#is this a DIRECT sequel or is it a reboot of the stories world

[mickedy]

out of curiosity, can i ask what your beef is with the power of two? my only experience with it is back when i played the demo for it years ago + watched all the cutscenes,, so i have. pretty much no context,, dkdnkdnd

Epic Mickey 1 was produced by a very small team on a super tight budget. Despite the development process being heavily curated by Disney, Epic Mickey was the closest thing to an indie title video game that the company ever put out. It was a game that was simply made for the love of the craft.

Epic Mickey 2 was developed by a much, much larger team, having a bunch of new writers (when previously Warren Spector was the only writer!) and as a result of that, it went through a crazy and unstable development process. Everyone was pulling and pushing the game in different directions-- new characters, new game mechanics, cutscenes, musical numbers?? The tone of the game was completely overhauled, which wouldn't be a bad thing in theory if it wasn't so drastically different from what Warren Spector wanted out of EM2...

Apparently, all of these changes were made to make the game more marketable... easier to digest, easier to sell to younger audiences, easier to expand upon and make spinoffs and DLCs and whatnot. The marketing for EM2 was CRAZY. They were selling the game as the next Super Mario Bros or Sonic the Hedgehog, really honing in on the idea of making Epic Mickey this huge kickass series. Mickey and Oswald were gonna be the next Mario and Luigi, kicking ass and saving the world on a regular basis.

Which is, obviously, very detatched from what Epic Mickey was about. The first game was a poignant narrative about consumerism, told through the lenses of cartoon characters that were left behind by the boom of media capitalism. On a meta level, it was about reboot culture. It was a critique of the Disney media landscape.

The second game is about...

...The second game is about nothing at all, really. A sequel for the sake of making a sequel. Plot points from the first game were either retconned, misinterpreted, or completely forgotten about. Out of the alleged 700 people that worked on EM2, I don't think any of them played all the way through the first game.

The first game's villain-- The Blot-- was alluded to in the final cutscene of Epic Mickey, and was mentioned maybe a single time in the second one. It seems like Mickey and Oswald's dynamic was completely forgotten, and all of their snarky chemistry was sort of erased. Gremlin Prescott was turned into one of the main villains?? Gremlin Prescott... like, the guy from Ostown that you can convince to destroy your phone and has no other significance to the plot of the first game. Ortensia was rewritten from arguably the Most Significant character to the lore of the first game-- the catalyst for everything that happened, the former queen of the Wasteland that haunts and shapes the narrative... to... uh, Oswald's Wife. She has no other character traits.

Nobody in this game has any real personality or character. All of the nuance of the first game was sanded down to make a more digestible story. The dark, gritty atmosphere was brightened, the areas were made cuter and more colorful, the gross Boschian enemies were made into cutesy bug eyed little things... all with the intention of making a more marketable game.

Which wouldn't be as infuriating if this wasn't a sequel of literally any other game. EM2 is an alright game on its own, but its a really disrespectful second installment of the game that was written with the main intention of criticizing the Disney media landscape.

#epic mickey #i really dont think this was a game that needed a second game. much less a third one. a remake was the only thing i ever really wanted

[weclassybouquetfun]

Hannah leading the TED LASSO pack.

Doing tourist tings.

"We saw you from across the bar and we like your vibe.."

With TED LASSO ending (and it is ending. I don't care about all the hedging that still persists about, "We told *this* story", the show's done. They need to hush their butts with that) it's time to look towards the future. What is on the horizon for AFC Richmond.

The cast next gigs...Oooh whee, what's up with that? What's. Up.With.That?

-Jason Sudeikis will appear in Charlie Day's directorial debut FOOL'S PARADISE.

-Hannah Waddingham: Will co-host Eurovision next month, appears in the four part Masterpiece mini TOM JONES

, will appear in THE FALL GUY with Ryan Gosling, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: DEAD RECKONING Part 2, will have a Christmas special and will do voicework in Dan Harmon's animated series for Fox KRAPOPOLIS (alongside Matt Berry and Richard Ayoade) and voicework in 2024's animated film GARFIELD with Chris Pratt voicing the titular lasagne loving cat.

-Brett Goldstein: Brett will also do voice work for GARFIELD. He's also currently writing series two of Apple+'s SHRINKING

-Toheeb Jimoh can be currently seen on POWER on Amazon Prime. He's currently in rehearsals for his return to the stage in ROMEO AND JULIET for the Almedia Theatre.

-Nick Mohammed: Unsure whether the series that he created/writes and stars in INTELLIGENCE will be renewed as a series or as a wrap-up film, Nick has other works going. He costars in MAGGIE MOORES directed by John Slattery (MAD MEN) and stars Tina Fey and Jon Hamm; he will do voicework in the sequel to CHICKEN RUN titled CHICKEN RUN: DAWN OF THE NUGGET and he has a role in the upcoming Disney+ historical series THE BALLAD OF RENEGADE NELL which will star Alice Kremelberg (ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK), Frank Dillane, Joely Richardson and Craig Parkinson.

-Jeremy Swift: Will do voice work in the animated cat caper 10 LIVES joining Bill Nighy, Sophie Okonedo and Simone Ashley. Jeremy also joins the Disney Descendants universe for the musical DESCENDANTS: THE RISE OF RED. He currently has a cd out.

-Phil Dunster: Phil is sticking around Apple TV+ for the time being as he joined series two of their drama SURFACE which stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw (the first season saw her opposite Oliver Jackson-Cohen).

-Juno Temple: Juno was already in the DC universe with a role in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, but now she joins Brett and Cristo in the Marvel world with a role in the upcoming VENOM 3. She also has a role in the upcoming EVEREST about George Mallory's attempt at scaling the mountain. It will star Ewan McGregor, Sam Heughan and Mark Strong. However, before all that, expect to see her in series 5 of FARGO.

-Cristo Fernandez is a jobbing actor. You will hear him in TRANSFORMERS: RISE OF THE BEAST as Wheeljack

he will do voicework in SCOOB! HOLIDAY HAUNT, he appears in four shorts, the feature 3 FLOWERS and it was just announced that he's joining series 3 of Apple TV+'s ACAPULCO and the Disney+ adaptation of ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY.

-Moe Jeudy-Lamour (Thierry Zoreaux Van Damme) will costar in the sequel to cousins Stephen and Robbie Amell's film CODE 8. It will be released on Netflix.

New Village People has dropped.

-Moe Hashim: Moe will costar in Roland Emmerich's gladiator series THOSE ABOUT TO DIE.

-Charlie Hiscock: Will appear in Yorgos Lanthimos' POOR THINGS alongside Margaret Qualley, Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe and Mark Ruffalo.

-Sarah Niles: Will turn up in the long gestating reboot of THE TOXIC AVENGER starring Peter Dinklage, Jane Levy, Elijah Wood, Kevin Bacon and Jacob Tremblay. She can currently be seen in ITVX's RICHES.

-James Lance: Always one for voicework, James has lent his talent to the short HANGING which is the writer debut of background Greyhound Joe Street (far right).

#ted lasso #ted lasso cast #jason sudeikis #hannah waddingham #toheeb jimoh #james lance #cristo fernández #brett goldstein #phil dunster #jeremy swift #moe hashim #sarah niles #juno temple #moe Jeudy-Lamour

[finluz]

TOTK Rant: How Much Better Than BOTW?

//major totk spoilers ahead

The Good

Ultrahand is amazing, it's a simple idea with few limitations leading to a lot of complexity and flexibility

Ascend is fucking awesome. im not even gonna like, critically analyze this one. i wish i could jump through ceilings in real life

Being able to throw items is extremely useful, meaning you don't have to waste arrows to get certain effects

Zonai devices are all amazing, same principle of Ultrahand where they all have simple uses with few limitations, meaning that you can create really complex machines very easily

The Music™ 🎷🐛

Rauru's sopping wet man vagina

There's a shit-ton of new enemies, including like-likes, gleeoks, evil rigby mfs that crawl on the ceiling, floormasters, phantom ganon, the assorted zonai creatures, froxes, baby froxes, yigas with driver's licenses, battle tali, damn those trees are WALKIN

Depths exploration is fucking amazing

Depths atmosphere

Sky Islands when they have anything on them

Air travel

60 new side adventures, which are waaay fuller in good content than the side quests or even the main quests lmao

build your own house

the boss fights

the final boss fight

shrine puzzles with Ultrahand

Proving Grounds shrines

Master Kohga

the guy that walks around continually failing to demonstrate any degree of professional signage

the side dialogue is really funny and well-written

the isolated vibe of botw has been traded in for a feeling of togetherness as a kingdom

large-scale battles with tons of monsters and friendly npcs

muddle buds

zonai architecture

did i mention the ost yet

skyview towers > the ubisoft towers

link has his hair down

tauro

purah

short-hair zelda

rauru

ganondorf

mineru

been spending most our lives living in a bisexual's paradise

the lightning temple

the construct factory

the quest to obtain the master sword

dragonhead island

the dragonhead island music

fusing items to arrows and shields

the yiga clan expansion

do the earthwaker link come on quake that shit

the all-clucking cucoo

froggy armor

the lucky clover gazette

all of the new outfits

the dragon-themed outfits

horns on enemies

link let his hair down

the plethora of armor effects that are now also cooking effects, like slip resistance, swim speed, weather-based attack, and more

railgrinding

princess monoke themes doubled down on

gloom

robot arm

I think a common theme in this list is that rather than being different from Breath of the Wild, there is just more of Breath of the Wild.

