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hanhan156 · 5 years

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Epilogue: Insomnia

I wasn’t really inspired by continuing Halloween fics (tbh, I think I’m not gonna finish those all by October because I’d prefer to make something I like to publishing something shitty everyday) today, so instead, I finished the next Stadium fic which has been in progress for way too long.

It’s an epilogue for the last chapter, and this time, from Richard’s POV with a nice flashback scene included. ^^

Epilogue: Insomnia

The petite figure was merging with the dark night and even though he tried his best, Richard couldn’t take his eyes off from the gorgeous silhouette - the one which had become so familiar over 25 years of knowing each other. After today’s unpredictable incidents though, Richard felt like he was looking at his old friend with brand new eyes - with a kind of vague yearning both in his heart and in his soul. The emotion made familiar lyrics to loop in his head:

Sehnsucht versteckt,

sich wie ein Insekt.

Im Schlafe merkst du nicht,

dass es dich sticht.

It was like an insect indeed - like an annoying, itching feeling inside he couldn’t shake off.

Sehsucht ist so grausam.

Richard could only wonder what was Paul now thinking of him - had he gone too far? He hoped they could talk all of this over as soon as possible. Sooner or later, he was sure that the uncertainty would make him crazy if he wouldn’t do anything about it.

Awoken from his thoughts by Paul’s waving and then making his way to the backyard, Richard knew he had to leave as well. It was indeed a bit weird to stalk his bandmate from the car at midnight, even though how pleasant it had been. For a second, Richard had considered that should he follow Paul and ask still the one last time what was going on. His friend hadn’t been behaving like himself at all even though he had been assuring that everything was fine. These moments, Richard hoped to have the superpower to read minds. It would have made the situation way less complicated and wouldn’t have left him with all the questions.

The journey back home went on automation - even if there would have been police on the road, Richard wouldn’t have noticed anything. So many thoughts and concerns were revolving around his head that it was difficult to focus on anything that was going on outside.

Richard collapsed on the sofa with a huge sigh when he had finally reached his destination. His eyes were heavy as lead, but he couldn’t fall asleep. Instead, he tried his best to keep himself busy by putting the tv on maximum volume and lighting up probably the millionth cigarette today. Luckily, there was nobody complaining about smoking inside now.

A lady on the tv’s reality show was weeping when she had been voted out from his team, but Richard didn’t get what was going on in the mindless program even though his eyes were fixed on the screen.

Oh, Paul Landers, you sweet, sweet man, what have you done to me?

He tried to make sense of his feelings: what on earth had actually happened today? Of course, he knew the script very well: they had agreed to make this one little kiss on the stage, meant to be an innocent act. He and Paul were at first pretending it was nothing, no big deal - hell’s, they had performed embarrassing and awkward stuff together several times before. In the end, it had taken forever, and finally, when they’d had the courage to actually make it happen, Paul had fainted. Richard didn’t like that something he’d done had made his friend to feel sick.

Richard had been scared to death - in the worst scenarios in his mind he had thought that Paul wouldn’t have woken up anymore or would have had amnesia. What a nice start for a tour it would have been.

Holy shit.

And even more disturbingly, even though how sorry he was for Paul, he didn’t want to admit how much he had enjoyed the situation. Like a lively gif image, Paul with raised eyebrows, lurking him in, was looping in his already way too messed head. Richard had been sober as a judge the whole day, but still, a dizzy feeling was distracting him constantly - like he’d been drinking nonstop for a week and didn’t really know what was going on anymore. How could he make this to stop? Could he live his normal life, to proceed with their band and their tour, when he was having painfully strong feelings like this?

What if he hates me for the rest of his life because of this? At least he talked with me afterward, but what if he was just pretending, just being polite? Have I ruined everything now?

Nothing made sense anymore.

Despite all of this vague mess, from one thing Richard was completely sure: that thing which was painful to admit, yet so self-evident. It had been clear as a day for a long time, but he had tried to push the feeling away. So far, he had managed pretty well, but something about today had revealed it once again.

