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lovebecomeshim · 3 years

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hello! your zutara posting today has finally motivated me to ask this question because I came to atla very late(last year, to be specific) and I Love It Very Much but am 1000% out of the loop as far as why what remains of fandom (at least that I've seen among my friends) is so very strongly zutara. I'm not opposed to it per se I just don't really know what has driven it to apparently be such a popular ship? can you help me understand and maybe convert me a little bit?

Hey!! Your ICON! :D I can try but I’m not sure how coherent I’ll be; however I AM sure someone a lot more competent will be willing to add to this. Either way, I’m glad you asked because my plan was to drag down as many people as possible with me.

*smacks the hood of zutara* this baby can fit so much mutual love and support!

This got so long, I’m so sorry. I don’t know how to put it under a cut on mobile and it already got deleted once so I’m scared to mess with it lol. Moving on.

I’m gonna start this with a disclaimer that im on mobile so formatting is tricky and I’m also really new to atla in that I only completed my first watch through in like 2019??? So some of my info is all just based on what I’ve picked up from Discourse 👀 so anyway the sparknotes version: zutara was wildly popular from the beginning. To the point where the atla crew internally disagreed on which ship should be endgame. (Ex. Bryke [showrunners] asked the writers to rewrite The Southern Raiders to make Zuko seem less ideal for Katara than Aang [which failed, depending on who you ask]; the animation team purposefully created a visual parrallel between Oma and Shu in the Cave of Two Lovers and Zuko and Katara in the catacombs under Ba Sing Se in the Crossroads of Destiny; etc.)

The ship was popular enough that Bryke actually chose to display zk fanart at a con for the sole purpose of mocking the fans, but that’s neither here nor there. The entire episode Ember Island Players, while a love letter to/parody of the whole show, was an opportunity to address zutara’s viability as a canon pairing (while, again, mocking zutaras for romanticizing that catacombs scene). Point is! It’s always been popular but with it not being endgame, there’s got to be something that’s given it staying power.

And that’s honestly got to do with three things: their dynamic, thematic cohesion, and potential.

(You know what... you know what, it’s four things. The fourth is they’re so aesthetically pleasing together and individually. Like, they’re just good looking people [specifically when they’re grown but they’re also cute kids] and that absolutely doesn’t hurt) (but it’s not the Point, it’s just nice to point out sometimes)

The dynamic is hard to get into without also looking at the canon pairings, but I think I can do that without unnecessary bashing. It’s just that part of the magic of zutara is really highlighted by what they give to each other that their other relationships don’t.

First off, it’s classic enemies to (would be) lovers. The absolute truest form of it. It’s not too different from how CS started out: a rogue antagonist with a job to do—but no personal vendetta against the future love interest—who is deeply and emotionally invested in his personal storyline (revenge/redemption) with little regard for how it effects other people after his entire life and genuine good nature are marred by suffering, and a fierce warrior girl with a strong moral compass and her own personal investment in stopping him (protect her family and save the world doing it). Obviously frustration and animosity grew between them by the nature of them being on opposing sides, but that just lends itself to the sweetness of their later reconciliation.

The thing is that while they’re wildly different on the surface (he’s a hot-headed prince of a fascist regime who is trying to capture the Avatar to please his father; she’s a nurturing daughter of the chief who is trying to protect and train the Avatar in order to topple his father’s throne) they find out that they have so much more in common both in their experiences and their personalities.

(What follows is an excessive use of the word “both” and I’m sorry about that)(I can edit it. I can do that. That IS an option............)

They both have an innate sense of justice that they are determined to see done (zuko, at the war meeting, sticking up for the Earth Kingdom kid when the guards torment his family, choosing not to steal from the pregnant couple despite his circumstances, abiding by his word to leave the SWT should Aang come willingly, etc.; katara, literally.... at any point). They both have pretty one-track minds at accomplishing certain goals once they’ve put their mind to it, regardless of a lack of support in that endeavor (it goes without saying I guess, but zuko’s entire hunt; katara’s determination to get the earth benders to fight back, her determination to absolutely destroy Pakku until he agrees to teach her, etc.). They both lost their mothers at young ages. Their worlds are war-torn and traumatizing to them both, if in different ways, but that ultimately forces them to grow up too quickly to be wholly independent individuals. They both have issues with their fathers (for WILDLY different reasons, but). They both hold extreme prejudices that they need to learn to overcome (which ties into thematic cohesion)(bit like Lizzie and Darcy in that way but magnified by a million). They’re both extremely emotional and empathetic—which can and often does result in loud outbursts. Katara’s a bit better adjusted and can temper her anger for longer than S1 Zuko can, but they both feel that anger deeply and have no compunctions expressing it (Katara is, usually, more justified, particularly in S1. Again, S1 Zuko is severely maladjusted but at the point when they could’ve feasibly become a couple, he’s so much better off with the way he carries himself). They both struggle with feelings of inferiority in their bending abilities when confronted with prodigal benders like Aang and Azula, but have the work ethic required to double down and become two of the most powerful benders in the three remaining nations. This is a little more minor but it is a parrallel that appeals to some shippers that they both have these alter egos in the Painted Lady (notably fire nation coded) and the Blue Spirit (water tribe coded) that are pretty different from who they are day-to-day and are useful in accomplishing a purpose that they as themselves cannot.

(I’m.... I just realized that this could potentially get very long. Should I have made a slide show with bullet points??????)