"No shit, it's a sequel."

Yeah I get that, but this is the first time a Zelda sequel specifically has failed to really distinguish itself from the game before it.

Tears of the Kingdom has everything that Breath of the Wild had, including its flaws. The fact that it's just "more of it" and "better" kind of makes the previous game completely obsolete, which is a first in the series.

Majora's Mask, Link Between Worlds, Adventure of Link, the Oracle Games and Link's Awakening are all direct sequels of previous games, and yet their identity is so distinct that they become standalone entries in the series.

Majora's Mask is not Ocarina of Time 2.

Tears of the Kingdom is 100% Breath of the Wild 2.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing, and considering the series has been almost rebooted entirely I'm not even opposed to the direct serialization of these games,

but if they are going to go this route,

and there's going to be 6 and a half years between the two games,

You need to do better than the last game.

And so we arrive at,

The Bad.

With the exception of the aforementioned Lightning Temple and Construct Factory, the dungeons, and subsequently main areas and story in this game blow ass.

The Dungeons in this game are just Divine Beasts but with somehow even less creativity. Say what you want about the lack of interconnectedness between and the quality of the puzzles, but they provided a feeling of controlling and manipulating a huge, moving being that sets the game apart.

In comparison, TOTK's dungeons are completely devoid of any original ideas, instead opting to be divine beasts without the movement gimmicks, meaning that they're just "go hit the four or fie switches in any order"

Breath of the Wild traded in the unique and distinct atmospheres of the franchises temples to capture a different feeling that sets it apart. Tears of the Kingdom tries to return to the old temples, but without committing all the way and missing the mark completely.

The Water Temple in particular stands out as completely fucking lazy to me, since it is literally just a bunch of blue platforms in the sky with 4 un-themed and not even water-related puzzles and a boss that is treated as a joke. There's almost no buildup in Zora's domain as well, as you just do a couple of short tasks to unlock the path up and then beat the dungeon in 30 minutes.

It's the worst kind of Zelda dungeon, with generic elemental themes but none of the art to tie those into actually unique places. And considering that there's no dungeon items, no double-backing, or any sort of semblance of an idea of you completing an actual dungeon and not just four shrines in a meat grinder, I would say it's ultimately WORSE than the divine beasts from Breath of the Wild.

The rewards for dungeons

In every dungeon, you get an NPC follower that fights with you and has an ability that you press A on to use. These are used pretty well in their respective areas. When you beat the dungeon, your reward is a blue clone of them that does less damage.

I get what they were trying to do, I really do, and on paper, it's a really great concept.

It's the champions from the last game, except they are actually there and fight alongside you, using that togetherness theming i mentioned earlier.

However, having them out is pretty much a straight downgrade since they are annoyances 24/7.

Their abilties range from mildly useful in some contexts at best to "i would only press a on you by accident."

and trust me. you are going to accidentally press a on them a LOT.

Somehow, they manage to both be in your way when you want to do literally anything else and also never there in the rare circumstance that you actually want to use your ability.

Their AI is complete dogshit, and they rarely swing at enemies, and when they do, the damage is pitiful. Tulin flies through the air, and is mostly behind you when you need him, but everyone else paths along the ground and will often get stuck on rocks, river edges, or random patches of grass sometimes because they lack any intelligence whatsoever.

It's such an easy fix too, just have a "sacred stone" rune in the radial menu where the useless map one is and let me manually select which ability I want. Bam. No more blowing big hearty truffles off cliffs or setting them on fire when im just trying to pick them up.

Fuse does not affect the durability of weapons.

Rather than opting to have the interesting choice of being able to repair your weapons at the risk of losing a rare quality of them, rehabilitating them using items from your inventory,

Nintendo instead opted to have the durability not change at all when you fuse something.

Also, every weapon in hyrule has "decayed," which, as well as being extremely contrived, means that fusing is required for weapons to be viable.

So not only does this not improve the weapon system from Breath of the Wild, it actually makes it more tedious, since now you have to collect not just a weapon, but two parts of a weapon and then fuse them into a weapon.

It's taken every weapon in hyrule, broken them in half, and made you go find the pieces.

This also means that fusing funny stuff like minecarts or logs like they suggested in the trailer isn't viable, since it will only add a few damage points and waste a weapon slot.

In Conclusion

Yes, Tears of the Kingdom is the better game. It not only has more content, but the content is also just better, more experimental, and memorable.

And don't let my huge rant about The Bads misconstrue my thoughts on this game.

This is easily a 9/10, and probably my favorite game of all time.

But it certainly isn't a 10/10.

Breath of the Wild's flaws set it apart, it was easy to forgive them because they played into its unique experience.

Six years later, with an almost identically structured game, it's not as easy to set those aside.

Anyways, this has been World's Biggest Zelda Fan Finluz, and I want to raw link

#born2rig #zelda #legend of zelda #tears of the kingdom #loz totk #tloz totk #totk spoilers #zelda tears of the kingdom #zelda totk #botw 2 #totk

[teratron]

Wonder Woman Reviews: Historia: The Amazons #3

By Kelly Sue DeConnick (writer), Nicola Scott (artist), Clayton Cowles (letterer), Annette Kwok (colorist).

---

Incredible.

It's very fitting this book had a tribute to the tragically late-George Perez in the previous issue because now having read the concluding part of this story, it's the same kind of mythic reinterpretation of Wonder Woman's world that Perez's 80s reboot of the character was. Something DC often tries to poorly with the character, or when they don't just shoe-horn the character back into bog-standard superhero tropes.

While this isn't really a story about Wonder Woman herself, DeConnick definitely joins the great tier of Wonder Woman creators for a variety of reasons but probably first and foremost being her depiction of Hippolyta here.

As I've said in previous reviews, Hippolyta isn't a character many writers try to go deep on outside of a select few (Perez, Jimenez, Simone to name some), and even then it's rarer to see a story about her that isn't ultimately about her relationship with Diana. But other than she's almost always just "Wonder Woman's Mom" and the imposing Queen of the Amazons.

So while this story has retreaded some similar ground before, it's quite refreshing to have a story where Hippolyta is largely the central focus and allowed to stand as a character on her own. And that includes having her questionable decisions that we and in-universe characters are given reasons to doubt, as we see at the end of book. And unlike previous times this has been done, it comes off as a questionable decision that character actually would make and not just character assassination like making her bang Zeus.

Another bit of praise DeConnick deserves praise in this series for is her handling the pantheon. Unlike previous depictions of them in DC's comics, these depictions of the pantheon don't sway to hard in the direction of HBO/CW rejects or the more traditional togas and robes speaking in faux-Shakespeare. They actually look and speak as if the way you'd assume deities would but have some bits of dialogue here and there that don't make them to stuffy to a modern reader.

The scene between Ares and Hera would probably be my favorite "Olympus scene" in the issue. Shows a side of the two (one of which is traditionally the Big Bad of Wonder Woman media) that we don't often see in modern depictions of the Greek pantheon. Though any scene with Artemis is also pretty great.

Much like Jimenez, Scott was a fan favorite Wonder Woman artist for many prior to this book so I was interested when I saw her name attached to this book how this stuff would compare to her prior work on the character in Rucka's run. And unsurprisingly, this was as much of a level up for her as it was for Jimenez when he did the first issue. A certain scene with Heracles was masterfully well done and it'd like be my favorite scene in the book for both her and DeConnick if it wasn't for the ending.

After 10 years, Wonder Woman's true origin finally gets the lovingly rendered modern depiction it deserves. I know this isn't the first instance DC's done the clay origin since making Diana another offspring of Zeus but it's always to nice to not only see it get used but also treated with the respect it deserves in such a high profile project. Especially as DC otherwise blows on with the Daddy Zeus origin. This is just one page but the whole sequence probably surpasses George Perez's depiction of the event back in Gods and Mortals.

