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incarnateirony · 3 years

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An anti dressed up as a shipper, an idiot, and a terf all walk into the same bar.

It’s the same picture person.

A lesson.

Warning: if the title doesn’t give it away, queerphobic content comes up in this from the other party being documented.

So, some of you may have watched a twitter exercise yesterday.

It started simple: concern trolling white knight “for the writers” comes in to angrily declare fans doing something tagged in support of them about Destiel was “out of line.” She claimed things like “Misha was gaslit into supporting Destiel”, and pulled all kinds of stunts.

She immediately got on a soap box yelling “I HAVE A LIT CRIT DEGREE, I KNOW AUTHOR INTENT” of course implying she knew better than EVERYONE around her how to read text. She then pulled, of all things, @chill-legilimens ‘ article about the network gods gutting the show out of the internet, and somehow misread it SO FUCKING BADLY -- SO FUCKING BADLY -- she thought it aligned with HER. She argued that fans influenced the writers, essentially, and basically pulled the exact opposite of the very clearly delivered message there out. When it was pointed out we know this author and even sometimes help edit their pieces, and she was, flat out misreading it while bragging about how good she is at deciphering text, it turned into a SHITSHOW.

I had watched her give a large group of queer people 2 days of runaround, while they tried to be polite, and similarly tried to prove everything while she proved nothing. Just preached. After 2 days of them exhausting themselves on her, I came in doing my blunt & savage thing, because fuck civility culture when it’s used by oppressors. Of course, she immediately started tone policing, while herself being an arrogant shitbrick the whole way.

She continued to preach author intent and talk down about “headcanons.” You see, she knew the authors very well. Berens’ name was mentioned in passing, and she came back with. “Who’s Berens? Is that the author of the article?” after Deirdre’s name had been directly cited in associated with it about 15 times.

(credit: @judgehangman )

But it gets better. She started pulling the “authors have said Dean is straight.” line. Now, at this point, we had already sourced her at least four pieces of information (quite formally too: SPN Official DVD Collection Season 8 episode 13 creative commentary, Edlund and Sgriccia; Dissent Magazine The Attack Queers Bob Berens review; the books in the office with screenshots, and more.) So we issued one simple request: Okay. Source.

For the next-- I shit you not-- 10 hours she bricked the thread to death, finding any and EVERY rabbit hole she could try to venture down. For the first hour or two a few of us tried to actually debate her newly raised points, but still gave reminder that we were waiting for her source. Every tweet was an opportunity for her to drop a 15 tweet thread trying to derail onto a new topic, and often clarifying she had no idea about any of it (Edlund, Sgriccia, Berens, Dabb--who she couldn’t spell the name of--and Deirdre all became an amorpheous blob in her retelling that she swore she looked at sources and wasn’t convinced, while she crossed all the data and comments about the sources). She tried to challenge that anyone could know all the writers and episodes just because she proved she couldn’t, even when multiple people expressed it to her extremely rapidly with not just author and director listings, but cross references on when they overlapped and major elements (like the 15.20 shot 19 tree being the Kim Manners memorial tree). She randomly babbled about Kripke once. Lied her way through and claimed those sources were vague. Etc.

But at some point, I decided, we’re not playing this distraction game. You wanted a debate, you claim you have a lit crit degree, and thus know the entire art is Argumentation. A source, if you’re declaring knowing author intent. One source. Any time she dropped a distraction tweet, I replied to her thread with things like a list of our sources vs her lack of any and a reminder. I installed a counter ticker. How many times had she been asked to either recant her point or give a single source?

Someone made a list of the logical fallacies she used in the argument. It was two tweets long and still missed several obvious ones. That didn’t stop her. Neither did the dozens of requests for a source or a recant. Onwards, she marched, derailing time and again. She brought in a buddy to try to distract, but he fell out real quick when he realized “the burden of proof lies on the arguer” shot him and her both in the feet in record time and he ducked out.

Other greatest hits came out like “Dubs (Dabb’s) fanfic books”, and calling the ability to list authors and episodes “headcanons.”

Over time, the dialogue shifted: see, she came in trying the snide “enjoy your headcanons” downtalk, but as time and time again she was pulverized on every point about the show, or the authors, or anything else while STILL never even giving a single source to even her FIRST POINT and running distractions, it became a reality-- she was told, “We’ll enjoy our canon and author intent. You can enjoy your headcanon of... Dabb’s fanfic books and Lord Barons and the writers being collective hallucinations and whatever else in your hot takes about the show content itself” and she FLIPPED SHIT.

As the ticker for sources approached 100, she started becoming flustered. Before that, even, she started repetitively misgendering Ezra (no tumblr to link in), and Ezra screenshot their bio of they/them and asked them to adjust. Ignored. Ezra linked this request and asked it to be addressed again, and again, and again. 13 times. Ezra linked it 13 times. She even replied to several of them. No avail. No change. Not until literally any and every tweet in her vicinity either had “source?” or “address gender?” for her to reply to did she flee there, and write some giant write-around of “oh, I didn’t see this, sorry” but still refused to actually use it. Or “I’ll use the right one now.” No, just completely strickened pronouns from her vocabulary with Ezra moving forward, after not one mistake, not two, not five, but 13 answers.

At this point, I notice a trend: throughout the entire conversation, she had flip flopped on my pronouns, clearly confused as to what to call me. As I generally don’t care (honestly I prefer he but meh), it didn’t ping me as something to react to while she switched religiously between “he” and “she”. But I realized now, despite all of that confusion: she never once thought to use “they.” Also earlier we found tweets of hers that, while now declaring herself bisexual, she used troublesome wording in the past to blur the line on if she was an ally or, as she phrased it “maybe less than 100% straight in the bell curve” in other conversations.

I mutter about this on the side to Ezra and some friends, but continue on towards the 100 ticker that was the goal to show people in this digital terrarium how disingenuous most people you argue with are -- an exhibit for the class. They know they’re lying and have been caught, but will not cede to admit “oops, I guess I was wrong.” but rather stick, unironically, to their own headcanons about things. After all, they vaguely sorta apologized even if suddenly just refusing to use any pronouns at all on Ezra after that. And she’s so quick to disappear into 15 tweet bombs of distraction trying to play victim for being held accountable at this point, we just didn’t jump to a conclusion on that, alarming as it is.

So. You know. Source.

At this point, she RANDOMLY starts evoking the fact that like, How Dare, She Watched Gay Men Die To AIDS, She Is A Great Philanthropist How Dare How Dare.

I’m sorry, did you just evoke the blood of our dead to run away from the most basic scrap of accountability in what is literally the first wave of a lit debate because for the last 10 hours you have refused to take the necessary steps to move on to the next point? Did you... just... evoke the ghosts of gay men that were genocided to, essentially, pull up a smokescreen and run away from being party to queer erasure? Or even just? Giving a source? or admitting you were wrong on one point in a debate? Wow, you really just did that.

Naturally, people involved got pissed. Her Sources ticker hit 100, but at this point, all that haunted her was how completely fucking vile and inappropriate that was in this discussion.

She got blocked. She then tried to glom onto anyone that hadn’t blocked or muted her and run the same argumentation points she had earlier been decimated in the argument with, while yelling “I ship Destiel too! I wanted them to have sex too! Why does this make me the bad guy?” around the block and hoping nobody actually read the thread. She tried to pitch the “headcanons” point of view again, hoping a new audience would lick her boots. She was, largely, ignored; given a few more comments about her leaving the conversation losing all points and only covered in the blood of our dead she was so proud of; blocked by a few more. (unsurprisingly, if you check her actual tweet history, she seems more invested in Megstiel but)

This is when CommaSameleon -- a professor with two lit degrees and a primary focus in teaching the art of Argumentation -- literally -- stepped in. She initially tried to engage the fact that, well, this woman not only can’t argue out of a paper sack but wasn’t even arguing, she was just running in circles and distracting from all the points and hadn’t addressed a single lit point directly while preaching down at people. But Sam, also, noticed something. This woman kept changing things like “queerphobia” to “homophobia.” Sam mentioned this kinda puts off TERF vibes (I think Sam picked up on the gendering thing herself too.)

Her response? Which she deleted since? But Discord’s embed helpfully saved?

Her inacted non-apologies remain weak, especially in any form of debate be it lit or now queer topics.

Oh I’m sorry, let’s recap her viewpoints: TERF is a slur. “They” is made up and should be avoided at all costs. The blood of dead gay men are a token to use in a lit debate you’re avoiding responsibility in. After this, “authors are headcanons” is suddenly not your worst take, but fascinating that you 13 times didn’t even read the blatant ass screenshot. And I mean, these weren’t subtle or easy to miss these 13 times.

100. She had 100 chances, literally, on a timer, to give a source or shut up with her platforming until she had one. Instead, she chose every rabbit hole she could manifest to disappear into, only to be met by another request for a source, and not moving on until we address the first points. We’ve given ours, now you give yours. Instead, you choose this. This is the hill you choose to die on, rather than admitting, “Sorry, I guess I was wrong” or “I guess I heard that somewhere, my bad.” 100 chances. 13 direct QT requests to address gender which she replied to but didn’t reply to until cornered (and still didn’t, truly, reply to), and “TERF is a slur.” Oh, and after waving around the dead men’s blood she also suddenly Can’t Be A Terf Because She Adopted Two Trans Kids. Lord help those children. Or, you know, the more realistic thing is she’s just manifesting all kinds of bullshit at this point to save face, which is probably why she deleted all the related tweets that show she’s a giant-ass TERF.

So anyway, this is very much a lesson on:

Paying attention to how people manipulate conversation to erase genuine discussion and debate.

Paying attention to WHY they do it. Motivation on methods and tactics will clear up a lot.

Figuring out HOW they try to sound woke about shit and when it’s entirely fucking vile and inappropriate to pull

And by all above points, figuring out that these people are among us, and how NOT to let them influence your conversations.

I don’t care if it’s about a discussion on a ship or show or anything else. People do this. A lot. Extremely dedicatedly, if the 100 asks doesn’t make that clear.

Stop letting people railroad your conversations with disingenuous bullshit.

So anyway in honor of this I made everyone a gif

Use at will. It’s tagged anti-terf if you want to use the search feature on it.

UPDATE:

Just went and checked. She went and deleted literally her entire side of the conversation, hundreds if not thousands of tweets. Luckily, Ezra mentioned repeatedly -- and I do trust them inherently -- that they were saving the entire conversation, so that zip file exists somewhere. How fascinating, after she accused us that we would want to delete tweets. Someone realized they had a bad look and giant failure all around.

Also, a related anon that links to an earlier part of this conversation I didn’t even document where she was crying about “cis erasure” [x] This shit went on so long I legit forgot about that.

#supernatural #spn #destiel #anti-terf #debate

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guardianreadersofthegalaxy · 3 years

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My 2020 film ranking

1. The Personal History Of David Copperfield (AKA ‘The Life of Dev Patel III: Victorian Dev’) – This adaptation of the Dickens classic charts the changing fortunes of its eponymous hero, as well as those of the colourful characters he meets along the way. Armando Ianucci brings his signature naturalistic dialogue to the classic story, plus spot-on colour-blind casting and minus his usual unpleasantness. Particular praise goes to lead actor Dev Patel and to Christopher Willis’s gorgeous soundtrack. And, of course, Charles Dickens.

2. 1917 (AKA ‘George McKay Goes Forth’) – Two British soldiers in the First World War must face the dangers of No Man’s Land to stop a doomed attack and save the lives of sixteen hundred men. There’s nothing quite like an immersive experience. With the help of omnipotent cinematographer Roger Deakins, director Sam Mendes enters the Great Hollywood Long-Take Battle and beats Alfonso Cuaron and Alejandro G. Innaritu at their own game. Credit to Thomas Newman for the pulse-pounding score and Krysty Wilson-Cairns for a screenplay that develops character through action more than dialogue.

3. Parasite (AKA ‘A Sweet, Collaborative Family Project’) – The working class Kim family will do whatever it takes to find lucrative employment with the wealthy Parks, even if it kills them. There’s something of a Shakespearean tragedy to this that I really like. Sympathetic antiheros, dark farcical comedy and a suitably bloody conclusion make this one of Bong Joon-ho’s more coherent pieces of social commentary.

4. Atlantics (AKA ‘What Happens When You Don’t Pay Your Employees’) – Ada’s happiness if threatened when her lover, Souleiman attempts to flee Senegal by boat. This starts out as a slow-paced mood piece, then changes gear halfway through as it becomes a crime film with undertones of soft-horror. It looks gorgeous and sounds even better, with a haunting score and effective use of the natural sound of the sea, wind and other elements.

5. His House (AKA ‘Walls… I Scream’) – A Sudanese couple seek refuge in the UK, but are unable to escape the horror they left behind. It’s a tried and tested horror formula: a strained family unit try to come to terms with shared trauma against the backdrop of an important social issue. But it’s really well executed. The understated tone left me unprepared for the brazenly nightmarish imagery.

6. A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood (AKA ‘Man Feelings’) – A troubled journalist is asked to write a profile on wholesome children’s television presenter Fred Rogers. There’s not much to say about this one. A sweet, sometimes surreal, tearjerker about facing up to your trauma and dealing with your emotions. Very nice.

7. Uncut Gems (AKA ‘Camera Enters Sandman’) – A New York jeweller and compulsive gambler takes a series of increasingly dangerous risks. This doesn’t build tension so much as it is tension, throughout. The only drawback is that Adam Sandler’s Howie is so unlikeable that I didn’t care what happened to him, unlike in the Safdie brother’s more morally ambiguous film Good Time. Still, a great ensemble cast and skilled sound mixing make this a uniquely gripping experience.

8. Marriage Story (AKA ‘Divorce Me, You Meaty Oak Tree!’) – A couple fight an increasingly hostile custody battle for their child during their divorce proceedings. This would be an amazing play. Acting and writing are all spot on, evoking the relatable nuances of a fraught relationship as well as illuminating the farcical process of divorce. But the potential that film offers as a medium is underused, besides some nice colour grading.

9. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (AKA ‘I Miss Theatres’) – A 1920’s Chicago blues band embark on a tumultuous recording session. This has all the strengths and weaknesses of a play. The spectacle of cinema is done away with in order to spotlight the many dialogues and monologues in a way that feels unnatural for a film. But the source material is excellent and the cast definitely do it justice.

10. Tenet (AKA ‘Taco Cat’) – A mercenary known only as ‘The Protagonist’ gets caught up with time travel, a Russian oligarch and the threat of Armageddon when he joins the mysterious ‘Tenet’ organisation. This is way too long and the endless, inaudible exposition gets dull very quickly but the inventive and heart-racing action sequences more or less make up for that. The male actors all play their roles with charisma while Elizabeth Debicki is left to do the emotional heavy lifting.

11. Dolemite Is My Name (‘AKA And F***ing Up Motherf***ers Is My Game’) – Standup comedian Rudy Ray Moore crafts his comic persona, Dolemite. Though this is a little formulaic in its adherence to the standard biopic structure, it surpasses the likes of ‘Nowhere Boy’, ‘Walk The Line’ or ‘Good Vibrations’ by having a protagonist who isn’t a total arsehole. And if you’re going to recreate the aesthetic of a film genre, Blaxploitation is at least at lot of fun.

12. Jojo Rabbit (AKA ‘Moonreich Kingdom) – An enthusiastic Hitler Youth member reconsiders his beliefs when he discovers a Jewish girl living in his house. If you go into this expecting to see the film that will single-handedly end global fascism, prepare for disappointment. What you really get is a sweet and funny coming of age story in a mildly controversial setting.

13. Saint Maud (AKA ‘I’m Walking On Thumb Tacks Oh-oh’) – A hospice nurse and recent Christian convert, believes she must save the soul of her terminally ill patient. I never say this, but Saint Maud could have been longer. The first seventy minutes go for slow building tension but that leaves the last half hour with not enough time to bring things to a head. The creepy atmosphere is carried by the music and visuals more than the understated performance of the two leads.

14. Uncorked (AKA ‘Billy Sommeliot’) – A young man from Memphis dreams of leaving his parents’ barbeque restaurant to become a sommelier. This just kinda follows the formula of ‘young working class guy wants to do something his parents don’t approve of’. It’s competently made but not really imaginative and wastes the opportunity for some great food porn.

15. Eurovision Song Contest – The Story Of Fire Saga (AKA ‘I Went And Watched ‘Atlantics’ Instead’) – An Icelandic singing duo realise their lifelong dream of competing in the Eurovision Song Contest. If I were a professional critic I would never review a film that I’d stopped watching after 30 minutes. But I’m not, so here it is in last place.

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ninja-scenarios · 5 years

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Oya oya OYA, your sebastian fanfiction is off charts for me!! More? Can you do more? How about a Teacher!Sebastian? Reader is trying to upgrade their grade ;)

I did aslightly different setting: Basically your Ciel´s 20-something sibling andSebastian gives you tutoring as the butler of the family! #phantomfam

Remember,even a demon is not immune to pleasure. What will Sebastian do if desire sparksin him?

Butler!Sebastian x Reader smut

Support me on Ko-fi | Masterlist

“Ich kam, Du kammst, Es kamt“

The faintest raise of Sebastian´s eyebrow informed you about your mistake. Despite perfect control about his emotions you didn´t miss the amused glint in his eyes, that bastard took obvious pleasure in your inferiority.

Your flawless demeanour slipped ever the slightest.