Anyway, similar. I know there’s more but there’s literally so much to love about zutara that I’ll drive myself a little crazy trying to compile all the ways they’re similar. (Just gonna say that at this exact moment I went back to add more similarities.... so okay then)

Once they’ve reconciled, we see how all of these things only lend themselves to a deeper intimacy together than they share with literally anyone else. There’s a steady partnership that positions them as the mom/dad of the gaang, while also providing the support necessary to allow the other to not have to carry so much responsibility. A lot of zutaras will point out how zuko is actually depicted doing the more domestic chores that are normally relegated to Katara once he joins the gaang, since the others in the group are two 12-year-olds and sokka. The one that sticks out the most is how he makes tea for the group and then serves them, while Katara is able to just relax with her friends around the fire. Fanon expands upon this a lot to Zuko helping with the laundry or the cooking or whatever else needs doing since he, as a once-refugee, is used to doing his own domestic tasks. Before Zuko joined, Katara was the one mothering everyone, sewing for them, cooking for them, etc. She’s always tending to the needs of the group, and that includes emotionally. She does the emotional labor for the gaang 99% of the time, but when she’s the one falling apart, she’s usually doing it alone and without the comfort that she normally provides for others. Until Zuko. And that’s before they’re even friends.

Which is WHY people romanticize the catacombs of Ba Sing Se so much. Katara is verbally attacking Zuko out of her own righteous anger but also her own prejudice when Zuko, surprisingly, chooses to be vulnerable with her. He’s been on a journey that’s opened his eyes a bit, but he’s never actively chosen to expose the rawest parts of his past to anyone. But for some reason he chooses to do that with Katara of all people. While she’s yelling at him. He sees her humanity, and for once can look past his prejudice and empathize with her. And this time, when she breaks down, she gets to be comforted. Katara normally talks about her mother when she’s trying to explain to someone else that she sees and understands they’re pain, as a form of comfort to them. Here, Zuko uses the exact same tactic. He sees her and he understands. And for zuko? He’s not being shut down. He’s allowed to articulate his pain regarding his mother without being ignored and made to internalize it, and he’s allowed to process how he feels about his scar out loud without being told that he deserved it. And then he lets her touch his scar, something we’ve seen him actively avoid before. He’s completely open to her and she’s completely open to him and all it took was one five minute conversation. She was about to use the little bit of Spirit water that she had, that she was saving for something Important, to heal the scar that still daily causes him pain just because they had, somehow, connected.

Plus there’s the whole parallel to the star-crossed lovers forbidden from one another, a war divides their people—

And then zuko messes up, he regresses, he gets what he wants and he HATES it. And the sense of justice he had as a child has been restored to him against his will and he can’t think of anything he wants to do more than the Right Thing, so he joins team avatar. Before he does that though, we get to see his relationship with Mai, which is where comparison really comes in. And what we see is Zuko, fresh off of his encounter with Katara in the catacombs, trying to be emotionally honest with Mai... and getting shut down and dismissed. Which is just how Mai is and it’s fine, but not for Zuko. Still, he keeps trying, and he keeps getting ignored or scoffed at or yelled at. Which is really a larger symbol for how he doesn’t fit in his old life anymore, but again that’s about thematic cohesion. He tries to articulate his anxieties about returning home, he tries to make romantic gestures, he tries to explain how morally conflicted he’s feeling—and Mai diverts to some kind of physical affection to shut him up and a parting comment that is pretty much always, in essence, “I don’t wanna talk about this.” So they don’t. On the other hand, once zuko and Katara are friends, we see him again emotionally distraught and caught up in his anxieties about facing Iroh, and it’s Katara who comes to him and listens to him and comforts and encourages him.

Similarly, we have Aang clamming up and getting uncomfortable whenever Katara shows any negative emotion, usually resulting in him making excuses or running away. Or, in the case of the Southern Raiders, lecturing her on how she needs to just let go of her anger about her mother’s murder. People have talked this episode to death and usually better than I ever could, so imma... keep it brief. There’s a serious disconnect between Aang and Katara in his ability to empathize with Katara and her needs that has her tamping down her vulnerability and amping up her anger. He tells her that he was able to forgive his people’s genocide and appa’s kidnapping (petnapping? Theft??), which is blatantly not true but also not an entirely equal parrallel to Katara’s situation, and continues making these little remarks throughout the episode. But it’s Zuko that Katara opens up to. It’s with him that she’s able to talk about the most traumatic day of her life, and it’s with him that she’s able to get the closure she needs, cementing their bond as friends and partners. This disagreement between Aang and Katara is then... never resolved. They just never bring it up and hear what the other is saying.

There’s a fic called The Portraits of Ember Island that has a line that so completely sums up the heart of the matter for why people love their dynamic. For context, zuko has woken up early to help Katara with the cooking and they spend the whole time just letting one another talk, and zuko stops to ask why she always just lets him talk. And so she stops to ask why he’s always helping, and it goes as follows:

There’s just... so much mutual support! Trust! Intimacy!! And it just continues like that from the Southern Raiders on, listening to each other, advising each other, watching each other’s backs! And then! Literally saving each other’s lives!! I will never be over the last Agni kai. Not ever. Zuko may have been willing to jump in front of lightning for anyone, but he actually did it for Katara. And in a show, that’s the thing that really matters. It’s a fulfilled trope usually exclusively applied to romantic pairings, and it ended up applying to Zuko and Katara. And then she ran out into the middle of a fight with tunnel vision just to get to him.

Also!! Also Zuko pushing Katara out of the way of the falling rocks at the Western Air Temple!! And Katara catching him as he fell from the war balloon that he fought Azula on!! Before they’re even getting along, they’re the ones reaching for each other. They come to this place of equal ground, as partners, who watch each other’s backs, call each other out but still listen attentively and understand, and provide the support that the other has been sorely lacking up until they knew each other (whether that be from lack of effort or lack of understanding from others, or an unwillingness to accept it for themselves).