I've become fairly uninterested in the direction of DC's comics as of late, especially with the direction of Wonder Woman given what they've already announced. So this makes appreciate this book all the more as just great standalone WW-verse story without being shackled to the rest of the DC Universe. I can only hope the series has done well enough so far to greenlight the sequels.

#wonder woman #hippolyta #dc comcis #wonder woman historia #greek myth retellings #reviews #spoilers

[ape-apocalypse]

Road To The Kingdom - Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes Film

I remember seeing the trailers for Rise of the Planet of the Apes, shaking my head at yet another remake of a long-ago franchise. In 2011, we were hearing rumors of a new Spider-Man coming to replace Tobey Maguire and now I was looking at Harry, son of the Green Goblin, becoming a scientist and creating a drug to make apes smarter. On the other hand, Andy Serkis was getting a main role, more screen time than Gollum in Lord of the Rings, where I adored him and was eager to see him again. I was going in with some hesitation but decided to just turn my brain off for a summer action movie. 

I was surprised with how much I enjoyed Rise. Many fans seem to put this as their least favorite of the reboot trilogy. I can understand why; it doesn't have nearly as much action as Dawn or War and runs at a slower pace. But what it did have was fantastic character building in Caesar, which is needed in this trilogy. I would not be as engaged with these movies if I didn't love Caesar. Seeing him start as a little baby with his human family living a carefree youth, and then grow into a mature ape questioning his place in the world really filled out his character. He could have easily just been a random lab chimp who got smarter but I think the slow-build really fleshes him out. You empathize with him when he protects James Franco's father to the point of biting a neighbor. The human world completely turns on him and Caesar is forced to realize his true nature as an ape. 

Andy Serkis is truly allowed to shine in this role. Gollum was fun and had the two different sides to play with but there is such a powerful subtlety to this performance. Though Caesar can sign, it's mostly not translated into subtitles; only in two conversations with Maurice does the audience get a translation. The majority of the film and Caesar's story is carried out entirely through his expressions, gestures, and body language. Look at the tall confident walk he has when directing Rocket to give cookies to the other apes. The heartbreak I felt as Caesar's expression falls when his human family says he can't go home. The wordless fury when Buck the gorilla sacrifices himself on the bridge to bring down the helicopter and save the escaping apes. Even when the story can get bogged down a bit in the constant science explanations, I immediately perk up when the focus switches back to Caesar and can soak in the incredible performance of Andy Serkis.

Rise is much less action filled than its sequel films because it has to cover a lot as set up for the apocalypse to come. That set up is good, but again the science is a lot and can be a bore. However I think the pay off works. The horror of a simple graphic of the Earth, where one line splits and becomes many more, spreading across the planet, was very effective for me. I've heard people who didn't like that the apocalypse that destroys the human race is done in the credits, that it feels more like an afterthought. But for me, I think it was a powerful hook. Halfway through watching the film for the first time, I'd forgotten that this was Rise of the PLANET of the Apes. So I was excited for Caesar and his apes to escape, just happy that they'd gotten their freedom. Then the sick pilot and the spreading sickness animation hit me like a ton of bricks like "Oh shit, I forgot the humans have to die for the ape world to happen!" This probably didn't happen for everyone, especially those familiar with the original movies, but I liked the ending, undercutting the triumph of the apes with the doom of humanity.

Other than Will and his father Charles, the rest of the human cast is mostly forgettable, servicing the story where needed. Tom Felton of Harry Potter fame is a bit fun in his over-the-top hatred of the apes. When he gets to say the iconic "get your stinking paws off me, you damn dirty ape", my movie theater laughed at how forced the line felt, which I'm sure was not the intention. The weirdness of the line was swallowed up by the excitement of Caesar speaking for the first time and leading the apes out of the shelter, but I still remember the laughter of the audience when rewatching this movie. 

Overall, I think it's a great start to the series. Not the most exciting of the films, definitely dragged down by a lot of science exposition and unremarkable human characters, but a good intro to the world, setting up the apocalypse and making you root for a bunch of apes over the humans. You probably could jump directly into Dawn and War if you wanted, just knowing that humanity was wiped out by an illness that made apes smarter and Caesar is the leader, but I think getting to know Caesar makes it worth a watch before the more exciting films.

(Note that this is the only movie in this trilogy that does not have a novelization, likely because it was the first film and they didn't know how well the trilogy would do. It's a shame because I would have loved to read the thoughts of Caesar finding his place among both humans and apes.)

Intro / Next

#rise of the planet of the apes #planet of the apes #pota #kingdom of the planet of the apes #caesar #andy serkis #dawn of the planet of the apes #war for the planet of the apes #war of the planet of the apes #mine #reboot pota #maurice #koba

[allemantheias]

We could have had a game about Alejandro, Rudy and Valeria??????

Source Bloomberg. Screen from Sledgehammer's reply on facebook. Link to the X/Twitter post of CharlieIntel.

For the first few months of the project, which was codenamed Jupiter, the story was conceived as a smaller-scale Modern Warfare spinoff set in Mexico that would be more achievable on a short timeline than the usual globe-trotting escapades of a full new campaign. But in the summer of last year, Activision executives rebooted that story, and told the developers that instead they would be making a direct sequel to Modern Warfare II centering on the villain Vladimir Makarov and featuring missions all across the world. The reboot ate into the schedule and forced the developers to complete the new campaign in roughly 16 months — the shortest development time for a new Call of Duty game in years.

Maybe............ we get it next year? That would be so amazing. I need more VAleRudy background story. I NEED an answer to the question if Alejandro and Valeria dated before she betrayed them.

#sledgehammer #bloomberg #call of duty #cod #cod mwiii #alejandro vargas #rodolfo parra #valeria garza

[venterry]

overview of my projects as of 2023 – not including general guides & fanworks (details under the cut)

⭕ DENUO COLLECTIVE

Largely human-centric stories within the same universe, time frames are close enough for direct relation or overlap.

🔴 TANDEM

A futuristic planet with two moons – features large wildlife reserves and conservation zones, some of which have been taken over by supernatural entities. Majority of the stories take place around the 360s in the coastal town Sanning.

-> Saturnine Black

Follows a vengeful manifest in the form of an undead biker on his mission to enact brutal justice on the people who killed him and find the guy who took his head. Though things aren't as straightforward as they seem, which becomes clear when he reluctantly teams up with a band of amateur ghosthunters trying to find their missing friend.

Focus: horror, drama, mystery, ghosts and other supernatural entities Plan: book or slide comic, not any time soon

-> Mysteritas

A look into the town's only wizard shop and the typical shenanigans its employees have to deal with on a daily basis. Features various insights into the magical and mythical life of this world via bizarre humor and puzzling adventures.

Focus: fantasy, comedy, adventure Plan: short comics or vis novel, in the following years

🔴 EARTH

An alternate Earth, post alien contact – features dystopian and later post-apocalyptic settings with big changes in environment. Both stories go into the major involvements of Helix throughout the collective.

-> Cataract

Several years into the future, an AIRE recon vessel crash-lands on Earth – not without significant losses. The surviving crew soon realizes much has changed since their initial take-off. With some help, Cassaway regains her footing in this strange new world and goes out to search for her missing brother and what remains of their past.

Focus: post-apocalyptic, scifi, action, adventure Plan: undecided, not any time soon

-> Wallow

The world is dangerous, weird and filled with strange monsters from another dimension called "Hollows". Several different groups have made it their job to hunt down and contain them in order to make living a little easier again. Warren and Avalanche are known as some of the best "street cleaners" to date, though also as some of the most unusual, considering one of them is a hazmat suit... full of worms.

Focus: bizarre, post-apocalyptic, action, scifi Plan: comic or illustrated book, in the following years

[note: reboot of an older story i made as a teenager]

🔻 BEYOND

Related to the other entries within the collective via the work of organizations like Helix and AIRE, but take place in distant time and space. Otherwise intrinsically linked to the citadel's network transformation and pattern cycle.

-> Modular Frame

A slowly transforming space station, trapped in a time loop within a foreign system, and the only one aware of it is the onboard computer, EON. Tasked with the general well-being and safety of its crew, this AI will do anything in its power to make sure they survive. But as resources burn up and the station falls apart, some sacrifices will have to be made.

Focus: scifi, horror, drama Plan: text based/graphic adventure, not any time soon

-> Verity Complex

Opposing factions of robots try to thrive under differing ideals from the ruins left of the war their creators started. As conflicts rise between them, they suddenly face the threat of their own extinction at the hands of a new player claiming their system.