“For fuck´s sake, this is bloody ridiculous! I haven´t spoken German since we met that Director last year…“

“Don´t fret milady, after all it is your dear brother´s company which is currently undergoing negotiations for a collaboration in west Frankfurt. If all goes well you will soon be visited by your new business partners and pardon me but the Germans don’t make for good English speakers.”

“Oh, spare me!”

You sat back in the red satin armchair, taking a deep breath and trying to organize your thoughts. Conjugating wasn´t new to you, yet all the different forms and grammar rules formed such a big woolly knot in your head that your butler´s secret cats would for sure love to play around with it.

It was hard not getting distracted by other problems as well as the fact that your butler had a new suit. All butlers of your house had it tailored by Mr Johnson next to the bakery, yet it looked like Sebastian had sewn the piece of clothing himself.

The butler, who thankfully couldn´t listen to your inner dialogue, turned back to the blackboard, writing as he spoke.

„Ich kam, Du kamst, Es kam“

Those nimble fingers had cut the soft fabric, sewn it together stitch by stitch witha precision indistinguishable from a machine. He had taken measurements onhimself… maybe taking his time and-

SNAP

The slap of the pointer on the chalkboard let your daydreams burst like a bubble. You did your best to look guilty, using the opportunity to eye the tight fit of theuniform some more but Sebastian wasn´t having it. His red eyes tinted a shadedarker, reminding of ripe wine as he stopped sharp in front of your chair.

“Milady, I believe you aren´t paying attention.”

With a dark growl, his voice instantly changed to something dangerous, so very different from the educational tone it had before. He leaned down with a smirk, covering the answers with his body as his tall frame towered over you.

“Let me make something clear: I don´t like to repeat myself to naughty brats.”

“Wh-wha?”

Wide-eyed and frozen from shock you felt a blush dusting over your cheeks.Sebastian was… he had never spoken to you that way and frankly, in thatmoment you were very aware of the new fire it was lighting up deep within yourcore.

“I want to hear the right answer this time, otherwise…” His expression changed to something colder, crueller, the only warmth left was the burning fire in hiseyes. His gloved finger pointed up your chin, feeling you gulp down yourthroat.

“As your personal tutor, otherwise I´ll have to discipline you.”

Fuck. That´s so hot. With crimson-red cheeks you raked your brain for answers, the words coming stuttered out of your mouth.

“Ich kam, Du komm…st?”

Moving faster than humanly possible, Sebastian planted himself firmly behind you, yanking you up by your hair. His grip was tight and you yelped loudly, feeling your heartbeat in your throat from surprise and arousal.

“Again.”

Despite the shiver running down your spine, the words coming out of your mouth in a shaky manner were correct. You could practicallyhear him smirk.

“Very good, I´m proud to have such a clever student. Now plural.”

“Wir kamen, Ihr kamt, Sie k-kamen”

While you were recited the correct forms, Sebastian´s hand travelled down your body, missing the white glove and evoking mighty shivers on your side as it stopped right between your legs. You gasped and bucked against it, needing thefriction, yes, needing to feel his skilled fingers.

“Past perfect tense!”

Sebastian was enjoying this, yanking some more so you tilted your hair back in a moan, right as his fingers slipped under your light summer dress and right into your core. It was so easy to guide you, to please you. How very delightful to watch.

Your voice was weak, as were your knees. His fingers moved slowly yet precise, slowing down even more whenever you hesitated toanswer.

“S-sebastian!”

Yet their reward, it had you whimpering and sighing, relaying on Sebastian to steady your body.

“Present tense!”

By now you were losing your mind. Sebastian let you buck against his fingers, keeping you upright with an arm around your waist as he watched with a smirk far too wide for a butler or any person. His thumb rubbed your pearl and your face reddened by the obscene wet noises.

You yelled the answer out, losing yourself to the fact that you got fingered by your butler. Your very hot and extremely sexy, probably not human, butler. You let yourself fall back onto the armchair, pulling Sebastian with you and fumbling for his belt with no shame at all. You found his cock hard and leaking – like all of him, ready to serve.

Sebastian entered you in one swift thrust. However, he wouldn´t be the infamousPhantomhive butler if he´d cancel the lesson for a simple act of desire.

“Go on with the future tense.”

“A-are you serious?”

One particularly hard thrust showed you just how serious he was and you gave in.

“Alright, alright! I-ich werde kommen”

His hips drove forward with grace and dignity, yet so hard and precise that your head was swimming. You closed your eyes. It felt so good, his cock had you stretched nice and wide while Sebastian cradled your face in his palm, not letting you off the hook just yet.

“You´re doing so good. Now past subjunctive two.”

“Who even uses- I-I don´t know that one!”

His grip tightened.

“But you do, little one. You do because I taught you so!”

Sebastian´s voice dropped a few shades. It shot right to your core, but it sounded strange. This was no longer a human´s voice. You didn´t care. Your mind was spinning and you didn´t dare open your eyes.

The last resolve melted away as Sebastian ripped open your dress and went savage. His kisses burned like fire, igniting a pleasure so hot that you could do nothing but take. Sebastian fucked you into the armchair without mercy, his bodyimpossibly warm above yours. He made sounds you never heard before, noises that came close to growls and purrs, straining to chase for his own pleasure as he hit all the right nerves inside your core.

It was a wild ride that led you right over the edge where you clashed with deep, deep ecstasy.

It seemed like some time had gone by when your mind gained back its sense of time. Your insides felt warm and sticky, yet so utterly pleased.

“Don´t open your eyes yet, milady.”

It was Sebastian, sounding ever so graceful and collected.

“You did well in our lesson, I think a reward is in place.”

His familiar hands spread your legs and with a whimper you felt how he startedlicking you clean. After some moments his tongue, impossibly long and flexible,slid inside and collected your mixed love. Your mind was still spinning so youcouldn’t make out if you were only imagining the thought that rather thaneating it out of you, he pushed his seed further inside with his tongue.

Against Sebastian´s advice, you opened your eyes and were met with the most delicious view.

“Sebastian, is that you?”

A wide, wide smirk gleamed back at you, your gaze drifting over blood red eyes and spiky horns.

“Ready to serve, milady.”

#sebastian x reader #sebastian michaelis x reader #black butler x reader #sebastian fanfiction #sebastian michaelis fanfiction #black butler imagine #black butler headcanon #black butler sebastian #sebastian imagine #sebastian headcanon #sebastian michaelis headcanon #sebastian michaelis imagine

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trulyinspiringmovies · 4 years

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Mulan (2020)

“Mulan” was a disappointing cash-grab that missed every opportunity to cement itself during a wave of new Asian cinema.

Hua Mulan is a girl born with strong chi and is taught to hide it from a young age. When her country is attacked by northern invaders, each family must provide one man to fight as a soldier in the Imperial Army. Taking her father’s place without his blessing, Mulan enters the army and disguises herself as a man. It is there where she learns she must embrace all sides of herself in order to win the war, even the ones that she has been hiding away.

I was initially going to watch the original animated movie before watching this one in order to have a refresher to properly compare the two. Due to time constraints and a friend telling me that this one isn’t like the original at all, I decided not to. After watching this film, I think I might have to rewatch the original after all in order to cleanse my eyes of what I have just witnessed. It’s clear to me now that this film was in incapable hands from the start. I don’t like to get political when reviewing movies, but I think this is one of the rare instances where I have to be. The director, who isn’t Asian, clearly doesn’t understand the culture enough to make a movie respecting it. The whole movie feels like a cheaply made Kung Fu movie. This is also infuriating considering the reason why the iconic songs weren’t included was that the director wanted a more ‘realistic’ take of the story. It’s really hard to believe that when people are running down walls and being thrown impossible distances. The writers, who also aren’t Asian, diluted the cultural significance of this movie in favor of a forced, badly executed feminist message. The writing in this movie is also really weak. There isn’t a single joke in this movie that lands. Dialogue is haphazardly crafted in order to service a single line about female empowerment. The acting is lacking from everyone in this movie. There’s a joke about how Mulan’s makeup inhibited her from emoting properly, but when the makeup is taken off, there’s no difference. The CGI was laughably bad. This movie had a budget of $200 million and I genuinely do not know where that money went. The fight choreography is good at times, but the amateur levels of editing kill any momentum these scenes were trying to generate. Some cuts happen too fast and forcibly ejected me out of the movie. Some cuts don’t follow the continuity so there’d be Mulan swinging a sword down and the next shot would be the enemy defending themselves from the side. I really wanted to like this movie, but it’s clear to me that the people behind this film didn’t care about it. They knew this was going to make a lot of money internationally, specifically in China, and they made a passable film for them. Now they’re asking Disney Plus members to pay an additional $30 on top of their monthly subscription in order to watch this garbage. It’s a damn shame to see this movie try to pull a fast one because movies like “Crazy Rich Asians” and “Searching” were paving a new interest in Asian cinema. I remember writing in one of those reviews that I was looking forward to this remake. Even with public outcry for “Mulan” not to be whitewashed, they did the bare minimum and only made the actors all Asian. This could’ve been the “Black Panther” for Asians, but corporate greed made sure that wouldn’t happen. Please do not support this garbage and just watch the original movie.

★★

Watched on September 6th, 2020

#Mulan #Mulan (2020)#September #2020 #Action #Adventure #Family #Fantasy #Children's #Drama #Epic #PG-13 #Niki Caro #September 2020 #2 stars

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introvertguide · 4 years

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The Best Years for American Cinema

One of the great arguments that comes up for cinephiles is what was the best year for movies. It doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with awards since some of the best movies were not recognized at the time, but looking at the Academy Awards helps as a start. As far as American movies go, looking at the two AFI lists, the original and the updated, can also help. Looking at rating systems like Metacritic and IMDB are also a factor. One of the hardest things is staying objective, because picking the year when your favorite movie came out is pretty easy to do. Her is a list of years when an extraordinary amount of great movies came out and attempting to judge the best film for that year was simply an embarrassment of riches. I am going to stick to a list of years for American films since considering the world of film would make any year possibly the best year.

1939

This is generally considered by film historians as the best year for American movies. It exemplified the height of creativity amongst film studios to circumvent the Hays Code while also integrating the relatively new color and dialogue aspects of film. Transforming books into visual media was all the rage and writers were scouring books to find the next great adaptation. There were a myriad of self imposed decency rules and so many directors wanted to push boundaries...and what resulted was amazing. It was nearing the end of the Great Depression and nearing the entry of the U.S. into WW2, so a lot of people were looking for cheap ways of escape. Nothing was quite as wonderful as going to the movies for American audiences and the population flocked to see visualizations of their favorite novels.

-Gone with the Wind; AFI #6, 8 Oscars

-Goodbye, Mr. Chips

-Mr. Smith Goes to Washington; AFI #26

-The Wizard of Oz; AFI #10

-Wuthering Heights

-Of Mice and Men

-Stagecoach; AFI #63 original list, John Wayne’s breakthrough role

-The Hound of the Baskervilles

-The Man in the Iron Mask

1951

After the end of WW2, a lot of countries had begun rebuilding and American had the opportunity to travel. Many returned from the horrors of war, but America did not have to deal with fighting on the continental home land. What seemed to be the greatest perceived threat was the infiltration and spread of communism. The biggest movies were anti-Communism, pro-Christian, and pro-American in nature. In fact, Death of a Salesman did very poorly when first released since it depicted an All-American in a wonderful profession being a total failure. However, it seems like creativity seems to thrive most when those in power attempt to oppress it.

-A Streetcar Named Desire; AFI #47

-The African Queen; AFI #65

-An American in Paris; AFI #68 on original list

-A Place in the Sun; AFI #92 on original list

-Death of a Salesman

-Quo Vadis

1962

Over a decade since the end of WW2 and the Cold War had turned in a competition for patriotism. A race to be the best pushed invention forward and individuals overcoming overwhelming odds was popular. America worried about spies after severing ties with Cuba in 1961, and a very young President Kennedy delivered the first State of the Union urging the country to stand together. The Civil Rights Movement forces the United States to look inward and examine old ideals that might make the country weak. It was a year of innovation, invention, and introspection, all of which are represented in the wide variety of films produced that year.

-Lawrence of Arabia; AFI #7, 7 Academy Awards

-To Kill a Mockingbird; AFI #25

-The Miracle Worker

-Dr. No; First James Bond movie

-Mutiny on the Bounty

-The Manchurian Candidate; AFI #67 original list

-The Longest Day

1969

The Motion Picture Association created the rating system currently in use that informs the audience about content instead of banning films that did not maintain a certain moral standard. It was the summer of love and the height of freedom movement, so all boundaries were tested and broken. Attacking the American architype was very popular so many of the biggest films had something to do with cowboys. Cowboy pimps in New York, murderous cowboy groups, and cowboy outlaws ruled the movie screens. Testing the boundaries of the MPAA delivered some interesting results: 2 of the top grossing films that year were rated X and that included the film that won the Oscar for Best Picture, Midnight Cowboy, for the one and only time in the history of the award.

-Midnight Cowboy; AFI #43, only X-rated film to win Best Picture

-The Wild Bunch; AFI #79, X-rated with over 100 on screen deaths

-Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid; AFI #73

-Easy Rider; AFI #84

-Whatever Happened to Baby Jane

-Birdman of Alcatraz

-Hello, Dolly!

-True Grit, John Wayne’s only Oscar win for Best Actor

1976

The Watergate scandal rocked the political climate causing an outcry for the oppressed to take their shot since those in power might not have the people’s best interest in mind. Individual’s taking the fight into their own hands and overcoming adversity for good (Rocky and All the President’s Men) or for bad (Taxi Driver) become the heroes of film in 1976. A new innovation was the blockbuster following the release of Jaws the previous summer, allowing producers to get big names in movies in exchange for a percentage of the profits. Movies become a gamble for many actors and directors, much epitomized since Star Wars began filming with George Lucas refusing his director payment in exchange for all rights to future sequels and merchandising, a gamble that netted him $4 billion in the long run.

-Rocky; AFI #57

-All the President’s Men; AFI #77

-Network; AFI #64

-Taxi Driver; AFI #52

-King Kong

-A Star is Born

1982

The 80s were all about making money in the United States, and, with the sudden growth of computer technology, this was reflected on the big screen with some of the highest production value special effects movies of all time. The THX sound system is created so the immersive experience of the theatre is at an all time high. At the same time, President Reagan was trying to break up the communist threat and popularized those people who had suffered through war and oppression. Many critics at the time stopped worshipping at the church of the Academy Awards because Ghandi beat out E.T. the Extra Terrestrial as Ghandi was an epic historical drama and E.T. was a family film. Blend in Sophie’s Choice, one of the most memorable yet horribly depressing movies of all time, into the competition and you see that the Academy favors a certain type of movie (long dramas based on history or novels) and it becomes apparent that it isn’t the end all for judging the quality of a film.

-Ghandi; 4 Oscars

-E.T the Extra Terrestrial; AFI #24

-Poltergeist

-Tootsie; AFI #69

-An Officer and a Gentleman

-Victor Victoria

-Sophie’s Choice; AFI #91

-Blade Runner; ; AFI #97

-Tron

-The Thing

1994

I am not certain exactly what triggered the sudden burst of creativity that came out this particular, but it was a watershed moment for animation musicals, independent films, glorified violence, and adapting books that depict intense suffering and redemption. More than anything, I find that when I list off movies from this year, there is a lot of surprise about how many great movies came out at the same time. I also have a little bit of personal bias for this year because it was the first time I saw all the Oscar nominees and cheered for my favorites during the awards.

-Forrest Gump; AFI #76

-Pulp Fiction; AFI #94

-The Lion King

-Quiz Show

-The Shawshank Redemption; AFI #72

-Four Weddings and a Funeral

-True Lies

-Interview with the Vampire

-Natural Born Killers

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This is simply a list of good year for movies, but it is fun to disagree about the best. If I missed any great years, feel free to comment. What is the best year for American film, or film in general, in your opinion?

#best years for movies #movies #films #best films #Hollywood #1994 films #1982 films #1975 films #1969 films #1962 films #1951 films #1939 films #movie history #american film institute #introvert #introverts #movie trivia

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thedeaditeslayer · 5 years

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Dead Doll's Eyes: Bruce Campbell Talks New Evil Dead and Calls Out Martin Scorsese’s Bulls—t.

You can choose to read the interview below or click the link above to listen to the ten minute recorded version.

Bruce Campbell burrowed his way into our hearts as a dashing B-movie icon with roles in a litany of cult classics, from Evil Dead to Bubba Ho-Tep.

After returning to his roots to play Ash Williams for three seasons of delightfully gratuitous gore in Ash vs Evil Dead, Campbell put away his chainsaw for good when Starz cancelled the series in 2018. However, much to fans’ delight, Evil Dead trilogy director and Ash vs Evil Dead producer Sam Raimi recently announced a forthcoming entry to the franchise with Campbell attached as a producer. Even better: although Ash won’t return to fight Deadites in live action, Campbell will lend his voice to an upcoming Evil Dead video game.

To accompany the rerelease of his memoir Hail to the Chin: Further Confessions of a B Movie Actor — now with an added “Requiem for Ash” chapter — Campbell is dropping by the Alamo City next week for a screening of Army of Darkness and audience Q&A. He promises it’ll be a good time — “There’s lots of stories about the making of that ridiculous movie.”

We caught up with Campbell over the phone, and he shared his thoughts on retiring Ash, teased some upcoming projects and even offered a few choice words for Martin Scorsese.

After Ash vs Evil Dead was cancelled you decided to hang up the character and retire him.

I did, didn’t I?

