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neverheardnothing · 4 years

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rewatching joe iconis and family lincoln center performance at 4 am instead of packing or sleeping just to feel something and i have so FEW and so MANY thoughts and yall are gonna hear em all. no i will not put this under a cut. im going to be an absolute bastard about this.

i love the story joe tells about why he's singing mitb as the first song so much. like. the spite of it all. the defiance of it all. the pride of it all. the dig it or fuck off and disappear of it all. the joe iconis of it all.

“i know exactly the song im going to sing as my first song at the american songbook series.” i love that he highlights the fact that this is the american songbook series.

then immediately jumping right into broadway here i come with molly hager, the other song he is most known for!!!

every time i think about this performance i think about how this was the first (?) time this song was performed by them since the closing of bmc.

and then lance rubin comes up to sing try again. which is the only time that i know of that anyone but joe has sung this song.

i remember a remark made during watching it live that having someone else sing the song made it seem so clearly more about joe and his career. but also having lance sing it immediately makes me think of bbh closing early which yeah is part of joe’s career but also lance’s.

and also the line “if you’re an actor and another actor gets the part you auditioned for” reminds me of how lance found the auditioning process of acting and the whole [not acting part] of an acting career to be terrible which is why he quit to then become an author and the juxtaposition of him singing try again is Something. but also he DID try again he is just applying his efforts to a different creative field and it’s working out great for him. good for lance rubin.

lol i haven’t even talked about the actual performance aspect of this song anyways it’s very different from the two versions ive seen of joe doing it. he plays it a lot more comical. i love it.

sidenote not specific about this performance, but i love love LOVE the line and the music at “use the stairs, walk to the street. see the people, feel the heat, and apply yourself again.”

and also the line “when they cast you out to sea, there’s a lifeboat manned by me called try and try again” will never not make me think of bsol/last on land and bonus lance was also in that show! it just keeps circling around.

everything about these past 3 songs performed at this venue in this set list order in this moment at joe’s career is honestly so wonderful. like you had a songs about an anxiety attack, a suicide/loss of self in success, and repeated failures before this song all sung by individuals. two of these songs were written at points where joe felt frustrated/sad with his career. one written in the aftermath of specific frustration about the first closing of be more chill. one an actual song from bmc. like what a SETLIST for your first three songs! fucking michael in the bathroom, broadway here i come, and try again. truly something.

THE WHISKEY SONG!! i love hearing joe sing so much. while i think we can all agree he’s not the most skilled singer there’s something special about hearing a composer perform their own work. he adds like 3 levels of charm to make up for lack of singing skills lol. just a very charismatic guy.

lance rubin back on tamborine for the next bit of the song and he’s like laughing through it. not completely sure what he’s laughing about honestly but this Is a comedic song (after 3 real downers of songs) and also joe was playing it up.

jared weiss down on the floor with his guitar playing along. that’s its own bullet point.

audience cheering as more family members start coming on stage! i love that the band is getting cheers. love that!!!

the camera isn’t on him but from the audio, nick blaemire is presumably running around giving high fives to people in the audience.

i can’t exactly tell with the camera angle and the lighting but i think that more family members get up from different seats in the audience or at least enter in the back and walk through the audience to get to the stage during this instrumental break. reminds me of how joe loves theater that physically touches you. giving you high fives in this case.

love liz lark brown. she plays it pretty like. frenetic and frazzled. love it.

amara, badia, danielle, will, and nick are just chillin sitting on the steps of the stage. 100% contributes to the vibe of this song. top fuckin notch.

SOMEONE screams AH during the drunk part of the song and i cannot figure out who but it gives me so much life.

jared pulling lance down to the floor with him.

jason going “man.... this place is a dump” like i LOVE the irreverence.

everyone actually getting back up and also converging On the stage during the (kind of) acapella break.

and now your whole gang is up on the stage at the fancy ass appel room singing your what sounds like a mostly upbeat fun song but is actually about self medication with alcohol and it’s a fucking jam. i love the 3 solo songs and then bringing in everyone for a big group number.

sidenote not about this specific performance: the lyrics “i’ll pour some more and then—AND THEN?—i’ll pass out and then—AND THEN!” the and thens were not on the things to ruin album and i wonder why not ALL the time. was it just deemed extraneous? or was this an innovation after the album was recorded?

i love that you can see the band singing along.

yesterdays / i can’t relate. i love this song i fucking love it. i love the synthy keyboard that was an active choice made. which means that joe is not the one accompanying jared in this song.

jared: i hate today. joe: *snorts in the background*

“i like music you can hold” -> old records black suits, susannah’s obsession with music which was of course in vinyl format back then

will once said hearing lgw was very exciting because he’s first and foremost a fan of joe’s so he was hearing a new joe song for the first time and the world got just a bit larger and i think about that quote a lot in relation to this song because i was like Oh i Get What He Means now because this is the first new joe song i heard since like getting into his work and i felt that world getting a bit bigger.

jared’s monotone chorus on top of the girls underneath is so good. it’s so fucking good i cannot.

liz lark brown velociraptor fuckin classic. specifically in this performance the weird ass electric guitar noise at “there’s a dinosaur” is SO good. i love it.

i know people say Trans Vibes from next song (jeff) but this song also gives me trans vibes. i think joe inadvertently writes stuff trans people relate to because of his propensity to write for People Who Are Different.

people cheering as will takes off his jacket hell yeah.

i am way more used to the jeremy morse version of this song and really consider it more his so it’s so fun to hear will sing it.

i love the canon of the “oh”s so much.

after will sings “i go to the window looking out and what do i see? myself just staring back at me.” and someone in the audience AUDIBLY goes “oh.” like what a MOMENT. way more subtle than when someone screamed “WHAT” at the “naked korean girl” reveal during the pipe night performance but on the same tier of Great Audience Reactions.

smooth fuckin gliss bro i love it. arms out by side. i love it.

Classic Jason Sweettooth Williams Singing Helen. but this time they added like some REAL like. oh god i have no idea how to describe it. electric crunchy electric guitar noises. and it’s so good.

i havent mentioned this yet but in the background of every song people who are not in it or are backup vocals are just sitting and jamming along and it’s so nice because me fuckin too.

honest to god just have to give a timestamp for this but bullet point for whatever the fuck eric is doing in the background here.

will and katrina circling each other singing directly into each other’s faces. so good.

the Unexpected dynamic change and following crescendo i am Living.

katrina rose dideriksen riffing up top. yes. YES.

joe starting to play helen sharp and then forgetting part of his introduction to the song is so good.

the inevitable laughter at any performance of this song at “it is not lost on me you’re all here at my show”

i know nothing about the movie death becomes her so i honestly always just think about joe when this song gets performed. also thinking about how in the youtube premiere of this song, joe was talking about how lauren was shouting out the names of all the musical theater composers joe is jealous of.

right place/wrong time. i read a bsol review a while ago about how katrina rose dideriksen was underutilized and gotta say i Agree holy Shit let her sing More.

i also remember how joe once said this song felt the most personal to him and that he cried when writing it

police siren piano.

the first time in this entire song they sing in sync is at the line “i wonder if his/her life is just like mine” and i just start screaming.

when eric and katrina turn to each other for the first time and start singing At each other!!!!!!!!!!!

honey! thinking about jen ash tep talking about how Each performance of this song gets Wilder and Wilder.

love it when nick just gets off the stage and starts singing to people in the audience. apparently one of the people was will’s mom lol.

ACAPELLA BREAK!!!!!! joe just fully gets up from piano and starts WILDLY clapping along!!!!

woman of a certain age! i remember when the live show happened the album had not come out yet and then when the yt premiere of it happened it Had been out for a week or so.

piano note elevator bell

the electric guitar is doing some fucking weird ass things in this song and i am living so fucking much for it.

the riffs badia does are so fucking incredible i immediately paused this video to go and watch her sing big fat ruby again just because i wanted more badia content.

the story behind old flame is so good and joe waiting until the last fuckin moment to give her the song is so fuckin funny.

i love love love these types of joe songs that are like 7 minute long story epics like right place/wrong time and the actress and ammonia and old flame.

“the best way to get past the past is to shoot it in the head” and then the audience cheers and i fucking love it. my commentary is getting shorter. it’s 6 am and i’m tired can you tell. i also just had a lot of thoughts about this early on and less thoughts about later on.

revolution song. the deep ass fucking electric bass is So good i Will go apeshit. like honestly that might be my favorite smaller detail of this song. like i imagine if i were in the room it might be loud and deep enough that i could feel it In my chest. like you can Feel the revolution coming.

i love the faster tempo revolution song has in the cabaret version.

i also love the cabaret specific lines of “evolution in the institution”

joey is a punk rocker was honestly not ever on the list of songs i thought would get performed here but im so glad that they did. like the obvious choice would have been veins for annie golden but they went this route. obsessed with this choice. obsessed with the fact that amphibian replaced this song as the act 2 opener. obsessed that annie is the one singing this.

i am never not screaming about wave and yall know this. just throwback to me losing it in the tags in a reblog of picture of the wave passage going on about how it really does mirror joe’s career and bmc specifically. and again this song being performed for the first (?) time since bmc closed makes the “so today on a hill in las vegas” and onward part SO fucking sad i literally just started crying. the entire song being in past tense up until that part. i will just go die now.

will in the yt premiere talking about texting the line “our energy would simply prevail” in the leadup to bmc coming back.

find the bastard. for some reason when this happened live i thought it was gonna be outlaw that was performed.

i swear to god it is literally physically impossible for me not to AT LEAST mouth along to “what’s your name, what’s your name” during this song

NAMES ARE FOR ACCOUNTANTS.

MY NAME IS AWFUL LONG AS IT’S THE LYRICS OF THIS SONG.

the goodbye song. it’s never not sad. i love love love that this song is the final song every concert. i also love the recent lore of finding out that penny dreadfuls was the encore song at concerts before they became too long and it had to get cut.

finally gonna mention the background car lights. what a beautiful backdrop.

also since im always on my wrol bullshit i love how fucking clearly you can hear him at the end

accelerando accelerando accelerando. insert [joe iconis peaked when he wrote the accelerando in the goodbye song post of mine].

katrina singing an octave up is always SO fucking impressive i am so impressed by her voice she is so fucking good i love her so much

the bows are so fucking sweet i love them.

goodnight it’s 7 am.

#teresa talks #also as my life gets Increasingly busier i decide to come back #social media truly a cesspit i can never escape #many no thots head empty full yes no <3 #im very tired #iaf #joe iconis

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prokitty101 · 4 years

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002 Iceberg because why not uwu

Hohooo! My number 2 RWBY OTP! Alright, strap in boys and girls, mama gonna tell you why I love this ship.

When I started shipping them/My thoughts/What makes me happy about them: (I’ve clumped these bullet points together to make it easier and sound less repetitive) I’m gonna be honest with ya’ll. I couldn’t stand Neptune the first time around, because he came off as another “The cooler Daniel” meme. However, what truly sold me to the ship was Weiss’s feelings towards Neptune.

She is known as the Ice Queen amongst her companions (And Roman lol) and it is expected of her to act like that from time to time. Neptune’s appearance was the beginning of the trope subversion. She doesn’t just harrumph at Neptune because he slightly did a better job at flirting than Jaune, no, she downright falls for him, HARD. And that is NOT a bad thing for her character.

I am all for character subversions because it adds another palette dynamic to their personality. Yes yes, we see her tone her tsundereness down a notch towards Ruby earlier, but that’s different. It was so damn refreshing to see Weiss openly express her attraction to Neptune; someone who didn’t utter anything about her background being an Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company during their initial meeting. He saw her for her, not her money or title. (like Henry Marigold did.)

I enjoyed watching the build-up between Weiss and Neptune. It’s small but their mutual attraction had always been around. It was natural and (free to tell me if I’m wrong) Neptune was the first person she met who was actually nice to her. Granted he also didn’t say anything to piss her off.

Weiss crushing on Neptune is great because it is one of the very few things she has complete control over without her family’s interference, especially father. It is something Weiss wants and can do, not what her daddy told her to do. Her mustering up the courage to ask Neptune out was so freaking rewarding to me. Weiss is incredibly sweet and cute, and it warms my heart knowing there was that special someone she could just completely gush over.

After watching RWBY the second time around, Neptune’s character grew more and more to the point he is my #1 favourite character now. He’s balsy, a tease, flirtatious and get’s straight to the point with his words, but he’s also hilariously unaware of how stupid he sounds sometimes. I LOVE dumbasses like that. Although, Neptune is quite similar to Weiss in regards of having to mask his true self for arguably the entertainment of others. Weiss is known as the Ice Queen so she begrudgingly sticks with it. Neptune is the cool dude and he keeps it up.

You can probably argue I’m giving the ship too much credit or thinking to deep into it and you’re probably right. This is not me saying there were some stupid “coding” or subtleties you need to dive in and search for, it’s just me having this thought about Iceberg makes me really happy that it could’ve been more. (If that makes sense.)

What makes me sad about them: The refusal to develop the ship and Neptune as a whole. It really cuts me deep because there is clear potential in Neptune to be a valuable secondary member of the RWBY gang. Like how Sun is to Blake, Neptune could’ve been that to Weiss. BUT NO. It feels like the backlash Neptune had gotten after V2 - 3 stunted the idea of making the ship work.

I’ve been told there were a lot of Neptune/SSSN scenes cut out for team CFVY and that saddens me. Even the Neptune & Sun vs Pyrrha & Nora fight was cut. Apparently, there was going to be a part in the fight where Neptune had to take off his jacket and reveal his inflatable armbands, then Weiss would go into a laughing fit. COME ON THAT WOULD’VE BEEN SO FUNNY AND CUTE.