Focus: scifi, action, drama Plan: undecided, not any time soon

[note: original concept was a sequel to a previous version of desiderim, but separated and changed a few years ago. some connections remain]

⭕ CITADEL

Set in the same universe, but either another dimension or vastly different time frame in an unknown system.

-> desiderim

The story of Hidedan, an old distant world and the secrets it holds. A group of seekers try to keep their new friend Lore away from people raising ancient machines in order to gain control over the land. As they go, they uncover old truths and their forgotten history, buried under ruins and rot.

Focus: fantasy, scifi, adventure, a lot of exploration of the natural world & history Plan: illustrated book, it's done when it's done

[note: one of my oldest and most extensive projects, with its first iteration dating back to 2012. has a special place in my heart]

-> Odewalker

"Ardent, the cleansing flame." A tale about a fallen vessel and its quest to slay the Lord of the Perennial Order and his followers – to end the cycle of hatred and rot.

Focus: fantasy, mythical, adventure, drama Plan: illustrated book, foreseeable future

[note: core concepts used to be part of a previous version of desiderim, certain elements were kept]

-> Firekeeper

"Upon drawing those last few breaths, the scourge is given a choice: To bear the curse and keep the flames alight, or die alone and forgotten, drowning in regret." A new firekeeper is forged in the iron and ashes of a world now gone.

Focus: fantasy, mythical, adventure Plan: illustrated book, not any time soon

[note: set in the world of Odewalker, a somewhat indirect continuation]

⭕ FRANCHISES WITHIN

Fake franchises for games and stories within that universe, may be technically "true" in some regards.

-> Skyrocket

Rocket and friends face the Lord of Darkness and his forces in a race for the Eyes of Power.

Focus: fun adventure Plan: light comic/concept bits, soon

[note: fake video game and cartoon/comic franchise primarily themed after Sonic & Jet Set Radio]

-> Black Willow

Due to unforeseen events, Pace Willow is forced to move back into her home town. There are plenty of familiar faces, but even more confusing changes. As if trying to re-adjust isn't bad enough, strange things begin happening around night.

Focus: mystery, drama, horror, fantasy Plan: adventure/rpg game, not any time soon

-> Capukoma

Capella chases after a mysterious white goat to find out what happened to its missing mentor, meeting new friends on the way. The farther they go, the more the land becomes twisted and dark, but they have help in the form of strange voices, asking to be saved in return.

Focus: bizarre, fantasy, mystery, adventure Plan: puzzle adventure game, not any time soon

-> Wibbles

Small, strange, fairy-like creatures living in the forest.

Focus: light-hearted, fantasy Plan: short story, foreseeable future

[note: muppet-like fake media for toys and plushies]

-> Honeydew Garden

The adventures of a young honeybee and her friends on a meadow full of secrets and wonders.

Focus: light-hearted, adventure Plan: comic, foreseeable future

[note: supposed to be somewhat reminiscent of older cartoons]

-> Eriron

Story featuring a hooded crow trying to warn others of a crimson murder burning down the woods. She encounters many different animals and dangers, as she does everything she can to keep the promise of a dying friend.

Focus: adventure, mythical, epic themes Plan: illustrated book, in the following years

[note: original was written when i was around 11, in the process of translation & polishing]

⚠ many of these are prone to change over the years and some may end up being published before the others, despite the overall "plan". currently im also very actively working on a few fan-projects, which will likely delay some of my original works

questions are welcome, but i cant promise full answers for everything, since i would like to avoid spoilers until theyre done

#venspeaks #log

[dumbfinntales]

Dragons Dogma 2, a game of triumphs and disappointments. It took me about 80 hours to finish the game to satisfaction and I am wholeheartedly looking forward to any DLC expansions. There'll be some spoilers relating to end game and the story, so be warned.

Despite being called Dragons Dogma 2 it's not a direct sequel, but more like a soft reboot where we're going through the story of the Arisen in a different world. There's a lot of familiar things, and some new things to surprise you. Once again the games selling point is the combat and awe inspiring monster encounters, the gameplay experience this game offers feels so unique to it. How you deal with the monsters and various tasks with your trusty companions the pawns, who love oh so much to chatter on.

Honestly I still love the pawns. I never tire of their prattle and I genuinely do love being reminded of a ladder or a chest over yonder several times in a row. I'm serious, it's charming, just like being reminded that wolves hunt in packs. The pawns feel even more lively in this game with witty dialogue, and they always seem to have something to say relating to whatever you're currently doing. They're given so much personality that it's hard to believe that they're just mere "pawns", meant to be commanded by the Arisen.

The feeling of exploration and adventure is impeccable. The world is big, but not too big like in some open world games. Every time you set out it feels like grand journey and I would plan what route I'd take and what sidequests I'd take on. Camping was also a wonderful addition, because tackling monsters has never felt better after a good night of sleep. I do wish there were more unique locations like the Dragonbreathe Tower, or the Forgotten Battleground. Less caves with saurians and more interesting locations I say.

I found the side quests to be very fun as well as they seemed to be more than just go gather stuff. There was always a fun story or a mystery to solve. Not every quest is equal of course, but I do appreciate the effort they put into them. And some quests feel more "natural" as you can overhear a conversation and the quest starts once you talk with the relevant NPC. Although many quests in this game start by strangers walking up to you asking for help.

I love Dragons Dogma 2 because it's Dragons Dogma. But I am also disappointed, because essentially it is just Dragons Dogma again. It wasn't exactly the sequel I was hoping for that'd perfect everything from the first game. It is strange that most things that were off in the first game are exactly the same here. DD2 just feels like DD1 with a bigger world and some new monsters and changes to vocations. There are many of the same monsters, NPC's still aren't that interesting, the main story is rushed, the dragon barely shows up etc. From here on I'll talk about story related spoilers and end game stuff.

The story is just weird. It starts off interesting with the false Arisen and the Queens plots, but then it just stops. The false Arisen shows up at the end and you fight him and boom, he's gone. You don't confront him, you don't talk to him, nothing. The story feels like it comes to a sudden end once you reach Battahl. You do a few quests and suddenly a colossus shows up, you beat it, then you follow the weird mage dude and the dragon shows up and it's already the end of the game? Doesn't help that most of the main story missions are just awful. They have you sneaking around the castle for most of it, and the most interesting quest is the one where you sneak into a village of thieves looking for the identity of the false Arisen. I was just expecting there to be more to the false Arisen and the Queen? Same with the empress in Battahl. You interact with her like once, and then she has a few sidequests unrelated to the story.

The end game was also a little weird. I liked it for the new monsters you got to fight and the new loot you'd find, but I was so hoping for a big end game dungeon like Everfall. Going through the world again and looking through all the areas where there was water before just isn't interesting. I tired of the end game rather quickly, and didn't feel like farming or looking for all the gear that there was to be found. The games true end is one big interactive cut-scene where a super dragon shows up and you don't even get to fight it. I still had chills throughout it, but c'mon. Why design a cool colossal dragon like that and not make it the pinnacle boss of the game?

I was also expecting more new monsters in this game. They bring back almost all the old big monsters, and the few new ones are really fun, but damn I was hoping for more. Minotaurs were a fun addition, they felt natural like the cyclops'. The Medusa was also a fun fight and it's so cool that you can cut hear head off and use it to petrify enemies. Sadly you can only encounter her in one location in the game. She does respawn though. The Sphinx is also unique, but only an one time encounter. I failed one of her riddles so she fucked off and never got to fight her. Yay. My favorite new addition was the Dullahan, such a cool monster. A ghostly knight that carries their own head in their hand. Although even this one was super rare, I did not fight a single Dullahan in the main game. They became more frequent in the end game.

The two new brine monsters you fight in the end game were awesome as well, but man why did they have to be one time encounters! That's the problem. They have new monsters, but they're either super rare or you only get to fight them once. And don't let me get started with the small monsters. The only new small monster is the slime. Then you have like 5 different variants of the same monsters. Everywhere you go it's goblins, harpies and saurians. But in different colors! Oh look we got lightning saurians in the end game! Wowzers. Skeletons, zombies and bandits are there too. I just really wanted a lot of new cool monsters to fight in this game and not recolors.

There are also some nitpicks like most of the best gear in the game you just buy from NPC's. You do find some unique gear in the world, but they'll be quickly replaced with store bought equipment. Even in the end game. There are some armors that can only be found in chests there though, which is nice. I really hated the more "realistic" movement where your character would slow down and start sliding down even the smallest hills. Pawns talking to you as you're passing them is tedious too. I always threw them off a cliff if they did that. Enemy frequency was also quite annoying. You can't walk two meters without running to a pack of enemies.