Unlike other actors who retire their characters, it’s not so much that you’re sick of Ash Williams, but that the demands of filming such a special effects-heavy series led you to reach something you’ve called “The Latex Point.” Could you expand on the on-set demands of Ash vs Evil Dead and why they’re so taxing?

Well, my wife sort of put a finger on it — as she so often does. She came into the trailer one day the last season of shooting, and I’m sitting there miserable because I had to put down plastic sheeting everywhere I went. I’d stick to everything because I was always covered with blood.

She goes, “I know what your problem is — you got Poopy Diaper Syndrome.”

I’m like, “What’re you talking about?”

“You’re like a 3-year-old or a 2-year-old sitting in a poopy diaper, and you can’t get out of your poopy diaper. No one will help you change your poopy diaper.”

So really, it’s that. It’s a series of lying face down in cellars. And it occurred to me multiple times. I’d be lying there literally face down, waiting for a shot, covered in blood in a dark cellar on the dirt, and I’m like, “Is this where I belong?” And the answer was “yes” for a long time, but it’s not a permanent place where you wanna be. Not as a 60-year-old man.

I wanted to avoid that Star Wars crap, where they’re holding these actors up with baling wire and cotton balls, you know what I mean? Feeding them their lines of dialogue through earbuds. I couldn’t do that. I could still pull the character off, so I wanted to finish while I could still do it.

And not have it kind of become…

Uh, sad. We don’t want sadness.

But you’re not leaving Evil Dead. You’re attached as a producer to a new movie, and it’s going to bring new blood into the franchise, including a director hand-picked by Sam Raimi. How does it feel to be able to step back, but still help usher in this new era?

Well, fantastic. Because, look, we can work with these directors. We can support them in the ways that we’ve always wanted to be supported. We can punish them in the ways that we should have been punished. We can hire actors that are good and well behaved, because I know what to look for. And when we get an actor, we can tell them how to best use their time and not party. We’ve learned a lot over the years, so we can share and torment these directors into making a good movie. There’s definitely a place for us. We’ll be there behind the scenes pulling the strings on these little monkeys.

How does it compare so far to the development process for Fede Álvarez’s 2013 Evil Dead? Or is it too early to say?

It’s too early, and every director’s different. Fede was very specific. I’d never worked with Fede, so I wanted to make sure he could work with actors. I sat in for only one day during auditions, and I could see how he would see a take, work with the actors, and the second take was better. After I saw two or three of those, I was like, OK — I’m outta here. This guy knows how to get a better take out of an actor. Done. That’s a huge accomplishment. And he was already very astute with special effects.

What you have to do is find out what the director’s strength is and encourage that, and find out what their weaknesses are and either fix that or discourage that. Some directors are great with actors but they suck at special effects, some are great at special effects but they don’t know how to talk to actors. It’s a really delicate dance. The modern movie is very delicate, because the modern movie has way more special effects now.

In Captain Marvel, even the cat was CGI most of the time he was onscreen.

Lemme tell ya, I’m gonna make a bold statement here.

The Irishman has more digital effects than the most recent Marvel movie, but you just don’t notice. Which why I call B.S. on Marty Scorsese calling out the Marvel movies. It’s like, bullshit! You just used more digital effects than a Marvel movie, and you’re telling me that’s cinema but the other one isn’t?

But the point is, I don’t buy it. I mean, I can’t wait to watch that movie, because I’m gonna be driven insane by Robert DeNiro at 42, Robert DeNiro at 47, Robert DeNiro at 31. It’s just gonna drive me insane, because I’m gonna look at it and I’m gonna be looking at dead doll’s eyes and, you know, they’re gonna do a good job, but they’re all gonna look like sharks.

Now that you’re no longer beholden to the intense schedule of TV production, are there any projects that you’re able to look at that weren’t an option before?

Well, one of two things can happen. I finally told my agent, “OK,” because I had to pass on some things in the last couple years that were decent projects, because I had a bunch of other random stuff going. If you open up your schedule, you can allow for stuff like that. All of 2020 is currently completely open. I have zero bookings for the first time in probably 15 years. I like booking my year — I like knowing what’s going on — but, in this case I’m gonna leave work open to fall off the truck from my agency.

But I also have a TV project that I’m pushing and a feature film project. I will go back under the TV knife under the right conditions, and I have a project that I would do that for. “Under the knife” meaning to sign a contract.

The beauty of it is with these limited series now, no one has to commit to shit these days. One season, two seasons, three seasons, you know. So, we’ll see what happens. I just wrote a feature film — a political satire — and I wanna make that next, so I’m in the process of shopping it. I’m hat in hand right now.

You’ve been in the director’s chair, both for Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess as well as your horror comedy My Name is Bruce. Would you be interested in directing again, possibly for the movie you just wrote?

All the projects that I’m currently gonna be involved with now, moving forward, I’ll be directing in some way. Raising money for low budget movies — I have as much experience as anybody now, so there’s no reason to look for anybody else. I’ll just direct myself.

It’s time for the new sheriff to come into town.

Another thing that makes Evil Dead so compelling is the long-running team behind it. Even if it’s not Evil Dead, would you be down to act in future projects with Sam and Ted Raimi, or your Ash vs Evil Dead costars?

Well, I would be happy to work with any of them again, but I just can’t say. Sam, who knows? Sam’s off making these 10-minute shorts. I forget the name of the company, but everyone’s making shorts now, so go figure.

Kind of like YouTube — getting on that train?

Yeah, I don’t know. It’s all new to me. I’m sticking with the true-blue formats for now.

If you had the opportunity to reprise any other characters that you’ve played previously, like fan favorite Brisco County, Jr., would you be interested? Or do you want to focus on all new material and characters?

New stuff is always my favorite, but I would definitely do Brisco Rides Again, and I would definitely do more Burn Notice. We’re sort of circling the building now with Burn Notice. Maybe it’s time to save the world again. The world needs us.

You recently updated your memoir Hail to the Chin with a new “Requiem for Ash,” and are making appearances tied to the book’s rerelease. How do you integrate tours and press appearances without blowing out your schedule, and how do they differ from press junkets you do for film and TV?

The beauty of working with a company is when it’s time to do press, they’ve really got it down. I saved a bunch of my itineraries from Ash vs Evil Dead just because of how ridiculous they were, so I can look back and show my grandchildren “this was a press day in New York City.” So, you really got the support. The only difference is when you do low budget stuff, or even books, you’re kind of on your own, and it’s way more down-home. It’s Twitter, it’s Facebook, it’s Facebook ads or whatever. It’s no national TV — nothin’. It’s a whole different ball game.

You know, I’m a one-man band. I’ll miss a few interviews because I forgot or didn’t put it in my schedule or whatever. Someone’ll call, I’ll go, “What do you want?” They’re like, “We have a phoner.” I go, “Really? Ok, great.” This one I happened to remember. We do what we can.

A Conversation with Bruce Campbell and Screening of Army of Darkness: $29.50-$125, 8 p.m. Friday, October 25, Aztec Theatre, 104 N. St. Mary’s St., (210) 812-4355, theaztectheatre.com.

#Bruce Campbell

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noirwomaninred · 4 years

Text

Grunts, gasps and moans of Final Fantasy 7 Remake review

My absolutely spoiler free review / thoughts about the game followed with under the cut spoiler “review” where I give my thoughts on the story which I absolutely forbid you from reading before you are done with the game.

Do realize that the under the cut spoiler section will have full spoilers not just for the remake but for the original Final Fantasy 7.

However the initial spoiler free review will go in depth to the game systems, so if you want to learn those on your own you would better skip the whole post.

Meat of the game (Combat system)

The game has an active battle system similar to Final Fantasy XV or Kingdom Hearts games but feels much more refined. You can play the game as hack and slash on easier difficulties, but the normal difficulty (with hard being unlocked ones you finish the game) tests your knowledge of the system at times.

By landing hits on enemies or just by waiting you fill your ATB (Active time battle) gauge and once you have enough of it you can do special attacks and use spells or items. This makes some moments quite tense when you are on low health and need to fill ATB by rushing in and lands bunch of hits in quick succession to be able to heal your character before they get killed.

You can also skip the active time battle by setting the difficulty to “classic” when the AI takes over your characters who automatically attack, dodge and guard against attacks while you can focus on just giving commands on what abilities, spells or items they should use when ATB meter is up. If you think your the AI isn’t doing good enough job you can take control at anytime and the overall difficulty of “classic” mode is same as easy.

You can equip skills, spells and active buffs by equipping materia, which are items that grant these skills. The characters aren’t able to use those skills if materia is unequipped, so you have to choose what works best for you.

On top of the materia system you have different weapons that give your characters different abilities. Using the said abilities they can learn them and can then use them even when the weapon is changed.

You take control of multiple characters and you are able to switch between them on the fly whenever you wish in combat. Each character feels different to play and have their own strengths and weaknesses.

Only negative I would have is that targeting system can be at times a bit fickle and camera occasionally can be fighting against you when trying to hit enemies who are above ground level. This is more of a nitpick than a real problem.

The combat system is great and has enough depth to carry a full game.

Grunts, gasps and moans (Audio)

This game suffers the same problem as most of the console games. There isn’t really a sweet spot for audio to be perfect. Music can swallow the dialogue or the other way around, the side dialogue can swallow the main dialogue etc.

If you haven’t guessed the title of my review comes from the audio problems the game has. The grunts, gasps and moans can at times be way too loud and just distracting. For example when character is clearly far in the background you can hear them grunt as if they were doing it right agaisnt your ear.

From let’s plays (and my own experience) the side dialogue heard by random characters on the streets are a bit too loud and distracting. None of these things isn’t anything that ruins the experience but it is a bit annoying.

What did you expect (Music)

Music is done by Nobuo Uematsu, along with Masashi Hamauzu and Mitsuto Suzuki. It is amazing and among one of my favorite video game soundtracks.

Everyone is so pretty and hot (Graphics / visuals)

Graphics of this game are unreal, every character is so pretty, lighting is on point and the art direction is great. They made trash look interesting in HD and that is saying much.. Though there are few times when you see low textures or even the infamous doors that are impossible to miss and look like they didn’t load correctly or just miss proper textures. This again is more of a nitpick and not a real problem.

Everyone is so nice and wholesome (Characters)

All the characters are likable and charming on their own way. The banter between the cast members is done really well and no one feels under utilized. Some side characters may be way over the top and anime if you don’t like that kind of thing but that again is down to your own taste. At first I had a bit of a trouble accepting some but I grew to like all them in the end.

Good guys are good and villains are villains. I like them all.

Final thoughts

The game is quite amazing on all fronts but at times it can feel a bit bloated and drag on during some sections though this is mostly down to your own opinion. Personally I didn’t feel the sections drag on in more than two points of the game when I felt the pacing was a bit too slow for what was going on (The other case being just feeling that area was stretched out and other a pacing issue for what was going on with the story).

I overall recommend the game if you are s fan of JRPGs, but as a remake of FF7 it is quite different and can be good or bad depending on how you like it. Though I will say that if you expected the marketed remake of the original story with expanded bits.. It simply isn’t it.

With that out of the way under the cut is the spoiler review and my thoughts on the story of the game. Do not read it unless you have played the game or just don’t give a f*** about full spoilers.

Here I will put up my thoughts on the full story and go deeper into certain scenes that has been added or altered from the original. Please know that these are my personal opinions and if you disliked something that I liked or that I disliked something you liked is fine, no hate coming from me so don’t toss it my way! Feel free to hit me up in instant messages if you want to discuss stuff.

The Avalanche gang

The side characters from the Avalanche have been greatly expanded upon and all of it is good, while Jessie got the most of it and I honestly don’t mind that.

We get a whole new side adventure with the gang which makes sense as part of the bigger plot and gives the characters time to shine. This also makes the emotional punch later on feel much more effective.

Train graveyard and spooky ghosts

This part that is added with Aerith’s backstory being expanded by just a small glimpse and having the characters run around with spooky ghosts is good.. But it is placed in the worst place when considering the full narrative.

At this time the characters are running towards Sector 7 to prevent the plate from falling on +50 000 people and to have a prolonged part with ghosts makes takes away from the build up and the agency of the moment. If this spooky ghost part would have been done in any other point of the story it would have been fine but now it drags on the part of the game that should feel intense.

Use of Sephiroth

PTSD / ghost appearances

I was all aboard for Sephiroth being a haunting ghost for Cloud with the worst case of PTSD. The only scene I would have cut from him would have been the first meeting with Aerith where he feels really out of place for me and the “you can’t save anyone” taunt talk would have been better used right before the plate fall instead of being used as a “hey, you remember Aerith is gonna die” moment that is just eh.

I especially loved the moment right after the plate fall when Cloud freaks out as Sephiroth taunts how he just let all those people die and all the others see is him freaking out because of nothing.

Final moments

To have him as a final boss of the game is just... Please, can’t you save anything at all for the end of the story? We already had our final boss of the whole remake story I guess. Overall in the end when they stopped using Sephiroth as a haunting ghost and turned him into a random big bad of the story, where he literally has no place in even with the changed narrative, is just quite lame for me personally and it felt like he was overused.

Shinra board of directors

All the villains are great. None of them is toned down and they clearly love what they do just as they did in the original game. Scarlett was a bit over the top but to be fair I always got the insane dominatrix vibes from her so it works. Hojo is absolutely delight on how creepy and off putting he is.

The changed story with them using the reactor bombings and the plate fall not to just turn the people against Avalanche but to sell a war to their civilians against Wutai is really well done and I’m excited to see where it goes.

The TURKS

The TURKS are all portrayed as they have always been. Great stuff.

Roche

Roche is a bit too over the top but he is way too fabulous not to like as a frenemy. It took a bit for me to warm up to him but I think he is a great addition. Though I think it is a missed opportunity not to have him have a second appearance at the very end during the motorcycle escape.

The Honey Bee inn

The Honey Bee inn might very well be one of my favorite gaming moments of my life. It is whimsical, way over the top and fabulous not to like. What I like the most of it is the fact they didn’t turn it into a harmful scene or a joke that might hurt the people who crossdress or fight with their gender identity.

I love the fact that they go as far as have the character in game state that one should always be who they are without fear and the beauty is something that the gender does not apply to.

However the cat calling on the streets for Aerith and Cloud was a bit too much and uncomfortable and the follow up sleeping gass scene, that was added instead of having the charcters just lead to the basement, was too real.

The plate fall and the aftermath

The plate fall event was quite spectacular and great overall. However I do think that Square has lost their touch on what the tone of certain scenes should be with the random appearance of Cait Sith (that will be just wtf moment for new comers who have no context for a cat with a crown) when everything goes down. It is really short glimpse but it was more than enough to take me out of the emotional impact and just make me groan.

It also took me a great attempt on suspension of disbelief to have Wedge survive the ordeal, but I managed it and accepted it. However as much as I wished for Biggs to survive I can’t suspend my disbelief so much. They had him die in front of the gang and if he somehow just passed out and they were silly enough to leave him behind (which I doubt they would have done) they had him be on the pillar that was destroyed beyond any recognition.. So yeah.. It truly does a disservice for the whole emotional impact of the plate fall and overall experience when the plot armor is so damn thick.

I mean right now I’m at the point of thinking that Jessie is alive because she “died” just like Biggs and if he survived so should she, right?

I really wish they would have had the guts to pull the trigger on the characters like they did in the original or at least write sensible ways to have some of the characters survive.

Jenova

I think they downplayed the horror aspect of Jenova and revealed too much too soon. There is no more a nightmare fuel scene in the game where you get to go through the eerie quiet Shinra building with bodies here and there with a blood trail and claw marks on the walls. Now it is simply reduced to following a spooky juice that might be purple glowing blood.

As fun as the boss battle against the Jenova was it felt out of place and confusing. I generally feel that the creators thought that they just had to cram Jenova fight in there and couldn’t wait for it to happen later or have Jenova get their proper introduction later on.

Rufus

Rufus, while he looks absolutely stunning, is downplayed. Now he is simply reduced to a random boss battle that is sudden and he has no real character introduction like he did in the original. Even his lines were given to Heidegger who had at this point been well established so this choice just feels bizarre. I realize he wouldn’t have much of a role here anyway but now Rufus didn’t even get a proper introduction for going forward.

Last bosses and Zack

The whole section that starts from the moment the gang stops on the highway and have Aerith give random speech how Sephiroth is bad and they should stop him and all, even without establishing why he is bad or who he is in the remake or how Aerith knows about him at all. Going forward it becomes a confused mess and the boss feels so out of place by being something that should have been in Kingdom Hearts instead of FF7 which is (or was) grounded on reality rather well up until the ending parts of the game.

They also give rather confusing scenes of Zack at the end with no context to anything that is happening until the very last scene of the whole game which I don’t mind.. But have Zack appear out of nowhere and not explaining it at all feels like a chep try for nostalgia and not much else.

However have him appear and walk past Cloud and Aerith as they head out of Midgar was great and could have worked if there wasn’t any additional scenes of him. To have this mystery character with Cloud to head towards Midgar at the end of the game would have been a great hook for the new comers but now it is just... It is what it is, I guess.

Constant spoilers

The game is littered with scenes of Cloud seeing to the “future” (who know how that will go now). Some of these are more subtle than others but some scenes are flat out spoilers that aren’t difficult to figure out by new comers.

I just don’t agree with this spoiler culture and it took me out of the experience at times, though I think that new comers have less of a problem with that if they won’t figure out what certain things mean..?

What absolutely felt too much was flat out showing Aerith dead in a flash forward, the meteor and destruction of Midgar of all things. Just stop.