Then, trailing along under the surface of this, we see the themes of the show totally embodied by Zuko and Katara as individuals and in their relationship to one another. There’s a YouTuber, sneezyreviews, who has a, like, 2-hour explanation on why she not only loves zutara but also believes that their endgame would’ve actually elevated the writing of atla to new levels particularly because of thematic cohesion and resolved character arcs. It’s the zutara dissertation I never knew I needed, and it’s funny and eloquent and effective, so I’m just going to sum up her section on thematic cohesion to the best of my abilities and then link it for whenever you have the time. And I HIGHLY recommend it, especially if you want a full understanding of what makes zutara so great and gives it such longevity.

Guru pathik has a line that goes something like this: separation is an illusion; things that seem different are just two parts of the same whole. Iroh also tells Zuko something similar: balance and strength are achieved when the different nations come together and influence one another and celebrate what makes them each unique. And this lesson is a massive central arc that both Zuko and Katara go through, moving past a black-and-white, good guys-vs-bad guys, us-vs-them mentality and into a greyer, more nuanced view of the world. Zuko sees the fire nation from an entirely new perspective and while he still loves and hopes for his nations future, he surrenders his blind loyalty to them in exchange for an unflinching loyalty to peace and love. Katara too had to come to terms with the fact that cruel people exist in the earth kingdom and water tribes, while some fire nation citizens are just regular, kind people who also need and deserve to have someone speak on their behalf. And this is honed in directly on how they view each other. They grow in their individual journeys to be open to the humanity in the other and then, once they’ve found that, they’re able to grow more in compassion for others in a beautiful feedback loop. And this is all matched in the symbolism repeatedly and intentionally associated with them in canon: sun and moon, fire and water, yin and yang, Oma and Shu who found love despite their warring nations. Their individual arcs are completed in each other and complement the themes of atla beautifully.

The canon pairs... just don’t. Which, again, is fine. But the very things that give atla longevity and popularity are anchored in zutara. Kat@ang doesn’t accomplish this. They’re... nice. Sweet. Especially when you erase a good portion of their interactions in S3. It could’ve been just a sweet love story. (Personally, the dynamic between toph and aang accomplish the same thing that zutara does, with complementary personalities that fulfill the theme of opposites blending in harmony) M@iko, on the other hand, is less sweet but I think wasn’t even supposed to last. Zuko’s relationship with Mai seems to represent his relationship with his old life as a whole. He can’t be emotionally vulnerable, he’s goaded into abusing his privileges, his agency and opinions aren’t respected. They just don’t have common ground with which to discuss anything that matters, so they don’t. As far as themes, the relationship doesn’t fit with atla. It’s zuko returning to and sticking with what is (on the surface) like him, what’s expected. Fire nation with fire nation. Fluid water bender with the flexible air bender. Like with like, separated from what is different and challenging and complementary.

And all of these things combined of course lead to the potential for the ship. I don’t know how familiar you are with the post-atla canon but... well, miss “I will never turn my back on people who need me”, miss “I don’t want to heal! I want to fight!” ends up living quietly in the SWT as a designated healer who turns a blind eye to the water tribe civil war happening right outside her front door. Which can be fine! People change! Some people just wanna stay inside. I just wanna stay inside! But the potential future for zutara is so much more satisfying, with Katara becoming the most unconventional Fire Lady the uppity old cads who are stuck on the old ways have ever seen. Fanon has her serving as a voice for the other nations within a kingdom at the point of its biggest political upheaval, as a confidante to Zuko who can actually help him while he’s trying to figure out how to move forward and make reparations. They have the opportunity, together, to accomplish what they both have set on their hearts to fight for: positive change that lends itself to harmony and balance. And the steambabies! A popular headcanon is that their firstborn daughter, the crown princess, is actually a waterbender, which causes such an uproar among the people who are adamantly clinging to the old ways. It’s just a future full of potential to be forces for good together, full of trust, intimacy, joy. The exact era of peace and love and balance that zuko announces that he intends to ring in with the start of his reign as Fire Lord is, again, magnified by the very personal zutara relationship. And we love to see it.

tl;dr zutara isn’t for everyone. Some people just don’t vibe with it. Some are nostalgic. Some love the canon they grew up with. Some have been disappointed for years. Some just see themselves in other characters and want their happiness instead. Whatever the reason, that’s fine. But for me, I love the way these two, from the moment they give each other a fair chance, are able to lower their walls and prejudices to see the other for the kindred spirits they are. They see each other’s humanity, and their response is to pour out love and support and compassion. I love that they’re a power couple in battle. I love the symbolism and, honestly, soulmatism that colors their every interaction. I love that they embody the whole storyline of atla in their relationship and how it develops, which is notably why their seasonal arcs always culminate in each finale with how they relate to one another. I love that zuko adopting a waterbending move is what actually saves his life and then katara’s. I love the chemistry! And I love the future they could’ve had, instead of the ones they were given.

So, in conclusion: I just think they’re neat and I hope you do too, at least a little bit. Even if it’s just respectfully from a disinterested distance cause you do you. And now here is the video I mentioned. I’m sorry this post got so long and then I gave you an even longer homework assignment, but I can’t recommend it enough. She says it all better than I can.