Also, people saying Neptune didn’t care for Weiss, especially because he was teasing Team NDGO. C’mon man, the dude was clearly joking. Y'all saw how the crowd reacted when team SSSN entered the grounds. What would’ve been damn disrespectful if Neptune had continuously teased the girls throughout the match, spouting a lot of sexist comments. Despite his obvious distraction during the match, he does take his fights seriously.

Yes, Weiss’s reaction was slightly justified but it’s just the typical “I wanna beat my crush’s his ass because he’s stupid and useless” gag in anime. He’s basically a blend of Yuu Kashima and Mikoto Mikoshiba from Nozaki-kun.

Then there’s the whole Dance conversation with Jaune and Neptune. Some of y’all are so quick to assume Neptune was objectifying Weiss with the “She’s all yours.” line while conveniently ignoring “I don’t want to get in your way.” line that immediately followed up. Look, he knows Jaune likes Weiss too and was willing to back out believing it was the right thing to do, but Jaune is the one encouraging Neptune to keep going after his blunder, understanding how much Neptune indeed likes Weiss. Brofist.

Neptune reappearing in V6 and contributing nothing again got on my nerves. That was a great moment for the writers to put in a small moment between him and Weiss after the Beacon incident, BUT NO. The fuckers only remembered he’s Sun’s friend. Seriously what the hell man. Are they trying to bury the fact the ship happened in the first place? Mean.

And to make things worse, you make him talk to Ilia? For gods sake WHY.

Another is saying Weiss is better off with Sun or Jaune because Neptune doesn’t deserve her. If that ain't the definition of objectification then I don’t know what is. Also, that weird reasoning of Weiss isn’t interested anymore because she had a gay awakening IS SUCH A DAMN REAAACH LMAO BITCH WHEREEE?

Iceberg is truly underrated.

Things done in fanfic that annoys me: You’ll be surprised to hear I don’t read a lot of Iceberg fanfiction. Just not in the mood right now. But I do hate the idea of fanfic writers amping up Neptune’s personality to make him seem like a complete douchebag. Yo, that title belongs to Henry Marigold. Quit mixing the two up, please.

Things I look in a fanfic: NEPTUNE AND WEISS BEING HAPPY WITH EACH OTHER, PLEASE. Or Weiss being a cute tsundere to Neptune. Just cute things!

My wishlist: Oh boy do I have whole buncha posts about that already.

Who I’d be comfortable them ending up with, if not each other: Okay, this is a little tricky. I don’t like Whiteknight BUT I can’t ignore there was some potential between them. Especially after the abomination that is volume 5. Weiss and Jaune could’ve easily had a meaningful conversation about her injury and how he saved her. It’s never brought up again and it baffles me.

As for Neptune? I don’t know. Seamonkeys is my top OTP of all time but holy fuck am I against it becoming a thing. So maybe like during the Vacuo collaboration of SSSN and CFVY, Velvet genuinely stars crushing on Nep and he is adorably oblivious to it.

My happily ever after for them: Ahhh you know what I didn’t really get that far lol, get back to me on that.

#RWBY #RWDE #Neptune Vasilias #Weiss Schnee #Iceberg #Weiss x Neptune #Neptune x Weiss #Shipping #stop exaggerating Neptune's character just because you don't like him #unfair treatment on Neptune #lewdnepvasilias666

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virtchandmoir · 5 years

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Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir Ready to Rock Prince George one final time

October 11, 2019

Three-time Olympic Champions Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir are performing in PG one last time as part of Rock The Rink Tour. (Photo supplied by Danielle Earl and CN Centre)

They say all good things must come to an end.

For the dynamic figure skating duo of Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir it’s one last chance to dazzle the crowd and say thank you to all the fans who have supported them over the past 22 years.

The three-time Olympic champions are part of the Rock the Rink Tour, which makes a stop in Prince George tomorrow night from the CN Centre.

In an exclusive interview with MyPGNow.com, both Virtue and Moir reflect on their storied careers.

“We’re pouring our hearts into every moment we get on the ice and I think the overriding emotion is just gratitude and we’re so thankful for all the support over the years, really appreciative of the opportunity to enjoy performing,” said Virtue.

“It’s been a really special journey so it obviously is a little emotional when it comes to a close but it’s hard to be too upset when you feel so lucky to have had such a great 22 years. It’s a fun way to tour to be on the ice will all of your friends, many of them from around the world with such a talented cast and we’re soaking in every last moment,” added Moir.

Virtue and Moir’s list of accomplishments includes being the most decorated figure skaters in Olympic history, which was capped off by a flawless performance at last year’s Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Virtue believes after skating to a third Olympic gold, the timing was right to walk away from competitive skating, making the announcement official in September.

“I think that was a really natural decision for us because we knew even in Pyeongchang and the lead up to that would be our last competitive experience and what a way to go out as it was just a fairy tale from carrying the flag to the team events, that was a dream come true as a competitive athlete and that’s exactly what we set our sights on when we announced a comeback in 2016.”

“We also know what it means to be at our best and to continue to push the boundaries and push ourselves we need to invest a lot into training and after 22 years, I just don’t think we’re at the place in our lives to commit to that level we know we would need to ensure the product remained top-notch.”

Was there anyone moment that stood out in your storied careers more than others?

“We can say our best moments as athletes came at the Olympic games and what a dream come true, for an athlete to be able to say that those are the moments that we take away in our sport because we prepare so much for the Olympics, not that we don’t for the Worlds but the Olympics seem to go to another level,” added Moir.

“Being named the flag bearers for 2018 was such a career highlight and that we were given the platform and the privilege of representing our country on the world stage is the honest honour of all I think,” stated Virtue.

When asked if both of them have inspired a new generation of figure skaters in Canada, they responded by saying their hope is to see kids achieve their dreams in whatever they choose.

“As athletes and Olympians, we’re given a certain platform that we don’t take lightly as I think it is a serious part of our jobs and roles that we feel very grateful for and if it’s not in figure skating we just hope to inspire people to be active and to embrace the joy of sport and the lessons that it brings.”

“It doesn’t mean you have to be an Olympic champion or an ice dancer but just pursuing your own passion fearlessly is a beautiful sentiment we wish to impart,” explained Virtue.

“We know that they’ll be some Canadian kids that are coming up that will just blow our records out of the water and that makes us very, very happy and I think by the time we realize by the time their careers end, those kids will be Olympic champions themselves, which is very exciting,” said Moir.

Once the tour is over, Virtue and Moir will enter uncharted territory, a challenge they’re both looking forward to.

“What a jumping-off point. It’s a really exciting place to be as I can’t remember a time where we had some opening in our schedule where we were able to say yes to some things and take on new challenges, which was really refreshing.” added Virtue.

“They’ll be a focus on schooling and on the business side. I think as athletes we’re used to being our own bosses so there is an entrepreneurial spirit and I look forward to pursuing more projects that are close to my heart like charitable work and more stuff with young women keeping them in sport.

“The more I hear that question on whether or not we should be nervous about our next phase or if we’re more anxious the more I think we should be but I don’t feel that I feel excited since you only get so many years on this rock and you want to make the most of it,” added Moir.

“I can honestly say that I’ve gotten the most out of figure skating that I can.”

The Rock the Rink Tour kicks off at 7pm and will also include fellow figure skating legends like Patrick Chan, Elvis Stojko and Katelyn Osmond.

—My Prince George Now

#tessa and scott #off ice #tour #rtr 2019 #interview: my prince george now #one day i will have a discourse on alex morgan vs. tessa virtue

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thepermanentrainpress · 4 years

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EVERYBODY LOVES FIN: EPISODE 19

Canucks Twitter has never been more passionate, divisive and heavily opinionated; let’s go with an all-encompassing—vibrant. Any fan base is a community of people with thoughts to share, and luckily for others, content to create for a wider audience. I have to admit, I’ve been largely on the outside of Canucks Twitter, merely because I tend to direct my opinions to a TV screen rather than on social media. That being said, lately my sister, Pass it to Bulis contributor and Botchford Project recipient, Natalie Hoy, has been encouraging me to listen to more Canucks-centric podcasts. It’s been a fun time.

2010s: Does Vancouver really need two all-sports radio stations? 2020s: Does Vancouver really need 741 Canucks podcasts?

— Jyrki21 (@Jyrki21)

June 9, 2020

The world of ‘audio blogging’ has only grown over the past few years. Listeners are able to multi-task - exercising, cooking, cleaning, driving or on public transit - while plugged in to a new episode on practically any personal device. It’s a form of entertainment, often interactive, and a perfect creative outlet for amateur (and experienced) broadcasters looking for a new project. There is no shortage of podcasts courtesy of Canucks Twitter, a testament to the commitment and drive of fans, and the accessibility of the art form. With the Qualifying Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs just about underway, there is much to be talked about. Let’s take a look at what’s out there.1

C4 Podcast

Founded: July 2013

Players: Chris Golden (@lyteforce), Anna Forsyth (@aforsyth03),Matt Lee (@mattlee_61)

Premise: The longest-running, active Canucks podcast (birthed from Canucks Hockey Blog) has been on-air for 7 years! Originally co-hosted by Chris and parody song creator Clay Imoo (@CanuckClay), the podcast offers commentary about current Canucks and NHL affairs, prospects, expectations, reminiscing on the team’s past (memories of the retired taco lover Eddie Lack and past playoff runs), and features interviews with guests. This past season, they’ve had Patrick Johnston (The Province), Satiar Shah (Sportsnet 650), Cam Robinson (Elite Prospects, Dobber Prospects) and Dan Murphy (Sportsnet) in the hot seat.

Twitter | Patreon | Discord | Listen

In the "longest-running" #Canucks #PodcastLikeThat, @risingaction joins @aforsyth03 @lyteforce & @mattlee_61 to talk about the summer training camp so far, how the Canucks match against the Wild, Rathbone, Tryamkin and so much more! https://t.co/ACreWPcPWC

— #PodcastLikeThat (@TheC4Podcast)

July 21, 2020

Area 51

Founded: December 2019 (relaunch)

Players: Sean Warren (@SeanyeWest234), Samantha (@samanthacp_), Malcolm Ert (@malcolmert), Bradley Thomas (@bradthomas_96), Eric (@breakawayeric), Bailey Broadbent (@baileybroadcast)

Premise: Area 51 celebrated a relaunch last December since their inception in July 2019, and in May welcomed a team to join host Sean Warren. Aside from their cool, alien conspiracy branding, at the mic they cover a broad range of hockey talk with notable guests (writers and broadcasters in the media, content creators, musicians, WHL players, fellow blog/podcast owners, Canucks Autism Network). I love that they’ve started to cover important topics beyond the gameplay, like anti-racism, inclusivity, and diversity in sports, and have actively sought out the guests to do so.

Twitter | Instagram | Listen

HERE WE GO! @CanuckClay enters A51 in GLCPC to discuss: -Sports debates -Being a hockey media creator -Plan a Vegas trip -Drinking and Parenting tips And complete the famous Guest Shootout! Find out whether Clay is responsible for the Luongo trade!https://t.co/Zg629tWvLG

— Area 51 Hockey Podcast (@Area51Hockey)

July 24, 2020

Cap Space Wins Cups

Founded: February 2020

Players: Hassan Ahmed (@_hassanahmed9), Ahsan Ahmed (@ace103196), Hussain Ahmed (@hussain11ahmed)

Premise: The newly formed podcast has a light, humorous tone - evident by their inaugural episode introduction about their lack of social media followers. They cover quick hits of the Canucks week, roster situations, hockey culture, and of course, cap space. They’ve hosted fellow podcast hosts and media (Satiar Shah, J.D. Burke, Matthew Sekeres, Jeff Paterson), and even a fellow Burnaby kid, Massimo Rizzo. Rizzo was a 2019 Carolina Hurricanes draft pick. It’s clear they have a lot more to share, including takes in on their corresponding blog – see: How the Canucks Can Acquire Dougie Hamilton & Build a Cup Contender. I’ll read anything related to Dougie Hamilton.

Twitter | Instagram | Listen

🚨🚨Another HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT the boys have their own website 🚨🚨https://t.co/JfQXqiXcz2, the site has all the podcast epidoes and links to all their social media. The boys have also started blogging and have 2 big article out already! It’s 100% free sign up on the site to L&C!

— Cap Space Wins Cups Podcast (@capspacecups)

June 21, 2020

The Broadscast

Founded: July 2020

Players: Vanessa Jang (@vanessajang), Georgia Twiss (@georgiatwiss), Samantha (@samanthacp_), Mallory (@sports_lesbian), Danielle Huntley (@danihuntley)

Premise: Your ‘local hockey girl gang’ talks Canucks, sports culture, and soap operas. All 5 hosts have a significant following on Twitter and are bold and uncompromising, which makes for great statements and table chatter. This was written with only their Teaser episode released, but you can expect no shortage of pop culture references, fashion discussion, NHL wives and girlfriends (WAG) and pet content, along with team analysis. It’s trailblazing for a group of females in Vancouver to start their own podcast that’s hockey-focused, meant to be a casual chat amongst friends. They know the team, know their media, can gossip, and are having fun with it.