The whispers

I absolutely hate this addition and before anyone loses their mind let me explain. The floating cloak people make some scenes cringe worthy (like them kidnapping Cloud and Aerith to have them fly away from Reno in comical manner) and they add absolutely nothing to the flow of the story.

For example the whispers prevent the characters from stopping Rude and Reno from making the plate fall... There was no need for them. They could have just had them fail without some “propfetic ghosts who make sure people die because that is how the story must go”. All the moments they “forced the story” to go certain way could have literally happened without them and without them it would have flowed much better.

They have Barret die for a moment just to bring him back by the whispers because his part in the story isn’t done yet. This is a cheap attempt for a tear jerker and takes away all the worry if he will be okay or not going forward for the new comers to FF7 since they wouldn’t raise him from the dead just to kill him off later.

They save the gang during the motorcycle scene multiple times just to make sure to dissolve whatever tension there is left by reassuring us that “hey our gang is safe because that is how the story goes”. They could have had them survive on their own.

Overall every time the whispers were on the screen they took me out of the experience first by just having me react by going “wtf are you doing here” and just made intense moments feel less so.. And now that I know what they were supposed to do I just think “all that would have gone down anyway” and “You literally gave plot armor a living form”? Not to mention that how they were included, would I agree or not (which I don’t) on their inclusion, they are written in the most cringy and poor fanfiction-y kind of way.

They apparently are the arbiters of fate which protect the original story of FF7 and by defeating them we can propably now have Aerith live and change everything. They are just used to give Square a permission to not just remake the game with modern gameplay, graphics and expand the original story but to flat out remake the whole story to something else. I can’t get over the fact they added time travel of all things to FF7.

I can't stand the fact that the whispers don't add anything to the narrative since without their involment everything would have happened naturally anyway. On top of that because of their "involment" to the story the narrative of FF7 Remake doesn't stand on its own by for example showing Zack with absolutely no context to anything, that even ruins his most iconic scenes that are used in the remake and Sephiroth ends up being "this bad guy who killed Cloud's mom and wants to destroy the planet for reasons that aren't explained at all and he apparently knows everything about the timeline" so even him being the big bad of the remake is just nonsensical when he isn't given proper context for anything that is going on. We simply have Aerith go "Sephiroth is bad and should be stopped" and we don't even get reasons why Aerith knows about him at all. The newcomers to the series have a remake of a game that doesn't stand as its own story without them knowing everything about the original game. They are just an excuse to have a justification for Square Enix to change the story going forward to whatever they want and after seeing how cringe worthy the whispers were I'm legit afraid the follow ups will be bad case of fanfiction.

I really, really hate that after playing through a long and arguably an amazing remake I’m left with bad taste in my mouth which stains all the great moments I had with it as all I will remember is how bad the ending turned out to be.

...I really hate to say this but the whispers act like a marketing scam. The game that was sold to us was a remake of a classic with expanded story but now what we have is retcon / reboot to turn it to who knows what going forward. Maybe what we will have in the future is amazing but I’m a bit sore after this.

Final Fantasy 7 Remake is a game that I loved 90% through but unfortunately I loathe the last 10% which is enough to take me out of the experience. Not to mention that 10% is more imporant to the mess of a story we now have than what happened in the rest of the game and it has such great implications on what will happen to the future parts of the remake.. So yeah.

...I just don’t agree and I legit have a fear this will turn into bad fanfiction going forward. I hope this will turn out not to be that way but the fear of it is real.

#out with the red : ooc #gonna do something different #spoilers under the cut!!!#so beware!!#dont look what is under the read me line if you haven't played the game yet!

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angelofberlin2000 · 5 years

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Photo: Emily Denniston/Vulture and photos courtesy of the studios

Keanu Reeves has been a movie star for more than 30 years, but it seems like only recently that journalists and critics have come to acknowledge the significance of his onscreen achievements. He’s had hits throughout his career, ranging from teen comedies (Bill & Ted’s) to action franchises (The Matrix, John Wick), yet a large part of the press has always treated these successes as bizarre anomalies. And that’s because we as a society have never been able to understand fully what Reeves does that makes his films so special.

In part, this disconnect is the lingering cultural memory of Reeves as Theodore Logan. No matter if he’s in Speed or Bram Stoker’s Dracula or Something’s Gotta Give, he still possesses the fresh-faced openness that was forever personified by Ted’s favorite expression: “Whoa!” That wide-eyed exclamation has been Reeves’s official trademark ever since, and its eternal adolescent naïveté has kept him from being properly judged on the merits of his work.

Some of that critical reassessment has been provided, quite eloquently, by Vulture’s own Angelica Jade Bastién, who has argued for Reeves’s greatness as an action star and his importance to The Matrix (and 21st-century blockbusters in general). Two of her observations are worth quoting in full, and they both have to do with how he has reshaped big-screen machismo. In 2017, she wrote, “What makes Reeves different from other action stars is this vulnerable, open relationship with the camera — it adds a through-line of loneliness that shapes all his greatest action-movie characters, from naïve hotshots like Johnny Utah to exuberant ‘chosen ones’ like Neo to weathered professionals like John Wick.” In the same piece, Bastién noted: “By and large, Hollywood action heroes revere a troubling brand of American masculinity that leaves no room for displays of authentic emotion. Throughout Reeves’s career, he has shied away from this. His characters are often led into new worlds by women of far greater skill and experience … There is a sincerity he brings to his characters that make them human, even when their prowess makes them seem nearly supernatural.”

In other words, the femininity of his beauty — not to mention his slightly odd cadence when delivering dialogue, as if he’s an alien still learning how Earthlings speak — has made him seem bizarre to audiences who have come to expect their leading men to act and carry themselves in a particular way. Critics have had a difficult time taking him seriously because it was never quite clear if what he was doing — or what was seemingly “missing” from his acting approach — was intentional or a failing.

This is not to say that Reeves hasn’t made mistakes. While putting together this ranking of his every film role, we noticed that there was an alarmingly copious number of duds — either because he chose bad material or the filmmakers didn’t quite know what to do with him. But as we prepare for the release of the third John Wick installment, it’s clear that his many memorable performances weren’t all just flukes. From Dangerous Liaisons to Man of Tai Chi — or River’s Edge to Knock Knock — he’s been on a journey to grow as an actor while not losing that elemental intimacy he has with the viewer. Below, we revisit those performances, from worst to best.

45. Johnny Mnemonic (1995)

The nadir of the ’90s cyberpunk genre, and a movie so bad, with Reeves so stranded, that it’s actually a bit of a surprise the Wachowskis were able to forget about it and still cast him as Neo. Dumber than a box of rocks, it’s a movie about technology and the internet — based on a William Gibson story! — that seems to have been made by people who had never turned on a computer before. Seriously, watch this shit:

44. The Watcher (2000) This movie exists in many ways because of its stunt casting: James Spader as a dogged detective and Keanu as the serial killer obsessed with him. Wait, shouldn’t those roles be switched? Get it? There would come a time in his career when Keanu could have maybe handled this character, but here, still with his floppy Ted Logan hair, he just looks ridiculous. The hackneyed screenplay does him no favors, either. Disturbingly, Reeves claims that he was forced to do this movie because his assistant forged his signature on a contract. He received the fifth of his seven Razzie nominations for this film. (He has yet to win and hasn’t been nominated in 17 years. In fact, it’s another sign of how lame the Razzies are that he got a “Redeemer” award in 2015, as if he needed to “redeem” anything to those people.)

43. Sweet November (2001) It’s a testament to how cloying and clunky Sweet November is that its two leads (Reeves and Charlize Theron) are, today, the pinnacle of action-movie cool — thanks to the same filmmaker, Atomic Blonde and John Wick’s David Leitch — yet so inert and waxen here. This is a career low point for both actors, preying on their weak spots. Watching it now, you can see there’s an undeniable discomfort on their faces: If being a movie star means doing junk like this, what’s the point? They’d eventually figure it all out.

42. Chain Reaction (1996) As far as premises for thrillers go, this isn’t the worst idea: A team of scientists are wiped out — with their murder pinned on poor Keanu — because they’ve figured out how to transform water into fuel. (Hey, Science, it has been 23 years. Why haven’t you solved this yet?) Sadly, this turns into a by-the-numbers chase flick with Reeves as Richard Kimble, trying to prove his innocence while on the run. He hadn’t quite figured out how to give a project like this much oomph yet, so it just mostly lies around, making you wish you were watching The Fugitive instead.

41. 47 Ronin (2013) In 2013, Reeves made his directorial debut with a Hong Kong–style action film. We’ll get into that one later, because it’s a ton better than this jumbled mess, a mishmash of fantasy and swordplay that mostly just gives viewers a headache. Also: This has to be the worst wig of Keanu’s career, yes?

40. Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993)

Gus Van Sant’s famously terrible adaptation of Tom Robbins’s novel never gets the tone even close to right, and all sorts of amazing actors are stranded and flailing around. Reeves gets some of the worst of it: Why cast one of the most famously chill actors on the planet and have him keep hyperventilating?

39. Replicas (2019) In the wake of John Wick’s success, Keanu has had the opportunity to sleepwalk through some lesser sci-fi actioners, and this one is particularly sleepy. The idea of a neuroscientist (Reeves) who tries to clone his family after they die in an accident could have been a Pet Sematary update, but the movie insists on an Evil Corporation plot that we’ve seen a million times before. John Wick has allowed Reeves to cash more random checks than he might have ten years ago. Here’s one of them.

38. Feeling Minnesota (1996) As far as we know, the only movie taken directly from a Soundgarden lyric — unless we’re missing a superhero named “Spoonman” — is this pseudo-romantic comedy that attempts to be cut from the Tarantino cloth but ends up making you think everyone onscreen desperately needs a haircut and a shave. Reeves can tap into that slacker vibe if asked to, but he requires much better material than this.

37. Little Buddha (1994)

To state the obvious, it would not fly today for Keanu Reeves to play Prince Siddhartha, a monk who would become the Buddha. But questions of cultural appropriation aside, you can understand what drew The Last Emperor director Bernardo Bertolucci to cast this supremely placid man as an iconic noble figure. Unfortunately, Little Buddha never rises above a well-meaning, simplistic depiction of the roots of a worldwide religion, and the effects have aged even more poorly. Nonetheless, Reeves is quite accomplished at being very still.

36. Much Ado About Nothing (1993) Quick anecdote: We saw this Kenneth Branagh adaptation of the Bard during its original theatrical run, and when Reeves’s villainous Don John came onscreen and declared, “I am not of many words,” the audience clapped sarcastically. That memory stuck because it encapsulates viewers’ inability in the early ’90s to see him as anything other than a dim SoCal kid. Unfortunately, his performance in Much Ado About Nothing doesn’t do much to prove his haters wrong. As an actor, he simply didn’t have the gravitas yet to pull off this fiendish role, and so this version is more radiant and alive when he’s not onscreen. It is probably just as well his character doesn’t have many words.

35. Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) GIFs are a cheap way to critique a performance. After all, acting is a complicated, arduous discipline that shouldn’t be reduced to easy laughs drawn from a few seconds of film played on a loop. Then again …

This really does sum up Reeves’s unsubstantial performance as Jonathan Harker, whose new client is definitely up to no good. Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a wonder of old-school special effects and operatic passion — and it is also a movie in which Reeves seems wholly ill at ease, never quite latching onto the story’s macabre period vibe. We suspect if he could revisit this role now, he’d be far more commanding and engaged. But in 1992, he was still too much Ted and not enough anything else. And Reeves knew it: A couple years later, when asked to name his most difficult role to that point, he said, “My failure in Dracula. Totally. Completely. The accent wasn’t that bad, though.” Well …

34. The Neon Demon (2016)

One of the perks of being a superstar is that you can sometimes just phone in an amusing cameo in some bizarro art-house offering. How else to explain Reeves’s appearance in this stylish, empty, increasingly surreal psychological thriller from Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn? He plays Hank, a scumbag motel manager whose main job is to add some local color to this portrait of the cutthroat L.A. fashion scene. If you’ve been waiting to hear Keanu deliver skeezy lines like “Why, did she send you out for tampons, too?!” and “Real Lolita shit … real Lolita shit,” The Neon Demon is the film for you. He’s barely in it, and we wouldn’t blame him if he doesn’t even remember it.

33. The Lake House (2006) Reeves reunites with his Speed co-star for a movie that features a lot fewer out-of-control buses. In The Lake House, Sandra Bullock plays a doctor who owns a lake house with the strangest magical power: She can send and receive letters from the house’s owner from two years prior, a dashing architect (Reeves). This American remake of the South Korean drama Il Mare is romantic goo that’s relatively easy to resist, and its ruminations on fate, love, destiny, and luck are all pretty standard for the genre. As for those hoping to enjoy the actors’ rekindled chemistry, spoiler alert: They’re not onscreen that much together.

32. Henry’s Crime (2011) You have to be careful not to cast Reeves as too passive a character; he’s so naturally calm that if he just sits and reacts to everything, and never steps up, your movie never really gets going. That’s the case in this heist movie about an innocent man (Reeves) who goes to jail for a crime he didn’t commit and then plans a scam with an inmate he meets there (James Caan). The movie wants to be a little quirkier than it is, and Reeves never quite snaps to. The film just idles on the runway.

31. The Bad Batch (2017) Following her acclaimed A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, filmmaker Ana Lily Amirpour plops us in the middle of a desert hellscape in which a young woman (Suki Waterhouse) must battle to stay alive. The Bad Batch is less accomplished than A Girl, in large part because style outpaces substance — it’s a movie in which clever flourishes and indulgent choices rule all. Look no further than Reeves’s performance as the Dream, a cult leader who oversees the only semblance of civilization in this post-apocalyptic world. It’s less a character than an attitude, and Reeves struggles to make the shtick fly. He’s too goofy a villain for us to really feel the full measure of his monstrousness.

30. Hardball (2001)

Reeves isn’t the first guy you’d think of to head up a Bad News Bears–style inspirational sports movie, and he doesn’t pull it off, playing a gambler who becomes the coach of an inner-city baseball team and learns to love, or something. It’s as straightforward and predictable an underdog sports movie as you’ll find, and it serves as a reminder that Reeves’s specific set of skills can’t be applied to just any old generic leading-man role. The best part about the film? A 14-year-old Michael B. Jordan.

29. Street Kings (2008) Filmmaker David Ayer has made smart, tough L.A. thrillers like Training Day (which he wrote) and End of Watch (which he wrote and directed). Unfortunately, this effort with Reeves never stops being a mélange of cop-drama clichés, casting the actor as Ludlow, an LAPD detective who’s starting to lose his moral compass. This requires Reeves to be a hard-ass, which never feels particularly convincing. Street Kings is bland, forgettable pulp — Reeves doesn’t enliven it, getting buried along with the rest of a fine ensemble that includes Forest Whitaker, Hugh Laurie, and a pre-Captain America Chris Evans.

28. Constantine (2005) In post-Matrix mode, Reeves tries to launch another franchise in a DC Comics adaptation about a man who can see spirits on Earth and is doomed to atone for a suicide attempt by straddling the divide twixt Heaven and Hell. That’s not the worst idea, and at times Constantine looks terrific, but the movie doesn’t have enough wit or charm to play with Reeves’s persona the way the Wachowskis did.

27. The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) Reeves’s alienlike beauty and off-kilter line readings made him an obvious choice to play Klaatu, an extraterrestrial who assumes human form when he arrives on our planet. This remake of the 1950s sci-fi classic doesn’t have a particularly urgent reason to exist — its pro-environment message is timely but awkwardly fashioned atop an action-blockbuster template — and the actor alone can’t make this Day particularly memorable. Still, there are signs of the confident post-Matrix star he had become, which would be rewarded in a few years with John Wick.

26. Knock Knock (2015) Reeves flirts with Michael Douglas territory in this Eli Roth erotic thriller that’s not especially good but is interesting as an acting exercise. He plays Evan, a contented family man with the house to himself while his wife and kids are out of town. Conveniently, two beautiful young strangers (Ana de Armas, Lorenza Izzo) come by late one stormy night, inviting themselves in and quickly seducing him. Is this his wildest sexual fantasy come to life? Or something far more ominous? It’s fun to watch Reeves be a basic married suburban dude who slowly realizes that he’s entered Hell, but Knock Knock’s knowing trashiness only takes this cautionary tale so far.

25. The Devil’s Advocate (1997)

Very few people bought tickets in 1997 for The Devil’s Advocate to see Keanu Reeves: Hotshot Attorney. Obviously, this horror thriller’s chief appeal was witnessing Al Pacino go over the top as Satan himself, who just so happens to be a New York lawyer. Nonetheless, it’s Reeves’s Kevin Lomax who’s actually the film’s main character; recently moved to Manhattan with his wife (Reeves’s future Sweet November co-star, Charlize Theron), he’s the new hire at a prestigious law firm who only later learns what nefarious motives have brought him there. Reeves is forced to play the wunderkind who gets in over his head, and it’s not entirely convincing — and that goes double for his southern accent.

24. The Prince of Pennsylvania (1988) “You are like some stray dog I never should have fed.” That’s how Rupert’s older hippie pal, Carla (Amy Madigan), affectionately refers to him, and because this teen dropout is played by Keanu Reeves, you understand what she means. In this forgotten early chapter in Reeves’s career, Rupert and Carla decide to ditch their going-nowhere Rust Belt existence by taking his dad (Fred Ward) hostage and collecting a handsome ransom. The Prince of Pennsylvania is a thoroughly contrived and mediocre comedy, featuring Reeves with an incredibly unfortunate haircut. (Squint and he looks like the front man for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.) Still, you can see signs of the soulfulness and vulnerability he’d later harness in better projects. He’s very much a big puppy looking for a home.