Love. The sweetest, yet the most hurtful word known in mankind - and he had been in love for so long now that it almost hurt physically.

The target of his desperate love wasn’t the easiest one indeed: his long-time friend, colleague and almost like a brother, their relationship slowly, but steadily developing and changing. Richard had tried to avoid thinking about it too much - he was totally sure that Paul wasn’t interested in him in that kind of way and their semi-romantic moments had been just playing in his friend’s opinion. Because Richard had always been a person who wasn’t ashamed of physical proximation - Till was still reminding him occasionally from that interview in which he’d hugged the poor girl when she had asked how Germans express their feelings - he had so far managed to use the trait as his excuse when something he’d done had raised questions.

But, of course, he couldn’t keep lying forever - neither to himself nor to others. Richard was totally sure that their bandmates - especially Till, whose eagle eye didn’t seem to miss anything - had started to suspect that there was something going on between the two guitarists.

Richard wrapped himself tightly in a blanket. He wished he would have been a chameleon and could blend into the sofa material - disappear from this planet and from all the conflicting human behavior and feelings.

He closed his eyes and tried - almost forced himself - to think about anything else, but the only thing that came to his mind was Paul.

P-A-U-L

A simple word, with four letters, but yet, the word which was capable of doing nasty things inside him. The word which had been the theme of his way too lively, even sensual, daydreams.

Sigh. Paul was so close to him, yet unreachable.

While being in a dream-like state, random memories and thoughts about his dearest bandmate looping on, the cinema of his mind sent him suddenly back to the early 90’s - back to the very first moment which had led to this eventually. At least it was something else than Paul with a kissing face, thank God.

The slightly moldy scent of their rehearsal room in the basement was still so vivid, even though it was already decades from that fateful night when Paul Landers had stepped into Richard Kruspe’s life.

“You gotta be kidding me,” Richard snorted. “Where on earth is this ‘second guitarist’ of yours you promised? It seems like he’s only in your imagination.”

“He promised to come, so we’ll wait,” Till said, trying to calm their edgy guitarist down.

They had been expecting the possible new player to show up at 6 pm - the clock on the wall showed it was 6:30 already. The lingering was especially difficult for Richard who had already earned his reputation of being an exaggeratedly strict and punctual person. “A perfectionist, straight from the infernal flames of Hell,” like Schneider had described.

“Flake knows the guy from their earlier band, and he assured he’s gonna be trustworthy,” Till said and was about to continue while the keyboardist shouted behind him: “He’s just really bad with schedules. I know him, he’s a gifted musician and a nice person. We should give him a chance. Let’s don’t judge him by this, ok?”

But Richard wasn’t convinced. He was always uncertain about meeting new people - he thought they could be a threat to him. “You really think so?”

“Let’s just be patient. I’m sure he has a good explanation for the delay,” Flake replied. He didn’t want to start an argument now.

“And why do we need a second guitarist anyway?” In Richard’s nightmares, the new guy would take his place and act as a bandleader - or even worse, be more gorgeous than him.

As usually, Schneider started to get annoyed at their guitarist. “You know very well that our riffs are so plain that we need something more. And, it’s always nice to have a new perspective as well. I agree with Till and Flake, we should wait and see who this guy is. If we don’t get along, we can dump him and that’s it. Not necessary to make so much drama out of this.”

The percussionist’s straightforward style of expressing opinions was unbearable for Richard. Till had joked that they often resembled two roosters having a fierce cockfight when they were arguing over which one of them was right.

“…you claim that I’m the one making drama?” the guitarist lashed out and approached Schneider, leering him. Every single time that particular gaze made the drummer uncomfortable. “Last time when I checked, it was this guy, who we don’t even know yet, who hadn’t kept his promise, so piss off for accusing me!”

“W…hat?” Schneider was so shocked about the insult that he froze for a moment.

When he had finally gathered his thoughts and was about to say something against, the guitarist was quicker and announced: “Screw this, I’m gonna have a smoke. Please let me know when this imaginative creature comes. If he doesn’t appear, I’m going home. I have more important things to do than to wait for him ‘til the end of the world.”