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#zutara #atla #zutara rant #like really the way the canon relationships were written throughout s3 #it would’ve been more believable for zutara to happen #or at least be hinted at #all of the major issues presented in those relationship were dug up extensively and then... never resolved #and then they just slapped some kisses on a screen and said ‘there all better’#and we just kinda had to say ‘oh ok guess it’s all better then’#this got long I’m sorry #I wrote it all out and then tumblr ate 2/3 of it #which is why it took so long #and what I’ve written now doesn’t even match what I had before #because there’s too much to say about why I love zutara #and the stuff I left out the first time is what came out this time #rip to my original thoughts but this post is different #anyway that’s why this took so long #and I should’ve just made a PowerPoint...#I can do that too if you’d rather not read all of this lol #I won’t be offended #this is incoherent #Alia rambles uselessly #also hoping this doesn’t end up in any wrong tags because I don’t wanna step on toes lol #it’s not anti!! it’s just critical #in a compare/contrast way #I can pinpoint the moment when I started trying to rewrite my points from memory #because everything gets shorter and more succinct #like... I really said all that??? sounds fake and I don’t remember it anyway so here’s the condensed version #with no!! smooth!!! transitions!!!!#also why am I so lazy with proper grammar over text

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movieswithkevin27 · 6 years

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Isle of Dogs

There are few joys in filmgoing greater than getting to see a new Wes Anderson film. Isle of Dogs, of course, is no exception. This eccentric, whip smart, socially conscious, touching, and truly funny film is not just a beautiful ode to the relationship shared between humans and their beloved dogs, but also an examination of serious political issues. Masking the latter behind layers of classic Anderson quirkiness, influence from Akira Kurosawa, and a celebration of Japanese culture and of dogs, Isle of Dogs proves to be a deceptively smart and heart wrenching film. Though the year is not even half over, it is nearly impossible to imagine that Isle of Dogs will not be seen as one of the greatest films of 2018. Not only does it expertly balance those themes, but it is also a charming and funny comedy, has great vocal performances, and is a truly gorgeously animated film that continues to prove that Anderson is not just a master of live action but also of animation. Truly, there is simply not a foot misplaced in the Isle of Dogs.

Directors often know their limitations and, for Wes Anderson, it is being able to approach things without comedy. Yet, this has never dulled the impact of his examination of serious issues, particularly death and fractured families. However, his examination of those issues could be done with comedy and charm via his quirky touch without seeming offensive. Serious political issues and parallels to the Holocaust as experienced by dogs in a live-action film would undoubtedly be seen as somewhat tone deaf or, at best, flippant to the issues it is approaching. Thus, Isle of Dogs’ political and societal concerns as well as its parallels are buried beneath stop-motion animation and the world of the dogs in order to not blunt its impact, but to make it clear that Anderson is not making light of the serious issues. Instead, they are ideas applied as an undercurrent to the world of dogs that still have ramifications for those in the world of humans, but allow him to treat the issues with the same dose of comedy and joy that he is so known for. This is especially beneficial in how closely the film’s events mirror the Holocaust or any other genocide, but especially the former. Had Anderson directed a comedy live action film about people going through the same situation, it may be labeled as tone deaf and not understanding of the fact that real people died. Thus, he takes those events, and applies them to the world of dogs, as it occurs in futuristic Japan. As the dogs are blamed for society’s ills, rounded up, shipped off to Ghettos, and eventually nearly killed via a “final solution” to euthanize them with poison gas, Isle of Dogs is certainly quite moving and fraught with peril, but also possesses balance and gravitas a live action telling of the story via Wes Anderson would not possess. Here, they are cartoon dogs so treating it with some irreverence and a light touch really makes it come to life, rather than seeming flippant about these chillingly real events.

The similarity to the Holocaust is also pertinent in how the film explores how the dogs and Kobayashi’s have long been at odds, if it were not for a young samurai who turned on his species and helped the dogs win a war between species many years ago. It is hard to not see this as being akin to Moses, turning against his adopted parents, and helping to lead the Jews out of Egypt and out of bondage. This history lesson, coupled with a modern portrayal of dogs being genocided due to past prejudices and due to the irrational hatred they face in Nagasaki, proves to be as much about history as it is about the present and future. By setting the action in the future, Anderson is able to provide a warning to the audience. Yes, it is cute and funny to watch these dogs live in a world on their own, but what is happening the dogs could happen to others, just as it happened to the Jews before. In present day America, the world is being torn apart due to a hatred of people in the LGBTQ community, of blacks, of Hispanics, and of Muslims, with all three being seen as a scourge to society who help to bring the wrath of God upon America and Europe. The dogs may be cute and Anderson may present this serious topic with his typical brand of humor, but the message is anything but cute and funny. This is a film that aims to warn people that blaming a race for the ills of society is not just dangerous, but also something that could lead to great tragedy and atrocity unless someone is willing to fight to prevent it from occurring. Genocide is not restricted to the pages of history, rather it is something in which the seeds have already been planted and must be dug up before this dystopic future vision of Nagasaki becomes a dystopic present in our world.

The film’s ideas extend beyond presenting and warning about genocide, but also in examining the current political rhetoric of the time. This is a world in which, not only are dogs blamed for society’s ills, but the regime actively tries to suppress information that proves the opposite is true. Going as far as killing their opposition and arguing in favor of doing whatever necessary to keep the information hidden, while brandishing student protestors as being foreign operatives sent to cause unrest, it is hard to not see this as a parallel to modern America. This family of Kobayashi’s win elections via landslides, have been in power for an extensive period, and have always harbored great hatred for dogs due to their love of cats. Though scientists can prove the dogs are curable, the Kobayashi’s continue to plan to brutally kill the dogs after being the ones to have gotten them sick in the first place. This further echoes similarities to the CIA introducing crack and other drugs to black communities in the 1980s only for those in power now to continue killing or punishing them at extreme rates. The dogs are seen as dangerous and violent due to being sick, all the while the government was the one who made them sick in the first place. It is also greatly apparent that Isle of Dogs is an incredibly pro-science and pro-truth film in which Anderson positions the opposition to Kobayashi as being from the “Science Party”, while the young reporter actively works to uncover whether or not a serum was truly found to help the dogs. Though on a crusade of truth guided by science, the portrayal of scientists as the only ones to recognize the emotions and love between humans and dogs, also runs quite counter to the propaganda surrounding scientists as being disconnected people pushing callous agendas. Rather, the scientists here are full of love for dogs, doing whatever they can in order to save them. Instead of fighting with words, they risk their lives by taking action. Meanwhile, the leader continues to lie, spin, and mislead the public by going on television and constantly making comments that further his anti-dog agenda. If nothing else, Isle of Dogs is a film that champions the truth and damns those push lies to further their rhetoric at the expense of others’ safety and happiness.