23. The Last Time I Committed Suicide (1997) Every hip young ’90s actor had to get his Jack Kerouac on at some point, so it would seem churlish to deny Reeves his opportunity. He plays the best pal/drinking buddy of Thomas Jane’s Neal Cassady, and he looks like he’s enjoying doing the Kerouac pose. Other actors have done so more indulgently. And even though he’s heavier than he’s ever been in a movie, he looks great.

22. A Walk in the Clouds (1995) Keanu isn’t quite as bad in this as it seemed at the time. He’s miscast as a tortured war veteran who finds love by posing as the husband of a pregnant woman, but he doesn’t overdo it either: If someone’s not right for a part, you’d rather them not push it, and Keanu doesn’t. Plus, come on, this movie looks fantastic: Who doesn’t want to hang around these vineyards? Not necessarily worth a rewatch, but not the disaster many consider it.

21. The Replacements (2000) The other movie where Keanu Reeves plays a former quarterback, The Replacements is an adequate Sunday-afternoon-on-cable sports comedy. He plays Shane, the stereotypical next-big-thing whose career capsized after a disastrous bowl game — but fear not, because he’s going to get a second chance at gridiron glory once the pros go on strike and the greedy owners decide to hire scabs to replace them. Reeves has never been particularly great at playing regular guys — his talent is that he seems different, more special, than you or me — but he ably portrays a good man who’s had to live with disappointment. The Replacements pushes all the predictable buttons, but Reeves makes it a little more enjoyable than it would be otherwise.

20. Tune in Tomorrow (1990) A very minor but sporadically charming bauble about a radio soap-opera scriptwriter (Peter Falk) who begins chronicling an affair between a woman (Barbara Hershey) and her not-related-by-blood nephew on his show — and ultimately begins manipulating it. Tune in Tomorrow is light and silly and harmless, and Reeves shows up on time to set and looks extremely eager to impress. He blends into the background quietly, which is probably enough.

19. I Love You to Death (1990)

This Lawrence Kasdan comedy — the first film after an incredible four-picture run of Body Heat, The Big Chill, Silverado, and The Accidental Tourist — is mostly forgotten today, and for good reason: It’s a farce that mostly features actors screaming at each other and calling it “comedy.” But Reeves hits the right notes as a stoned hit man, and it’s amusing just to watch him share the screen with partner William Hurt. This could have been the world’s strangest comedy team!

18. Youngblood (1986)

This Rob Lowe hockey comedy is … well, a Rob Lowe hockey comedy, but we had to include it because a 21-year-old Reeves plays a dim-bulb, good-hearted hockey player with a French Canadian accent that’s so incredible that you really just have to see it. Imagine if this were the only role Keanu Reeves ever had? It’s sort of amazing. “AH-NEE-MAL!”

17. Destination Wedding (2018) An oddly curdled comedy about two wedding guests (Reeves and Winona Ryder) who have terrible attitudes about everything but end up bonding over their universal disdain for the planet and everyone on it. That sounds like a chore to watch, and at times it is, but the pairing of Reeves and Ryder has enough nostalgic Gen-X spark to it that you go along with them anyway. With almost any other actors you might run screaming away, but somehow, in spite of everything, you find them both likable.

16. Thumbsucker (2005)

The first film from 20th Century Women and Beginners’ Mike Mills, this mild but clever coming-of-age comedy adaptation of a Walter Kirn novel has Mills’s trademark good cheer and emotional honesty. Reeves plays the eponymous thumbsucker’s dentist — it’s funny to see Keanu play someone named “Dr. Perry Lyman” — who has the exact right attitude about both orthodontics and life. It’s a lived-in, funny performance, and a sign that Keanu, with the right director, could be a more than capable supporting character actor.

15. Something’s Gotta Give (2003) This Nancy Meyers romantic comedy was well timed in Reeves’s career. A month after the final Matrix film hit theaters, Something’s Gotta Give arrived, offering us a very different Keanu — not the intense, sci-fi action hero but rather a charming, low-key love interest who’s just the supporting player. He plays Julian Mercer, a doctor administering to shameless womanizer Harry Sanborn (Jack Nicholson), who’s dating a much younger woman (Amanda Peet), who just so happens to be the daughter of a celebrated playwright, Erica (Diane Keaton). We know who will eventually end up with whom in Something’s Gotta Give, but Reeves proves to be a great romantic foil, wooing Erica with a grown-up sexiness the actor didn’t possess in his younger years. We’re still not sure Meyers got the ending right: Erica should have stuck with him instead of Harry.

14. Man of Tai Chi (2013) This is the only movie that Reeves has directed, and what does it tell us about him? Well, it tells us he has watched a ton of Hong Kong action movies and always wanted to make one himself. And it’s pretty good! It’s technically proficient, it has a straightforward narrative, it has some excellent long-take action sequences (as we see in John Wick, Keanu isn’t a quick-cut guy; he likes to show his work), and it has a perfectly decent Keanu performance. We wouldn’t call him a visionary director by any stretch of the imagination. But we’d watch another one of these, definitely.

13. Dangerous Liaisons (1988)

Le Chevalier Raphael Danceny is merely a pawn in a cruel game being played by Marquise de Merteuil and Vicomte de Valmont, and so it makes some sense that the young man who played him, Keanu Reeves, is himself a little outclassed by the actors around him. This Oscar-winning drama is led by Glenn Close and John Malkovich, who have the wit and bite to give this 18th-century tale of thwarted love and bruised pride some real zest. By comparison, Danceny is practically a boy, unschooled in the art of manipulation, and Reeves provides the character with the appropriate youthful naïveté. He’s not a standout in Dangerous Liaisons, but he acquits himself well — especially near the end, when his blade fells Valmont, leaving him as one of the unlikely survivors in the film’s ruthless battle.

12. The Private Lives of Pippa Lee (2009) In this incredible showcase for Robin Wright, who plays a woman navigating a constrictive, difficult life with more grace and intelligence than anyone realizes, Reeves shows up late in a role that he’s played before: the younger guy who’s the perfect fit for an older woman figuring herself out. He hits the right notes and never overstays his welcome. As a romantic lead, less is more for Reeves.

11. Parenthood (1989) If you were an uptight suburban dad, like Steve Martin is in Ron Howard’s ensemble comedy, your nightmare would be that your beloved daughter gets involved with a doofus like Tod. Nicely played by Keanu Reeves, the character is the embodiment of every slacker screwup who’s going to just stumble through life, knocking over everything and everyone in his path. But as it turns out, he’s a lot kinder and mature than at first glance. Released six months after Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Parenthood showed mainstream audiences a more grown-up Reeves, and he’s enormously appealing — never more so than when advising a young kid that it’s okay to masturbate: “I told him that’s what little dudes do.”

10. Permanent Record (1988) A very lovely and sad movie that’s nearly forgotten today, Permanent Record, directed by novelist Marisa Silver, features Reeves as the best friend of a teenager who commits suicide and, along with the rest of their friends, has to pick up the pieces. For all of Reeves’s trademark reserve, there is very little restraint here: His character is devastated, and Reeves, impressively, hits every note of that grief convincingly. You see this guy and you understand why everyone wanted to make him a star. This is a very different Reeves from now, but it’s not necessarily a worse one.

9. Point Break (1991)

Just as Reeves’s reputation has grown over time, so too has the reputation of this loopy, philosophical crime thriller. Do people love Point Break ironically now, enjoying its over-the-top depiction of men seeking a spiritual connection with the world around them? Or do they genuinely appreciate the seriousness that director Kathryn Bigelow brought to her study of lonely souls looking for that next big rush — whether through surfing or robbing banks? The power of Reeves’s performance is that it works both ways. If you want to snicker at his melodramatic turn, fine — but if you want to marvel at the rapport his Johnny Utah forms with Patrick Swayze (Bodhi), who only feels alive when he’s living life to the extreme, then Point Break has room for you on the bandwagon.

8. Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) and Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991) Before there was Beavis and Butt-Head, before there was Wayne and Garth, there were these guys: two Valley bozos who loved to shred and goof off. As Theodore Logan, Keanu Reeves found the perfect vessel for his serene silliness, playing well off Alex Winter’s equally clueless Bill. But note that Bill and Ted aren’t jerks — watch Excellent Adventure now and you’ll be struck by how incredibly sunny its humor is. Later in his career, Reeves would show off a darker, more brooding side, but here in Excellent Adventure (and its less-great sequel Bogus Journey) he makes blissful stupidity endearing.

7. The Gift (2000) This Sam Raimi film, with a Billy Bob Thornton script inspired by his mother, fizzled at the box office, despite a top-shelf cast: It’s probably not even the first film called The Gift you think of when we bring it up. But, gotta say, Reeves is outstanding in it, playing an abusive husband and all-around sonuvabitch who, nevertheless, might be unfairly accused of murder, a fact only a psychic (Cate Blanchett) understands. Reeves is full-on trailer trash here, but he brings something new and unexpected to it: a sort of bewildered malevolence, as if he’s moved by forces outside of his control. More of this, please.

6. My Own Private Idaho (1991)

Gus Van Sant’s landmark drama is chiefly remembered for River Phoenix’s nakedly anguished performance as Mike, a spiritually adrift gay hustler. (Phoenix’s death two years after My Own Private Idaho’s release only makes the portrayal more heartbreaking.) But his performance doesn’t work without a doubles partner, which is where Reeves comes in. Playing Scott, a fellow hustler and Mike’s best friend, Reeves adeptly encapsulates the mind-set of a young man content to just float through life. Unlike Mike, he knows he has a fat inheritance in his future — and also unlike Mike, he’s not gay, unable to share his buddy’s romantic feelings. Phoenix deservedly earned most of the accolades, but Reeves is terrific as an unobtainable object of affection — inviting, enticing, but also unknowable.

5. Speed (1994)

Years later, we still contend that Speed is a stupid idea for a movie that, despite all logic (or maybe because of the utter insanity of its premise), ended up being a total hoot. What’s clear is that the film simply couldn’t have worked if Reeves hadn’t approached the story with straight-faced sincerity: His L.A. cop Jack Traven is a ramrod-serious lawman who is going to do whatever it takes to save those bus passengers. Part of the pleasure of Speed is how it constantly juxtaposes the life-or-death stakes with the high-concept inanity — Stay above 50 mph or the bus will explode! — and that internal tension is expressed wonderfully by Reeves, who invests so intently in the ludicrousness that the movie is equally thrilling and knowingly goofy. And it goes without saying that he has dynamite chemistry with Sandra Bullock. Strictly speaking, you probably shouldn’t flirt this much when you’re sitting on top of a bomb — but it’s awfully appealing when they get their happy ending.

4. River’s Edge (1987) This film’s casting director said she cast Reeves as one of the dead-end kids who learn about a murder and do nothing “because of the way he held his body … his shoes were untied, and what he was wearing looked like a young person growing into being a man.” This was very much who the early Reeves was, and River’s Edge might be his darkest film. His vacancy here is not Zen cool … it’s just vacant, intellectually, ethically, morally, emotionally. Only in that void could Reeves be this terrifying. This is definitely a performance, but it never feels like acting. His magnetism was almost mystical.

3. John Wick (2014), John Wick: Chapter Two (2017), and John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum (2019)

If they hadn’t killed his dog, none of this would have happened. Firmly part of the “middle-aged movie stars playing mournful badasses” subgenre that’s sprung up since Taken, the John Wick saga provides Reeves with an opportunity to be stripped-down but not serene. He’s a lethal assassin who swore to his dead wife that he’d put down his arms — but, lucky for us, he reneges on that promise after he’s pushed too far. Whereas in his previous hits there was something detached about Reeves, here’s he locked in in such a way that it’s both delightful and a little unnerving. The 2014 original was gleefully over-the-top already, and the sequels have only amped up the spectacle, but his genuine fury and weariness felt new, exciting, a revelation. Turns out Keanu Reeves is frighteningly convincing as a guy who can kill many, many people.

2. A Scanner Darkly (2006)

In hindsight, it seems odd that Keanu Reeves and Richard Linklater have only worked together once — their laid-back vibes would seemingly make them well suited for one another. But it makes sense that the one film they’ve made together is this Philip K. Dick adaptation, which utilizes interpolated rotoscoping to tell the story of a drug cop (Reeves) who’s hiding his own addiction while living in a nightmarish police state. That wavy, floating style of animation nicely complements A Scanner Darkly’s sense of jittery paranoia, but it also deftly mimics Reeves’s performance, which seems to be drifting along on its own wavelength. If in the Matrix films, he manages to defeat the dark forces, in this film they’re too powerful, leading to a pretty mournful finale.

1. The Matrix (1999), The Matrix Reloaded (2003), and The Matrix Revolutions (2003)

“They had written something that I had never seen, but in a way, something that I’d always hoped for — as an actor, as a fan of science fiction.” That’s how Reeves described the sensation of reading the screenplay for The Matrix, which had been dreamed up by two up-and-coming filmmakers, Lana and Lilly Wachowski. Five years after Speed, he found his next great project, which would become the defining role of his career. Neo is the missing link between Ted’s Zen-like stillness and John Wick’s lethal efficiency, giving us a hero’s journey for the 21st century that took from Luke Skywalker and anime with equal aplomb. Never before had the actor been such a formidable onscreen presence — deadly serious but still loose and limber. Even when the sequels succumbed to philosophical ramblings and overblown CGI, Reeves commanded the frame. We always knew that he seemed like a cool, left-of-center guy. The Matrix films gave him an opportunity to flex those muscles in a true blockbuster.

#keanu reeves #keanu reeves movies #ranking #vulture

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whimsicallyenchantedrose · 5 years

Text

Taking Back Neverland--Chapter 2 of 10

Pairing: Captain Swan

Rating: G or a soft T

Summary: AU. After actress Emma Swan’s lead role in a popular TV show is at an end, she is offered the leading role in the Regina Mills film, Taking Back Neverland, a fresh retelling of the Peter Pan story. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. Only problem? She’ll be starring opposite Killian Jones, who she positively can’t stand. (Originally part of my Fluffy Fridays collection.)

Previous chapter: (1)

Notes: So this is an old story, originally written about 3 years ago as part of my Fluffy Fridays collection, but @kmomof4 made the amazing above pic-set for it as a birthday gift, (Thanks Krystal! It’s perfect!), and I decided it was time for a reissue. Enjoy!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter 2

“You really should check out this script, mate,” Robin said, “it’s bloody perfect for you.”

Killian took a swig of his rum, grinning to himself. “Let me guess…it’s a Regina Mills production?”

Robin grinned back, taking a healthy swig of his beer before continuing. “It may be my fiancée’s current project but that makes it no less perfect for you. I know you don’t have any pressing projects at the moment. What would it hurt to just check it out?”

“Alright, I’ll bite,” Killian said, “what exactly is so perfect about this particular script?”

“It’s got action, adventure, a bit of whimsy, and romance,” Robin answered. “You’d be taking the role of Captain Hook.”

“A villain?”

“Well, perhaps more of a reformed scoundrel,” Robin allowed. “He is the male romantic lead, after all.”

Killian was silent for several moments, warring with himself. The sounds of the bar, The Rabbit Hole, washed over him. Finally, he reached up, scratched at the spot behind his ear and spoke again, refusing to look at his mate.

“You know full well I haven’t taken an action role since…it happened,” he said, taking a fortifying swig of rum. He held up his slightly-atrophied left hand and stared at it in disgust. “Not much place in action movies for a bloke who only has one working hand.”

Robin clapped him on the shoulder. “We’ve been over this. You could act circles around half the leading men in Hollywood right now even with their two hands.”

“I’m not so sure of that,” Killian said under his breath.

He flexed his left hand, the motion weak and taking painfully long, and his mind went back to the accident. The moment his life changed forever. Not only had he lost his love, his Milah in that automobile crash, but his hand had been crushed. After extensive surgeries, the doctors had managed to save the hand (it had been touch and go for a while, the doctors all preparing him for the possibility that amputation may be necessary), but they told him he’d never get more than minimal functionality from it again.

“Well I am,” Robin said bracingly. “And besides. Your disability will be no factor in anything that’s required of you in this particular film. If you’ll recall, Captain Hook came by the name after a crocodile ate his left hand.”

Well, that did provide some interesting possibilities. He couldn’t deny he missed starring in action-heavy roles. They had been his staple before the accident. He’d made quite a name for himself. Since it had happened…well, he’d spent most of his acting time playing the protagonist in rom-coms. He’d been blessed with good looks, and he’d acquired more than his fair share of female fans thanks to those roles, but he hungered for another role of real substance.

“Very well,” Killian said, pushing aside his tumbler of rum and preparing to settle his tab, “I’ll give it a read.”

~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~

Read it he had, and he’d promptly fallen in love. This was the role of a lifetime. Quite a fresh and imaginative take on the tale of Peter Pan, with Hook the romantic hero and Pan the bloody demon. It hit everything that made a story great—action, adventure, romance, witty dialogue, and the happiest of happy ending (particularly for Captain Hook and the protagonist Anna Swan).

Robin was right; this was a role he simply couldn’t turn down. Truth be told, it was as though the part had been written for him. He saw himself in the resilient fighter Captain Hook was, the melancholy hero who had endured far too much loss in his life.

The theme of a rather lonely little boy reconnecting with his birth mother likewise touched something deep inside. There was something healing in reading about that little boy’s healing—and the way he healed his mother—that soothed (at least in part) the wound Killian carried from his own father’s abandonment so many years ago. True, Anna Swan had given up her infant to give him his best chance while his father had abandoned him and Liam out of nothing but sheer selfishness, but an orphan’s an orphan.