I think I've written enough and complained a plenty. Dragons Dogma 2 was a really fun and enjoyable experience, but not the experience I was hoping for. The game stands in a weird spot for me, as I do really like it, but at the same time wish it was so much more. I do hope that Capcom makes a big expansion for this game, because if they do I'll eat it up like a freshly cooked beast steak! And oh, look over there Arisen! A ladder! Maybe an adventure awaits up above.

#dragons dogma #a review type of deal

[gffa]

Hello, I saw an interview from Taika Waititi who will produce a new Star Wars movie and he says the franchise needs something like a reboot with complete new characters. What do you think about it? Personally I didn't really enjoy the sequel trilogy but for example the Visions show has some genius episodes. What is your opinion about a movie without a connection to the Skywalker saga?

I'm generally leaning towards a positive outlook on this, for two reasons: For one, going by his Thor movies, Taika's not good at working with established characters' whole deals. I think he made the right choice in the direction he took with them, because they're much more fun for general audiences and much more profitable and will keep the franchise going, but even aside from the tone shift, there's a massive character shift between the original movies and Ragnarok. I wonder, if Taika tried to write established Star Wars characters, would he do the same thing? Because I don't think that would be a great idea, especially if you don't really get George Lucas' philosophy behind the movies. For two, I think he's right about how the world needs to expand at this point. Are there stories left to tell with established characters? Absolutely! I'm looking forward to those stories very much. But Star Wars has not expanded beyond this small window of time, even The High Republic is basically 90% the same as the established Jedi Order of the prequels and their overarching plot has a lot of parallels there, too. Of course, I don't know what he actually means, does he mean getting away from telling stories about the Jedi all together? Getting away from stories about the Force? Or does he just mean expanding into another era, something that's actually thousands of years separated from the main storyline, but still using lightsabers and the Force and Jedi? Or does he just mean not referencing established characters at all, but telling a story set in that same era, but somewhere across the galaxy, like a group of bounty hunters pulling a job? The interview I think you're referring to is the recent Vanity Fair one, which doesn't really say much of anything. It doesn't say how it's going to expand, if it's truly getting away from the main Skywalker Saga into a time and place where the Skywalkers aren't happening at all or if it's going to be a stand-alone story set across the galaxy, trying to make the galaxy feel bigger by showing more people, rather than just the same handful of people and their grandmothers. I can't say I'd be super excited about characters across the galaxy, because the world is already overstuffed with characters across the galaxy in the supplementary material, even if they do often intersect with the main Skywalker storyline. The world of the prequels + originals + sequels is actually fairly expanded already, it's got a massive cast between the movies and the TV shows, which isn't even counting the books and comics and games. Also, look at what happened with The Mandalorian, eventually those stories get crossed into the main storyline regardless of how standalone they feel. And I personally think Star Wars does need to expand beyond that, because the rate of content that they're pumping out is eventually going to lead them to telling that story about Chewbacca's grandmother because everything else gets covered. It also leads to how stories can never have a complete arc, because they always have to save room for more stories, more stories, more stories, you can't let anyone or anything be finished, because what if it's popular, you might want to tell more stories! The only way around that is opening up the galaxy and actually going someplace completely new with it.

#taika waititi #star wars #meta

[frankendykes-monster]

I think I'm slowly coming around on Mortal Kombat 1's story mode in the terms of how much it does to try and rehabilitate the 3D era, with the back half of it being a loose recreation of Deadly Alliance into Deception into Armageddon, and bringing back a ton of people like Havik, Ashrah, and Nitara. I don't think Mortal Kombat stands to do anything but gain from letting you play as a chaos warrior, risen demon, or a vampire. I would say they know their limits and not bring back anyone useless like Kobra or Hsu Hao but Darrius is an assist in this and Mavado is gonna be one in DLC so shows what I know. It strikes me as odd that this is the first entry of the series to not introduce literally a single new character.

That said I still feel like it's odd with itself metatextually and not in a good way. Obviously Mortal Kombat has yet to have a hard reboot so we live in a world where Mortal Kombat 1 is a direct sequel to Mortal Kombat 11, and in-narrative Liu Kang is fighting to preserve what Mortal Kombat now is from what Mortal Kombat once was. I just don't feel like it's really sure what to make of itself in comparison to say Mortal Kombat (2011), which worked well both as a direct sequel to Armageddon and as a redux to get new players on board. Whilst everyone playing Mortal Kombat 1 is definitely going to be the same audience that played Mortal Kombat X and 11, I feel like a title that calls itself "1" could have been a bit more graceful narratively in getting any newcomers into the fray.

[popentertainment-moviereviews]

THE EXORCIST: BELIEVER (2023)

Starring Leslie Odom, Jr., Ann Dowd, Jennifer Nettles, Norbert Leo Butz, Lidya Jewett, Olivia Marcum, Ellen Burstyn, Okwui Okpokwasili, Raphael Sbarge, E.J. Bonilla, Antoni Corone, Danny McCarthy, Norah Murphy, Chandu Kanuri, Richard Carr III, Malena Cunningham Anderson, Emily Rachel Gordon, Linda Boston, Nick Benas and Linda Blair.

Screenplay by Peter Sattler and David Gordon Green.

Directed by David Gordon Green.

Distributed by Universal Pictures. 121 minutes. Rated R.

David Gordon Green and Danny McBride have spent the last few years briefly rejuvenating and then quickly continuing to sully the legacy of the popular horror film franchise Halloween. And let’s face it, multiple sequels and reboots had done enough harm to the series’ reputation even before Green and McBride got their hands on the IP, but Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends were just as bad as any of the multiple terrible earlier sequels.

Now they have moved on to take on another legendary horror franchise, one which also had a terrific first film followed by some horrifically bad sequels. (The Exorcist II: The Heretic, anyone?) However, the original 1973 The Exorcist was a revelation at the time. People in the audiences at the time were passing out in the aisles from horror. But the world has changed a lot over the years, and what was shocking in 1973 is not necessarily going to be so extraordinary 50 years later. The new filmmakers are looking to make a trilogy of this new reboot. Let’s hope they do a better job this time around.

From the evidence of The Exorcist: Believer, whether or not that is going to happen is… maybe? But they will have to work harder than this.

The Exorcist: Believer has some scary parts and some interesting philosophical and religious viewpoints, but sitting through it you mostly feel: what’s really the point of this?

Sort of like the Halloween films, they are somewhat trying to deconstruct horror tropes – and I guess that’s a good thing. Also like the Halloween series, The Exorcist: Believer basically completely ignores the existence of all the other movies in the series other than the classic original film. That should only be a good thing.

So why doesn’t it really work?

The story is basically a stand-alone storyline, although for the fans the movie brings back the original star Ellen Burstyn – still radiant and vibrant at 90 years old. Sadly, it seems a bit of a waste to bring Burstyn back – and believe me, when she is on screen, she is phenomenal, the best part of this movie – only to quickly… umm… mostly sideline her.

Instead, Believer tells the story of two young teen southern girls (Lidya Jewett and Olivia Marcum) who disappear for three days, and when they come back, they are acting increasingly odd. Eventually it is decided that during their three lost days, a demon must have possessed them. (It is never exactly explained how a demon can be in two different bodies at once – I’m no expert, is that really a thing?) Of course, two girls mean twice the cursing, twice the scary phenomena, twice the worried parents. It also sets up a “Sophie’s choice” that the demon eventually torments the parents with.

Interestingly, this exorcism is somewhat removed from religion. The Catholic church refuses to cooperate with the exorcism (seeing a PR disaster in the waiting), although one priest (EJ Bonilla) briefly helps out after the others are well into process of the exorcism, to extremely negligible effect.

Instead, the ritual is handled by the parents (a church-going couple [Jennifer Nettles and Norbert Leo Butz] and a faith-challenged dad [Leslie Odom Jr.]), a local preacher, and a once aspiring nun who has been working for decades as a nurse (Ann Dowd).

One of the big problems, I suppose, is that unless you are very into the religious aspects of the thing – and perhaps even if you are a total true believer – an exorcism is a strange and totally inhumane procedure. It’s chaotic, clunky, and brutal, and sadly this filmed approximation of an exorcism makes the movie share those traits.

It’s too bad, because the new film does try exploring some interesting themes – family dynamics, faith (and the lack thereof), guilt, community and missed opportunities. Sadly, the ugly and frenzied climax overshadows what little intrigue the filmmakers have stirred up. And frankly the ending feels unfinished, like Believer is the first act of a three-act play, which for better or worse, it is.

Jay S. Jacobs

Copyright ©2023 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: October 5, 2023.