Twitter | Instagram | Listen

The Broadscast is officially LIVE!! 🎙 Just 5 girls and some light-hearted hockey talk with a soap opera twist. Catch our teaser episode NOW on your podcast medium of choice!https://t.co/91KE8LnOJE pic.twitter.com/XH0fIfhmHy

— The Broadscast (@BroadscastPod)

July 27, 2020

PUCKS ON NET

Founded: September 2013

Players: Ryan Schaap (@schaaptop), Geeta Reddy (@geetanjalireddy), Paul McLellan (@McLellanPaul), Dave McPhail (@PucksOnDave)

Premise: The group of 4 has created a casual, honest atmosphere with their roundtable conversation. They’re good friends, which equates to great camaraderie. They run a ‘contradictory’ fantasy hockey league and don’t talk ‘fancy stats’ (while still being very knowledgeable). I think they’re engaged with their listeners, and relatable as human beings amongst their talk of Tim Hortons NHL trading cards, player safety, current signings and acquisitions, and Green Day at the All-Star Game. Reaching 7 years of consistent hockey talk and recapping the team’s evolution is a feat in its own.

Twitter | Patreon | Instagram | Listen

And on Sunday, Ryan sat down with his old man for Father's Day to talk about growing up playing minor hockey in Calgary, bonding over the Vancouver #Canucks and even his words of wisdom when it comes to talking to your kids about drugs.https://t.co/BaQFM53Yws

— PUCKS ON NET (@Pucksonnetca)

June 24, 2020

The Canucks Conversation

Founded: November 2018

Players: Chris Faber (@ChrisFaber39), David Quadrelli (@Quadrelli)

Premise: Faber was joined by Quads in 2020, and the pair has perhaps the most praised local podcast so far. They’re both BCIT Radio Arts and Entertainment students (and writers for CanucksArmy), and their dedication, preparedness, branding and reporting level are top notch. They break down topics with great chemistry and perception - roster moves, Nikita Tryamkin, Olli Juolevi, and the Judd Brackett situation. Some of their notable guests include Utica Comets Kole Lind and Brogan Rafferty, and ‘bionic’ Finn Sami Salo.

Twitter | Patreon | Instagram | Listen

🎉SURPRISE! 🎉 Episode 91: “Jake Jets out of the lineup” ft.@CraigJButton We dropped our episode early! Craig Button stops by to chat about the NHL and #Canucks prospects. We breakdown the exhibition game against the Jets & some exciting news at the end!https://t.co/NMWBVOU7ko

— Canucks Conversation Podcast (@CanucksConvo)

July 30, 2020

Canucks & Pucks

Founded: April 2019

Players: Matthew Zator (@MatthewZatorSC)

Premise: Matthew Zator, writer for The Hockey Writers and Hockey Ops Director at Overtime Heroics, made a return to the airwaves this past July (after a lengthy regular season hiatus). Since getting back up and running, it’s full steam ahead – Zator has been joined by contributors from The Hockey Writers, The Canuck Way, college hockey newsletter Fresh Ice, and fellow podcast hosts. He has good insight and as a writer who goes into depth about NHL draft picks, the Vancouver Giants, and both the Nucks’ positives and negatives in his work, it gets noticeably transferred to the on-air conversation.

Twitter | Listen

🚨 NEW EPISODE 🚨 Episode 7 ft @CanuckClay, @JDsays2much, and @BaileyAJohnson_! - #Canucks & #mnwild with Jack & Clay - Will Lockwood and Quinn Hughes with Bailey - The Mailbag segment debuts and of course news from the #NHL and @TheHockeyWriter! #THW https://t.co/lW9FQms35P

— Canucks & Pucks Podcast 🏒🎙️ (@CanucksPucks)

July 28, 2020

Canucks Speakeasy

Founded: August 2019

Players: Pete Edwards (@pete_gas), Doug (@dougvenn)

Premise: Pete and Doug are 2 “mildly educated Canucks die-hards” who chat about current team news and trending topics. They’ve covered trade talk, the Collective Bargaining Agreement, prospects at the World Juniors, scouting, and the BLM movement. They’re occasionally joined by guests including podcast friends, and fellow fans/Tweeters Chris Conte, Jenna Fabulous and Ray Hatt.

Twitter | Listen

We're back with Episode 37: Powderkeg. Playoffs, play-ins, Judd and BLM are all discussed. Give'r a listen!https://t.co/dwoEQVNudThttps://t.co/7ZSogAjWsuhttps://t.co/r5HqX26czU pic.twitter.com/QKScnR9Q6G

— Canucks Speakeasy (@CanucksSpeak)

June 4, 2020

The LarschCast

Founded: June 2019

Players: Tej Dhaliwal (@DrTejDhaliwal), Sat Oberoi (@SatOberoi), Nav Dosanjh (@NavDosanjh1983), Ryan Cassels (@cassels_music)

Premise: The Larschcasters are known for their entertaining banter and debates, mostly on hockey and a little NFL. They’ve picked the minds of seasoned media (Scott Oake, James Duthie, Joey Kenward), legendary broadcaster Jim Robson, and former Canucks Kirk McLean, Chris Higgins and Shane O’Brien. They’ve been generating healthy content during the pandemic, including a spirited debate with Minnesota Wild podcast hosts, discussing media personnel moves, prospects, NHL Award contenders, and the toxicity in the Vancouver Canucks market. In June, they released a special with hockey coach/trainer Jennifer Chefero, sharing her story facing sexual abuse and harassment in her career, while candidly discussing women’s rights and sports culture.

Twitter | Facebook | Listen

Episode 61 ft. @hustlerama!#NHLJets centric epi, with an outlook of the Jets vs #flames. Not a lot of love for Calgary in this one😬. Also insights into the #nhlbubble, before ending with #Canucks talk & Rapid Larsch! 🍎:https://t.co/vZ2lyQ9zoO Spotify: https://t.co/XdV1y3ls7V

— The LarschCast (@larschcast)

July 29, 2020

The PP1 Podcast

Founded: October 2019

Players: Brayden Ursel (@bkursel23), Ted (@tee3ree), Ryan Hank (@always90four)

Premise: A tagline like “three guys from Kelowna bringing the heat and spitting the takes” doesn’t need further explanation. Appearing at the beginning of this season, the podcast (which features writers from The Canuck Way and CanucksArmy) has had some nice guests like the Canucks inaugural captain Orland Kurtenbach, retired centre and current Kelowna Rockets Assistant Coach Vern Fiddler, and Paul “Biznasty” Bissonnette. They’ve been nominated for Kelowna Now’s Best Local Podcast, and have a ‘Dudes and Guys’ segment where they pit 2 players against one another and talk it out (criteria is debatable).

Twitter | Listen

Episode 46: Bouncy Castles, Boeser Bombshells, & Backchecking w/ @mattsekeres. We chat Boeser rumours, cap crunch, Rathbone, Tryamkin, Markstrom, Sundin vs. Vanek, the best cold-open since Nikolay Goldobin, and how you can win a #Canucks jersey. https://t.co/KouGJr6GKH

— The PP1 PODCAST (@ThePP1Podcast)

July 15, 2020

The SCT Show

Founded: September 2018

Players: Nam Mann (@CanuckAgent007), Tanbir Rana (@TRana87)

Premise: SCT is Strictly Canucks Talk. Aside from reminiscing about ‘where were you when’ pivotal moments in franchise history occurred and the regular shop talk of performance and #NamStats, they draw in guests to talk about trade value (The Athletic’s Harman Dayal) and stickhandling (specialist/trainer Pavel Barber). They’ve also hosted local defenceman and last year’s 4th overall draft pick Bowen Byram, and hockey analyst/retired winger Anson Carter for a chat about the pressure of the market in Vancouver and the Sedins. Like any good heated debate, there are also trade and Team Tank vs Playoffs scenarios.

Twitter | Listen

.@CanuckAgent007 has a proposal to get Loui Eriksson off the #Canucks books 🤔 EP 14 - Links below ⬇️ 🍎 https://t.co/Z9snNdSuI1 📱 https://t.co/AJILh0IaWJ pic.twitter.com/LZblDE8GLW

— The SCT Show (@SCTShow)

July 17, 2020

Johnny Canuck Talk

Founded: August 2019

Players: Adrian J. Haug (@adrianjhaug), Roy Styles (@roy_styles)

Premise: Takes from 2 arm chair GM’s, the pair discuss a wide variety of topics like losing streaks, hockey safety, report cards, line-ups, and trade deadline. They’ve also shared an insightful chat with Harman Dayal (The Athletic) about his career and the late and great Jason Botchford. It’s laid-back and conversational, with mentions of farmers’ tans, celebrating birthdays during quarantine, and the school system strung across introductions. What’s cool is they record the podcast from near and far away places – Kamloops, BC and Germany (!).

Twitter | Listen

(1) Episode 37 is uploading now! @roy_styles and I talk #Canucks #hockey and @Canucks topics, issues, news, etc. We also talk about the incredible impact our Jim Carey impressions have had on our wives. Yikes. Featuring tweets from: @Canuckgirl20 @TSN1040 @DanRiccio650 pic.twitter.com/6oA7mZh6jb

— Johnny Canuck Talk (@JohnnyCanuckPod)

June 28, 2020

1 This list is not exhaustive, but there is something for everyone and I hope you find your Canucks fix. There can be an argument made that the podcast market is oversaturated, but I like to see it as an opportunity for any fan or audio bird to let their voice be heard! So, don’t be negative about it.

Posted by: Chloe Hoy

#Everybody Loves Fin #Canucks #Vancouver Canucks #Chloe #Canucks Twitter #blog #hockey blog #NHL #nucks #nhl canucks #Podcast #Apple Podcasts #sports #hockey #Podcaster #Spotify Podcast

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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The Alienist: Angel of Darkness Episode 1 Review: Ex Ore Infantium

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This THE ALIENIST review contains spoilers.

The Alienist Season 2 Episode 1

Times have certainly changed. I’m not comparing today’s world to that of 1897; the scenes in the premiere of The Alienist: Angel of Darkness featuring police brutalizing innocent protesters highlights that society hasn’t evolved that much. No, I’m talking about the world in which The Alienist’s first “event” season arrived in compared to the TV landscape that the second outing arrives in today. The Alienist’s first good, not quite great, season was dinged for arriving in a crowded pack of shows with similar subject matter or period settings. However, The Alienist: Angel of Darkness appears to be one of the last big cable series to debut before the coronavirus and its effect on television production schedules creates a void in available new content. Instead of being the latest of many, it now feels like one of the last of a few.

Perhaps that feeling made reuniting with Daniel Brühl’s tortured genius Dr. Laszlo Kreizler, Dakota Fanning’s strong-willed Sara Howard, and Luke Evan’s charming John Moore more exciting than the prospect initially sounded. The trio certainly had a unique dynamic and chemistry that propelled the show through some clunky writing, but The Alienist was pitched as a one-and-done series and told a complete story that offered satisfying character arcs for its three leads. Despite there being more of Caleb Carr’s source material to adapt, the announcement of a second season felt unnecessary; we told Kreizler and company’s story and it was time to move on.

Still, reuniting with the three leads — watching Sara lead her own private detective agency, John rubbing elbows with members of high society, and Kreizler brooding his way through a new injustice in a bustling New York — felt satisfying. Perhaps quarantine has made The Alienist’s world feel strangely preferable, even with its own dramas and germs. Maybe the comfortable narrative structure of a whodunit without the complicated inclusion of a cop among the bunch helps on some level too. I’m not saying “Ex Ore Infantium” is without its issues, but at the moment, I’m happy to be back on the case with this trio.

The Alienist: Angel of Darkness scores its easiest points by doubling down on Sara Howard. The character, propelled by Fanning’s performance, was a frequent highlight the first time around, and it appears as if the series is putting her more at the center of things this year. Sara is leading her own agency, and along with her friends, finds herself deeply disturbed by and determined to stop a planned execution. A woman named Martha is receiving the death penalty for supposedly murdering her child, despite there not being any evidence. Sara, John, and Kreizler, who fought on the woman’s behalf at her trial, try to leverage their connection to Teddy Roosevelt (who in real-life was serving as Assistant Security of the Navy and doesn’t appear to be returning as a character) to delay the electrocution, but their efforts aren’t successful. The electrocution is pretty graphic, but it pales in comparison to what comes later.

The Alienist: Angel of Darkness Release Date, Trailer, Cast, Story, and News

By Kayti Burt and 1 other

The Alienist Sequel Series Angel of Darkness Finds Showrunner

By Tony Sokol and 1 other

Though all three of our main characters pledge to continue to fight for justice, it’s Sara that stumbles on proof that Martha may be innocent and that a child killer may still be at large. A Spanish dignitary and his wife are visiting the city when their child is kidnapped and replaced with a horrific doll. The case is first brought to Sara, as her efforts to clear Martha’s name made her appear as sympathetic to women that are cast aside as being “hysterical.” Sara’s pitch to take on the investigation without the help of the police is excellent; she’s compassionate and full of empathy, yet confident and resolute, making it clear that she’s the only person in New York with the acumen and sensitivity to handle the case.

She also makes it clear that Dr. Kreizler will only be consulted as needed. Though they may have made up in last season’s finale, it’s clear that the incident which involved Kreizler striking Sara still lingers over their relationship. They may be able to work together in a professional setting, but it’s obvious there’s an awkwardness between the pair when they meet one on one. Unfortunately, the scene with Kreizler meeting with Sara in her office is hindered by some over-written dialogue. Usually the actors on The Alienist are so good that they can elevate clunky passages, but when the characters are supposed to be displaying discomfort and awkwardness, it makes the problems with the script more obvious. There’s ungraceful exposition all over this premiere, but perhaps that’s just necessary table-setting.