The very next morning, he’d called Regina Mills directly (there were certainly perks to being best mates with the fiancé of one of Hollywood’s biggest directors) and expressed interest in the role. She’d immediately called him in for an audition—a process she’d assured him was nothing but a formality. Killian had made quite a name for himself over the years, and Regina had assured him the part was his for the taking.

~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~

And so it was that two weeks later he found himself striding into the studio for a chemistry test with the female lead, Emma Swan.

He knew very little about his on-screen love interest. He’d caught a few episodes of her television show, but a man can’t very well get a read on a person based solely on her performance as an actress. He could tell that she was bloody gorgeous and had more than her share of talent, but as to the rest? Who was to know?

He fervently hoped they hit it off. As the two of them were scene partners in nearly every scene they were involved with, they would be spending long, grueling hours together over the next few months. Far better to spend that time with someone he genuinely liked than someone who got on his last nerve.

His agent, who insisted he call her Tinker Bell for some unaccountable reason, had playfully suggested maybe the two of them would not only get along, but get along. She’d nudged him, winking playfully, asking if he knew what she meant.

Aye, he knew exactly what she meant, but it wasn’t going to happen. No matter what this Emma Swan may be like, his heart had been broken so definitively it would never be mended again. For the first few years after Milah’s death, he’d buried the pain in rum and passionate nights with as many anonymous women as he could find.

But eventually he realized how utterly empty his life had become. He’d loved Milah with a burning passion, and their life had been good. Losing himself in meaningless encounters with women did nothing to mask the pain, only made him realize how pointless his life had become. Truth be told, he was no longer interested in meaningless sex. If anything, he wished for a real, true, meaningful relationship.

But that ship had sailed when his love had died. No use wishing for something he would never again allow to be his.

The studio door opened, cutting short Killian’s melancholy musings, and then she walked through, and every thought in his head suddenly fled. He knew Emma Swan was beautiful; he’d seen that clear enough when he’d viewed her TV show, but nothing could have prepared him for the punch to the gut seeing her live and in person gave him.

She wore her long, luscious blonde hair in an artfully messy ponytail high on hear head. Her green eyes sparkled. And there was just a certain, indefinable something about being in the same room with her that made him tingle with awareness.

Love at first sight, Tink would have supplied in a sing-song voice. He definitively shoved that thought aside. Where he and Emma Swan were concerned, the only “falling in love” that would happen would be of the on-screen kind.

He took a deep breath and let it out, trying desperately to get ahold of himself. He was going to keep this professional if it killed him. When he finally felt like he could talk to the goddess without making an utter fool of himself, he walked over to her, keeping his expression pleasantly friendly.

“Hello love; my name’s Killian Jones.”

He offered his hand, and she looked at him suspiciously for a moment before taking it and shaking it tentatively. “I’m Emma Swan.”

He smiled at her like an idiot. This whole “remaining professional” business was going to be a fair bit more difficult than he’d expected.

~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~c~s~

Emma glanced away, desperately needing to put some distance between them. A woman could drown in those blue eyes of his.

No wonder he’s had nearly every woman in a 100-mile radius falling all over themselves over him, she thought to herself. And that was enough to bring back reality. She wasn’t, absolutely wasn’t going to be just another conquest.

So, she straightened, and looked down at the script again while they waited for the casting director (a rather bad-tempered man named Leroy) to signal that they were ready for the chemistry test.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the scene Leroy had pulled out for them to read. She’d been afraid he’d pick the scene—the big, passionate kiss that changed everything for both Anna and Hook (although it took Anna a considerably longer time than Hook to admit it). Stage kiss or not, no way was she ready to lock lips with Killian Jones. She was going to have to psych herself up for that.

Luckily, that wasn’t the scene picked, but one a couple of acts later. This one was all dialogue. Romantic and emotional dialogue, yes, but strictly dialogue none the less. Not even a stray brush of hands in the script for this one.

She’d be fine; just fine.

“Alright, let’s get this show on the road,” Leroy said from his seat just beyond the stage. “Haven’t had breakfast yet, and if Granny’s runs out of bacon before I get there, there’s gonna be hell to pay.”

“I’m quaking in my boots,” Killian said under his breath, only loud enough for Emma to hear.

She smiled in spite of herself. “You should be,” she whispered back. “He looks like he means business.”

“Hey, break it up!” Leroy growled. “Save the flirting for the stage!”

Emma felt her face flame. Leroy thought she was flirting with Killian? Ugh! Making this film was going to be the longest couple of months of her life.

“Right,” Leroy said again with a nod. “So in case you’re not that familiar with the context yet, your scene comes a couple hours after the Echo Caves confession. Hook and Baelfire are both sniffing after Anna and she just wants to get to Henry. Bae just took the cutlass and went off looking for Dark Hollow. And that’s where you two love birds pick it up.”

Emma closed her eyes, pictured the scene to come, imagined the emotions running through Anna at the moment—fear for her son’s safety, a strange mixture of relief and panic at Bae’s return, desire—and maybe the starting of something more—for Hook. She still felt a bit overwhelmed about how much her life had changed over the past few months.

So, sky-high walls. She could do sky-high walls.

Emma opened her eyes and became Anna.

Anna shot Hook a suspicious look, putting her hand out to stop him from stepping past her and following Bae.

“What was that about.”

Hook looked aside, clearly uncomfortable. “I assumed he’d heard my secret. I also assumed you’d told him of our shared moment.”

Of course he’d go there , Anna thought to herself. She rolled her eyes. “Why would you assume that?”

He stepped forward, his deep, deep blue eyes boring into hers and not giving up. Anna felt her heart pound at his nearness. “Because I was hoping it meant something.”

Anna wasn’t going there. She wasn’t going anywhere near there. Best to change the subject. “What meant something was that you told us that Bae was still alive. Thank you. I realize you could have kept Pan’s information to yourself.”

“Why would I have done that?” He sounded as though he genuinely didn’t know the answer.

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe Pan offered you a deal. Why else would he tell you?”

“It was a test,” Hook said, his voice softening—even as it shone with sincerity. “He wanted to see if I’d leave an old friend to die, even if the old friend happens to be vying for the same woman I am.”

“And you chose your friend?” Emma let a hint of breathlessness enter her voice.

“Does that surprise you?”

Uh, yeah, it did. “You are a pirate.”

“Yeah, that I am.” Hook looked down, and Anna’s heart twisted at the hint of self-deprecation she saw in the gesture. This guy really was good.

And then he turned on the intensity, and Emma found it difficult to think at all. “But I also believe in good form. So when I win you heart, Anna, and I will win it, it will not be because of any trickery; it will be because you want me.”

He stepped even closer; so close that she could feel his breath against her face. His eyes held hers, shining with sincerity. She felt like a moth in the presence of the flame. She wanted nothing more than to sway into him.

Well why not? Anna’s supposed to be falling in love, isn’t she?

She let her face show how much Hook’s words affected her. She saw his eyes darken in response, and it took way, way more effort than it should to pull back and let Anna try to put some emotional distance between them once again.

“This is not a contest, Hook.”

He gave her no quarter, no lessening of his particular earnestness. “Isn’t it? You’re going to have to choose, Anna; you realize that, don’t you, because neither one of us is going to give up.”

That was way, way too much for her. “The only thing I have to choose is the best way to get my son back.”

He smiled proudly. “And you will.”

Emma knew enough about Anna to know she was not used to anyone putting her first; she wasn’t used to anyone having faith in her. She let a touch of wonder enter her voice. “You think so?”

“I’ve yet to see you fail,” he let his smile turn playful, flirtatious. “And when you do succeed, well, that’s when the fun begins.”

For several moments after the scene wrapped, Emma and Killian continued staring at each other. That was…that was…intense.

She didn’t realize she was effectively staring longingly into Killian Jones’ eyes until Leroy chuckled. “Oh yeah. I don’t think chemistry is going to be any problem between the two of you.”

Emma blinked, and then felt the heat creep up into her cheeks. How was she ever going to survive making this damn movie?

She did what she did best. She stormed away.

“Yeah, well,” she said over her shoulder as she walked away, “what can I say? We’re really, really good actors.”

And she told herself it was the truth. She’d just managed to really get into character; that was all that had happened out there on that stage. It was Anna’s emotions she was feeling, not her own. Not anywhere close to her own.

#cs ff #cs au ff #my fanfiction #taking back neverland #reruns

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starfishandcoffee · 6 years

Text

#watching under the cherry moon

“Once upon a time in France, there lived a bad boy named Christopher Tracey. Only one thing mattered to Christopher: Money. [...] Somewhere along the way, he learned the true meaning of love.”

Aw man, that’s some Jean Cocteau La Belle et la Bête shit right there. Will Prince truly be cured of his pencil mustache by true love?

----

*Tricky’s note* ‘She’s thirsty. Pour it on!’

We’re watching a film about Prince as a for-hire gigolo, I think it’s safe to say we’re all thirsty.

----

I like how they threw in a ballerina behind Prince, just to class it up. Now he can make all the sex faces he wants. Or at least he could if Tricky wasn’t distracting him with those notes about how they’re behind on rent and desperately need money, hence why Prince is a gigolo, plot stuff...

Now, movie, I love you, I do - But i’m not exactly watching for the plot.

----

A Film By Prince - It really couldn’t have been from any other.

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Five minutes in and we have our butt shot. See, this is why UTCM is the classy Prince picture. Graffiti Bridge gave us shirtless Prince less than a minute in, UTCM makes you wait for it.

----

“Mirror, mirror, seventeen fold, who’s the sexiest dressed in gold?”

*Tricky not wearing any gold* “You must be talking about me, cousin!”

*Christopher to Katy, who is not naked* “Smile, Katy, you’re naked!”

Hmmm, the dialogue makes no sense and the whole scene is meaningless - WOW! UTCM really is an art film!

----

So Tricky (and possibly Christopher also) are sexing up the landlady Katy... but they still have to pay rent? Seems like they only get slight increases in their delays between paying - Perhaps they should try renegotiating their arrangement?

Or give her them Bela Lugosi eyes, sure.

----

“I guess it takes a certain amount of courage for anyone to allow himself to be photographed that way. My advice to Prince is; be a coward the next time.” - Roger Ebert.

... he’s not wrong.

----

*Christopher drowns a bath toy*

“Fascist!”

See, this is why the movie flopped; people weren’t ready for such frank and brutal criticisms of Reagan-era government, and his oppression of many minority groups during the 80s - steadily turning America from a capitalist culture of greed and gluttony, to a quasi-fascist regime, hell bent on eradicating certain groups (like the LGBT) through unfair legislation and willful neglect.

Viva la revolution! Prince is ready, willing and able to lead us!

----

Prince in the bath, naked, wet, phonesexing it up - truly, the content we all came for.

----

*bathroom sign* chantier interdit au public = public access not permitted. BOO. Cockblocking bathroom.

----

Oh look, it’s the british actor that played Foot in The Beatles Help! - A movie whose plot revolves around Ringo being chosen as a human sacrifice because he’s wearing a very special ring that he can’t seem to take off...

And yet despite that being the plot, it has a rating of 92% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, while UTCM has a rating of 33% rotten. The moral here? No matter how stupid and terrible your movie, people will mistakenly thinks it’s brilliant if you’ve got someone in there with a British accent.

British accents! Classing things up and making them seem better than they actually are since always! (Disclaimer from this British person: No. They really don’t, we’re not better than Americans, not by a long shot.)

----

This movie has Elephants. It is officially the best movie ever made. Prince and Elephants, you can’t top that. Shut down the studios, it’s over for everyone else.

----

Mary’s first scene is more than a little weird given the character traits and personality she has throughout the rest of the film -

*here* Wild, shameless and unabashed partygirl, life of the party, no filter, happily flashes a large crowd that includes friends and family, openly flirts with stranger Christopher, is a real livewire.

*the whole rest of the film* Cold, calculating, chip on her shoulder, trust and intimacy issues stemming from a strained relationship with her father, overly serious, fun sucking killjoy.

Consistency! 👍

----

It really is a shock to watch a Prince film were the leading lady can actually act.

----

I’m weak.

----

So Mrs. Wellington is sleeping with Christopher and Mary’s dad? + Her husband? Though he never shows up in the film so he might be DOA.

“You aren’t seeing another man, by any chance? Because if you are, i’ll kill him.” Ah, so this is the real reason he had Christopher killed, not because he cares about his daughter, we see throughout the rest of the film he doesn’t, but what he does care about is his married mistress daring to see another man.

----

Mary spends all night and all morning obsessing over comebacks she could have given during a conversation she had the day before? She takes the time to track down where Christopher is, and goes there just to deliver the ‘perfect’ retort? Ok, Mary, ok. I feel you.

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Jabs exchanged over an intimate dance? YASSS, you better give me the enemies to lovers trope I live for UTCM.

----

“I’m in the mood for drawers!” Prince’s lyrical genius knows no limits.

----

*Christopher sees a stranger’s car*

‘Welp guess i’m just gonna hop in and play pretend i’m driving it!’

----

“Oh, no! I don’t know him! He said what, officer? My brother?! Oh, no! We definitely have different fathers! Check it out; butterscotch, chocolate. No way.”

Prince doesn’t get enough credit or praise for how damn funny he is.

----

Wrecka Stow - The sole enduring legacy of UTCM.

----

Mary’s got that Neon Telephone.mp3 (I want it).

----

And another shirtless Prince scene. How can anyone not love UTCM?

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Climbs up the wall with a ladder, breaks into her house through the window, calls himself a pizzaman - Romance; nailed it!

----

Funniest scene in the whole movie. *guard dogs start barking* “Oh, fuck it!”

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I wish they’d included Love Or Money on the Parade album.

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A shopping montage? YES. Though they missed the opportunity to have Prince come out in a bunch of different ensembles while Jerome shakes his head.

----

Now, I love Prince, I especially love Parade-era Prince, and you know I love this movie, but... that kiss in front of the car... was he trying to kiss her or eat her? And not in the fun way, no, in the: I’m going to rip your lips off with my teeth - kind of way. Red Dragon is not what I want to be thinking about when i’m enjoying a vicarious fantasy of making out with Prince, mkay.

----

Chases her down, tackles her to the ground and pins her so she can’t escape. Romance; nailed it!

----

“I must have that disease? What’s the name of it?” “It’s called ‘stupid’.”

I freakin’ love this movie.

----

“As a matter of fact, it’s not so hot; you bit me once!”

I told yall. If he starts lifting weights and refusing to look at his own reflection, i’m outta here.

----

Oh, Prince is making sex noises, moans and all that? Ok, i’m staying.

----

“Jesus Christ, shut up? I’m calling your Daddy, this instant. Be quiet, maybe, yes. Pipe down. But not ‘shut up’. Oh, no! I won’t allow that!”

I just...

“I’ll come kick your face off!” “... did you say kiss my face off? I’d like that real well...”

... I love this movie, so much.

----

“You rich folks always taking from people like me. That says what? That says now i’mma take something from you.”

The Socialist hero we need (and want). Again, no wonder this flopped:

----

One the great things about Kristin Scott Thomas being a great actress is that not only does she elevate the scenes she’s in, it encourages Prince to step up and play off her really well. UTCM is the best Prince ever was, acting-wise.

----

I love the shot of Mary’s hand cradling the two lovers superimposed on it. People really need to give Prince more credit for his skills as a director, and of course, the late, great Michael Ballhaus who provides the film’s gorgeous cinematography. UTCM, if nothing else, is a stunningly beautiful picture.

----

... these, these kisses between Mary and Christopher are just some of the most awkward and unsexy i’ve ever seen. PRAAANNCCE stop trying to consume her.

----

“Because it’s a full moon, and i’m a werewolf, bitch!”

I would be interested in a movie about Jerome Benton becoming a werewolf.

----

Billowing curtains during the night, as our main character struggles with confusion and despair? In France?! This really is some Jean Cocteau La Belle et la Bête shit right here.

----

This trippy “Christopher, I miss you!” scene... so... artsy.

----

I like how the maid in the background is dabbing her, presumably tearfilled, eyes, over Mary’s frustration of her situation. We’ve missed a whole other movie about how the maid practically raised Mary, and is more of a mother to her than her actual mother. She’s even reflected in the mirror, outright crying.

“I hurt real bad.” Maid’s like, me too, baby, me too.

----

Nice of Mrs. Wellington to tell Christopher what’s happening with the plot.

“Good luck, Christopher.” She’s weirdly supportive of her former gigolo going after the daughter of the man she’s having an affair with. What’s up with Mrs. Wellington, I feel there’s a lot there we kind of need an explanation of.

And I feel like, ‘well, she is French...’ isn’t a good enough answer.

----

This race to the airport/abduction scene is made by having it set to Anotherloverholenyohead. It’s weirdly thrilling and suspenseful.

----

“I need a lifetime!” “I’m not giving it to you!”

*the craziest of all crazy eyes*

“Oh yes, you are.”

----

This whole scene in the car, again, just great direction, framing, composition... this is such a beautiful film.

----

Whipping off his sunglasses exactly as Kiss starts up? Perfection.

----

The hobos agree.

----

So... why was Christopher aimlessly wandering around the docks after dropping Mary off at the grotto? At first I thought he had sent for Tricky, but no, he’s surprised to see him there, so... what’s happening?

You’d think Christopher would lay low and hide out since the police and Mary’s dad are trying to find him, but... err, nope. This is why you end up shot, idiot.