At the same time, while Richard was yelling, Schneider’s mom arrived with a bunch of freshly made sandwiches and beercans in her hands. She startled when they almost bumped into each other with the guitarist who was rushing outside.

“Hallo, wie geht es dir?” she asked with a sweet voice when she stood in the middle of their basement, now changed into her son’s and his friends’ rehearsal room.

“Gut, gut…we are Mama quite busy here now…”

Even though they all were adults already, Herr and Frau Schneider wanted to treat their son’s friends as a part of the family. The drummer thought it was embarrassing while the rest accepted offered food and drinks with pleasure - none of them showered in money, so they welcomed all free stuff they could get.

But Richard wasn’t interested in snacks now. He preferred to pout alone, enjoying his smoking moment.

The guitarist had pondered the band’s future quite a lot. Even though it seemed pretty promising, he doubted it now and then. Did this make any sense at all? Everyone around him had all of his life claimed that he should get a degree and get a real job - get a normal, adult life. He should take his head out of the clouds and be responsible. In a weak moment, when nothing had seemed to work out in his life, he’d been convinced that maybe he’d really been wrong. Maybe he should try this “adult life” thing. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad after all. Not his dream, but a way to adapt to society, to make himself accepted - the first time in his life.

But all those doubts had vanished into thin air when he met Till Lindemann - a sensitive poet, who seemed to understand him completely even though they were so different as persons. What had brought them together were the crazy visions, the lust for life: the lust for being an artist and not to give a shit about what the others were thinking.

Richard knew in his heart his real dream: to express himself and to be respected by what he was doing. For Christ’s sake, life was too short not to be lived to the fullest, and music, that was his whole life. It was the torch of creativity he had to feed regularly - otherwise, he would slowly and painfully perish.

He sighed and looked at the sky, trying to blink back tears. The last thing he wanted now was to weep like a baby.

The sensitive thoughts didn’t have a chance to last for long though because they were interrupted by a distant, loud rattle - it sounded like somebody had made an orchestra out of pots and pans. Richard was sure it was the neighbor’s kids goofing around and didn’t mind about it so much at first.

But the noise kept getting closer and closer to the house - seemed like kids couldn’t have been blamed for it anymore.

Richard rubbed his eyes. What in God’s name is it?

The question got its answer in a minute when Richard saw a small cycling figure approaching the house with a huge guitar bag.

The figure - now Richard could see it was a blond man, probably around his age - stopped and so did the cacophony. “Is this…Christoph Schneider’s house?” he asked, still panting from the cycling.

“Yes.”

The incognito man smiled so brightly that it almost seemed like the whole dark street was suddenly lighted up. “Wunderbar! So umm, this band about Stein…something is rehearsing here, am I right?”

“Rammstein, yes.”

“Then I’m in the right place! And I’m terribly sorry I’m late, there was a huge traffic jam and I got stuck. Also, I didn’t realize this place was on the other side of the city.”

Richard didn’t reply anything - he kept staring at the distance, busy with smoking. Seemed like their new guitarist had finally appeared. He wasn’t sure, was he ready for this.

The guy left his wrecked bicycle - Richard could only wonder, what kind of torture the poor vehicle had been going through - in front of the house and with his guitar bag, came back to the other man. “So, we finally meet, I’ve been looking forward to this! Flake has told me so much about the new band project of yours. I’m Paul Landers,” he said and offered his hand.

But Richard acted like he had forgotten completely how human interactions worked. “Let’s go inside,” he answered nonchalantly to the other man’s friendly gesture. Paul almost had to run to keep up with his pace.

Finally, they both were in the basement and when Schneider’s mom saw there was a new guest in their house, she hurried to get a sandwich and a beer for Paul as well.

All of the band - except for Richard, who was still acting grumpy - greeted the new musician and with Flake, they hugged: it was nice to reunite after playing in the same band for so long.

“Okay, so what kind of music do you guys play?” Paul asked while munching his bread.