#The Exorcist: Believer #2023 #Movie Review #Leslie Odom Jr. #Ellen Burstyn #Ann Dowd #Jay S. Jacobs #Youtube

[joeygoeshollywood]

My 25 Favorite Films of 2022

Here are my 25 favorite films of 2022:

25. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Ever since Marvel announced they were moving forward with a Black Panther sequel following the passing of Chadwick Boseman, the world wondered if it can be pulled off. Ryan Coogler, the writer/director behind the first film, managed to nurture the second installment with Wakanda Forever, which is essentially an emotional epilogue of a country’s mourning of its fallen King T'Challa. In Marvel’s strongest outing since End Game, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever strikes a balance of being a grieving process for both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its audience while also maintaining an action-packed story. 

24. The Whale

The #Brenaissance is officially here to stay. Brendan Fraser gives the performance of a lifetime as Charlie, a reclusive morbidly obese English teacher who tries to rekindle a relationship with his estranged teenage daughter before his health takes a turn for the worse. Based off a play, The Whale is a tragedy directed by Darren Aronofsky (his best film since Black Swan) that rides on Fraser’s transformation as a broken man who both literally and metaphorically carries so much weight. Don’t be shocked if/when he accepts his Oscar. He’s joined by Hong Chau and Sadie Sink, both who give strong supporting performances.

23. Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio 

Only a movie mastermind like Guillermo del Toro can reinvent a fairytale as well-known as Pinocchio and provide Geppetto a tragic backstory and have it take place in the height of World War I Italy. While his interpretation of the story of the wooden puppet is more mature and has more emotional weight than its predecessors, his Pinocchio also maintains its child-like innocence and has enough charm and music to entertain the whole family. A beautiful stop-motion production, del Toro’s feature debut in animation was a huge success. 

22. Vengeance 

BJ Novak, best known as Ryan from The Office (which he also a writer and producer), makes his feature debut as a writer/director with Vengeance, a film he stars in as a New York City writer who gets swept up in the aftermath of a Texas girl he hooked up with her family suspects was murdered, which inspires him to launch a podcast about whether it’s merely a conspiracy or there was foul play. Novak masterfully captures the cultural clash between costal and rural America in one of the most laugh-out-loud comedies of the year. 

21.  All Quiet on the Western Front

All Quiet on the Western Front belongs in the came caliber of war films as Saving Private Ryan, Dunkirk, and 1917. The incredible filmmaking gives the source material a new life with remarkable action sequences, stunning cinematography, and a strong cast. This German-spoken adaptation is brutal and gut-wrenching but cinematically rewarding. 

20. Cha Cha Real Smooth

Cooper Raiff writes, directs and stars in his breakout film Cha Cha Real Smooth, which follows a post-college grad’s journey to find a purpose while spontaneously taking on a career in emceeing Bar Mitzvah parties. It’s rare for a comedy to establish such a fundamentally flawed yet completely charismatic and good-hearted protagonist as well written as Raiff’s. Cha Cha Real Smooth is likely to be a launching pad for what will likely be a long career for the 25-year-old filmmaker. 

19. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery

Rian Johnson has proven himself to be a modern-day Agatha Christie with Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, a sexy followup to his 2019 murder mystery flick. Daniel Craig returns as famed detective Benoit Blanc and is joined by another star-studded cast including Edward Norton, Kate Hudson, Kathryn Hahn, Dave Bautista and Janelle Monáe (perhaps the film’s MVP). Beautifully shot and extremely well-written, Glass Onion solidifies the prospects of a thriving Knives Out franchise.

18. The Batman

It’s difficult for any filmmaker to reboot a superhero franchise that’s been done over, and over, and over again, but Matt Reeves lays the groundwork for a promising new Batman with The Batman. People were skeptical that Robert Pattison could pull off the Caped Crusader since most people know him as the glittery vampire from the Twilight saga, but he pulled it off. What Reeves does brilliantly, perhaps even more so than his predecessors, is how he creates the universe of Gotham City, which managed to be even more grim and visually striking than past depictions, and he already has a stockpile of villains from Batman’s rogues gallery. From the stunning cinematography of Greig Fraser to the instantly iconic music score from Michael Giacchino, The Batman satisfies fans and leaves them wanting more.

17. TÁR

Cate Blanchett is a world-class music conductor whose past creeps in to upend her life. TÁR is essentially a psychological drama from Todd Field (his first feature since 2006), who wrote an unsettlingly brilliant screenplay. But it’s a film that thrives in large part to Blanchett’s stellar performance that could give her a third Oscar trophy. 

16. The Menu

If you have a healthy appetite for thrills, violence, and dark humor, then you ought to order The Menu. Ralph Fiennes gives a chilling performance as the chef of an exclusive restaurant who ambushes his diners with a night full of shock, horror, and marvelous dishes. What makes The Menu work so well is its self-awareness and a terrific ensemble cast including Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicholas Hoult, Janet McTeer, Judith Light, and rising star Hong Chau. 

15. Bodies Bodies Bodies

A satirical murder mystery, Bodies Bodies Bodies is yet another winner from A24 about a group of 20-somethings whose mansion party turns upside down after one of them winds up dead. The cast of A-list and rising star millenials includes Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Rachel Sennott and SNL alum Pete Davidson, who is at his most hilarious. Bodies Bodies Bodies is fun and unpredictable with an ending to die for. 

14. Nope

Following the critical success of Get Out and Us, Jordan Peele gives us his first big-budget summer blockbuster. Nope is like a captivating and unsettling mashup of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Jaws. Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer, Brandon Perea and Steven Yeun round out the strong cast. With terror in the skies, Peele proves his funnyman days are behind him and is thriving as a master of suspense. 

13. X

X is the textbook definition of a great popcorn slasher flick. Up and coming filmmaker Ti West was able to use the decades-old horror formula of a group of hotties being stranded in the middle of nowhere with psycho killers on the loose and lean into absurdity for good scares and even great laughs. X is a helluva good time that has already spawned a franchise with the release of the prequel Pearl, a strong prequel companion with Mia Goth offering amazing performances in both films. 

12. Brian and Charles

Brian and Charles is a heartwarming mockumentary buddy comedy about a quirky, reclusive British inventor who builds a robot out of a washing machine that ends up coming to life. Its stars David Earl and Chris Hayward, who co-wrote the film, will make you laugh out loud and perhaps help you restore your faith in humanity just a tiny bit. 

11. The Woman King

Viola Davis never kicked so much ass. The Woman King is a historic epic based on the events of the female warriors of the Dahomey kingdom in 19th century Africa. In addition to the great action and stunts are a rich plot and strong performances by the ensemble cast. 

10. Good Luck to You, Leo Grande

One of the most overlooked films of the year, Good Luck to You, Leo Grande is a romantic dramedy of sorts that follows a widow who meets with a male escort to help her explore her sexuality. The film feels like a staged play as it almost entirely takes place in a hotel room and the dialogue is incredibly sharp. Emma Thompson gives one of the daring and greatest performances of her career as the witty but vulnerable Nancy as newcomer Daryl McCormack shines as the dashingly smooth yet nuanced titular character Leo Grande. This Hulu gem tackles the taboo subject of sex, tugs at the hearts, and provides plenty of laughs.

9. The Fabelmans 

No director can capture movie magic quite like Steven Spielberg. The Fabelmans is loosely based on his own childhood which chronicles his early love for filmmaking. For movie fans, this is an ode to cinema and Spielberg’s career. But in the end, The Fabelmans is about a child and his pursuit of his dream, something we can all relate to. 

8. RRR

Hollywood could take a page from Bollywood. RRR is a spectacle in every sense of the word where everything from the dramatic performance, slow-motion action, to the over-the-top musical numbers. It’s a sensational historic epic about two warriors who form a brotherhood while taking on the British empire.  Despite its 3-hour running time, there’s never a dull moment. So heat up the popcorn and enjoy this adrenaline rush of a movie. 

7. Triangle of Sadness

A satire that skewers beauty and class, Triangle of Sadness is the genius comedy from Swedish filmmaker Ruben Östlund about the disaster that unfolds on a luxury yacht and the dynamics that emerge between the elite guests and the crew (the banter alone between a Russian capitalist and an American communist played by Zlatko Buric and Woody Harrelson alone is so rich- pun intended). While the entire cast is stellar, Dolly De Leon gives an Oscar-worthy performance as a member of the cleaning staff who takes command when things go south. Triangle of Sadness is one of the best times I’ve had at the movies this year. 