The other problem with the episode is the gratuitous dead baby shots. A deceased child is found at a toy store in the city, believed to be the missing child that Sara is searching for. Like Perry Mason earlier this summer, The Alienist goes a bit overboard showing us the body. I understand that the series is supposed to be “dark” but it definitely feels like a bit much. However, the discovery of the child finally brings our team from last season back together as a unit, even if Sara is the only person officially on the case. Kreizler starts musing about the meaning of the dolls in the kidnapping, and after her quick education working by his side last season, Sara is more than following along, offering up her own theories. Though the writing feels strained at times, I really enjoy the direction this season seems to be heading in, with Sara taking the lead in a case with the progressive campaign for suffrage serving as a backdrop. I may have cringed at some overly expository lines of dialogue, but I lit up seeing Sara charge through an immaculately staged 1897 New York avenue. The production design is top-notch on The Alienist, making it beautiful to look at even when the script suffers (and as long as there are no dead babies on screen). The Alienist may not have needed to return for a second outing, but I’m glad that it’s here.

The post The Alienist: Angel of Darkness Episode 1 Review: Ex Ore Infantium appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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themovieblogonline · 3 months

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"Hacks" Season 3 Premiere Is SXSW Smash

The Premiere of season 3 of “Hacks” (HBO Max) took place at noon on March 9th at SXSW. It was truly an audience of devoted fans. The feeling in the Paramount Theater was equal parts anticipation and shared enthusiasm--- not always the case at SXSW. Everyone present knew they were in for a great time, although there was a remark about how it was pretty early in the day for comedy. Saturday, March 9th in Austin, Texas, both Smart and Einbinder were at SXSW in person. Both looked great. Smart got a standing ovation. SEASON 2 At the end of season two, Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) fired Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder). Deborah reassured Ava that the firing would be good for Ava’s comedy writing career. It is quite clear that the separation has hurt Ava more than it has hurt Deborah. You feel that Deborah is a mother figure for Ava; Ava feels abandoned. Of course, there was the unfortunate spilling of Deborah Vance's stories to a journalist and the lawsuits last season. But, never fear, the dynamic duo is back together again in season three’s nine episodes. The viewership for season two’s first episode increased +125% over the first episode of season one. It isn’t difficult to understand why if you’ve seen the show. It is top-notch. There are more laughs per episode in “Hacks” than in any other comedy on the air. That is due in no small part to Jean Smart’s savvy portrayal of veteran comedienne Deborah Vance, a part she seems to have been born to play. Jean Smart is only the second female---Betty White was the first--- to win an Emmy in all three categories: leading actress in a comedy, supporting actress in a comedy, and guest star in a comedy series. Glen Weldon of NPR said, “I don’t know if the role of Deborah Vance was written for Smart, but she certainly makes it seem like it was.” SERIES SUCCESS Smart took home the Emmy for the leading actress in a comedy series two years in a row, 2021 and 2022. Hannah Einbinder is also great and has earned nominations for her work as Deborah’s sidekick. Hannah is the daughter of SNL original cast member Laraine Newman. The comic chemistry and timing the two bring to the screen is a magical part of the success of “Hacks.” The series won the Emmy, a Peabody award, a Critics’ Choice award, the DGA, SAG, WGA, and GLAAD awards. SERIES SIZZLE “Hacks’” wardrobe department makes it clear that glitter is back. There hasn't been this much glitz everywhere since Disco died. I noticed the increase in sparkly clothes worn by average concert-goers here in Austin. Check out the wardrobe for “Hacks.” You’ll get the idea in the opening sequence for series three. We see a tall woman in a dazzling bejeweled long coat walking confidently into a casino. (Check the trailer for that glimpse.) I’m sure everyone in the theater this Saturday afternoon thought it was Deborah Vance making her entrance. It wasn’t. SMART’S RESUME From finding that Jean Smart has been a Type I diabetic since the age of 13 to learning that she lost her husband of 30 years, Richard Gilliland, in March of 2021, it’s been discovery week for me looking back at Jean Smart’s storied career. Delay-wise, there was the writers’ strike, the heart procedure, and the 2 years off television for “Hacks.” It’s hard to feel the funny when negative things impact you. But veteran character actor Jean Smart is a trooper. She was one of television’s “Designing Women” (1986-1991). She appeared in episodes of “Frasier,” “Fargo,” “Watchtower” and, more recently, in 7 episodes of “Mare of Eastwick.” Recently, Damien Chazelle (“La La Land”) cast her in “Babylon” as Elinor St. John, a gossip columnist based on Hedda Hopper and Luella Parsons. In “Hacks” Smart plays a veteran comedy based on such pioneering comedy greats as Joan Rivers, Lucille Ball, Phyllis Diller, Elayne Boosler, Rita Rudner, Paula Poundstone, and Carol Burnett. SCHEDULE “Hacks” has been off the air for two years, leaving those of us who are true fans wondering if it was ever coming back. Didn’t it get renewed? The writer’s strike was given as one of the reasons that the absence was so lengthy. Furthermore, in February (2023) Jean Smart announced, via her Instagram account, that she had had “a heart procedure.” Even now, one department of “Hacks” has supposedly shut down while awaiting her complete recovery. The woman is 73, after all, and enjoying an unparalleled career resurgence. CONCLUSION The plan for season three is to air the Premiere episode (which is great) on HBO on May 3rd and then show two episodes a week until the Finale on May 30th. This season there will be guest stars like Helen Hunt, Christina Hendricks, Christopher Lloyd, George Wallace, and Tony Goldwyn. As for what the season holds, said writer Lucia Aniello, “I think there’s maybe a chasm between where they are respectively, in terms of their points-of-view of each other. I think it really brings up a lot because they are so obviously invested in each other.” And we, the audience, are so obviously invested in Deborah and Ava. Read the full article

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takaraphoenix · 5 years

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So since you're waiting for the season 3 of Elena of avalor, questions if you got any ships? There is a good kind of even Tri split of shipping Elena with Mateo, Gabe and for the LGBT Naomi. Find it weird when people ship Naomi and Esteban or Isa and Gabe. Also about your note about aging them up, while they do look the same as the beginning, they do mention a couple times in the second season that's been a year and Elena is 17. There was never any birthday episode tho. Which also bugs me..

I feel like Mateo/Elena and Gabe/Naomi are the heteronormative ships they’re trying to subtly push. It’s not working, so there’s that. xD

Personally, Gabe/Mateo and Naomi/Elena all the way! But also, after the Sirenas were introduced, Marisa/Elena and Daria/Naomi and me being me I could absolutely make Marzel/Gabe/Mateo work too. Also, on the gay front, absolutely Tornado/Luna. Uhuu.

The straights are highly underrepresented for me though, because like… Francisco/Luisa are so cute and I adore how much Daniel loves Scarlett, but like that’s legitimately it.

Isa and Gabe…? Really?? Yeah no, definitely not. But the Esteban/Naomi I can see where it’s coming from, their banter is absolutely delightful and I think their dynamic is the one with most growth because they did go from enemies to friends, so the jump “to lovers” is really not that far-fetched.

I know they keep bringing up Elena’s current age I think once a season as a reminder but there is never a birthday-episode for her. They had one for Naomi - her 16th - and one for Esteban and even one for Luna, but the titular main character didn’t get to celebrate even one of the three birthdays that must have happened in the past two seasons.

I do like that we can notch down the passing of time based on the Day of the Dead though. Like. That is the one thing that happens every year. Even though season 2 really confused me about that, to be honest, because they celebrated it at the Summer Castle, where they went, to spend the summer, and somehow I was under the impression the Day of the Dead was in autumn. And by “under the impression”, I mean “most definitely know that”…

But urgh, I love this show a lot. It’s great. The characters are amazing, the dynamics are amazing and while vaguely alluded, the at the top mentioned heteronormative ships aren’t actually canon. It’s all about that friendship and that familial love and I adore that.

Also, huge bonus-points for actually inverting tropes!

Naomi’s mom? I was 100% sure that was another case of “this is a cartoon, one parent is enough and it’s 90% of the time the dad and with a dead mom he seems like an even more amazing dad, so let’s kill the mom off” - seriously incredibly tired of that trope. And then she just… comes back? And, the bigger part where they actually inverted big times, she stayed. Because this is another huge trope in animated properties.

Parent(s) who travel a lot due to their job return, the kid thinks they Return For Good, the parent does a speech about how they will now stay together for good, buuut twist: they actually mean to take their kid with them, rip the kid out of the only home they’ve ever known and away from all their friends with absolutely zero regard as to what the kid wants, there’s drama about that until, in the end, with sad expressions, the parents leave alone because they see just how important home is to the kid but also they can’t be bothered to fucking stay with their own damn kid so they leave because work and their own desires are more important than their child.

It’s a very specific trope and yet it keeps happening and I absolutely hate it. I already hate the part where people have kids just to abandon them because their work is sooo much more important than their family and are just not home all the the time, because genuinely just don’t have a kid then if you can’t be bothered to prioritize your kid over your job. But that this in TV always ends with the parents leaving their underaged kid alone once again really vexes me because it’s treated like a grand gesture since they ““allowed”“ their child to stay in the only home the kid’s ever known instead of making decisions over the kid’s head and taking them along.

Here? She? Stays? She sees how important this place is to Naomi, she sees how important Naomi is to this place, to the people who have been there for Naomi while she was off to work. And even though she has this dream-job offer at her own old home, the country she was born in, she chooses her family over that and decides to stay in Avalor with her husband and her daughter. I was so sure she would leave Daniel and Naomi behind in Avalor and go alone. This was such a pleasant change.

Heck, even that they introduced Ash Delgado - because, again, I expected her to just be another killed-off mom for the sake of, I genuinely don’t know, saving animation time and not having to design so many characters and promoting what Amazing Dads those single fathers are. But no. She’s there. She exists. I don’t like her, but damn…

So, that went wildly off-topic there, but I think it still answers the question! Sorry for the rambling, I’m just really enjoying this show, can’t wait for more, hope there will be plenty of the Sirenas and that Joaquín returns for multiple episodes because he is an absolute delight!

#Elena of Avalor #Anonymous

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fietehermans · 5 years

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Review: Vampire weekend – Father of the Bride (Literally everything at once)

Marriage of sounds

If I had known I would have to discuss eighteen tracks, I would’ve left this one alone! Call them anything you want, but don’t ever call Vampire Weekend ‘easy to pin down’! when the group broke out more than a decade ago, they were a unique voice in pop music, blending indie with world music; on their third album, Modern Vampire of the City, when they abandoned their worldbeat roots, and made a foray into Beatlesque baroque pop. These were accompanied with lush production, poetic lyrics, and catchy pop hooks, making them easily the most gorgeously-sounding bands of the early 2010’s. However, since Modern Vampires… in 2013, they have been awfully quiet. Now, after six years of silence, that era is finally over, as the band finally released their fourth full-length, Father of the Bride!

The trademark Vampire Weekend sound is on display right from the start, as opening track Hold You Now combines lo-fi folk with an African choir—not exactly gospel, but almost tribal (not racist). This is also the first of three duets with Danielle Haim (the other ones being Married in a Gold Rush and We Belong Together); together, the three describe the trials and tribulations of a married couple. Lead single Harmony Hall is up next, and may be one of the best songs of the entire year—certainly one of VW’s best: a beautiful piece of Americana-tinged pop, combining gospel with country, and the most gorgeous of choruses from a band known for their gorgeous choruses. Meanwhile, Bambina is the closest thing the band comes to its worldbeat roots. By This Life, FotB displays a pretty clear dynamic: peppy music accompanied by sad lyrics, often with religious connotations. A song such as Rich Man explores the story of being rich and sad at the same time… It’s basically emo trap with a string section! Or My Mistake, a pretty ballad dealing with guilt. The sound is also quite distinct by this point: namely that there is one; rather, the numerous tracks explore many different genres, often within the same song: How Long? combines echoey backing vocals, quirky effects, and subtle organ touches; or the flamenco-inspired Sympathy, the Steve Lacey-collaborations, or the 2021, with its uncharacteristically electronic instrumental. A final highlight would be closing track Jerusalem, New York, Berlin, a stripped-back piano ballad with subtle electronic touches.

The production is, as is to be expected, top-notch: lush and gorgeous, like a good VW ought to be! (I’ve been using the words ‘lush’ and ‘gorgeous’ an awful lot, like they are my words of the day, but they honestly are the only terms that manage to even come close to how orgasmic this music sounds!) The instrumentation is, much like the genres, varied and tasteful.

Yet that variation is the major downside of FotB: despite its one-hour runtime, it goes by pretty quickly, but the many stylistic shifts and song lengths make the entire album very… schizophrenic; it honestly sounds more like a compilation of multiple ideas or demos than an actual album, and some of the songs themselves even sound like demos: short, or just a chorus on repeat. It’s like writing a novel: you need to keep a steady pace writing, so that you keep it consistent, not spend six years working on and off, leaving you with a large quantity of material, but some of it not finished, or too old to pick up again.

To wrap this up: Vampire Weekend returns with a collection of great pop songs, but the result seems unrefined; they needed to either expand the songs into a full double LP, or trim all the unnecessary fat!