“It’s a bit difficult to explain. Maybe we’ll just play something and you’ll make your own opinion,” Flake answered.

“Do you want to hear the lyrics first?” Till asked.

“Yeah, sure.”

“Okay, we have one completed song and it’s called Herzeleid.” Till looked at their possible new guitarist’s curious face and continued: “The other guys composed and arranged it and I wrote the text. Let us know what you think of it and please be straightforward, if it’s completely Scheisse.”

He cleared his throat and started to read the text out loud:

“Bewartet einander vor Herzeleid,

denn kurz ist die Zeit die ihr beisammen seid.

Denn wenn euch auch viele Jahre vereinen,

einst werden sie wie Minuten euch scheinen.

Herzeleid

Bewahret einander vor der Zweisamkeit.”

When Till had finished his recitation, nobody said anything for a while. The singer got a bit uneasy. “Yeah, well…I know the lyrics are a bit cheesy, I’m not sure from where they actually came from…” He knew very well that the text told about his own recent painful break-up, but he didn’t want to open up about his love life now.

Paul stood up and gave Till the brightest smile possible. “No need to worry, it was beautiful! Very heartbreaking and melancholic. You truly are a talented writer.”

Till wasn’t sure was the new guy flattering or did he really mean what he said. “Danke…”

“I’m curious to hear the whole song while already the lyrics sound so awesome.”

Richard was in a mood for challenging. “We are here to play so just grab your guitar and start.”

Paul took the last sip from his beer and said: “Yeah, sure, but can I get the chords or some kind of instructions? And is there a second amplifier somewhere? I couldn’t take mine on my bike.”

He expected to get at least some guidance, but to his surprise, there was none - Richard just started playing the heavy riff without even bothering to look at their new possible bandmember.

Okay, did I say something wrong, or is this how this band usually works? Well, if I want to be in, I just have to adapt, Paul thought, and with Flake’s help, got another, smaller amplifier. He tried his best to mimic the chords by ear and occasionally trying to stalk the lead guitarist - it was quite impossible though when he seemed to have turned his back from Paul on purpose.

Even though with all his best effort, Paul could hear he sounded like absolute bullshit. His precious instrument had turned into a torture machine - he could have never imagined he could create discords so horrible.

When the song ended he didn’t dare to look at anyone - maybe they had supposed that he would have had a perfect pitch and were now disappointed. He’d made them wait and it had ended up being a failure.

Scheisse.

Paul thought that maybe it would be best if he’d pack his things up and leave without saying anything. The cocky guitarist of this band seemed like he knew what he was doing so why he should be bothered any longer.

Till came next to the new player when he saw that he was visibly disappointed. “Es tut mir leid, Reesh isn’t the easiest person to deal with, he takes this band death seriously. It’s nothing personal against you,” the singer whispered so quietly that Richard couldn’t hear.

But Paul wasn’t convinced of the soothing words and continued with his packing. “C’mon, you have to admit that I sounded like shit.” He stopped for a while and nodded towards the lead guitarist. “I can see from his face that he’s unsatisfied. He probably hates me already. Maybe it’s better that I leave and you continue while you still have a good start here.”

Till tried his best to be supportive and explained: “None of us is a professional musician, so no worries. You at least tried your best. The only problem was that our little diva didn’t bother to tell you that the song is in drop D tuning. Let’s try again.” He squeezed the new player’s shoulder gently like begging him to stay with them.

Paul sighed. “Okay, one more time then.” Even though he was disappointed to himself he had an instinct that he should give it a try.

He grabbed his guitar back from the floor. “Let’s play.”

He didn’t know at that moment that the decision changed the band’s path completely.

After the surprisingly successful band practice, everybody had left except for the two guitarists who were having the last smokes before heading home.

“I really like what you have here. It seems promising and I’m more than happy to be a part of it. I can only imagine what we will achieve together.” He didn’t think that the band would get very popular - it was technically impossible to be world-famous with dark German lyrics and simple, aggressive riffs. At least he hoped they could record some albums and have small tours around Germany. To have fun and create art with a bunch of guys who seemed quite nice already.