6. Barbarian

No horror film has filled its audience with more dread in recent years than Barbarian. Zach Cregger makes a stellar feature debut as writer/director who masterfully defies the rules of what to expect the way Alfred Hitchcock did with Psycho. Georgina Campbell and Bill Skarsgård learned they’ve accidentally booked the Airbnb from hell. This is one of those films that you benefit when going in completely blind. The thrills, disturbing sights, and even laughs are not in short supply in one of the best horror films in recent memory. 

5. The Northman

Robert Eggers, the director behind The Witch and The Lighthouse, returns with his largest-scale film to date. The Northman is a blood-soaked Shakespearian-like Viking epic about revenge and destiny with a remarkable cast including Alexander Skarsgård, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicole Kidman, Ethan Hawke, and Willem Dafoe. When you’re watching it, it feels like you’re witnessing something bigger than what you expect from most films these days. And it will keep your heart pounding and on the edge of your seat from start to finish. 

4. Top Gun: Maverick

Sequel-Reboots are rarely good. It was 36 years ago that the first Top Gun came out (and upon seeing it for the first time this year, one can see why it’s culturally beloved but also very dated). Remarkably, Top Gun: Maverick is superior in almost every way. The filmmaking is better, the writing is better, and Tom Cruise has barely aged. It’s a movie that everyone can rally behind and chant “USA! USA!” as the credits roll. It was the epitome of a summer blockbuster that was both nostalgic and refreshing. For a movie that was supposed to come out in July 2019 and was postponed six times due to COVID, Top Gun Maverick was worth the wait.

3. Emergency

Ever imagine what a combination of Superbad and Crash might look like? Emergency would be it. RJ Cyler and Donald Elise Watkins star as two best friends on the cusp of graduating college who want to make history with a legendary night of partying, which quickly gets derailed by due to unforeseen circumstances. The first two acts are frickin’ hilarious but the final act takes a dramatic turn, something that rarely works but does in this case. Emergency is a coming-of-age comedy that takes tackles race and identity in a way that neither feels like lecturing nor pandering. It’s easily one of the biggest surprises of the year. 

2. The Banshees of Inisherin

The plot is bizarre yet simple: One man abruptly ends his lifelong friendship with the other without warning, leaving the other man perplexed and demanding answers, which only leads to trouble for the both of them. The Banshees of Inisherin is the latest gem from writer/director Martin McDonagh that balances humor and discomfort led by outstanding lead performances from Colin Ferrell and Brendan Gleeson. The Banshees of Inisherin is a well-written dramedy that will make you laugh just as much as it will make you cringe. 

1. Everything Everywhere All at Once

Multiverse films are all the rage in Hollywood these days but Everything Everywhere All at Once is the one that tops them all. Michelle Yeoh gives the performance of her career as a struggling laundromat owner who learns about the existence of other universes and how it is up to her to save them all. She’s joined by Ke Huy Quan (of Goonies/Temple of Doom fame), who will likely launch a major comeback, newcomer Stephanie Hsu, and Jamie Lee Curtis, rounding out a remarkable cast. The Daniels (Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert) wrote and directed a mind-blowing, genre-bending film full of laughs, action, family drama. and suspense. Not since The Matrix has a sci-fi/fantasy film been able be so confident in the universe it has created and in such an entertaining way. Everything Everywhere All at Once is everything you want in a movie, which is why it’s the best of 2022.  

#everything everywhere all at once #dakota johnson #anya taylor-joy #top gun #tom cruise #the batman #robert pattinson #zoe kravitz #viola davis #cate blanchett #the banshees of inisherin #colin farrell #triangle of sadness #RRR #The Fabelmans #steven spielberg #Nope #Jordan Peele #keke palmer #bodies bodies bodies #pete davidson #cha cha real smooth #Oscars #brendan fraser #the whale #sadie sink #EEAAO #black panther #wakanda forever #Marvel

[twistedtummies2]

The Devils I Know - Number 28

Welcome to “The Devils I Know!” For this spooky time of year, from now till Halloween, I’ll be counting down My Top 31 Depictions of the Devil, from movies, television, video games, and more! Today’s Devil asks an important question: what happens when two Princes of Darkness meet face to face? Number 28 is…Jason Isaacs, from the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow Trilogy.

As I’ve said more than once in the past, the “Castlevania” games are one of my favorite video game franchises of all time, right alongside “Kingdom Hearts.” However, one of my gripes with the classic era of the games is that their lore got increasingly more convoluted as the games went on. This is to be expected with a lot of old, classic series that are still ongoing: as time went on and audiences/players cared more about characters and stories, the games evolved, but as a result those same stories and characters could end up going in crazy directions that often caused headaches in hindsight. Between 2010 and 2014, Konami attempted to reboot and revamp the franchise with a game series that would, at least in intent, update the franchise while also giving it a less convoluted lore.

The result was “Castlevania: Lords of Shadow,” which was followed by two sequels: “Lords of Shadow II,” and an in-between kind of game called “Mirror of Fate” (which, coincidentally, happens to be my favorite Castlevania game, and I don’t care how unpopular that opinion may be). There were plans to make a fourth game, but for one reason or another, those have never come to pass, as of this date. Fans of the Castlevania franchise remain split about the reboot trilogy, and the loudest voices seem to be the most negative. I, however, personally really enjoy the reboot; it’s not perfect, but neither was the Classic era. I think both are worthy attempts at the franchise, each going in solid and intriguing directions, with their own pros and cons. In the Classic Castlevania era, the main antagonist of the series was Count Dracula. However, in the “Lords of Shadow” games, Dracula is actually made into the main protagonist for two out of three games. So, with the King of the Vampires as your main character, who do you pick to act as the big bad in his stead? Why, Satan himself, naturally! In those two games – “Lords of Shadow” and “Lords of Shadow II” – the Devil himself ends up being the ultimate evil which our anti-heroic vampire must defeat. In both games, the Devil’s presence is teased throughout the story, but he ultimately doesn’t show up properly till the last act, and becomes the final boss which the player must overcome. Much of what makes this take on Satan work is his voice actor, the inimitable Jason Isaacs. Let’s face it, when you’ve played Captain Hook, Lucius Malfoy, and the World’s Most Evil Redcoat, you’re darn well-prepared when your time comes to tackle the Devil himself. Isaacs brings a sense of smoothness and subtlety to the part, giving Satan a mixture of slippery cunning and grandiose power that turns what could have been a rather two-dimensional character into a very well-crafted villain. Though his time in both games is fairly short, Satan is nevertheless a memorable adversary. And seriously…Dracula vs. Satan? How can that NOT be an awesome confrontation?!

Tomorrow, the countdown continues with Number 27! HINT: He must love chaos theory.

#top 31 devils #the devils i know #halloween advent calendar #october special #number 28 #satan #jason isaacs #castlevania #castlevania lords of shadow #lords of shadow #video games #favorites #best #fiction

[moviewarfare]

A Review of “Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2023)”

In a current era where the DC cinematic universe is such a mess with no idea what direction it is going; it is hard to care about Shazam Fury of the Gods. Is it even part of the new DCU? It didn't help that there was a severe lack of marketing for this film and all the Black Adam controversy. However, I enjoyed the first Shazam and was willing to look past the fact that most likely nothing in this movie is going to lead to anything. So is this a strong sequel or another stinker from DC?

For the most part, I think the actors do a great job in their roles. Zachary Levi is still charming and charismatic as Shazam. One issue in the first film is that adult Billy (Zachary Levi) and young Billy (Asher Angel) didn't feel like the same person as their performance felt inconsistent. Asher, despite having a smaller role this time, does a better job of feeling like the same character by performing closer to Zachary's performance. Helen Mirren plays one of the villains Hespera. I love her serious, no-nonsense and menacing performance which contrasts Shazam. Djimon Hounsou returns as the wizard and he is great as well. I also think the kid actors who returned are still fine as their characters as well. The design of the monsters and the dragon were good and the special effects of them were not terrible which is a plus in a world where bad CG is so common.

Unfortunately, that is all the praise I can give this movie as apart from that, this movie is an absolute letdown. The story lacks any of the heart and emotion from the first film. Instead, we just get a generic story with bland villains who wants to do evil things because they are evil. The villains are meant to be gods but they are underwhelming in everything including powers which are vague and not impressive. They don't feel much of a threat and the evil plan, in the end, doesn't even feel that consequential. It doesn't help that the movie seems to constantly try and make jokes every minute. I thought I was watching a generic Marvel movie. There is also a boring and half-baked romance story with Freddy, Billy's foster brother, that is the main focus of this film. Freddy is somehow more annoying than ever in this film, not the actor's fault, and his romance with Rachel Zegler's character Anne is not believable.