This is a film where one does not need to see the “Directed by” in the credits to know it is a Wes Anderson film. Possessing all of his usual traits such as familial strife, death in the family, quirky deadpan humor, symmetry, characters in uniforms, a play within the film, and more, Isle of Dogs is just as Wes Anderson as Wes Anderson films will love. Blended with the narrative structure, setting, style, and emotional core of an Akira Kurosawa film, Isle of Dogs comes off incredibly well. Though some have cited it as cultural appropriation or providing a tourist’s view of Japan - which is accurate - Isle of Dogs is a film in which Anderson is able to take his style and blend with the approach and ideas of a director whom he clearly loves. Even better, he is able to do it while creating a film that is not just him ripping off a legend but infusing it with his own style. Here, that is his love of stop-motion animation with a film that is meticulously crafted with attention every detail imaginable, while also including multiple terrific tracking landscape shots that steal the show as per usual. Not only do they capture the greatness of the film’s sets, but also provide Isle of Dogs with a great visual punch as the characters are captured in the same tracking shot, but always slightly altered. Either they are in a bucket being carried across the island, they are shown as shadows as they walk on a beach, or they are silhouettes walking on a bridge. All show not only the great set, but also allow Anderson to show he is not just a one-trick pony, but rather a director with a keen eye for striking visuals as well.

Yet, with the film being so clearly directed by Wes Anderson, it is hard to not see the film as a bit of a tongue-in-cheek apology letter with a pinch of self-criticism of top. One of the major traits of his films is the constant death of dogs. Not all of his films see a dog meet their demise, but enough of them do to make it a trend. For those accustomed to his work, one would not be blamed for assuming many dogs will meet their demise in a film largely made up with a dog cast. Anderson, of course, knows this, skirting around death at every chance he gets. A dog gets their ear ripped off, but hardly cares. A dead body is found in Spots’ cage, only for it not actually be Spots. The death of a dog is referenced, but not shown while being rationalized as self-preservation and a humane way for it to go out. This is in stark contrast to showing a dog getting killed by an arrow, only to then cut to a shot of the dead dog’s body with the arrow sticking out of it in Moonrise Kingdom. Of course, some of this could be due to the film being an animated work sure to attract kids and misguided parents, but also feels like Anderson playing with audience expectations. One may think he hates dogs and wants to see them killed like Kobayashi, but instead the deaths in the film are portrayed as tragic, while the relationship between humans and dogs is celebrated throughout. The young pilot is championed as a hero because he was willing to turn his back on his distant uncle, travel to the island, and find his dog. He is the only owner to do it, but it is an incredibly noble pursuit and one that proves wholly revealing as to the character of the young pilot and of the bond between a person and their beloved pet/companion. Even further, the film ends as Atari is working with his new cabinet and they promote the idea that all those who hurt dogs should be killed, before someone sheepishly says that may be a bit harsh and a 30-day jail sentence would be more appropriate. It is not hard to see this as Anderson’s own voice, knowing his own output’s propensity to treat dogs poorly. One can practically hear him nervously ask, “I killed some dogs in my movies, does that really mean I should die” That said, though he may somewhat make amends for his treatment of dogs, cat lovers will leave Isle of Dogs with no such note of apology. The cat thrown out of a window in The Grand Budapest Hotel will not be apologized for, as the Kobayashi family are all portrayed as ruthless cat lovers while the cats guard the cemetery occupied by the Kobayashi family tree to protect it from dogs.

In portraying this human-dog relationship, Isle of Dogs is never anything less than touching, especially in capturing the relationship between Atari and Spots as well as Atari and Chief. As Anderson’s camera cuts to close-ups of the characters as they go through emotional, yet necessary moments, it is always abundantly clear that Isle of Dogs understands the deep emotions of this relationship. Spots loves Atari, but he feels his dog family needs him so he must leave him behind, as long as he knows Atari is safe and knows that he will relieve him of his lifelong duty. Atari’s face after he thinks Spots is dead, only to later see hear him on his radio later on is a truly beautiful moment. The same goes for the moment where Spots swears in Chief as Atari’s new protector. For all the people in Nagasaki, they may have been willing to give away their people out of the fear-mongering (admittedly) undertaken by Kobayashi. However, as they see their dogs again and the dogs are reintegrated into society, it is hard to not smile at how well Isle of Dogs is able to portray the relationship and the bond shared between the two vastly different species.

Yet, at the core of its emotions and social commentary, Isle of Dogs is a film that is impeccably funny and charming. This may be one of Anderson’s most easily enjoyed films, crafting a film that rises on the performances and presence of the great array of dog/human characters introduced, as well as the incredibly funny and witty script. Performances from Edward Norton, Bryan Cranston, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Bob Balaban, Greta Gerwig, Frances McDormand, Koyu Rankin, Tilda Swinton, and Liev Schreiber, are all quintessentially Anderson and typically great performances from all. The presence of small characters such as the Oracle only further add to the film’s considerable charm, delivering a film that proves it can be more than witty - which it is - but also provide light bits of visual gags or commentary on dogs living in a human world. The end result of all of this is that Isle of Dogs is a truly funny film in which every character, whether it is the rough Chief or the gossipy Duke or the slightly dimwitted Boss all provide great humor and charm to this film. It is a lovingly written work with great attention paid to each character and how they can shine on their own four paws, rather than just seeing how they could contribute to the plot.