To his utter surprise, the other man said unexpectedly: “I have to admit that you weren’t so bad at all in the end.”

“R-really?” Paul didn’t know his fellow guitarist so well yet, but he seemed very picky. Even this small kind of compliment must have been a huge thing from him.

Richard nodded. “After you figured the song out, you played just fine. I’m looking forward to what we can achieve together as well.” He turned and the first time that night looked at Paul straight in the eyes. “You passed the test. Welcome to the band.”

The target of the small compliment tried to act as casual as he could even though his heart started pounding disturbingly rapidly. He didn’t have any clue what this “test” he had just passed was, but it sounded nice to hear he had succeeded.

Paul cleared his throat and said: “One thing bothers me still though.” He came a bit closer and continued: “We didn’t say hi properly and actually, I haven’t even heard your whole name yet.”

Richard stared at the offered hand for a while, but finally - to Paul’s surprise and relief - he took it. “Richard.”

Paul couldn’t hide his smirking - the other man had announced his name so comically officially like he would have been the most important person walking on this earth. “Richard, who exactly?”

“C’mon, do you now want my social security number as well or what? Very well then, it’s 705…”

“What on earth you think I’d do with your social security number?” Paul interrupted even though he had to admit that he liked the new acquaintance's sarcastic sense of humor already. “Just that it would be nice to know the full name of the guy, whose band I’m apparently in now.”

Richard straightened his back and with another firm handshake, announced: “Richard Zven Kruspe, nice to meet you.”

“Paul Heiko Landers, pleased to meet you too.”

Richard knew from that moment he would never forget the name - the bond had been formed for eternity on that fateful night.

He sighed. Till death do us part, mein Paulchen.

#rammstein #richard kruspe #paul landers #flake lorenz #till lindemann #alternative band history #alternative first meeting #fanfiction #my fics

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jacquerel · 5 years

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I played Fiasco with Sol and my two sisters today and we had a good time

We were playing with a Star Trek themed playbook, as it was something both my sisters would be familiar with (we decided not to go with Muppets or X-Files).

Sol was Security Chief Vi Quartro, star trek alien which is essentially a human with a prehensile tail I was First Officer Flash Branson, star trek alien which is essentially a human but they always wear sunglasses Carys was Captain Neurocognate, a human who graduated from “sunfleet” with flying colours Emma was Zolgo, Ambassador for the Zolgan Empire, a large furby with extendable arms

Vi Quartro and Zolgo had a relationship of Security Officer/Petty Criminal, as Zolgo's chief desire was to acquire additional wealth for the Zolgan empire, they met up occasionally in the gym Flash Branson and Vi Quartro were both contestants vying for the same job (Captain), who also shared a valuable alien fish who lives in their shared quarters Captain Neuro and First Officer Branson were Captain and First Officer, who collectively needed to make the profit of a lifetime Zolgo and Captain Neuro were "a blunderer and repairer", in that Captain Neuro is a very bad captain but Zolgo needs to help them maintain their position because they have influence over Neuro, in the form of a "mind-linking device"

The first scene is the Captain, Security Chief, and First Officer meeting to discuss the recent diplomatic talks with the Zolgans (which ended with Zolgo joining the crew as a permanent ambassador) where Vi mentions that some things have been going missing aboard ship lately, and both Vi and Flash notice that the Captain is acting erratically and begin thinking of personal advancement

Zolgo and the Captain meet privately, where it is revealed that Zolgo is sending weird visions to Neuro through an alien earpiece which Neuro believes are her own thoughts, in order to try to manipulate her into redirecting funds to the Zolgan empire. The Captain feels a "strange connection" to Zolgo and essentially believes that they are in love

Flash retires to his personal quarters and considers how much money he could sell he and Vi's rare fish for, in order to accomodate the Captain's sudden wishes for additional funds, but Vi walks in and the two have a tense conversation about what he was doing

Zolgo and Vi meet up coincidentally while they are working out in the gym, and Vi tries to wrestle with her suspicions that the alien ambassador might be behind some recent thefts (especially as this scene establishes their culture as being largely wealth-centric, in comparison to Vi’s culture which values physical performance and honour) but also wonders if maybe she’s just alien racist Zolgo is using the monkey bars under 12x gravity. Zolgo tries to probe Vi to find out where the crew keep the large stores of treasure they surely have, but Vi lies and says that it is kept in the Captain’s Office (while there actually isn’t any treasure at all) in hopes of tricking Zolgo into doing something obviously untoward.