Overall score: 3.5/5

#review #music review #vampire weekend #father of the bride

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grigori77 · 5 years

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2018 in Movies - My Top 30 Fave Movies (Part 3)

10. BLACK PANTHER – remember back in 1998, when Marvel had their first real cinematic success with Blade? It was a big deal on two fronts, not just because they’d finally made a (sort of) superhero movie to be proud of, but also because it was, technically, the first ever truly successful superhero movie starring a black protagonist (the less said about the atrocious Steel movie the better, I say). I find it telling that it took them almost twenty years to repeat the exercise – there have been plenty of great black superheroes on-screen since Wesley Snipes rocked the fangs and black leather, especially in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but they’ve always been in supporting roles to the main (so far universally WHITE) stars (the now-cancelled Luke Cage was a notable exception, but that’s on-demand TV on Netflix). All of this makes the latest feature to glide smoothly out of the MCU mould so significant – the standalone star vehicle for Civil War’s OTHER major new success story (after 2017’s Spider-Man: Homecoming), Prince T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) of Wakanda, finally redresses the balance … and then some. Picking up pretty much RIGHT where the third Captain America film left off, we see T’Challa return to the secretive, highly-advanced African kingdom of Wakanda to officially take up his new role as king and fully accept the mantle of protector of his people that his role as the Black Panther entails. Needless to say, just as he’s finally brought peace and unity to his homeland, an old threat reappears in the form of thuggish arms dealer and fugitive-from-Wakandan-justice Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis, gleefully returning to his blissful scenery-chewing Avengers: Age of Ultron role), leading T’Challa to travel to Busan, South Korea to bring him back for judgement, but this is merely a precursor to the arrival of the TRUE threat, Erik “Killmonger” Stevens (Michael B. Jordan), a mysterious former Special Forces assassin with a deeply personal agenda that threatens Wakanda’s future. This marks the first major blockbuster feature for writer/director Ryan Coogler (co-penning the script with The People V. O.J. Simpson writer Joe Robert Cole), who won massive acclaim for his feature debut Fruitvale Station, but also has good form after sneaky little sleeper hit Rocky-saga spinoff Creed, so this progression ultimately just proves to be another one of those characteristic smart moves Marvel keeps making these days. Coogler’s command of the big budget, heavy-expectation material is certainly impressive, displaying impressive talent for spectacular action sequences (the Busan car chase is MAGNIFICENT, while the punishing fight sequences are as impressively staged and executed as anything we saw in the Captain America movies), wrangling the demanding visual effects work and getting the very best out of a top-notch ensemble cast of some of the finest black acting talent around. Boseman brings more of that peerless class and charisma he showed in Civil War, but adds a humanising dose of self-doubt and vulnerability to the mix, making it even easier for us to invest in him, while Coogler’s regular collaborator, Jordan, is absolutely spell-binding, his ferociously focused, far-beyond-driven Killmonger proving to be one of the MCU’s most impressive villains to date, as well as its most sympathetic; Oscar darling Lupita Nyong’o is far more than a simple love interest as tough and resourceful Wakandan intelligence agent Nakia, The Walking Dead’s Danai Gurira is a veritable force of nature as Okoye, the head of the Dora Milaje, Wakanda’s elite all-female Special Forces, Get Out’s Daniel Kaluuya muddies the waters as T’Challa’s straight-talking best friend W’Kabi, and powerhouse veteran actors Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker and John Kani provide integrity and gravitas as, respectively, T’Challa’s mother Ramonda, Wakandan religious leader Zuri and T’Challa’s late father T’Chaka. Martin Freeman and Andy Serkis have joked that they’re essentially the “Tolkien white guys” of the cast, but their presence is far from cosmetic – Freeman’s return as Civil War’s bureaucratic CIA agent Everett Ross is integral to the plot and also helps provide the audience with an accessible outsider’s POV into the unique and stunning land of Wakanda, while Serkis is clearly having the time of his life … and then there are the film’s TRUE scene-stealers – Letitia Wright is a brilliant bright ray of sunlight as T’Challa’s little sister Shuri, the curator of Wakanda’s massively advanced technology and OFFICIALLY the most intelligent person in the MCU, whose towering intellect is tempered by her cheeky sense of humour and sheer adorability, while Winston Duke is a towering presence throughout the film as M’Baku, the mighty chief of the reclusive Jabari mountain tribe, despite his relatively brief screen time, his larger-than-life performance making every appearance a joy. This has been lauded as a true landmark film for its positive depiction of African culture and presentation of a whole raft of strong black role models, and it certainly feels like a major step forward both culturally and creatively – it’s so rewarding to see a positively-charged black intellectual property enjoying the almost ridiculous amount of success this film has so far enjoyed, both critically and financially, and it’s something I hope we see far more of in the future. Like its predecessors, this is a fantastic superhero movie, but under the surface there are some very serious, challenging questions being asked and inherently powerful themes being addressed, making for a deeper, more intellectual film than we usually receive even from a big studio that’s grown so sophisticated as Marvel. That said, this IS another major hit for the MCU, and a further example of how consistently reliable they’ve become at delivering great cinema. Very nearly the best of the Phase 3 standalone films (that honour still belongs to Captain America: Civil War), and it was certainly a spectacular kickoff for the year’s blockbusters.

9. BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY – I’ve been waiting for this movie for YEARS. Even before I knew this was actually going to happen I’d been hoping it would someday – Queen were my introduction to rock music, way back when I was wee, so they’ve been one of my very favourite bands FOREVER, and Freddie Mercury is one of my idols, the definition of sheer awesomeness and pure talent in music and an inspiration in life. Needless to say I was RIDICULOUSLY excited once this finally lurched into view, and I’m so unbelievably happy it turned out to be a proper corker of a film, I could even tentatively consider it to be my new favourite musical biopic. Sure, it plays fast-and-loose with the historical facts, but remains true to the SPIRIT of the story, and you know what they say about biographical movies and their ilk: “if it’s a choice between the truth and the legend, print the legend.” That’s a pretty good word to describe the man at the centre of this story – Queen frontman Freddie Mercury truly was a legend in his own lifetime, and watching the tale of his rise to fame alongside fellow musical geniuses Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon is a fascinating, intoxicating and deeply affecting experience, truthful or not, making the film an emotional rollercoaster from the humble beginnings with the formation of the band, through the trials and tribulations of life on the road and in the studio, the controversies of Mercury’s personal life and the volatile personal dynamics between the group themselves, to the astonishing, show-stopping climax of their near-mythic twenty-minute performance slot at 1985’s Live Aid charity concert at Wembley Stadium. Needless to say it takes a truly astounding performance to capture the man that I consider to be the greatest singer, showman and stage-performer of all time, but Mr Robot star Rami Malek was equal to the task, not so much embodying the role as genuinely channelling Mercury’s spirit, perfectly recreating his every movement, quirk and mannerism to perfection, right down to his famously precise, deliberate diction, and he even LOOKS a hell of a lot like Mercury. Sure, he’s come under fire for merely lip-syncing when it comes to the music, but seriously, there’s no other way he could have done it – Freddie had the greatest singing voice of all time, there’s NO WAY anyone could possibly recreate it, so better he didn’t even try. (Honestly, if he doesn’t get an Oscar for this there’s no justice in the world.) Malek’s not the only master-mimic in the cast, either – the rest of the band are perfectly portrayed, too, by Gwilym Lee as May, X-Men: Apocalypse’s Ben Hardy as Taylor and Joe Mazzello (yup, that kid from Jurassic Park, now all grown up) as Deacon, while there are equally strong supporting turns from Sing Street’s Lucy Boynton as Mercury’s lover and lifelong friend Mary Austin, Aiden Gillen as the band’s first manager John Reid, Tom Hollander as their lawyer and eventual manager Jim “Miami” Beach, Allen Leech as the Freddie’s scheming, toxic personal manager Paul Prenter, and New Street Law star Ace Bhatti as his stoic but proud father, Bomi Bulsara. This is an enthralling film from start to finish, and while those new to Queen will find plenty fo enjoy and entertain, this is an absolute JOY for fans and geeks who actually know their stuff, factual niggles notwithstanding; it’s also frequently laugh-out-loud HILARIOUS, the sparky, quick-fire script from The Theory of Everything and Darkest Hour writer Anthony McCarten brimming with slick one-liners, splendid put-downs and precision-crafted character observation which perfectly captures the real life banter the band were famous for. The film had a troubled production (original director Bryan Singer was replaced late in the shoot by Dexter Fletcher after clashes of personality and other difficulties) and has come in for plenty of stick, receiving mixed reviews from some quarters, but for me this is pretty close to a perfect film, chock-full of heart, emotional heft, laughter, fun and what was, for me, the best soundtrack of 2018, positively overflowing with some of the band’s very best material, making this one of the very best times I had at the cinema all year. They were, indeed, the champions …

8. MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT – while Bond may remain king of the spy movie, and Jason Bourne still casts a long shadow from the darker post 9-11 age of harder, grittier espionage shenanigans, I’ve always been a BIG fan of the Mission: Impossible movies. This love became strong indeed when JJ Abrams established a kind of unifying blueprint with the third film, and the series has gone from strength to strength since, reaching new, thrilling heights when Jack Reacher writer-director Christopher McQuarrie crafted the pretty much PERFECT Rogue Nation. He’s the first filmmaker to return for a second gig in the big chair, but he’s a good fit – he and star Tom Cruise have already proven they work EXTREMELY well together, and McQuarrie really is one of the very best screenwriters working in Hollywood today (well respected across the board since his early days co-writing The Usual Suspects), an undeniable MASTER at both crafting consistently surprising, thoroughly involving and razor-sharp thriller plots and engineering truly JAW-DROPPING action sequences (adrenaline-fuelled chases, bruising fight scenes, intense shootouts and a breathless dash across the rooftops of London all culminate in this film’s standout sequence, a death-defying helicopter dogfight that took the prize as the year’s BEST action beat), as well as penning some wonderful, wry dialogue. Anything beyond the very simplest synopsis would drop some criminal spoilers – I’ll simply say that Ethan Hunt is faced with his deadliest mission to date after a botched op leaves three plutonium cores in the hands of some very bad people, leading CIA honcho Erica Sloane (a typically sophisticated turn from Angela Bassett) to attach her pet assassin, August Walker (current big-screen Superman Henry Cavill), to the team to make sure it all runs smoothly – a prospect made trickier by the resurfacing of Rogue Nation’s cracking villain Solomon Lane (Sean Harris). Tom Cruise is, of course an old hand at this sort of thing by now, but even so I don’t think he’s EVER been more impressive at the physical stuff, and he delivers equally well in the more dramatic moments, taking superspy Ethan Hunt to darker, more desperate extremes than ever before. Cavill similarly impresses in what’s easily his meatiest role to date, initially coming across as a rough, brutal thug but revealing deeper layers of complexity and sophistication as the film progresses, while Rebecca Ferguson makes a welcome return from RN as slippery, sexy and very complex former MI6 agent Ilsa Faust, and it’s great to see Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg back as series keystones Luther Stickell and Benji Dunn, who both get stuck into the action far more than in previous outings (Benji FINALLY gets to wear a mask!); Jeremy Renner’s absence this time could disappoint, but the balance is maintained because the effortlessly suave Alec Baldwin’s new IMF Secretary Alan Hunley gets a far more substantial role this time round, while Sean Harris tears things up with brutal relish as he expands on one of the series’ strongest villains – Lane is a thoroughly nasty piece of work, a monstrous zealot with a deeply twisted but strangely relatable agenda, and method man Harris mesmerises in every scene. McQuarrie has cut another gem here, definitely his best film to date and likewise the best in the franchise so far, and strong arguments could be made for him staying on for a third stint – this is the best shape Mission: Impossible has been in for some time, an essentially PERFECT textbook example of an action-packed spy thriller that constantly surprises and never disappoints, from the atmospheric opening to the unbearably tense climax, and if ever there was a film to threaten the supremacy of Bond, it’s this one.

7. THE SHAPE OF WATER – one of the most important things you have to remember about my own personal mythology (by which I mean the mishmash of 40 years of influences, genre-love and pure and simple COOL SHIT that’s informed and moulded the geek I am today) is that when it comes to my fictional heroes, I have a tendency to fall in love with the monsters. It’s a philosophy shared by one of my very favourite directors, Guillermo Del Toro, whose own love affair with the weird, the freakish and the outcast has informed so much of his spectacular work, particularly the Hellboy movies – the monster as a tragic hero, and also the women who love them despite their appearance or origins. Del Toro’s latest feature returns to this fascinating and compelling trope in magnificent style, and the end result is his best work since what remains his VERY BEST film, 2007’s exquisite grown-up fairytale Pan’s Labyrinth. Comparisons with that masterpiece are not only welcome but also fitting – TSOW is definitely cut from the same cloth, a frequently dream-like cinematic allegory that takes place in something resembling the real world, but is never quite part of it. It’s a beautiful, lyrical, sensual and deeply seductive film, but there’s brooding darkness and bitter tragedy that counters the sweet, Del Toro’s rich and exotic script – co-authored with Hope Springs writer Vanessa Taylor – mining precious ore from the fairytale ideas but also deeply invested with his own overwhelming love for the Golden Age of cinema itself. This makes for what must be his most deeply personal film to date, so it’s fitting that it finally won him his first, LONG OVERDUE Best Director Oscar. Happy Go-Lucky’s Sally Hawkins thoroughly deserves her Oscar nomination for her turn as Elisa Esposito, a mute cleaning woman working in a top secret aerospace laboratory in Baltimore at the height of the Cold War, a sweet-natured dreamer who likes movies, music and her closeted artist neighbour Giles (the incomparable Richard Jenkins, delivering a performance of real sweetness and integrity). One night she discovers a new project in the facility, a strange, almost mythic amphibious humanoid (Del Toro regular Doug Jones) who has been captured for study and eventual vivisection to help create a means for men to survive in space. In spite of his monstrous appearance and seemingly feral nature, Elisa feels a kinship to the creature, and as she begins to earn his trust she develops stronger feeling for him – feelings which are reciprocated. So she hatches a plan to break him out and return him to the sea, enlisting the help of Giles, her only other real friend, fellow cleaner Zelda (The Help and Hidden Figures’ Octavia Spencer, as lovably prickly and sassy as ever), and sympathetic scientist (and secret Soviet agent) Dr. Robert Hoffstetler (a typically excellent and deeply complex performance from Boardwalk Empire’s Michael Stuhlbarg) to effect a desperate escape. The biggest obstacle in their path, however, is Colonel Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon), the man in charge of security on the project – the rest of the cast are uniformly excellent, but the true, unstoppable scene-stealer here is Shannon, giving us 2018’s BEST screen villain in a man so amorally repellent, brutally focused and downright TERRIFYING it’s absolutely impossible to take your eyes off him – who has a personal hatred for the creature and would love nothing more than to kill it himself. He’s the TRUE monster of the film, Jones’ creature proving to be a noble being who, despite his (admittedly rather bloody) animal instincts, has a kind and gentle soul that mirrors Elisa’s own, which makes the seemingly bizarre love story that unfolds so easy to accept and fulfilling to witness. This is a film of aching beauty and immense emotional power, the bittersweet and ultimately tragic romance sweeping you up in its warm embrace, resulting in the year’s most powerful and compelling fantasy, very nearly the finest work of a writer/director at the height of his considerable powers, and EASILY justifying its much-deserved Best Picture Oscar. Love the monster? Yes indeed …