Isle of Dogs is a true blast and finds Wes Anderson continuing to work at the very pinnacle of his craft after delivering his best film to-date with The Grand Budapest Hotel. Isle of Dogs may not be quite as good, but it continues that not only is Anderson one of the best filmmakers working today, but he may very well be getting better with each successive work. Hysterical, charming, moving, thought-provoking, gorgeously animated and shot, and rich with details that will more than prove rewarding on rewatches, Isle of Dogs is yet another masterwork from Wes Anderson.

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gossipnetwork-blog · 6 years

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Charles Manson Dead at 83

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Charles Manson Dead at 83

Charles Manson, the cult leader of the Manson family who masterminded the Tate-LaBianca killings of 1969 and one of the most reviled and fascinating figures in American pop culture, died Sunday night, CBS Los Angeles reports. He was 83. Manson had been rushed to a Bakersfield, California hospital from Corcoran State Prison earlier this month for an undisclosed medical issue.

Manson died of natural causes at Kern County hospital, according to a California Department of Corrections statement.

A career criminal, amateur musician, enigmatic cult leader and unrepentant racist, Manson became synonymous with the dark underbelly and ominous end of the Sixties. The two-day killing spree he orchestrated in August 1969 left seven people dead and, as legend has it, sprang from his mad interpretation of the Beatles’ White Album – specifically the song “Helter Skelter” – which he believed foretold a coming apocalyptic race war.

On August 9th, 1969, tired of waiting for that war to break out, Manson sent four members of his so-called Family to a house on Cielo Drive in Los Angeles with the order to “totally destroy everyone in [it], as gruesome as you can.” They killed the eight-and-a-half-month pregnant actress Sharon Tate, 26, wife of director Roman Polanski; celebrity hairstylist Jay Sebring, 35; screenwriter Voytek Frykowski, 32; heiress to the Folger’s coffee fortune Abigail Folger, 25; and 18-year-old bystander Steven Earl Parent. The next night, Manson ordered the crew, with one additional member, to a different home on Waverly Drive, where grocery-store-chain owner Leno LaBianca, 44, and his wife, Rosemary, 38, were stabbed to death. At both houses, the culprits left words like “rise,” “piggies” and “helter skelter” scrawled in blood.

Manson and three other members of his Family – Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten – were found guilty of the murders and received death sentences, which were later commuted to life in prison. The trial became a spectacle in and of itself and Manson’s notorious legacy was cemented when he carved an X (later changed to a swastika) onto his forehead in protest of what he saw as unfair treatment by the law. Manson’s absence during the murders and the grip he maintained over his Family underscored one of the case’s most chilling aspects: Atkins, Krenwinkel and Van Houten also carving Xs into their foreheads.

Three days before he ran away from Boy’s Town, Charles Manson poses in a suit and tie. Bettman/Getty

Manson was born in 1934 to a 16-year-old girl in Cincinnati. He never knew his father, and his mother was an alcoholic. He was raised in juvenile halls, reform schools and prisons, ultimately spending approximately 60 of his 82 years incarcerated. Prior to the Tate-LaBianca killings, he was an easy target for cops, bungling burglaries and carjackings, and failing as a pimp. He divorced twice, fathered and abandoned two sons and ultimately earned himself a stay in McNeil Island Prison in Washington for forging checks and transferring women across state lines for the purpose of prostitution.

On March 21st, 1967, Manson was released on parole after seven years. He was 32, it was the Summer of Love and he headed to San Francisco. As Rolling Stone wrote in a 2013 profile, Manson “had the mystique of the ex-con, he had a good you-can-be-free metaphysical rap” — and he played the guitar. Within months, Manson had corralled several young women into his orbit, starting with the Berkeley librarian Mary Brunner, and soon after 18-year-old Lynette Fromme (later known as “Squeaky”), Ruth Anne Moorhouse, Sandra Good, Krenwinkel and Atkins.

That fall, Manson relocated his growing Family – both Atkins and Brunner would become pregnant – to Los Angeles, in part to chase a dream of rock and roll stardom. During this time, Manson recorded a handful of demos that producer (and one-time Manson Family roommate) Phil Kaufman released in 1970 as Lie: The Love and Terror Cult. Decades later, his songs would be covered by an array of artists including Guns N’ Roses, the Lemonheads, Devendra Banhart, Brian Jonestown Massacre and Rob Zombie, but at the time he was unable to score a record deal.

Nevertheless, Manson managed to infiltrate the late Sixties Los Angeles music scene through a haphazard connection to the Beach Boys after Dennis Wilson picked up several Family members hitchhiking on Sunset Strip. Manson and the girls eventually moved in with Wilson where they mingled with other members of the Los Angeles scene, like producer and Beach Boys associate Terry Melcher. While Manson was never able to impress Beach Boys mastermind Brian Wilson, the group did record one of his songs, “Cease to Exist,” which they reworked heavily, renamed “Never Learn Not to Love” and released on their 1969 album, 20/20, and as the B-side to “Bluebirds Over the Mountain.” Manson did not get a writing credit.

In an extensive 1970 interview with Rolling Stone, Manson spoke with David Felton and David Dalton about his music career (their notes from the interview are in italics). “I never really dug recording, you know, all those things pointing at you,” Manson said. “Greg would say. ‘Come down to the studio, and we’ll tape some things,’ so I went. You get into the studio, you know, and it’s hard to sing into microphones. [He clutches his pencil rigidly, like a mike.] Giant phallic symbols pointing at you. All my latent tendencies … [He starts laughing and making sucking sounds. He is actually blowing the pencil!] My relationship to music is completely subliminal, it just flows through me.”

