may be one inconsistency with the movie and show when comparing, Sheila Brofoflovski hates Canadians in the movie even though she has an adopted son who’s Canadian. Although that was covered in the end of the movie when Kyle points it out. She was too focused on the thought of protecting children from adult things that she lost focus on her own children’s needs.

Usually when Trey/Matt make stuff it’s to be funny. But when they try to be funny it isn’t just offensive humor, even though that’s what everyone usually thinks south park is. It’s always some kind of commentary on what’s happening and then spewed into a parody of things and the perspective of fourth/third graders. The elements into making this movie was like making a longer, more impactful musical version of just another episode of South Park. The animation is paper cut outs of little people, the whole point of it is to look crappy. 

Although originally when making the pilot for the show they had done stop-motion animation with paper. Now and especially with the movie, the animation is made using Alias|Wavefront PowerAnimator, running on SGI O2 and Octane workstations. Though the characters are mapped they have a paper texture to keep going with the stop-motion paper cut out style. One of my favorite shots has to be when Cartman uses a broken chip that was implanted into him which shocks him when he swears. But because it was broken he could zap anyone when he swears, so when he goes to defeat Saddam Hussein there’s a 360 shot of Cartman with lightning around him saying many swears to send Hussein back to hell.

The elements in this film, musical based and advertised as inappropriate, do really impact this film. The music pushes everything along. The swearing and such shows how children act and it’s a commentary on how parents will push the blame onto the media for how their children act and how it’s their job to make sure children aren’t watching. Which is also a thing about kids watching South Park. The incorporation of Kenny always dying but being sent to hell this time to fix Satan and Hussein’s relationship so they don’t go to earth and overrun everything because if Sheila kills two Canadians (Terrance and Phillip) then they can rule everything. 

I love this movie. I unironically would put it in my top five list of favorites movies. It’s truly iconic and I do listen to the songs from time to time. I’d definitely recommend it if you’ve seen the first few seasons of South Park. 5/5 this movie is still funny and good to this day. 

Unnecessary fun facts about this movie

• The film was released on DVD in the US on November 23, 1999, with a VHS release initially exclusively as a rental.

• South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Blame Canada".

 • As a joke, Parker and Stone attended the 72nd Academy Awards ceremony in drag, It was later revealed on 6 Days to Air that they were high on LSD during the pre-show and the ceremony.

• In the 2001 edition of the "Guinness Book of World Records," "South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut" was awarded "Most Swearing in an Animated Movie." According to their data, the film contains 399 swears (including the 144 F-word

South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut Wikipedia. ww.wikipedia.com

In text citation (Wikipedia) 

“South Park Archives” southpark.fandom.net

Southpark.fandom.com/wiki/South_Park:Bigger,_Longer_Uncut.

Accessed since 2005

In text citation: (Fandom)

Logan J. Fowler. “1999 Movie-versaries: South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut”

Thepopbreak.com

“If I have one negative thing to say about the movie, I think releasing two years after the show premiered may have been a bit too early. Even though the show has been on for 20 years, it may have been better to wait until later in the run, something for fans to feel rewarded for. “

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What're your thoughts on the movie? How was my critique, what grade would you give me lmao

#south park #what do i tag this with. #south park bigger longer and uncut #sunny talking #what even are tags

[candy-pants]

SORRY I WAS GONE FOREVER i kept meaning to send you something and then the days just kept ending before i could 😭 i will try to do one every day from now on. i like some of dove cameron's music!! what's your favorite song? what direction do you want to see her go in next?

also i don't know very much about international disney shows, who's diego? why do you love him so much?

all good! i went back to work this week so i'll be a little less active during the day but i'll make sure to answer your asks

i'm a HUGE fan of remember me!! it's the 🌟 vibes 🌟 like. no shoes dancing round your living room.... yeah

although her newer music isn't really my style i really like what she's been doing with bad idea and girl like me, i think they're a lot more sonically interesting than breakfast, for instance, which lbr wasn't nearly as good as boyfriend, so i'd like to see her play around with those sounds a little more and just. not try to recreate boyfriend 'cause that's not gonna happen lol

diego is this little shit right here:

he's the main antagonist and 1/3 of the love triangle in s2 of violetta. i love him because 1) he's such a clown and never takes anything seriously but GOD he's so charismatic 2) he's so so so well written like he starts out as this womanizer jerk and as the season progresses we start really disliking him for the fucked up stuff he does, but then we find out his motivation for all that, which isn't an excuse at all, but it makes him more human and the audience can really empathize with him, plus he has a phenomenal redemption arc in the last 30-ish episodes of the season. he's BY FAR the best written character in the show and no i won't take criticism, i truly feel like he was treated so well by the writers even in s3 when he takes a bit of a back seat

also i can't not talk about how he maybe wouldn't be as convincing of a character if diego domínguez yep same first name hadn't played him because you could really tell he cared and understood him and had the acting chops to do it

#gcwca secret santa #ask #it's diego appreciation time

[fixated-frenzy]

How Miraculous Season 5 is Impressing the Hell out of Me

⚠️spoiler warning⚠️

3 episodes into season 5 and (knock on wood) Miraculous is better than ever before. After the explosive season 4 finale that ended with Shadow Moth getting the Miracle Box and every miraculous except Ladybug and Chat Noir's, we were left with many questions as to what would happen next. The first two episodes of season 5 were released in June and the third one finally aired on Disney Channel on Saturday, and I must say I am impressed with the storyline so far.