We flash forward to Vi and Flash out on a mission (on a planet which looks suspiciously like a quarry in Wales) to track down information about a galactic fugitive known as “Onyxfinger”. Vi uses the opportunity for privacy to take Flash aside and try to ask if Flash agrees that Zolgo is supicious, but Flash believes that Vi is trying to manipulate him into making false accusations against the important diplomat so that Vi will replace the Captain when they convince the Captain to take a health break (she is complaining of regular headaches, induced by the mind-linking device)

also two redshirts die in the background while they’re talking

Flash meets up with Zolgo in the space bar (its spherical and has no gravity, run by a startender (star bartender) who is also spherical) where it is established that the ship is called the SES Cool Tapes, because all Sunfleet vessels are named by public poll and they tend to give frivolous answers Flash manages to offend Zolgo multiple times as he attempts to cozy up to Zolgo so that he can take over the captain’s diplomatic job later, but repairs relations by showing off his valuable fish and thus establishing himself as someone with wealth and power They establish a relationship, and Flash hints that if he had more power over the funding he might be able to set up a breeding program for his valuable fish

The Captain starts to misinterpret Zolgo’s mental conditioning, and rather than desiring “more wealth, for the Zolgans” begins desiring “more Zolgan wealth, for me, the captain”, and propositions that Zolgo and Flash both go on an expedition back to Zolgan space (which they only left about a week ago) to bring back some Zolgan wealth in order to improve the standing of the ship. Flash’s reluctance to leave the ship (and thus have less chance of becoming Captain) only earns suspicion from the increasingly paranoid Captain.

Zolgo and Flash, now on board one of the ship’s smaller landing vessels (The Runaway) alongside two disposable ensigns, decide to ignore their orders and divert course to return to the planet of the fugitive Onyxfinger, on account of the fact that Flash is an abysmal diplomat who is constantly offending Zolgan customs and that Onyxfinger has a valuable item (his Onyx Finger) which Zolgo wants, ostensibly as a bargaining chip with the Zolgans but actually because they just want it

The tilt introduces “A stupid plan, executed flawlessly”, and “A fantastic chase”

Vi and the Captain reconvene on the bridge, and oddly with Zolgo off the ship the Captain is feeling somewhat clearer of head. Vi is concerned with the direction they are heading and would rather continue to pursue their original mission with Onyxfinger, and the Captain reluctantly agrees (though takes rapid offence at Vi’s implication that her headaches began at the same moment that the Zolgan contingent arrives, because she still believes that they are a flawless people). The scene ends as they discover that The Runaway has diverted course back to Onyxfinger’s planet already.

Zolgo and Flash create a cunning plan mid-firefight, in which Zolgo will pretend to sell Flash to Onyxfinger as leverage and then they will use this opportunity to steal what they can and get out of there (Flash being more of an action hero kind of First Officer than one with particular dedication to Sunfleet’s diplomatic values), meanwhile both of their ensigns are disintegrated

We flash forward to Vi and the Captain, who have also landed on the planet, in negotiation with the criminal Onyxfinger, who claims that he only raids nearby space traffic because his quarry planet has little arable land and they have nothing to eat, his species’ intimidating look (with 12 mouths and 8 sets of barbed mandibles per mouth) makes people unwilling to deal with them, and besides they have little to trade except rocks. Stealing from nearby ships (mostly Zolgan) allows them to trade with the Zolgan empire for food in order to survive. This convinces Vi that they should show leniency, but the Captain is driven into a frenzy by the fact that Onyxfinger is badmouthing the Zolgans (with whom she has become re-infatuated, now that she is on the same planet as Zolgo again) and the scene ends as she pulls out a gun and shoots someone.