In March 1969, after failing to get a record deal with the Beach Boys’ label, Brother Records, Manson decided to take his anger out on Terry Melcher. He went to the producer’s house on Cielo Drive, but discovered Melcher had moved out. Instead, new resident Sharon Tate was throwing a party.

In July of that same year, Manson and his Family perpetrated two other murders. First, they killed a drug dealer named Bernard “Lotsapoppa” Crowe, whom Manson associate Tex Watson burned in a deal. Not long after, Manson joined his friend Bobby Beausoleil as he sought revenge on Gary Hinman, a member of the Straight Satans biker gang, over another bad drug deal. Several weeks later, Manson ordered the Tate and LaBianca murders.

For months, the Los Angeles Police Department treated the two killings as unrelated. In October, 27 people were arrested at the Manson Family’s home base, Spahn Ranch, for car theft, but it wasn’t until a month later that authorities got their first big break when Susan Atkins bragged to fellow inmates about the murders.

Charles Manson sits in the courtroom during his murder trial in 1970 in Los Angeles, California. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

Manson entered prison on April 22nd, 1971, for seven counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder. He was convicted of first-degree murder in 1971 and was originally sentence to death. However, in 1977, Superior Court of California in the County of Los Angeles commuted Manson’s sentence to life in prison.

Even after his conviction and sentence, Manson remained a prominent figure in American pop culture. Los Angeles deputy district attorney Vincent Bugliosi chronicled the case in his 1974 book Helter Skelter, which became the biggest selling true-crime book of all time. A year later, Manson acolyte Squeaky Fromme attempted, and failed, to assassinate President Gerald Ford. Meanwhile, Manson maintained a high profile from prison, granting interviews throughout the Eighties and Nineties. During one infamous chat with Diane Sawyer, he roared, “I’m a gangster, woman. I take money!”

When Hedegaard visited Manson in prison in 2013, he painted a picture of an old man with gray hair, bad hearing and bad lungs who walked with a cane. Throughout the interview, Manson maintained his innocence, saying he never killed anyone nor gave orders to kill anyone. He also denied the Helter Skelter race-war theory presented in Bugliosi’s book (“Man, that doesn’t even make insane sense!”) and downplayed the idea that he was any sort of leader: “Go for what you know, baby; we’re all free here. I’m nobody’s boss!”

Yet Manson was also frequently joined by a new companion, Star (real name Afton Elaine Burton), a young woman who moved to Corcoran, California for Manson, drawn by his stances on environmental issues. In 2015, Manson and Star were granted a marriage license, but it expired before they could marry. Nevertheless, Star devoted several years caring for Manson and attempting to rehabilitate his public image. She too carved an X onto her forehead.

In January, Manson was taken from Corcoran State Prison, where he was serving a life sentence, to a nearby hospital in California’s Central Valley for an undisclosed medical issue, per the Los Angeles Times. According to a source, Manson was seriously ill, but could not provide details. Officials from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation declined comment, saying inmates’ medical information must remain private.

Manson spent the majority of his life behind bars, but even he seemed to recognize it was where he belonged. In 1970, he told Rolling Stone, “Being in jail protected me in a way from society. I was inside, so I couldn’t take part, play the games that society expects you to play.” He even espoused his love of solitary confinement: “I began to hear music inside my head. I had concerts inside my cell. When the time came for my release, I didn’t want to go. Yeah, man, solitary was beautiful.”

Over forty years later, his opinion had not changed. During his interview with Hedegaard, he reiterated his love of prison, as well as his false claim that the Beach Boys’ song “In My Room” was based on his own tune, “In My Cell.” “Like all my songs, it’s about how my heaven is right here on Earth,” Manson said. “See, my best friend is in that cell. I’m in there. I like it.”

Listen to audio of Charles Manson from our December 2013 story on one of the darkest criminals in American history.

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poppycoach-blog · 7 years

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5 Reasons Why DC Comics Just Can

cheap jordans for men To say I like DC Comics is an understatement. I have always favored DC, but to explain why is not an easy matter. There's a real sense of awe that emanates from DC's heroes. They feel timeless, not simply because DC Comics has been around longer than Marvel (both companies are over fifty years old now afterall), but because they pay homage to the epic heroes of old. Of course, Marvel recognized that they could not match this sense of awe and instead established a more realistic world and heroes to counter DC with. Marvel does its job well most of the time, but as a nerd of antiquity, I will always show a preference for the classical archetypes that DC provides. cheap jordans for men

Despite my rosy colored sentiment towards the company's characters, DC has dug themselves into a deeper and deeper hole of regretful decisions over the years, the creation of the New 52 being the magnum opus of this dismal collection of failure. Looking at attention grabs, reactionary decisions, and storyline and character alterations, I've compiled a list of the reasons why DC Comics has missed the mark as of late. When your friends tell you that you're idiotic for your disappointment in DC Comics, here is the list you can show them and save yourself a long, impassioned rant.

5. Excessive "Families"The lineage of a hero moniker passing from a mentor to an apprentice is one of the more charming aspects of DC. Wally West stepping up for Barry Allen as the Flash, the comradeship of Batman's parade of Robins you cannot deny that these relationships are the backbone of DC's heroes. But, when one realizes that "loner" Batman technically has an extended Bat family of around a dozen heroes and that the Flash family is also around the same size, there's a point where it's just too much. These extensive families and their histories are something that unfortunately turn off many readers.