6. DEADPOOL 2 – just as his first standalone finally banished the memory of his shameful treatment in the first X-Men Origins film, Marvel’s Merc With a Mouth had a new frustration to contend with – Wolverine riding his coattails into the R-rated superhero scene and outdoing his newfound success with the critically acclaimed and, frankly, f£$%ing AWESOME Logan. It’s a fresh balance for him to redress, and bless him, he’s done it within the first five minutes of his own very first sequel … then again, Deadpool’s always at his best when dealing with adversity. There’s plenty of that here – 2016’s original was a spectacular film, a true game-changer for both Marvel and the genre itself, unleashing a genuinely bankable non-PC superhero on the unsuspecting masses (and, of course, all us proper loyal fans) and earning one of their biggest hits in the process. A sequel was inevitable, but the first film was a VERY tough act to follow – thankfully everyone involved proved equal to the task, not least the star, Ryan Reynolds, who was BORN to play former special forces operative-turned invulnerable but hideously scarred mutant antihero Wade Wilson, returning with even greater enthusiasm for the material and sheer determination to do things JUST RIGHT. Working with returning co-writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, he’s suitably upped the ante while staying true to the source and doing right by the fans – the script’s another blinder, a side-splitting rib-tickler liberally peppered with copious swearing, rampant sexual and toilet humour, genuinely inspired bizarreness (a grown man with baby balls!) and an unapologetically irreverent tone nonetheless complimented by a f£$%load of heart. Original director Tim Miller jumped ship early in development, but the perfect replacement was found in the form of David Leitch, co-director of the first John Wick movie, who preceded this with a truly magnificent solo debut on summer 2017’s standout actioner Atomic Blonde. Leitch is a perfect fit, a former stuntman with innate flair for top-notch action who also has plenty of stylistic flair and strong talents for engaging storytelling and handling a cast of strong personalities. Reynolds is certainly one of those, again letting rip with gleeful comic abandon as Deadpool fights to overcome personal tragedy by trying to become a bona fide X-Man, at which he of course fails SPECTACULARLY, winding up in a special prison for super-powered individuals and becoming the unlikely and definitely unwilling protector of teenage mutant Russell Collins, aka Firefist (Hunt for the Wilderpeople’s Julian Dennison), who’s been targeted for assassination by time-travelling future warrior Cable (Josh Brolin) because he’s destined to become a monstrous supervillain when he grows up. Deciding to listen to his “better” angel, Wade puts together his own superhero team in order to defeat Cable and start his own future franchise … yup, this is as much a platform to set up X-Force, the Marvel X-Verse’s next big money-maker, as it is a Deadpool sequel, but the film plays along to full comic effect, and the results are funny, explosive, blood-soaked and a magnificently anarchic joy. Brolin is every inch the Cable we deserve, a world-weary, battered and utterly single-minded force of nature, entirely lacking a sense of humour but still managing to drive some of the film’s most side-splitting moments, while Atlanta star Zazie Beets, originally something of an outsider choice, proves similarly perfect for the role of fan favourite Domino, a wise-cracking mutant arse-kicker whose ability to manipulate luck in order to get the better of any situation makes her a kind of super-ninja; Dennison, meanwhile, is just as impressive as he was in HFTWP, turning in a performance of such irreverent charm he frequently steals the film, and the return of Stefan Kapicic and Briana Hildebrand as stoic metal-man Colossus and the world’s moodiest teen superhero, Negasonic Teenage Warhead, mean that the original X-Men get another loving (if also slightly middle-fingery) nod too. But once again, this really is Reynolds’ movie, and he’s clearly having just as much fun as before, helping to make this the same kind of gut-busting riot the first was with his trademark twinkle, self-deprecating charm and shit-eating grin. He’s the heart and soul of another great big fist up the backside of superhero cinema, blasting tropes with scattergun abandon but hitting every target lined up against him, and like everything else he helps make this some of the most fun I had at the pictures all year. I honestly couldn’t think of ANYTHING that could make me piss myself laughing more than this … the future of the franchise may be up in the air until the first X-Force movie gets its time in the spotlight, but Reynolds, Leitch, Reese and Wernick are all game to return, so there’s plenty of life in the un-killable old lady yet ...

5. BAD TIMES AT THE EL ROYALE – my Number One thriller of 2018 is a cult classic in the making and the best work yet from Drew Goddard, co-writer/director (with Joss Whedon) of Cabin in the Woods (one of the best horror movies ever made, in my opinion) and screenwriter of Cloverfield and The Martian. It’s an intoxicating, engrossing and somewhat unsettling experience (but in a very good way indeed), a gripping, slippery and absolutely FIENDISH suspense thriller to rival the heady best of Hitchcock or Kubrick, and, as his first completely original, personal creation, Goddard’s best opportunity to show us JUST what he’s truly capable of. Wrapped up in multi-layered mystery and deftly paying with timelines and perspective, it artfully unveils the stories of four disparate strangers who book a night’s stay at the El Royale, a “bi-state” hotel (located on the California/Nevada border) that was once grand but, by the film’s setting of 1969, has fallen on hard times. Each has a secret, some of which are genuinely deadly, and before the night’s through they’ll all come to light as a fateful chain of events brings them all crashing together. Giving away any more is to invite criminal spoilers – suffice to say that it’s an unforgettable film, fully-laden with ingenious twists and consistently wrong-footing the viewer right up to the stirring, thought-provoking ending. The small but potent ensemble cast are, to a man, absolutely perfect – Jeff Bridges delivers one of the best performances of his already illustrious career as seemingly harmless Catholic priest Father Daniel Flynn, Widows’ Cynthia Erivo makes a truly stunning impression as down-on-her-luck soul singer Darlene Sweet, John Hamm is garrulously sleazy as shifty travelling salesman Seymour Sullivan, Dakota Johnson is surly but also VERY sexy (certainly MUCH MORE than she EVER was in the 50 Shades movies) as “dirty hippy” Emily, Lewis Pullman (set to explode as the co-star of the incoming Top Gun sequel) is fantastically twitchy as the hotel’s troubled concierge Miles, and Cailee Spaeny (Pacific Rim: Uprising) delivers a creepy, haunting turn as Emily’s fundamentally broken runaway sister Rose. The film is thoroughly and entirely stolen, however, by the arrival in the second half of Goddard’s Cabin leading man Chris Hemsworth as earthy, charismatic and darkly, dangerously seductive Charles Manson-esque cult leader Billy Lee, Thor himself thoroughly mesmerising as he swaggers into the heart of the story (particularly in a masterful moment where he cavorts, snake-hipped, to the strains of Deep Purple’s Rush in the lead-up to a brutal execution). This is thriller-cinema at its most inspired and insidious, a flawless genre gem that’s sure to be held in high regard by connoisseurs for years to come, and an ELECTRIFYING statement of intent by one of the best creative minds working in Hollywood today. One of 2018’s biggest and best surprises, it’s a bona fide MUST-SEE …

4. AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR – is it possible there might be TOO MUCH coming out all at once in the Marvel Cinematic Universe right now? What with THREE movies a year now becoming the norm, not to mention the ongoing saga of Agents of SHIELD and various other affiliated TV shows (it seems that Netflix are culling their Marvel shows but there’s still the likes of Runaways and the incoming Cloak & Dagger on other services, along with fresh, in-development stuff), could we be reaching saturation? My head says … mmmmm … maybe … but my heart says HELL NO! Not when those guys at Marvel have gotten so good at this job they could PROBABLY do it with their eyes closed. That said, there were times in the run-up to this particular release that I couldn’t help wondering if, just maybe, they might have bitten off more than they could chew … thankfully, fraternal directing double act Antony and Joe Russo, putting in their THIRD MCU-helming gig after their enormous success on the second and third Captain America films, have pulled off one hell of a cinematic hat trick, presenting us with a third Avengers film that’s MORE than the equal of Joss Whedon’s offerings. It’s also a painfully tricky film to properly review – the potential for spoilers is SO heavy I can’t say much of ANYTHING about the plot without giving away some MAJOR twists and turns (even if there’s surely hardly ANYONE who hasn’t already seen the film by now) – but I’ll try my best. This is the film every die-hard fan has been waiting for, because the MCU’s Biggest Bad EVER, Thanos the Mad Titan (Josh Brolin), has finally come looking for those pesky Infinity Stones so he can Balance The Universe by killing half of its population and enslaving the rest, and the only ones standing in his way are the Avengers (both old and new) and the Guardians of the Galaxy, finally brought together after a decade and 18 movies. Needless to say this is another precision-engineered product refined to near perfection, delivering on all the expected fronts – breathtaking visuals and environments, thrilling action, the now pre-requisite snarky, sassy sense of humour and TONS OF FEELS – but given the truly galactic scale of the adventure on offer this time the stakes have been raised to truly EPIC heights, so the rewards are as great as the potential pitfalls. It’s not perfect – given the sheer size of the cast and the fact that there are THREE main storylines going on at once, it was INEVITABLE that some of our favourite characters would be handed frustratingly short shrift (or, in two notable cases, simply written out of the film altogether), while there are times when the mechanics of fate do seem to be getting stretched a little TOO far for credibility – but the niggles are largely overshadowed by the rich rewards of yet another MCU film done very well indeed. The cast (even those who drew the short straw on screen time) are all, as we’ve come to expect, excellent, the veterans – particularly Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man/Tony Stark), Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/the Hulk), Chris Evans (Steve Rogers/Captain America), Benedict Cumberbatch (Doctor Stephen Strange), Chris Pratt (Peter Quill/Star Lord), Zoe Saldana (Gamora), Bradley Cooper (Rocket Racoon), and, of course, Tom Holland (Peter Parker/Spider-Man) – all falling back into their well-established roles and universally winning our hearts all over again, while two characters in particular, who have always been reduced to supporting duties until now, finally get to REALLY shine – Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen, as the Vision and Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, finally get to explore that comic-canon romance that was so prevalently teased in Civil War, with events lending their mutual character arcs particularly tragic resonance as the story progresses … and then there’s the new characters, interestingly this time ALL bad guys. The Children of Thanos (Gamora and Nebula’s adopted siblings, basically) are showcased throughout the action, although only two really make an impression here – Tom Vaughan-Lawlor is magnificently creepy as Ebony Maw, while Carrie Coon (and stuntwoman Monique Ganderton) is darkly sensual as Proxima Midnight … but of course the REAL new star here is Brolin, thoroughly inhabiting his motion capture role so Thanos GENUINELY lives up to his title as the greatest villain of the MCU, an unstoppable megalomaniac who’s nonetheless doing these monstrous things for what he perceives to be genuinely right and moral reasons, although he’s not above taking some deeply perverse pleasure from his most despicable actions. Finishing up with a painfully powerful climax that’s as shocking as it is audacious, this sets things up for an even more epic conclusion in 2019’s closer, and has already left even the most jaded viewers shell-shocked and baying for more, while the post-credits sting in particular had me drooling in anticipation for the long-awaited arrival of my own favourite Avenger, but in the meantime this is an immensely rewarding, massively entertaining and thoroughly exhausting cinematic adventure. Summer can’t come fast enough …