We flash backwards for a dream that the Captain had while napping off a headache in the SES Cool Tape’s second lander (the Starseeker) where she dreams about having a romantic dinner with Zolgo. During this conversation Zolgo is introduced to the concept of ice cream, and we learn that Zolgo is only a larval form and that when they reach full adulthood they will look... mostly the same, but 1/3rd the size (the size of a real life furby). Zolgo finds it strange that humans actually get larger as they age, rather than smaller. The intention of this dream from Zolgo’s side is to instil in the Captain a sense that she should sacrifice herself for the Zolgan people (to make way for Flash, who is helping Zolgo more efficiently), and the dream ends as a gunman tries to shoot Zolgo, the Captain jumps in the way, and Zolgo reassures her as she dies (and the gunman dies of sudden cardiac arrest) that she made the right decision, leading to her frantic behaviour in the previous scene.

Vi and the Captain are in a frantic battle with Onyxfinger’s forces, as Vi fights with three swords (one in her tail) and tries to persuade Onyxfinger that they can still end this peacefully. Onyxfinger retorts that the Captain opened fire, and that he will happily negotiate in peace if only Vi shoots the Captain first. Vi cannot bring herself to do it and is gravely wounded by Onyxfinger, but Captain Neuro uses this opportunity to fatally shoot him, and due to Vi’s hesitation is now entirely trusting of her. The Captain drags Vi to the Starseeker, from which they see the Runaway already taking off back towards the SES Cool Tapes.

We flash backwards a little more to Zolgo and Flash also negotiating with Onyxfinger, but more successfully. Zolgo manages to convince Onyxfinger that having Flash will allow Onyxfinger to negotiate with Sunfleet for food, in exchange for stopping his raids on the Zolgans, which makes everyone happy. All that Onyxfinger has to do is help Zolgo replace Captain Neuro with Flash so that he can speak in Onyxfinger’s favour with Sunfleet, meaning that in the previous scene Onyxfinger was never negotiating in good faith and simply wanted Vi to shoot Captain Neuro so that Flash could become Captain in her place.

Now begins a chase to see who makes it back to the SES Cool Tapes first, with one ship containing Vi and Captain Neuro, while the other contains Zolgo, Flash, and a lot of treasure “liberated” from Onyxfinger. None of the other crew who accompanied either team survived, apart from Cyber-Worf, an android who is the only competent member of the bridge team and whose engineering work allows the Starseeker to keep pace even though the Runaway had a pretty big head start.

Unfortunately, Zolgo and Flash are the first to reach the mothership, and Flash announces over the ship communicator that Captain Neuro has executed someone without trial in clear breach of Sunfleet protocol and as a result, that he is taking command of the ship until an inquest can be performed into Neuro’s erratic behaviour.

While moving into his new office (and replacing the captain’s fish tank with his own), Flash finds Zolgo rooting around looking for the treasure that Vi promised would be in there but which obviously doesn’t actually exist. While trying to find out where the treasure actually is, Zolgo learns that there isn’t any, but also that Flash plans to just leave the treasure they took from Onyxfinger locked up in the Runaway, with the reasoning that “it’s pretty well locked up and barely anyone knows how to fly that thing anyway”.

Then it’s time for conclusions!

Chief Vi Quartro got a Black 9 (”Nothing to write home about”) Flash Branson got a White 8 (”Nothing to crow about”) Captain Neuro got a Black 2 (”Brutal”) Zolgo got a White 11 (”Pretty good”)

Chief Quartro spends some time recovering from her wounds in the med-bay, and is promoted to acting first officer by acting captain Flash, but finds herself wondering what would have gone differently if she had just shot the Captain herself. Eventually she requests transfer to a new ship, and aboard the SES Wyldstyle finds herself once again entangled with the machinations of the Zolgan empire. This time, if the situation comes up, she’s ready to kill her boss.