Sometimes, extended character deaths have weeded out this problem a bit, for instance Hal Jordon and Barry Allen. Unfortunately, DC has a bad way of handling the issue of sharing a mantle in these situations, unlike how cleverly Marvel handled Steve and Bucky sharing the Captain America mantle a few years back.

cheap authentic jordans You may be thinking that this is was easily solved when DC switched to the New 52. In many cases, these families have been cut down in half in the New 52 universe, but that is because those family members cease to "exist" in the New 52. But at what cost? While we now have simpler families, they can barely even be called "families" at all. The relationships have lost their history and now characters exist merely to fill in slots. Those decades worth of connections have been completely lost, leaving an awkward relationship between mentors and proteges. cheap authentic jordans

Is there a simple resolution then? I'd say keep the farthest removed family members on the backburner and only bring them back into a story when they bring something to the table. And, when you retire a hero, let them freaking retire. Of course this excludes Bruce Wayne who can only take short breaks away from his cape and cowl.

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real cheap jordans But when you think of really confusing, one need not look farther than the "Crisis" events. Crisis on Infinite Earths, Infinite Crisis, and Countdown to Final Crisis. oh God, the parallel universes are making my head spin! Marvel has a regular universe and an Ultimate one. Done, simple. Try to explain to a non reader how there's this one Huntress who is Batman's daughter but she's not the same Huntress from Birds of Prey. or just try to explain the many evil alternate Supermen out there. Quantum Physics and alternate timelines are fun but there is a limit to how many times you can replicate the same character. Hell, every time Clark Kent randomly gets a new origin story these days, they say it's Clark from Earth and leave it at that. real cheap jordans

In the process of ending this bad trend and simplifying things in Infinite Crisis, multiple origin stories were just merged as they merged Earth 1 with primary Earth, and thus more character confusion! At present, DC readers are stuck with the entire DC universe being an alternate reality since almost every DC character was completely rebooted in the New 52 onto a new, different Earth 1. Good job DC, now we can't even go back home to our proper DC Earth. does anyone even know where the hell that would be anymore?!

cheap jordans for sale 2. The New 52 Death of Character Oh where should I begin with these imposter characters?! The female characters alone have suffered so much. Starfire, for instance, was never the most brilliant or indepth character before the massive reboot, but in Red Hood and the Outlaws she has served as merely a sexual object. Her costume has become even more improbably minuscule and every image of her in the comics looks like a photo out of Playboy. Her dialogue consists of SEX, SEX, SEX. Catwoman too has lost some of the great development she has received in the last decade and now better resembles Frank Millar's All Star Batman's Catwoman, one of her most noted scenes in early New 52 Batman being of her straddling Batman's manhood. Hyper sexuality is now a character trait. cheap jordans for sale

Almost all of the DC pantheon of characters have rebooted and started over as brand new heroes (other than Batman and Lantern Corps. which just kept going like usual in this new universe, sort of). It's a mockery for longtime fans to keep reading like nothing has happened to our beloved characters. It's akin to dressing up a random old lady like your grandmother and trying to love her like your blood relation. All we have now in DC are strangers wearing similar costumes to characters we've grown up with and learned to love. Or, in cases like Green Arrow, the doppelganger does not even share the most important physical feature of the original character! YES, I MOURN THE BEARD, DO NOT JUDGE ME.

1. The need to emulate Marvel At the heart of many of these issues, and in my opinion, the main reason for the New 52 in the first place is jealousy over Marvel's success. Marvel has consistently beaten DC in the top ten comic issue sales for many years. And while DC has had great success with many of their animated franchises, they do not bring in the money that Marvel's movie franchises or comics sales do. In the desire to pull in Marvel's fans, DC has gone to great lengths to emulate Marvel, and in the process, have forgotten what makes DC great.

Gritty and realistic are words far more synonymous with Marvel than DC, so with the high sales of the "realistic" Nolan Batman trilogy, and Marvel shining as an example of how to do "realistic issues" right, the New 52 reboot has brought an unfamiliar realism to its heroes. And by realism, I mean lots more sex, armor armor armor, and inept heroes in a world where society dislikes them. The problem is, with DC we want to LIKE and ADMIRE our heroes. If I want a hero with flaws and troubles I'll read Hulk or Ant man or Iron Man. Marvel has founded their company on this sort of character. Their "Earth" is full of angry, prejudiced citizens where this sort of flawed hero will face struggles that relate so on so on. But suddenly rebooting the DC franchise, having the Justice League come together and bicker almost identically to what was seen in the Avengers movie, just comes off as forced. Sure, they aren't all perfect heroes by any means.

jordans outlet In trying to move into the present (and future) of cape comics, DC almost hilariously has stepped backwards into the 90s by having Jim Lee do all of the redesigns. DC, you can never write a story that will justify putting Superman in armor, it is too ridiculous for words. DC was trying to fix something that really wasn't broken with the New 52. Blackest Night was a fun crossover romp and had pretty good sales. It was a crossover that never could have been accomplished without the core DC cast of characters and their histories. But just a couple of years later and this huge reboot happened. The most ironic aspect of the reboot is that the best titles of the New 52 are the ones that could have been written without rebooting the universe at all, such as Animal Man, Justice League Dark, and Swamp Thing. jordans outlet

Until DC recognizes its strengths in the areas of lineage, characterization, classical archetype, and pure idealism, it is doomed to continue trying to "keep up" with the rest when really it should look back and cherish the past more (well, most of it at least!)

Are You Sure You Want To Be a Teacher?

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Marvel has been able to keep their story lines relatively straightforward and isolate their "alternative world" to an almost entirely disconnected series of comics. It just seems like DC just doesn't think before they make many of these major decisions. They're like excited kids who see something shiny in the road and leap in front of oncoming traffic.

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DC's explanation of Crisis on Infinite Earths is that the Multiverse made it too difficult for readers to get into DC Comics. Nelson Bridwell passed away.

cheap jordans free shipping I've always been a huge fan of DC Comics (since 1965) but since the New 52's debut I've stopped buying DC Comics (with the rare exception of Showcase Presents b/w anthologies). I no longer agree with the company's approach to their characters and their longtime fans cheap jordans free shipping.

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