3. UPGRADE – in a summer packed with sequels (many of them pretty damn awesome even so), it was a great pleasure my VERY FAVOURITE movie was something wholly original, an unaffiliated standalone that had nothing to follow or measure up to. But Blumhouse’s best film of 2018 still had a lot riding on it – they’re a studio best known for creating bare-bones but effectively primal horror (even The Purge series is really more survival horror than dystopian thriller), so they’re not really known for branching out into science-fiction. Going with one of their most trusted creative talents, then, was the kind of savvy move we’d expect from Jason Blum and co – Leigh Whannell is best known as the writer of the first three Saw movies (a fully-developed trilogy which I, along with several others, consider to be the series’ TRUE canon), the film phenomenon that truly kicked off the whole “torture porn” sub-genre, but he’s become one of Blumhouse’s most well-regarded writers thanks to his creation of Insidious, still one of their biggest earners. Once again he wrote (and co-starred in) the first three films, even making his directorial debut on the third – admittedly that film wasn’t particularly spectacular, but there was nonetheless something about it, a real X-factor that definitely showed Whannell could do more than just write (and, act, of course). Second time out he’s definitely made good on that potential promise – this is a proper f£$%ing masterpiece, not just the best thing I saw all summer but one of THE TOP movies of my cinematic year. It’s also an interesting throwback to a once popular sci-fi trope that’s been overdue for a makeover – body horror, originally made popular by the cult-friendly likes of David Cronenberg and Paul Verhoeven, and the biggest influence on this film must to be the original Robocop. Prometheus’ Logan Marshall-Green is an actor I’ve long considered to be criminally overlooked and underused, so I’m thrilled he finally found a role worthy of his underappreciated talents - Grey Trace, an unapologetically analogue blue-collar Joe living in an increasingly digital near future, a mechanic making his living restoring vintage muscle cars who doesn’t trust automated technology to run ANYTHING, so his life takes a particularly ironic turn when a tragic chain of events leads to his wife’s brutal murder while he’s left paralysed from the neck down. Faced with a future dependent on computerised care-robots, he jumps at the chance offered by technological pioneer Eron Keen (Need For Speed’s Harrison Gilbertson), creator of a revolutionary biochip called STEM that, once implanted into his central nervous system, can help him regain COMPLETE control of his body, but in true body horror style things quickly take a dark and decidedly twisted turn. STEM has a mind of its own (and a voice that only Trace can hear), and an agenda, convincing him to use newfound superhuman abilities to hunt down his wife’s killers and exact terrible, brutal vengeance upon them. There are really strong performances from the supporting cast – Gilbertson is great as a twitchy, socially awkward genius only capable of finding real connection with his technology, Get Out’s Bettie Gabriel is subtly brilliant as Detective Cortez, the cop doggedly pursuing Trace’s case and, eventually, him too, and there’s a cracking villainous turn from relative unknown Benedict Hardie as sadistic but charismatic cybernetically-enhanced contract killer Fisk – but this is very much Marhall-Green’s film; he’s an absolute revelation here, his effortlessly sympathetic hangdog demeanour dominating a fantastically nuanced and impressively physical performance that displays truly exceptional dramatic AND comedic talent. Indeed, while it’s a VERY dark film, there’s a big streak of jet black humour shot right through it, Whannell amusing us in particularly uncomfortable ways whenever STEM takes control and wreaks appropriately inhuman havoc (it helps no end that voice-actor Simon Malden has basically turned STEM into a kind of sociopathic version of Big Hero 6’s Baymax, which is as hilariously twisted as it sounds), and he delivers in spades on the action front too, crafting the year’s most wince-inducing, downright SAVAGE fight sequences and a very exciting car chase. Altogether this is a simply astonishing achievement – at times weirdly beautiful in a scuzzy, decrepit kind of way, it’s visually arresting and fiendishly intelligent, but also, much as we’d expect from the creator of Saw and Hollywood’s PREMIER horror studio, dark, edgy and, at times, weirdly disturbing – in other words, it’s CLASSIC body horror. Whannell is a talent I’ve been watching for a while now, and it’s SO GOOD to finally see him deliver on all that wonderful promise. Needless to say it was another runaway hit for Blumhouse, so there are already plans for a sequel, but for now I’m just happy to revel in the wonderful originality of what was the very peak of my cinematic summer …

2. SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE – oh man, if ever there was a contender that could have ousted this year’s Number One, it’s this, it was SUCH a close-run thing. Sure, with THREE major incarnations of Marvel’s most iconic superhero already hitting the big screen since the Millennium, we could AGAIN ask if we really need another Spider-Man “reboot”, but I must say his first ever blockbuster animated appearance leaves virtually all other versions in the dust – only Sam Raimi’s masterpiece second Spider-feature remains unbeaten, but I’ve certainly never seen another film that just totally GETS Stan Lee’s original web-slinger better than this one. It’s directed by the motley but perfectly synced trio of Bob Perischetti (a veteran digital artist making his directorial debut here), Peter Ramsay (Rise of the Guardians) and Rodney Rothman (writer on 22 Jump Street), but the influence of producers Christopher Miller and Phil Lord (creators of The Lego Movie) is writ large across the entire film (then again, Lord did co-write the script with Rothman) – it’s a magnificent, majestic feast for the eyes, ears and soul, visually arresting and overflowing with effervescent, geeky charm and a deep, fundamental LOVE for the source material in all its varied guises. Taking its lead from the recent Marvel comics crossover event from which the film gets its name, it revolves around an unprecedented collision of various incarnations of Spider-Man from across the varying alternate versions of Earth across the Marvel Multiverse, brought together though the dastardly machinations of criminal mastermind Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin (a typically excellent vocal turn from Liev Schreiber) and his secret supercollider. There are two, equally brilliant, “old school” takes on the original web-slinger Peter Parker on offer here – Chris Pine impresses in his early scenes as the “perfect” version, youthful, dashing and thoroughly brilliant but never ruining it by being smug or full of himself, but the story is dominated by New Girl’s Jake Johnson as a more world-weary and self-deprecating blue-collar version, who can still do the job just as well but has never really been as comfortable a fit, and he’s all the more endearing because he’s SUCH a lovable slacker underdog. The main “hero” of the film, however, is Dope’s Shameik Moore as Miles Morales, a teenager who’s literally JUST acquired his powers but must learn FAST if he’s to become this universe’s new Spider-Man, and he’s a perfect lead for the film, unsure of himself and struggling to bring his newfound abilities to bear, but determined to find his footing all the same. There are other brilliant takes on the core character here – Nicolas Cage’s wonderfully overblown monochrome Spider-Man Noir is an absolute hoot, as is anthropomorphised fan-favourite Spider-Ham (voiced by popular stand-up comic John Mulaney) – and a variety of interesting, skewed twists on classic Spider-Man villains (particularly Liv, a gender-bent take on Doctor Octopus played by Bad Moms’ Kathryn Hahn), but my favourite character in this is, tellingly, also my very favourite Marvel web-slinger PERIOD – Earth-65’s Spider-Woman, aka Gwen Stacy (more commonly known as Spider Gwen), an alternative version where SHE got bit by the radioactive arachnid instead of Peter, very faithfully brought to life by a perfectly cast Hailee Steinfeld. It may sound overblown but this is about as close to perfect as a superhero movie can get – the script is an ASTONISHING piece of work, tight as a drum with everything lined up with clockwork precision, and instead of getting bogged down in exposition it turns the whole origin story trope into a brilliant running joke that keeps getting funnier each time a new character gets introduced; it’s also INSANELY inventive and a completely unique visual experience, specifically designed to look like old school comic book art brought to vivid but intriguingly stylised life, right down to the ingenious use of word-bubbles and textured printing dots that add to the pop art feel. This is a truly SPECTACULAR film, a gloriously appointed thrill-ride with all the adventure, excitement, humour and bountiful, powerful, heartbreaking emotional heft you could ever want from a superhero movie – this is (sorry MCU) the VERY BEST film Marvel made in 2018, and maybe one of their very best EVER. There’s already sequel talk in the air (no surprise there, of course), and I can’t wait to see where it goes. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE give me a Spider Gwen spinoff. I’ll be good, I swear …

1. A QUIET PLACE – the most unique and original film of 2018 was a true masterpiece of horror cinema and, for me, one of the best scary movies I’ve seen in A VERY LONG TIME INDEED. It’s a deceptively simply high-concept thriller built around a dynamite idea, one that writer/director/star John Krasinski (co-writing with up-and-coming creative duo Bryan Woods and Scott Beck) has mined for maximum effect … Krasinski (still probably best known for the US version of The Office but now also gaining fresh traction for killer Amazon Original series Jack Ryan) and his real life wife Emily Blunt are Lee and Evelyn Abbott, a mother and father who must protect their children and find a way to survive on an isolated farm in a world which has been decimated by an inexplicable invasion/infestation/whatever of mysterious and thoroughly lethal creatures that, while blind, use their incredibly sensitive hearing to hunt and kill ANYTHING that makes a sound. As a result, the Abbotts have had to develop an intricately ordered lifestyle in order to gather, scavenge and rebuild while remaining completely silent, a discipline soon to be threatened by Evelyn’s very advanced pregnancy … there’s a truly fiendish level of genius to the way this film has been planned out and executed, the exquisitely thought-out mechanics of the Abbotts’ daily routines, survival methods and emergency procedures proving to be works of pure, unfettered genius – from communication through sign language and slow-dancing to music on shared headphones to walking on pathways created with heaped sand and painted spots to mark floorboards that don’t squeak, playing board games with soft fruit instead of plastic pieces and signalling danger with coloured light-bulbs – while the near total absence of spoken dialogue makes the use of sound and music essential and, here, almost revolutionary, with supervising sound editors Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van der Ryn becoming as important as the director himself, while composer Marco Beltrami delivers some of his finest work to date with a score of insidious subtlety and brazen power in equal measure. The small but potent cast are all excellent – Blunt has rarely been better in a performance of impressive honesty and a lack of vanity comparable to her work on The Girl On the Train, affecting and compelling as a fierce lioness of a mother, while Krasinski radiates both strength and vulnerability as he fights tooth and nail to keep his family alive, regardless of his own survival, and their real-life chemistry is a genuine boon to their performances, bringing a winning warmth to their relationship; elsewhere, deaf actress Millicent Simmonds (Wonderstruck) effortlessly captures our hearts as troubled, rebellious daughter Regan, delivering a performance of raw, heartbreaking honesty, while Suberbicon’s Noah Jupe impresses as awkward son Marcus, cripplingly unsure of himself and awfully scared of having to grow up in this terrifying new world. There’s great power and heart in the family dynamic, which makes us even more invested in their survival as the screws tighten in what is a SERIOUSLY scary film, an exquisitely crafted exercise in sustained tension that deserves to be remembered alongside the true greats of horror cinema. Krasinski displays a rare level of skill as a director, his grasp of atmosphere, pace and performance hinting at great things to come in the future, definitely making him one to watch – this is an astonishing film, a true gem I’m going to cherish for a long time to come.

#black panther #bohemian rhapsody #mission impossible fallout #The Shape of Water #deadpool 2 #bad times at the el royale #Avengers infinity war #upgrade movie #spiderman into the spiderverse #a quiet place #2018 in movies

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thatsthepan · 5 years

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This is my 2018 movie/TV show review that no one asked for! I just saw Mary Poppins Returns and figured I'd give my thoughts on all the movies I saw this year.

Let me know if you agree, disagree, or saw other movies and want to talk about any of them! My ask is always open:)

MOVIES

Winchester

l L O V E D it. I've always thought the Winchester mansion was interesting, and it's one of my favorite topics the Buzzfeed Unsolved boys covered. The movie surpassed my expectations, and Helen Mirren did amazing as the infamous Sarah Winchester. Creepy, thrilling, and the jumpscares were placed brilliantly.

Black Panther

THIS was a well-done superhero movie. I'm not a Marvel (or superhero movie in general) fan whatsoever, but this was art. Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira and Letitia Wright are three of the most beautiful, badass women you'll ever see (and I love Chadwick Boseman as well, of course!)

Truth or Dare

Not bad, but not the best. It had the creepy smile element that set it apart, and personally I thought the ending was pretty funny, but it's not in my top even 20 horror movies. It's more of a creepy thriller to me, as the "horror" aspect just seems comical to me. (I may be judging a little harshly since I love horror movies so much.)

Deadpool 2

What can I say, Ryan Reynolds is incredible and Deadpool is hilarious. Also Domino was the best character.

Incredibles 2

Very good for a 14-years-later sequel! As far as sequels go, I loved it-solid plot, funny, and 10/10 Jack Jack content.

Slenderman

GOOD ADAPTATION. I'm a diehard horror-movie fan, and adaptations of games or suburban legends just aren't good anymore. But Slenderman took a simple creepy concept and made it into something that actually creeped me out! I loved the game all those years ago, read the first creepypasta, and the movie was just as good.

Venom

Hilarious. Loved it. Doesn't deserve the hate it gets. Best romcom of our time. Tom Hardy jumped into a lobster tank for us and if that isn't top notch acting, then I don't know what is. Deserves awards.

Widows

Okay, it wasn't bad! Outstanding cast; Viola Davis was as amazing as she was in how to get away with murder, Elizabeth Debicki and Cynthia Erivo were badass, Michelle Rodriguez was just as cool as she was in Lost, and of course Daniel Kaluuya can act up a storm.

The Christmas Chronicles

A Netflix movie, but worth a review. I also don't cry during movies but this had me sobbing; it was funny, heartfelt, and a genuinely good Christmas movie.

Mary Poppins Returns

11/10 for score, choreography, and CAST my God Lin-Manuel Miranda has always and will always own my heart and I am in love with Emily Blunt. I don't usually like cutesy movies as much as this, but if you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favor and SEE IT. It will have you smiling within the first ten minutes.

Movies I Didn’t See But Wish I Had: Love Simon, Ready Player One, A Quiet Place, Breaking In, Oceans 8, Mammia Mia, Christopher Robin, A Simple Favor, Halloween 2, Bohemian Rhapsody, Crazy Rich Asians, The Favourite, and Into The Spiderverse.

TV SHOWS

Black Mirror

If you like super weird and futuristic technological plots, you will love this show. I'll admit it's more than a bit out there, but damn if I can't say some of the plot points had me shook. Complicated, well-rendered show.

The Good Place

This is one of the best shows I've ever seen, hands down. The characters are outstanding, the plot is both funny and put-together, and the whole show has the best dynamic. If you're going to invest in a show, I recommend this one!

Riverdale

If teen dramas are not up your alley, I wouldn't recommend this show. However, if you'd like to check in on good ol' Cole Sprouse, I would recommend, since he's one of the best characters. Riverdale is a lot at times, and on a good day it makes you sigh real hard, but the characters and cast are great and it puts a pretty good spin on Archie's Comics.