On that note, Billy Batson who is meant to be the main character is not a major focus in this film. I was worried after the first movie where they had the whole family receive the Shazam powers. I believe it would make Billy less interesting and less special which is sadly the case. It doesn't help that everyone else with the power is made to seem more competent than Billy with the characters constantly mocking Billy as an idiot. It further doesn't help that they write Billy as a complete idiot which isn't fitting of his character. I also hate the stupid trope where a person wants to be normal and not be a superhero. The second act in this film is incredibly boring with its constant back and forth between the heroes and villains. It doesn't help that there is a lack of action scenes and when there are, they ain't that great. The ending is probably the most insulting part of the film. They pull off the biggest and most random deus ex machina ever.

Overall, what a disappointing sequel. The first movie had a post-credit that could've led to something interesting. Instead, we get random, generic villains with a generic plot and generic characters. We are already in a market oversaturated by superhero movies and another generic movie is not what we need. It also astounds me that we have a Black Adam movie and a Shazam movie within a year that has no connection whatsoever. This film was a creation from the old DC studios and it is further proof that the DC studios need to change. Technically, Shazam can still be brought into the new DCU but I wouldn't be angry if completely rebooted the character as well. Hopefully, the direction that James Gunn takes the DCU is better than whatever this was.

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#movies #films #Movie Reviews #Film Review #Shazam #zachary levi #shazam 2 #shazam fury of the gods #captain marvel #chuck #dc #dceu

[taviewritesstuff]

BT Redux, FLaG Relance, and the Visions Behind Them

So one of the things I’ve been learning on this journey of reinventing myself and my skills is the concept of vision. Or rather, why having one is pretty important.

I admit, when I first started writing stories, I just thought of, “This would be awesome to write out!” Which would explain some of my crazier stories during middle and high school (which I still read from time to time to remind myself of my progress, and because of nostalgia!).

But since I’ve started making reboots of my larger works, I realize that if I want them to succeed, I need to have a clear, concrete vision of where I want the stories to go. Having a vision for something is just as important as doing it, because it gives you a clear direction.

And nowhere do I need that direction more than in the reboots of two of my bigger stories—Blazin’ Trails and For Love and Glory.

For Blazin’ Trails, it really just started out as a quick idea I had, and then it turned into multiple ideas. It wasn’t really supposed to be anything other than an outlet/story dump thing for Ricochet Rabbit and Droop-a-Long, but that changed drastically when my buddy Vulaan Kulaas and I started incorporating story arcs, and I realized that what we envisioned for the story then wasn’t working with the way the story was going now. I had envisioned a Gunsmoke like story with some Hanna-Barberian elements, which was obvious in some chapters. Adding purely serious stories just wouldn’t cut it in the current Blazin’ Trails, not to mention the timeline was all out of wack. Add in the new characters (which both me and VK were creating all the time, haha), and it was a crap show. For a while, writing this gave me some stress because I felt like I was a failure, promising all these cool plot lines and not delivering them in the next update.

The original For Love and Glory was kinda similar, but it differs in that I kinda had an outline for where I wanted to go with it. I was inspired by a comment that questioned how Toosh got his start as a hero, and I decided to answer that question with a DARK AND GRITTY story—to make him a flawed, yet relatable character, which is a good idea in concept, but I admit fell flat in execution. I actually did want to make it a full series, but the lack of response was disheartening, which made me falsely believe that the story wasn’t worth sharing. It’s why I never posted the sequels to the original, since I figured that nobody would read it. I questioned if people would really care, or if it was worth writing content for the two characters. Plus, looking back at the old story made me feel like certain things weren’t explained and the world building was incredibly poor. And unlike with Ric, I didn’t really get the hang of writing Toosh (Dum, though, was easier.) which kinda showed in the writing. Honestly, I was ready to give up on the story, even though a rewrite was always on the table.

Two things happened, though, that convinced me to not give up on these two works.

There was no really big epiphany with Blazin’ Trails, though. Vulaan Kulaas and I were talking about how the story needs to be changed, and she helped me to come up with the name, some plot lines, and of course, introduced lots of original characters. I went ahead and started changing up some plots, picking the most important events from the first story and cutting or consolidating the rest and cutting or revamping some characters. And with the new ideas that VK was giving me, I felt my creative mojo come back. I was now adding more stories and better character development. The “guest stars” actually had important roles! And now I’m spending more time on the wiki than I am on Tumblr, much to my buddy’s amusement XD

Then, I had a few silly ideas that fantasy elements could go into this story, and then they just stuck. And then I wrote it, and realized that the fantasy elements were just right for the new story I wanted to go with. And then I realized I’d have to redo characters’ backstories, personalities, and even the whole world. A Princess Connect/Symphogear-like story with some Hanna-Barberian elements would be awesome to write…but it wouldn’t cut with the original “DARK AND GRITTY” vision of the original. I feel like I’m finally getting a hold of Touché’s voice, and slowly but surely, some more details about the world will be added. And then of course, not helping is my current obsession with my OTPs for the story, Touché and Edith and Cat and Dum.

My vision for Blazin’ Trails Redux is a story that gives Ricochet and Droop-a-Long, as well as the large cast that supports them, the proper Western that they deserve.

My vision for For Love and Glory Relance, is to create, essentially, the best Touché Turtle story around, one that gives both him and Dum-Dum the proper story they deserve.

Now that I have a clear vision for what I want to do for both of these stories, I’ve been working on them full force (well, more the former than the latter). Who knows, I may or may not create a separate side blog specifically for FLaG, LOL.

Either way, I must admit, I am SO hyped to write both of these!

#hanna-barbera #fan fic #touché turtle and dum dum #ricochet rabbit and droop-a-long #blazin' trails #for love and glory relance #poll

[themovieblogonline]

Boondock Brothers Return for a Universe Expansion

Remember those legendary Irish vigilantes, the MacManus brothers, wreaking havoc on Boston's bad guys? Get ready, because Deadline just dropped the bomb: The Boondock Saints are coming back! That's right, the cult classic film is getting a major reboot, courtesy of Thunder Road, the powerhouse production company behind the John Wick movies, no less! They're joining forces with Dragonfly Films, who own the rights to the franchise, to create a whole new "Boondock Saints universe." Here's the thing: This ain't just a straight-up sequel. Original creator Troy Duffy, who directed both the 1999 film and the 2009 follow-up "All Saints Day," is stepping aside from the director's chair. But fear not, fans of the original cast! Norman Reedus (aka Daryl Dixon from "The Walking Dead") and Sean Patrick Flanery are suiting back up as the iconic MacManus brothers. The hunt's on for a new director to take the helm, but hey, with Reedus and Flanery back in action, you know it's gonna be epic. While a new director takes the reins for the film, Duffy isn't out of the picture entirely. He's planning to write a series of Boondock Saints books, keeping the story going strong in a different format. This Boondock Saints revival is part of a bigger trend. Remember "Road House"? Yeah, that classic action flick is getting a reboot too, with Jake Gyllenhaal starring. Looks like there's a fresh wave of love for these old-school action heroes! The new Boondock Saints project is being produced by a dream team, including Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee from Thunder Road, and Todd Myers and Peter D. Graves from Dragonfly Films. Plus, Shaun Redick and Yvette Yates Redick from Impossible Dream Entertainment are joining the party. And it wouldn't be complete without the original creators, so Troy Duffy and Don Carmody are also on board as producers. Executive producers include Reedus, Flanery, Charlie Morrison, and JoAnne Colonna. Rounding out the team is Nat McCormick of The Exchange. Thunder Road has a proven track record with the John Wick franchise and its spin-off series "The Continental." They just premiered Dev Patel's action flick "Monkey Man" to rave reviews, and next up is "The Ballerina," a John Wick spin-off starring Ana de Armas and Keanu Reeves. Talk about an action-packed crew! There was a previous attempt to make a Boondock Saints sequel a few years back, but this time around, they're going all in with a universe expansion. The original film had a rich backstory, and this new project promises to delve even deeper into that world. Here's the best part: the people behind this reboot are super passionate about it. Basil Iwanyk, from Thunder Road, says they're excited to build on the existing mythology and introduce the awesomeness of the Saints to a whole new generation. Todd Myers, from Dragonfly Films, has been dreaming of adding to the Boondock Saints story for over a decade, and now it's finally happening! Both Reedus and Flanery are pumped to reprise their roles. Reedus is looking forward to sharing this new chapter with the fans, and Flanery says with this dream team at the helm, it's gonna be the best Saints movie yet. So, dust off your peacoats, Saints fans, because the MacManus brothers are about to reload and get back to cleaning up the streets, their own special way. Source: Deadline Read the full article