The first episode, Evolution, picks up right where Strike Back left off. Shadow Moth immediately tries to use the rabbit miraculous to go back in time to stop his younger self from giving Emilie the peacock miraculous, but with help from Bunnyx, Ladybug and Chat Noir manage to stop him. While they are unable to take back all the miraculous that he stole, they do get the rabbit miraculous and Ladybug officially trusts it to Alix.

This long night continues for Ladybug and Chat Noir in the next episode, Multiplication, as they travel to London looking for Felix. After their search is unsuccessful, they call it a night and go home. Adrien and Marinette are both shown coping with the night's turn of events in their own ways. Adrien is confused as to how Felix could hurt someone he loved so badly and how him and Shadow Moth are connected. Marinette is heartbroken after everything that happened, and she gets Alya to stay the night with her.

Weeks go by and Monarch (Shadow Moth) hasn't attacked anyone. During this time Adrien starts to admit some of his feelings for Marinette, but she is very adamant about staying away from love. Finally, Monarch makes another attack by akumatizing Ms. Tsurugi, who is working with Gabriel now, and Ladybug and Chat Noir save the day but are unable to get ahold of anymore miraculous.

In the third episode, Destruction, Monarch is determined to figure out Ladybug's identity by forcing the kwamis to show him where she lives. However, Marinette, being the absolute genius that she is, never told the kwamis her address. Instead, she set up an elaborate scavenger hunt to ensure that if Monarch tried to use the kwamis to get to her, he would be sent on a wild goose chase. Marinette's scavenger hunt was successful and it certainly gave Monarch a run for his money, but they were still unable to get any of the kwamis or their miraculous back. The episode ends with Ladybug and Chat Noir both upset. Ladybug is disappointed and hard on herself for failing to get any of the miraculous back and Chat Noir feels terrible for using his cataclysm on a person, even though that person was Monarch.

When I finished watching this episode, I was amazed by how well-crafted the plot was and how much Ladybug and Chat Noir developed in just this episode alone. Reinforcing just how well the two of them work together, how affected they are by all their responsibilities, how detrimental their powers can be, and how sensitive they really are worked phenomenally as a way to develop the characters further and finally advance the plot.

After watching these three episodes, I feel good about the direction the show is taking and I hope that the season sticks with the momentum it has going. All fans know just how slow and frustrating this show can be and throughout the first four seasons, there never was much change. Season four did show progress with Marinette taking on the responsibilities of guardian, and she has never developed as much as she did that season. The entire series, Miraculous has continued in an endless cycle of someone being akumatized and Ladybug and Chat Noir saving the day, but recently the show has been getting out of its comfort zone and finally giving us something new to look forward to.

✨B

#Feel free to discuss this or anything else with us #we're definitely open to it #mlb #miraculous #ladybug #chat noir #marinette dupen chang #adrien agreste

[broodinglitanies]

2.08 - Passage Part 1

Sydney, Jack & Irina go on a mission to India together, end up being uncovered and attacked by the people's revolutionary front and fight back. They need to acquire the nukes in their possession and Syd didn't know that SD-6 needs the nukes for themselves since Sark and Sloane decided to keep Sydney, Jack and the rest of SD-6 out of the loop. Sydney acquired the codes on a mission to Uzbekistan prior to that and the rest of the episode deals with phenomenal chemistry and tension between Jack & Irina, Sloane being contacted by the distorted-voice-box over the phone addressing themselves in plural and claiming they've got Emily and that she's alive. Since Sloane demanded proof before any willingness to cooperate (co-operation means money in this case, of course), he got it. Straight to his office - a delivered box with Emily's finger cut off, her wedding ring still on it. Will and Vaughn were so great, Will getting fired but still being a gentleman, a truly kind soul and also very good at his job and eager to take on the research on himself - can't beat a reporter who is stunning innately. He managed to get the names of forty kids who scored the highest on the KGB-altered standardised tests and gave the documents to Vaughn. Apparently, 1982 is still the missing link and somebody made sure that that's the year that never happened, SATs-related. It's also the reason why even the FBI doing their job have no luck finding the real documents, since the archives no longer have them. Probably important since these forty people are now grown ups and used for very messed up shit after getting proper training and obtaining even more cunning skills. Knowing what will turn out to be the story of Allison Doran... yep, this world is a fucked up place. 

The episode is very well above the suitable average and as I've noticed it's not just the focus, the pace and how they handle the many storylines taking place, it's how involved you can get as a viewer. Alias is simply one of those shows where the missing ingredient should NEVER be so-so work at how it's directed. Every shot can boost up the atmosphere, post-production effects, overstated or nuanced, scored or with a music pick, all done as best as possible makes it worth watching every time. They get too complacent and too lazy - not invested enough considering the amount of resources, creativity, good ideas and a great cast. It's not something that should have gone to waste. All five seasons are not only far from perfect, they're too frequently very far from excellent. On a very harsh, more objective mindset day, Alias as an entire show, with all its endearing qualities is 6 or 6.5 at best, more balanced way of looking at it, coming from a fan willing to dive into that world it's a 7. Being biassed and overly generous, it's a 7.5 or 8. But not a deserving 8, obviously. So much of it is terrific and on the other hand, so much of it ends up being terrifyingly depressing, stale or cringe-worthy. Anyhow, the three of them were truly stunning all the way through this episode and it was impossible to just keep it at a high 7 ranking, so the first part gets an 8.

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#alias #alias rewatch #alias 2x08 #alias s2 #misc #reviews #tv shows #sydney bristow