----

“Hold them off, i’m going to get Mary.” But... but... but you already had Mary! You had her and a getaway vehicle! Why did you drop her off, come back to land, and aimlessly wander around?! Movie, I have so many questions.

----

Wait... Tricky and Katy make it to the grotto on foot, before Christopher made it by speed boat? So it would have been quicker to just walk there, rather than drawing attention to himself by using the speed boat? Movie, I swear to God.

----

“Christopher, run!” He’s in a boat!

----

“I’m not going without you.” You already went without her!

“There’s no time to wait, go!” Lady, they’re after him because your father said he abducted you, the best chance he has is to remain with you, while you explain the situation. Idiots, the both of them.

----

He’s shot... because of his own poor planning and stupidity. Hmmm.

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Well, Tricky seems more broken up about it than Mary. Guess we know who truly loved him.

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So Christopher’s dead, Mary depressed and refusing to move on, but HEY Tricky’s doing good! He’s landlord of his own apartment complex and Katy’s with him now... I guess she sold the property she owned in France? And Tricky’s threatening to put her out on the streets... hmmm. Well, I guess everything’s come full circle, not, like, in any of the ways we wanted, but, err MOUNTAINS.

----

Apart from the slight ball drop at the end, this is honestly a great film, and easily Prince’s best. I love it as is, but I do hope one day we get the original colour print version and the alternate ending that was apparently shot but not used.

#starfishandcoffee #watches under the cherry moon

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berniesrevolution · 6 years

Link

Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s stunning upset in a congressional primary election against one of the most powerful Democrats in the U.S. House has inspired discussion and debate about how this campaign fits into the project of advancing the socialist left. SocialistWorker.org is hosting a dialogue in our Readers’ Views column. This installment has a contribution from Hadas Thier.

Thank you to Socialist Worker, the Socialism 2018 conference, Jacobin and other outlets which have helped to facilitate a very important debate about the relationship between socialists, elections and the Democratic Party. It’s critical that we learn from each other in order to deepen our theoretical and practical understanding.

Frankly, the stakes are high on both ends of the debate. On the one hand, we face the dangers of taking any action that could potentially undermine the political independence of a developing working class movement; on the other hand, the cost of missing opportunities that we have not had in decades could leave us a small organization, isolated from a growing left.

I believe we are in a new political moment that challenges us to think freshly about how we operate on many fronts, including the electoral one. When a socialist candidate garners millions of votes; when powerful party leaders are unseated; when the likes of CNN has to report on “a mass, multiracial, working-class movement” whose aim is “totally transforming the system”; we have a new political terrain on which to contend.

I will attempt to raise three questions here: 1) What is the historical context out of which we’ve come? 2) Do our old arguments regarding the Democratic Party still apply in the present? and 3) What is a matter of principle and what is a matter of strategy and tactics?

The last two years have witnessed a level of political volatility and whiplash unseen in decades. This has led to a growth, internationally, of both the far right and the socialist left.

In the U.S., we’ve seen the teachers’ strike wave alongside the reactionary Janus ruling against public-sector labor, and successful electoral campaigns of open socialists alongside Trump’s unhinged right-wing ascendancy to the White House.

Politics is more polarized than ever, and both political parties have in some significant ways lost their grips over their bases. We live in scary times, but we also have more opportunities than we have during the lifetime of this organization to build the revolutionary left, engage in activity and relate to class struggle. Millions of people are looking for an alternative to the rotten status quo.

But the political terrain that we have inherited is one of a historically weak left and decades of low levels of class struggle. In the ISO(International Socialist Organizational), we have long bemoaned the gap between left-moving consciousness and concrete organization and action on the ground. Powerful struggles have flared over the years, but have still remained episodic. Movement ups and downs have largely not translated into enough organization and connectivity between struggles to make a qualitative breakthrough.

One key element in all of this is the confidence of our side. The wider the gap between what people believe and how they see their ideas reflected in society (whether that be in struggles or in formal politics), the more confidence is undermined.

At the same time, third-party challenges to the status quo have remained relegated to symbolic runs and, certainly since Ralph Nader’s 2000 presidential campaign, outside of a few exceptional pockets, have not gained traction.

This isn’t the fault of the hard-working, principled candidates who have run for office, but a result of the objective barriers to third-party runs, set up by the two parties themselves and their corporate backers. The calculation of our comrades in the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) that the ground is not yet ready for a third party is, I believe, correct.

For both of these reasons — the need to build up the confidence of our side and the inability of third party runs to do so — I think we need to reassess our past arguments. One after another, they will leave us ill-equipped to address the current situation:

First, we have rightly argued against the politics of lesser evilism: the idea that we must vote for Democrats, no matter how rightward their politics have turned, so that we don’t get the “greater evil” of the Republicans. We’ve been absolutely correct to say that this approach lets the Democrats get away with (literally) murder and has a narrowing effect on political consciousness.

As the great socialist Eugene Debs put it: “I’d rather vote for something I want and not get it than vote for something I don’t want, and get it.”

But we have to be clear that the new generations of radicals, activists and young people who are voting for Bernie Sanders, and much more so Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, are very much voting for what they want! Sanders, Orcasio-Cortez, Julia Salazar and others, even where their politics are unsatisfactory, are not a lesser evil.

Relatedly, we’ve always argued that elections have a narrowing, depoliticizing effect, lowering people’s expectations of what’s possible. I think we have to recognize now that in some cases, this is true — and in some cases, the opposite is true!

There is no other way to understand Bernie’s primary successes other than having raised people’s confidence and expectations. Striking teachers told us exactly this at the Socialism conference. And where I organize, at Brooklyn College, literally every student that has come around the ISO this past year was politicized and activated by Bernie’s campaign.

Lastly, we’ve said that the Democrats are the “graveyard of social movements,” both because electoral campaigns take people away from activism, and because the party actively co-opts movements. We are absolutely right that this is what the Democratic Party intends to do. But that does not mean that they can always succeed, or that every person who runs on their line has that intention.

The DSA, by running candidates and simultaneously building its own organization on the ground shows that the opposite can be true. It is providing an organizational vehicle for newly politicized people. In the words of DSA National Director Maria Svart, it is “organizing people and building concrete power with a politically aware grassroots base that understands who the enemy is and is willing to hold politicians accountable.”

What then can we say of the principles at stake, and what room do we have in terms of plotting out a strategic position?

I think Owen Hill and Paul LeBlanc’s excellent contributions have already framed this discussion well. Rather than a blanket refusal to ever support a candidate who runs on the Democratic Party line, the key principle at stake is maintaining the independent organization of the working class

(Continue Reading)

#politics #the left #socialist worker #ISO #socialism #democratic socialism #DSA #Democratic Socialists of America

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perfectirishgifts · 3 years

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Building AI Brain Trust For Board Directors And CEOS - Series

New Post has been published on https://perfectirishgifts.com/building-ai-brain-trust-for-board-directors-and-ceos-series/

Building AI Brain Trust For Board Directors And CEOS - Series

Leadership in AI requires seeing the horizon and planting poles clearly to guide those who follow.

This blog is a continuation of the Building an AI Leadership Brain Trust Blog Series which targets board directors to accelerate their duty of care to develop stronger skills and competencies in AI.

Either modernize or atrophy is a reality for laggard companies not preparing to compete in the increasingly intelligent world, where sensors and AI methods will be embedded in every business process.

Over 80% of the companies investing in AI do not drive ongoing operational practices, rather AI is an investigative approach used to answer difficult questions, but unfortunately sustaining sponsorship to sustain the AI models, in many cases, simply dies off.

I have identified over 40 overall skill domains in the AI Leadership Brain Trust Framework, and you can see the full roster, see my first blog. See the links to the series below for more information

This blog completes ten business skills and identifies key discovery dialogue questions to advance an organizations’s business skills from an AI perspective.

Business Skills:

Customer Orientation – One of the easiest ways to advance AI in your organization is to identify all your core customer operating processes and be clear on the data density dimensions (volume, size, type, quality, etc.). Having one executive powerpoint that defines your organization’s end to end (E2E) customer operating value chain and highlighting the quality and ease of data access around all your customer data repositories is a good starting point to understand how many customer data moats you have flowing in your organization’s business processes. Key customer process areas, usually ripe for AI, are often founded in customer relationship management systems (CRM), where customer contact history can be easily tapped to solve use cases like: identifying the best sales leads or sales opportunities for sales coverage, predicting sales forecasts based on historical data sets, identifying which customers have the highest odds of becoming a VIP (very important person) customer, identifying which customers have higher churn (loss) risks, identifying a customer’s personality type to correlate with your sales coverage strategy (best rep – best customer fit), using AI to rewrite your sales or marketing emails based on the natural linguistic voice of your customer, or even using AI voice coaching demonstrating how to to alter your voice to create more emotional connection with your customers to increase propensity to purchase or demonstrate more empathy to reduce customer churn to even having AI chat bots answer customer questions or complete a customer order. There are thousands of AI customer use cases that can add value to the customer experience; what’s key is identifying a challenge or problem area and then advance the use case that can add the most value relevant to solving the specific customer challenge. There is nothing more important that customer growth, increasing customer’s share of wallet and tracking your customer’s life time value (LTV).

Problem Solving Orientation – Most leaders do not know that the most important part of an AI journey is identifying the business problem clearly that you want to solve, and ensuring the problem has diverse stakeholder’s support. The problem must be significant as the journey to solve the challenge may be months, or years; either way building a sustaining operating process around the AI observations or insights requires ongoing nurturing. AI is not like other problem solving methods because once an AI model is created, it behaves like a young child in its early manifestation stages. An AI model is always hungry and wants to learn more, hence more food (data in this case) is needed. So continual reflection by data scientists to find new ways to improve the AI model is a constant reality. This can be actioned either with refreshed data or adding in new data, or even shifting or augmenting current AI methods to strengthen the prediction accuracy is an ongoing responsibility of data scientists charged with securing trusted outcomes. It is important that board directors and CEOs clearly understand that AI models easily atrophy if they not maintained. Hence, organizations must understand and plan for AI sustainability practices, or their AI models will act like abandoned floating code going nowhere. Instead, if the AI models are nurtured with data nutrients and ongoing care, promising growth can propel organizations to new performance heights. An AI journey is like an ever ending discovery process, and the more problem definition clarity and relevant context or sense making achieved will increase the odds of the AI investments having a positive return to its stakeholders.

Analytical and Research Rigour – AI is an intensive analytical and research discipline and many model experiments need to be performed to find the strongest predictive accuracy to help answer the identified business problem. Keeping track of the AI model type, research method(s) used requires careful note taking and data scientists need to be evaluated on the quality of their documentation and record keeping skills. This is in most organizations a relatively messy area, as quality inspection practices and processes in model building have in many organizations evolved like the wild west, and few historical roadmaps are easily retrievable. Fortunately this is all starting to rapidly change, as new machine learning operations (MLOps) software tools are in a growing market, bringing integrated AI model lifecycle management tools providing: model versioning /inventory management controls, model performance monitoring, model discovery (research) and model security (robust history so models are not orphans.) Some of the leading AI market players include: Amazon, IBM, Microsoft Azure, and smaller emerging market leaders like: Data Robot, Dataiku, Data Splunk, H20.ai, Modzy, SignalFx, to name a few. According to Forrester, the MLOPs market will be over $4B by 2025, and five years ago, this software category barely existed. This is a major operational risk gap as the majority of board directors and CEO’s knowledge on AI infrastructure enablements like MLOps is weak. Just like companies had to invest in supply chain management (SCM) or CRM practices, to get AI right, MLOps and cloud infrastructure investments are also required to manage the AI model(s) lifecycle(s) and ensure data lineage practices are robust and secure.

Communication /Channel Relevance (social, written, voice, etc.) – Using AI in business requires an effective governance communication plan and thinking through the most optimal communication channels to reach the relevant stakeholders that will be impacted by AI is often an under budgeted area in AI programs. Too often AI projects are left with only technology centric resources who squirrel away delighted with their diverse data nuts collection and unfortunately, they often do not communicate effectively to increase stakeholder confidence that their AI model programs or projects are adding value to the organizations’s business goals. Whether clearly defined communication channels are in weekly or monthly management review meetings, it is imperative that board directors and CEOs ensure that their AI program teams develop clearly defined communication plan(s), using robust key performance indicators (KPIs) in order to secure diverse stakeholder alignment. Do your AI programs have skilled communication and change management resources engaged to support your AI investments? Do your people understand why the investments in AI are being made, and the value/relevance/impact to their role in the short term and also in the long term. You never want to forget WIFM (What is it for me?) in your AI program communication.

Ethical Robustness (Transparency, Trust, Bias, Privacy) – Do you have an AI ethical and data bias expert in your AI programs? How are you monitoring your AI programs against AI risks to ensure that you are developing trusted AI practices? If there is an area that board directors and CEOs need to worry about in their AI programs, it is ensuring that their AI programs have quality ethical reviews. Even the types of questions that your organization explores will have ethical boundaries. For example, putting in an image monitoring system which measures the number of times an employee blinks, or looks away in a Zoom call, could alert management that you may be bored, disinterested or not paying attention. This may also sound like George Orwell’s 1984 using surveillance cameras. That being said there are many companies integrating this type of technology in collaboration software platforms evaluating your every movement, from an AI image (facial and non verbal cues or even your physical posture/gait), or word classifications (positive or negative sentiment) or your voice (sound and emotion), or monitoring your heart beat, and blood flows – all together giving increasingly more insights on how you may be feeling. This is where the world is heading -whether we like it or not. That being said these are ethical discussions that leaders will need to increasingly think about as AI has already matured into employee recruiting systems attempting to detect if you are lying, or avoiding questions if you blink etc, yet you may well have a nervous eye tick and miss the job screening as the AI is not smart enough to understand this nuance, unless you build in more pre-screening questions for more accurate health accuracy detection measures. More concerning is ensuring the data set that you are using is representative of the population and the problem type you are trying to solve. Many data sets are data biased, and draw inaccurate conclusions which can have legal consequences. The regulatory environments are in their infancy on AI ethical robustness, but 2021 will bring increased AI regulatory guidelines, from IEEE Standards. In the meantime, every board director , or CEO should be aware of two sources: the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s recommendations for responsible stewardship of trustworthy AI , which forty-two nations have co-signed, and the European Union’s High-Level Expert Group’s Ethics Guidelines for Trustworthy AI. Ensuring that your AI program has an AI ethics review at the problem definition stage, and at the data sourcing and data methods stage are key risk management review gates to ensure the desired outcomes (outputs) are not a legal or reputation risk to the company. IBM has software to detect data bias types, called AI Fairness 360, which includes a comprehensive set of metrics for data sets and models to test for biases, explanations for these metrics, and algorithms to mitigate bias in data sets and models. In larger organizations, we will see new leadership roles like AI data bias risk officers (DBRO’s) who will be akin to auditors with specialized data management, ethical and security designations. Data AI model risk officers will have a quality and risk management responsibility to review and sign off on AI models, or companies will increasingly engage an audit firm, with expertise in Trusted AI and risk management. EY is one of the most progressive global leaders in AI trust sense making and has built a strong AI evaluation methodology on TrustedAI. Although KPMG, and PWC and many boutique firms also have AI audit practices, EY has a strong comprehensive TrustedAI framework that is one of the most comprehensive that I have reviewed to date.

Program and Project Management – Like in any major technology deployment program, using advanced technologies like AI, ensuring the solutioning team have strong skills in program management (more complex program skills overseeing multiple project management streams) and project management skills are most relevant to AI initiatives. Key questions include: Does your organization have skilled program and project management practitioners certified in well recognized methods like: PMP (Project Management Professional, or PgMP (Program Management Professional) will increase an organization’s ability to manage risk and cross functional teams. How many employees have these types of certification in your company? Are your employees supported to take these types of certifications (PMP, or PgMP) as part of your organization’s talent management development programs?

Process & Data Management Orientation– Process management skills have been a cornerstone of business for many years in training employees to understand end to end process work flows, and building skills in process mapping, total quality management or 6sigma certifications. All of these skills have contributed to improving business process management capabilities. How many trained experts do you have in process related certifications like 6Sigma, or TQM? Understanding the value chains of process and data flows is a key skill in organizations to ensure data lineage (defined: data lineage includes the data origin, what happens to it and where it moves over time. Data lineage gives visibility, while greatly simplifying the ability to trace errors back to the root cause in a data analytics process.) When one starts an AI Project, after defining the business problem, the first question that rapidly emerges is: where is the relevant data to solve this business problem? Does the data reside in one repository or in multiple repositories? What is the quality and the accuracy of the data sources? Who owns the data sources? What are the types of data (what percentage of the data is structured versus unstructured)? How easy is it to aggregate (bring together) the diverse data sources? Where will the data inventory be stored? How can the data sources be continually updated/replicated so the data modelling does not atrophy rapidly in experimentation vs be enabled and sustained in production? How do you ensure you can continually capture and clean the data? Key questions that board directors and CEO’s can strategically focus on versus the mechanics of these prior questions are: How many of our resources are trained in formal data management methods? Two of the leading data management certifications are: DMBOK (data management body of knowledge) or CDMP (certified data management professional). This is an area I continually see in companies as being very weak in having integrated business process and data lineage skills. To be ready for AI, data ease of access and its quality is everything. Building centralized data repositories and cloud data lakes are important building blocks for board directors and CEO’s to ensure company’s operating structures are being modernized, otherwise, they will never be able to build or sustain internal AI solutions to evolve their business models. In summary, it is important to remember that in AI programs or projects, about 80% of the early project set-up is data related, so data skills are most critical in building relevancy to AI initiatives.