Lost

So I know this one is old, but I started it and I'm still not finished with it BUT (middle of season 5 and ready to die) that being said... yeah not a recommended show. It's just a LOT to keep up with and it does a lot of things that just piss me off, but I guess it is interesting sometimes kinda. If you're going to watch a show that took a giant hiatus, watch the X Files. That’s a good show.

And those are my reviews! I loved a lot of movies that came out this year, and hopefully 2019 will only be better!

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onestowatch · 2 years

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Silverstein’s Shane Told Talks Band’s 10th Full-Length Album + Silvertooth Reunion [Q&A]

Photos: Moe Horta

The Noise is Ones to Watch’s home for all things punk, hardcore, metal, emo, you name it.

Canadian rockers Silverstein are currently in their 22nd year as a band and show no sign of slowing down any day soon. As of late, the influential act has released acoustic/reimagined renditions of their beloved songs, dropped various live albums, started a Twitch account and have put together top-notch livestream experiences proving they can do just about anything they set their minds to.

In addition to those recent achievements, the scene staples are also set to release their TENTH studio album Misery Made Me May 6th via UNFD.

While out their on current jam-packed tour supporting Beartooth alongside The Devil Wears Prada and Erra, The Noise sat down with Silverstein singer Shane Told to discuss the band’s latest endeavors as well as their exciting plans for 2022 and beyond.

To see what Told had to say about the epic return of Silvertooth, When We Were Young Fest, writing Misery Made Me and more, be sure to see below. Afterward, make sure to pre-order Silverstein’s upcoming LP and grab tickets to their remaining tour dates here.

Fans have been begging for a Silvertooth tour for years now. How does it feel to finally get back out on the road with Beartooth again?

SHANE TOLD: Oh it’s absolutely the best! Beartooth have been our best friends since we first toured in 2015 and this is long overdue. We also have The Devil Wears Prada along for the ride, another band we are extremely close with. It’s nice on a tour like this where everyone is friends, literally partying on the first day, and it’s just so comfortable. And people are coming out in droves for this because the lineup is so strong. We couldn’t ask for a better tour! Silvertooth Lives!!!

Silverstein was announced for both When We Were Young Fest and the Emo’s Not Dead Cruise which sold out quickly. How does it feel knowing Silverstein was considered to play alongside some of the scene’s most iconic names and who are you most excited to see?

It’s really cool we are able to stay relevant with our new music and do something like the Beartooth tour while still playing these throwback festivals. They’re just going to be so much fun. I’m super excited to see some of my old friends we played with back in 2003, like Armor For Sleep. I love that band.

Depending who you ask, fans will have very different replies as to which album is your “best work.” How does it feel knowing that fans hold value to your newest releases and don’t automatically pick one of your first two albums?

That is something we’re very proud of as well! Misery Made Me is our 10th album and I think it honestly might be our best. But you’re right, there seems to be as many people who love This Is How The Wind Shifts or Dead Reflection as those who love Discovering The Waterfront. We push ourselves very very hard with each new release. We book more and more time and we spend more time writing and recording. I think some bands get a little complacent and that’s something we just will never be.

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Your last album A Beautiful Place To Drown featured artists from a variety of genres and your upcoming album Misery Made Me is looking to do the same with features from artists like Andrew Neufield of Comeback Kid, nothing,nowhere. and more. What inspired you to work with such diverse artists and are there any other artists you’d like to work with in the future?

We are a very diverse band to begin with! We have always had a sprawling dynamic range between super heavy stuff, to poppier stuff, to very quiet acoustic songs. So this album is no exception. I think it stems from our influences being so diverse but it really keeps things interesting. It’s hard to get bored when you can do anything at any time. The guest features totally reflect that. Over the past two albums we’ve had Princess Nokia and Trevor Daniel … also Andrew from Comeback Kid, Aaron from Underoath and Mike from The Devil Wears Prada. These guests are all so perfect. As for the future, it completely depends on the song. We write the song and then hear in our heads what voice could compliment it. We don’t want to force it, so until the song is done, we don’t know!

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Silverstein has released albums with themes/concepts such as betrayal on A Shipwreck In The Sand, the beginning/end of a story on This Is How The Wind Shifts and now misery on Misery Made Me. Can you explain the reasoning behind making a cohesive theme of ideas as opposed to releasing an album with songs that don’t tie together?

There are a ton of different ways you can put together a concept for an album and it doesn’t have to be so linear like Shipwreck or rely on a single parameter like the songs all being about different cities on I Am Alive in Everything I Touch. For this album, Paul Marc [Silverstein guitarist] and I wrote the songs “Our Song” and “Misery” separately but the word Misery really stood out as something we had been dealing with through the isolation we all faced. So once we dove into the other songs we felt like there was an underlying theme and attitude to these songs that put them in a cohesive spot. It’s an angry record, it’s a sad record and it’s a record that exudes a tremendous amount of frustration. And those are true real emotions.

As you mentioned, Misery Made Me is Silverstein’s 10th full length album. How does it feel to reach such a huge milestone and what can fans expect next?

We are touring a lot! We couldn’t do that for the past two years so we are making up for lost time! We are super excited for MMM and can’t wait for everyone to hear it!

#Silverstein #Misery Made Me #Shane Told #The Noise #UNFD #Post Hardcore #Emo

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wazafam · 3 years

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Tenet proves two things - time travel is best left to the professionals, and Christopher Nolan should be the man to lead James Bond after the departure of Daniel Craig. Released in theaters contentiously during the throes of COVID-19, Tenet will perhaps be remembered more for its impact on the cinema industry than for anything that transpires on-screen. Tenet has also (not unjustly) earned a reputation as Christopher Nolan's most confusing effort yet, and with Inception in his back catalog, that's some feat. Tenet doesn't just require multiple viewings to understand properly, it demands copious note-taking, subtitles, and frequent use of the pause button.

But beyond the confounding inversions and brain-melting timelines, Tenet is essentially James Bond with a PhD in theoretical physics. John David Washington's Protagonist is a top-tier spy with suave charisma to spare, and embarks on a mission to save the world from an evil Russian baddie with paper-thin motives. Along the way, he takes in all manner of exotic locations and tempts a femme fatale to betray her lover, all to a cinematic soundtrack on the grandest of scales. The Bond DNA in Tenet is obvious from the first scene, and makes no attempt to hide the copied homework.

Related: Tenet: Is Neil Really Dead?

With Daniel Craig due to step down from his gig at MI6, the future of James Bond has reached a crossroads. More than half a century down the road, the "James Bond" name is still one of the most influential in cinema, and Eon will have its choice of filmmakers when the time comes to think about Bond 26. Tenet proves Christopher Nolan should top their wanted list.

A change of face has barely inconvenienced the James Bond franchise in eras past. From the earliest years of Sean Connery to the 1990s cheese of Pierce Brosnan, 007 moved from one incarnation to the next in a seamless transition. Each adventure was a self-contained affair where long-term arcs (like the gradual reveal of SPECTRE) played out in the background, and there was very little continuity besides small references - Roger Moore's Bond visiting Tracy's grave, for instance. Minimal effort was made to differentiate each iteration of 007, creating a unceasing conveyor belt from film to film, regardless of whether Bond regenerated in the meantime.

When Pierce Brosnan received the boot after Die Another Day, it was painfully clear that James Bond was in dire need of modernization. New upstarts like The Bourne Identity had reinvigorated the spy genre, while Mike Myers turned 007's shtick into parody with Austin Powers. As a result, Bond returned as a man reborn in Casino Royale. Not only was Daniel Craig's Bond darker, edgier and more grounded, but the modern films have depicted a character from his very first years as a Double-0 agent to a veteran repeatedly failing to retire in No Time To Die. Where previous Bonds would drift their Aston Martins briskly around the issue of continuity, the quintet of Daniel Craig films crash straight into it, following one man's journey from start to finish.

With No Time To Die marking the end of James' career (he's even replaced as 007 by Nomi), Bond 26 can't recast the lead role but keep the same cast, tone and continuity, as in the old days. James Bond's next offering needs to reboot, starting from scratch in much the same way Casino Royale did in 2006. This is especially vital in the current landscape of shared universes and multi-platform franchises, where audiences are more attuned to how each installment may or may not be interconnected. Whatever the next guise of James Bond might look like, it has to differ from the current model... and this is where Christopher Nolan comes in.

Related: Tenet: Can Time Travel Really Change The Future?

It's a well known fact (probably) that all British filmmakers have at least a little James Bond in their blood, but with Tenet, Christopher Nolan pens a heartfelt love letter to all things 007, making no apologies whatsoever. One of the most obvious parallels is in Kenneth Branagh's villainous Sator, who could quite easily be parachuted into your Bond film of choice, and few questions would be asked.

A vicious Russian arms dealer with a God complex, Sator would destroy the world simply because his own death is looming, and The Protagonist even meta-points-out how ridiculous his motive is. But Nolan kicks the mold of a classic Bond villain up a few notches (or down, we really can't tell anymore). See, Sator isn't the real villain of Tenet; he's a proxy for unseen villains from the future looking to rewind the entropy of the planet and erase Earth's past. This creates a unique dynamic where success or failure is bigger than any single enemy, and Tenet's final battle actually hinges on keeping Sator alive long enough for The Protagonist to recover the Algorithm. It's a far more inventive finale than two men firing guns at each other, or battling upon a precariously high ledge. Nolan creates the suspense and thrills of a final confrontation, even while The Protagonist and Sator are in entirely different countries.

Branagh aside, more or less every major character in Tenet has a counterpart in James Bond - Barbara is Q, Fay/Michael Crosby share the role of M, Mahir is Felix Leiter, etc. But nowhere does Christopher Nolan indulge more in modernizing Bond-isms than with The Protagonist and Kat. Ian Fleming intentionally wrote his James Bond character as a blank slate for readers to project themselves onto, and Nolan duly follows suit by not even giving his "protagonist" a name.

John David Washington's hero also strips the toxic masculinity of James Bond right back. Tenet's Protagonist is every bit as dangerous and cool as Bond, and by manipulating Kat for his own ends, the character's morality isn't squeaky clean either. But where 007 would've bedded Kat right under Sator's nose then come up smiling the next morning, The Protagonist is restricted to a small kiss before the final battle, recognizing that to sleep with Kat would be questionable due to her emotional state, and put her in even more danger from the maniacal angry husband above deck - two things Bond often (willfully) overlooked. Generally speaking, The Protagonist is less mission-centric than Bond too, prioritizing rescuing innocents, but never shying away from murder when the occasion arises, and crucially, allows Kat to save herself in the end, rather than letting her flounder as a helpless damsel.

Related: Nolan Could Solve Tenet's Biggest Issues If It Wasn't A Movie

Not for one second is anyone suggesting Bond 26 should incorporate multiple timelines, layered realities, or any other kind of Christopher Nolan science-fiction madness. As much as Tenet does right, its premise is ridiculously complex, and James Bond stands to gain nothing by diving down Nolan's quantum rabbit hole. With that said, audiences are perhaps ready for a smarter 007 adventure, and Tenet gives a perfect demonstration of how this can work through its action sequences.

The typical James Bond set-piece involves 007 being thrown into the thick of the action. Explosions go off, henchmen are killed with reckless abandon, and Bond races around an exotic locale in a beautiful car. Tenet offers the same thrills, but with a more cerebral foundation, the best example being the Oslo freeport heist where a jumbo jet is crashed as a distraction while The Protagonist and Neil carefully move through a series of gas-locked chambers to find Tenet's first turnstile. The sequence employs a lot of setup, with Neil getting a tour of the facility first, then both characters discussing their approach with Mahir, but the result speaks for itself. Action cinema that gets brain juices pumping alongside the adrenaline.

Arguably, Tenet is guilty of overindulging in this regard. The final "temporal pincer movement" is a cacophony of twisting timelines, pivotal moments happening off-screen, and unintelligible dialogue. If Bond 26 could follow the Oslo freeport sequence's example, but hit the brakes before reaching the complexity of Tenet's climax, 007's action sequences can adopt an entirely new dimension.

A self-confessed James Bond fan, it comes as no surprise that Christopher Nolan knows his way around a 007 adventure. But Tenet doesn't just prove the director's affinity for Bond - it's exactly the direction the long-running franchise needs following the Daniel Craig era. After the Die Another Day disaster, there's no question that 007 needed to drop the campy lightness from his formula. But Casino Royale and its sequels might've veered too hard in the opposing direction, stripping James Bond of its gadgetry, humor and levity. It's a balance that modern Bond films have struggled to nail, but Tenet handles with surprising ease. Tenet's inversion is, frankly, madder than a box full of badgers, but Nolan presents this insane concept with grounded realism. If the director can meld Algorithms and backwards fight scenes into Tenet's gritty, real-world setting, he can probably handle a few outlandish Bond gadgets while retaining the intensity post-Brosnan Bond is renowned for.

Related: Octopussy Marked The End Of A James Bond Series Tradition

Nolan can also fix another element James Bond has routinely struggled with in recent times - the mystery. Daniel Craig's James Bond movies try to inject a long-term sense of intrigue with the gradual reveal of SPECTRE (or Quantum, depending on the film), but the journey is a muddled one, awkwardly tying Blofeld into Bond's past. Tenet, along with most of Nolan's other releases, wholeheartedly proves the director's capacity for weaving an effective mystery. Bond 26 needn't bother with anything in the high-concept realm of Tenet, but a cohesive, Nolan-esque mystery plot would reinvigorate the iconic spy after No Time To Die.

More: James Bond: Every Way The Living Daylights Original Plan Changed

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