Measurement – Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) – in AI, there must be clearly defined measurement systems identifying all the KPIs relevant to AI. One of the frameworks for KPIs is the SMART framework which stands for ensuring your KPIs are: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Sensitive. CEOs or board directors must ensure there are clearly defined KPIs that are strategic and measurable over time, as AI models need continual refreshed data, retraining, and the model’s predictions need to be in an acceptance range that enables organizations to trust AI. Operational KPIs in AI projects could be: increasing customer retention as a result of deploying AI chat bots or increasing customer conversion (purchasing) rates from using AI guided selling software that improves yield and customer target relevancy, or identifying fraudulent behaviours to reduce risks and losses, etc. Other KPIs on AI projects may be focused on the classification accuracy in terms of true positive rates (TPRs), or false positive rates (FPR’s). For example, a strong AI Algorithm that has 1% of false positives is a very strong accuracy score. Other AI KPIs could be Mean Absolute Error (MAE) which is mainly used in linear regression models and looks at the absolute difference between the actual and predicted value (variance). Another popular method is the root mean squared error (RMSE) which gives weight to larger errors and all errors are squared before they are averaged. A relatively new KPI invented by Google is the sensibilities and specified average (SSA) which analyzes if something makes sense (sensibility) and whether it is specific enough. Implementing SSA has more human judgement, but with external reviewers developing pre (prior) and post metrics, the SSI metric is most valuable as it creates context for easier comprehension. If humans cannot experience, understand and trust, the AI benefits/or value, it really does not matter how strong the prediction accuracy scores are. Hence, CEO’s and board directors must ensure relevancy, trust and value realization are strongly anchored in AI investments.

Finance and Business – Having a CFO that is knowledgeable about advanced analytics, AI, and ensuring KPI’s are SMART is increasingly a business imperative. PWC has already signalled that perhaps AI functions should report into CFO’s versus CIOs given CFO’s skills are often stronger in more robust measurement and risk management functions. AI in finance has so many applications, whether it’s analyzing credit card transactions to predict your personality profile on shopping habits, predicting which investments are best for you given your investment profile, creating customized advice based on the interactions of your experiences or even predicting fraud and credit risks. Key questions the CEO or board director can reflect on are: Who is the right executive stakeholder to help you advance your business to use AI for strategic value and manage the risk? Who has the legal risk skills to ensure your inventory of AI algorithms are recorded accurately and validated to manage liability risk (bias, mis-classifications) and ensure that you are building trusted AI practices? Are you going to bet on your CFO, CIO, or recruit a Chief AI and Data Officer, with specialized skills? Then who will you report this new officer role into. Manulife, a global insurance firm has both a Chief Data Science Officer, a Chief Analytics Officer, a CIO, and Chief Security Officer while a major bank, TD, has a Chief AI Officer, a Chief Data Officer, a CIO, and a Chief Security Officer. I would submit we are still exploring the different organizational roles and structures to get AI, Analytics and Data right. My own view is simplification is the best pathway as Data, Analytics and AI should be an integrated function – and less communication confusion as well as to who is accountable or responsible for different practices.

Sustainability Robustness (Environment, Human and Societal Well Being) – Ensuring that CEO’s and board directors are thinking longer term about the sustainability aspects of AI and the impact AI may have on multiple dimensions is key. Every AI project should go through a sustainability review and reflect on the question: Is AI being used for good or is AI being used in way that compromises your corporate brand, values, or your vision of your company, society, environment or fundamentally what it means to be “Human” (i.e. protecting our species) Although these are deep sustainability perspectives, one must recall the late Dr. Stephen Hawking’s 2104 prediction and warning on BBC that: “The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race.” Taking a few extra days with diverse stakeholders to deeply reflect on the value and risks of AI from a sustainability lense may well be the greatest achievement(s) that companies can advance in ensuring AI is deployed transparently and responsibly.

The next blog next week will further evolve the AI Brain Trust Framework of Leadership Skills and drill down to explain the Emotional and Social Intelligence skills in relationship to AI.

More Information:

To see the full framework introduced in the first blog, reference here. The second and third blogs identify over 10 skill competencies in the strategy domain related to AI, and identifies over 50 questions, and are identified below. The fourth and fifth blog explain the business skills relevant to AI, examining skill areas like: customer orientation, problem solving, process and data lineage, ethics, finance and KPIs, and sustainability, to highlight a few of the 10 skill competencies explored.

Nov 30, 2020

Why Building An AI Brain Trust Of Leadership Skills Is Critical For Board Directors And CEOs

This blog continues to frame the critical need for a Board Director and CEO to build a focused AI Brain Trust and leadership program to build stronger skills to advance AI successfully. This blog continues to build the framework out on business skills, the prior three blogs were on strategic skills.

By Cindy GordonContributor

Nov 23, 2020

Building AI Brain Trust: Advancing Leadership Skills In AI Strategy: A Board Director And CEO Duty Of Care

This third blog completes the AI Leadership Brain Trust – Strategy Framework and identifies 10 strategy skill domains, with corresponding questions for board directors and CEO’s to answer with their leadership teams and help advance sustaining the last mile of AI.

By Cindy GordonContributor

Nov 9, 2020

Building AI BrainTrust: Advancing Leadership Skills – A Board Director And CEO Duty Of Care

In my blog last week, I framed the critical need for a Board Director and CEO to build an AI Brain Trust of leadership skills. This blog continues to identify key leadership skills and insight questions to sustain more successful AI programs, one of the major gaps in AI programs.

By Cindy GordonContributor

Note:

If you have any ideas, please do advise as I welcome your thoughts and perspectives.

From Leadership Strategy in Perfectirishgifts

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birdwired-blog · 6 years

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Thor: Ragnarok and the MCU

Thor: Ragnarok might just be the best Marvel film since the Avengers. Characters they have been growing for five years have finally reached maturity and they’re let loose in this a film that understands a bold concept is better than an intricate story. In a series that has carved a near ideological stance on narrative construction, finally understood that their movies are about quirky outsiders rolling their eyes along with the audience at unbelievable circumstances. They’re goal is to create a 250 million dollar blockbuster, that still feels like it’s on your side.

Spectacle may be expensive, but it’s cheap. Any multimillion dollar franchise can give us spectacle. You can have spectacle in any flavour: fantasy, magical, sci-fi. Marvel films have always seemed to have had an edge over their competitors, but it’s not because of brand recognition (Superman or Batman would be more popular brands, after all), it’s not because they focus on characters either. Even the transformers understood the need to focus on their characters. So what is Marvel’s secret?

Marvel have learned to incorporate the fan’s understanding of their franchise through the use of metanarratives. Like a Shane Black film, The characters speak in a distinct cinema literate dialogue. Not only are they marbled with references to other films, the story structure itself is presented with an air sarcasm, so any of its perceived clichés can be dismissed as intentional or unimportant. Its shared universe is presented to us like a huge risk that Marvel is somehow weathering, despite the odds. The hard core fan understands the story is perfunctory, the characters will often acknowledge how derivative the plot or their nemesis is, usually through the intertext of another film. The moment in Avengers when Captain America acknowledges the reference to The Wizard of Oz (1939), is a funny bit, but it’s also a clear signifier that even this man out of time is playing along at being cinema literate. It’s here where Thor has always tripped up in the past.

With phase 2, Marvel entered their darkest and arguably weakest period. Thor: The dark world (2013) was grim; it lived up to its subtitle. Marvel tried to build on the world they created in 2012 by focusing on the fallout from the conflict in The Avengers: Stark’s post traumatic stress disorder in Iron man 3, Thor’s troubled relationship with Loki. This concluded with Avengers 2: age of Ultron (2015). Marvel films have always lacked a strong concept, so when they focus on their own story they start to become tiresome. By design the world and its people lack specificity, the players are already in place and it only ever relates to our own world in a general way. Many complain about the villain of the week set up in these films, but any attempt to hold a long contiguous conflict would (and did) damage the series. While it is true that today’s audiences can use the Internet to stay informed about long running film series, the reality of it is the stories don’t matter. From the moment they cast Robert Downey Jr in Iron man they established a series entangled in the real stories of its production and actors. As long as the audience have an understanding of who the actors are and what role they’re playing, they can jump into any of these films without much difficulty. The essential part of making this expanded universe work isn’t storytelling, it’s casting.

Tony Stark’s arc in the first Iron man film neatly matches Robert Downey Jr’s own career from ambitious talent, to egomaniacal self destruction, to eventual redemption. Through casting alone we already understand Tony Stark. The story we’re actually being told is Robert Downey Jr’s story, so the plot about robots and super villains are alienated. The typical role of a protagonist is to act as a bridge for the audience into a the strange world of the film. With Marvel the protagonists also act as gatekeepers; they keep us out by deliberately undermining the threats they face by quipping at them. We’re not here to take these stories seriously. The real heart is in the metanarrative: Will Robert Downey Jr clean up his act? Can this cross film continuity super team work? Can a modern audience accept the incarnation of America’s best ideals?

In 2011 Thor wasn’t a character, but a face that fitted a part. It was Natalie Portman that rolled her eyes and swooned with the audience while she admired some blonde guy’s impossible physique. The question was how could Marvel make this ridiculous character believable, Marvel’s answer was to take it all seriously. As the series got darker, it was clear that cynicism would not stick to Thor’s pre-modern origins, but where was Thor’s gusto and drinking? In the intervening years Chris Hemsworth was able to grow a Hollywood personality that matched his party-loving onscreen persona. He graduated from ‘looks the part’ to a persona we understood, and after two films he was ready to be the lead man.

Although the prologue does manage to get the plot started, all of it is overshadowed with awkward slice of life humour. Thor’s encounter with a devil-like monster is broken up with him turning in his chain to miss every other sentence; it subverts the cliché of villain capturing the hero to explain his plans with mundane humour to contrast against the absurd theatricality. The understanding is Thor is played by an actor that understands these clichés and mocking the film’s own weaknesses. After a brief encounter with their sister, Thor and Loki fall into a time bubble and straight out of the canon. Thor’s hair is cut so he appears more like his actor and he enters a battle arena to face off against the hulk. In another film this encounter would be unbearable fan service, but instead the film makes its intentions completely clear: this is a holiday where consequences and circumstance take a back seat to fun. The characters, who are enslaved into a deathmatch (a situation which in reality would be terrible), have the very best of time because they too are aware of ludicrous opportunity for spectacle. Taika Waititi, the director, plays a happy-go-lucky fellow slave. Again, this is a wink to the film literate audience members; the director is communicating directly to the audience that this is all just some silly fun. Even the character’s names are deliberately shallow; Grandmaster may as well be named Jeff Goldblum, that’s all we understand the character to be. Goldblum, known for his naturalistic, likable performances is cast as a slaver who seems more interested in giving his audience (both those in the arena and those of us in the cinema) a good show. We see the actors bulge at the seems of these characters, they seem almost embarrassed by their own grandiosity. They create specificity with a character who are otherwise broad.

We can see the inverse of this casting policy through Tessa Thompson, who is playing a former Asgardian valkyrie. Unlike the rest of the cast she is sincere and involved with the world around her. In fact, her situation within the film’s story drives her to drink. Her awareness is limited to the film’s reality, and so it falls on her to drive the plot forward. Valkyrie gets the most pronounced character arc in this film, a past failure keeps her from returning home to fight again, but it’s Thor we remember, because Hemsworth was finally able to play the fun version of Thor we were told about two films ago.

Thor: Ragnarok finally delivers on its promise; we were told that Thor was an obnoxious windbag who loved to battle, drink and make merry, but until now the films focused on responsibility and Thor’s role in a coming intergalactic war. This film is the crystallization of Marvel’s very best attributes as it actively rejects its own universe to focus on story about Thor’s capacity to entertain if we just allow him to enjoy himself.

Once our heroes escape their time bubble, we return to story like school after Christmas and work our way through one last big action sequence before destroying another villain of the week at a great cost that will be mentioned briefly in a future film. But Thor: Ragnarok has one more thing to say: with the destruction of Asgard, the Marvel cinematic universe is not a setting, or a story; it is the characters and they’ll survive, even after you’ve long given up on the story.

#thor #thor ragnarok #review

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agentnico · 6 years

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The Disaster Artist (2017) Review

Oh hi, Tumblr!

Plot: When Greg Sestero, an aspiring film actor, meets the weird and mysterious Tommy Wiseau in an acting class, they form a unique friendship and travel to Hollywood to make their dreams come true.

So there is this film that exists which goes by the name ‘The Room’. No, I’m not talking about ‘Room’, the Oscar nominated Brie Larson starring movie, but the 2003 movie that was written, produced and directed by this vampire-like guy named Tommy Wiseau. Oh, and yes, he also stars in that movie! To summarise that film in a nutshell, its known as one of the worst movies ever made, however its not like any other bad movie. With a bad movie, you watch it, have a terrible time and then never watch or think about it ever again. With ‘The Room’, it’s a special kind of deal. Its bad, don’t get me wrong, there are so many wrong things about it, yet I have rewatched that movie so many times, and had a great time doing so every single time. It’s just strangely entertaining. ‘The Room’ is the definition of a movie that is so bad that it is actually good. Hilarious dialogue, so many weird directorial choices, endless pictures of spoons (for some reason!), characters so bad that they become so memorable and some of the most quotable lines in cinema history. “You are tearing me apart, Lisa!” So if you haven’t seen ‘The Room’, watch it. Get some friends together and watch it, and you’ll have one hell of a night! Also watch it for the sake of ‘The Disaster Artist’, as even though ‘The Disaster Artist’ stands well on its own, watching it is a lot more enjoyable if you have experienced ‘The Room’ beforehand, trust me on that one. Anyways, let’s actually talk about ‘The Disaster Artist’, or else I’m going to end up going on an endless tangent of discussion about ‘The Room’!

So ‘The Disaster Artist’ is a behind-the-scenes look on the making of ‘The Room’, more specifically about these two friends, Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero, who move to Los Angeles to pursue their dreams of becoming actors, and when after a lot of effort fortune doesn’t go their way, they decide to make their own little movie, ‘The Room’, however the results of that film were nothing that they could have possibly imagined. And being that ‘The Disaster Artist’ is brought to us from the likes of James Franco and Seth Rogen, who are known for making stoner comedies, it was obvious that this film was going to be a comedy at least partially, and boy is it funny! This film is easily one of my favourite comedies this year alongside ‘The Death of Stalin’, as the laughs are endless, and it is was really rare for their to be a joke pop up that wasn’t in some way entertaining. The way ‘The Disaster Artist’ infused comedy was through the was Tommy Wiseau acts around others, how he is different from everyone else, however at the same time the film celebrates the individuality and uniqueness of every person, including Wiseau, and how that in the end can work for their benefit. And also the film has a lot of fun re-imagining the iconic scenes from ‘The Room’ with all these new actors, which again is a cause for much laughter. However even though I really appreciated the comedic moments, it was the deeper emotional moments that I connected with more. This film is mainly about two things: friendship and fighting for your dreams. The friendship between Wiseau and Sestero is very interesting to unravel, whilst the whole idea of achieving and not giving up on your dreams is a lesson that anyone can learn, as if you never give up, you will get somewhere, maybe not the way you wanted it to, but like with Wiseau, Sestero and ‘The Room’, in an unexpected way that still works out very well. And when the film focuses on these moments, this is where it truly shines, and that is why I also have a slight complaint, as I feel like the film should have delved a bit more deeper into the emotional side of things. The emotion is there, but I feel like there definitely was space for more. That is one of my two slight issues with this film, however I’d like to emphasise that both this and the point I will discuss later didn’t detract much from my enjoyment of this film. I still very much loved it, but I also felt like I’d very much need to address these minor issues.

The cast assembled for this film is literally superb. Both James Franco and Dave Franco fit perfectly into the roles of Tommy Wiseau and Greg Sestero, and since these two actors are brothers in real life, their on-screen friendship felt even more real. Also, Franco nails the Wiseau accent, whilst at the same time adding his own little spin on it. All the people playing the cast members of ‘The Room’ are some of the best casting of the year. Ari Graynor was very accurate as ‘Lisa’, Jacki Weaver as ‘Claudette’ was very funny, constantly asking if the infamous “I have breast cancer!” line will have any follow up later in the story, Josh Hutcherson is hysterical as the creepy ‘Denny’, and Zac Efron is unrecognisable as the drug dealer ‘Chris-R’. Then the behind-the-scenes of ‘The Room’ crew all did great, however special mentions to Seth Rogen and Paul Scheer as the script supervisor and director of photography, both of which have a superbly done confrontational scene with Franco’s Wiseau. And Jason Mantzoukas has a great little cameo in the film too. Now we come to my second negative for the film, with Alison Brie as the weak-link of the cast, well more her character rather than her, since Brie does good with what she is given, however her character felt very lackluster and wasn’t given much to do, whilst I think with her being Sestero’s girlfriend, there was room (get it?) for more confrontation with Wiseau, since the movie hints at this, but never goes all the way, which I think was a missed opportunity.

As a whole, ‘The Disaster Artist’ is a very well done film, with some surprisingly great cinematography work (probably the biggest surprise of the whole film for me), a great script from screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber that adapted Sestero’s book, solid comedy with lots of one-liners (though none as memorable as those from ‘The Room’ itself!), and the emotional parts are done well, though as I said earlier, there was room for more.

Overall score: 8/10

TOP MOVIE QUOTE: “Oh hi, Mark...Oh hi, Mark...Oh hi, Mark......Oh hi, Greg!”

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