Flash Branson spends some time luxuriating in his new role of Captain, but is unable to enjoy it for too long as eventually Sunfleet bureaucracy catches up and he must return to his old role in favour of a new Captain, fresh-faced and straight out of the academy. He spends his last moments in the camera staring into his fish tank and musing about how he can possibly manage this a second time.

Zolgo absconds with all of the treasure in the Runaway, but the ship is blasted by gunfire and most of the loot is lost before they can make it back to Zolgan space. Nevertheless, they arrive in the capital with the Onyx Finger and also the new concept of “ice cream”, upon which they become powerful and important. Eventually Zolgo is reassigned as diplomat to another species (the same species as Vi Quartro) and lives to an old age there. The last shot of Zolgo is set far in the future, where they are now the size of your average Furby, and are sending back new culinary discoveries from the planet of Vi’s people to the Zolgan empire.

Captain Neuro is fired from Sunfleet and her life collapses entirely. She drinks and sleeps and does little else, apart from scratch the itch from the Zolgan earpiece she is still wearing. The visions she is receiving grow stronger and stronger and eventually she finds herself living entirely through Zolgo and experiencing their life instead of her own. Unfortunately, Zolgo’s feelings of achievement and satisfaction are not mirrored across their link, and Neuro is left alone and bereft.

We had a good time! I would do it again, maybe at Christmas.

#Fiasco

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wits-writing · 6 years

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Pacific Rim Uprising (movie review)

Thanks to a weak marketing campaign eventually leading to a middling box office take, the first Pacific Rim was essentially a cult classic before it premiered. Its status is earned due to the well-drawn (if archetypal) characters, lived-in production design and an all-timer action sequence in the Battle of Hong Kong. All of that filtered through Guillermo Del Toro’s sense of direction that left room for quiet moments that breath life into the characters and emphasize themes of cooperation and overcoming trauma, literalized through the Drift. Beneath all the giant robots versus kaiju spectacle was a beating heart that was able to strike a chord with enough people as they saw Raleigh Beckett, Stacker Pentecost, and Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi, one of the few returning actors in the sequel) among others made it the kind of movie that can still be discussed five years later.

But I’ll be surprised if people are still discussing Pacific Rim Uprising five days from now.

Directed by Steven S. DeKnight, Uprising tells the story of Jake Pentecost (John Boyega), son of Stacker Pentecost, ten years after the supposed end of the Kaiju War from the first movie. A wash out from the PPDC training program, he’s drafted back in to train the next generation of pilots by his adopted sister, Mako. With the fear of a kaiju resurgence always present in everyone’s mind, the Jaeger program is threatened with potential replacement by a new legion of Jaeger-drones developed by the private sector with the help of former PPDC scientist and kaiju-expert Newt Geiszler (Charlie Day). When a mysterious black Jaeger, called Obsidian Fury, makes key strikes against the PPDC, it reveals a mystery that could lead to the return of humanity’s enemies from beneath the Pacific.

And it has all the dramatic weight of a helium balloon.

[Full Review Under the Cut]

A lot can and has been said about the characters in the original Pacific Rim being overly-broad, but there was a dimensionality to them in how their backstories were spelled out through the visual storytelling and the chances they were given to interact that the connections they made with each other felt genuine. There is absolutely none of that this time around as the characters are too busy explaining the plot to each other for there to be a single moment of genuine characterization. The one character that best exemplifies this is Nate Lambert (Scott Eastwood), who has some past animosity with Jake and they’re apparently romantic rivals for the affections of a female Ranger who barely gets any screen time, but there’s nothing to him or that rivalry. This is an across the board issue in Uprising. For a story where a major part of the sci-fi conceit is the characters needing to connect with each other’s minds and embrace their feelings, there’s no meat on the bones of any of the character dynamics.

The worst offender being the relationship between the adopted siblings, Jake and Mako. Almost as soon as the movie does what could be described as the bare minimum in establishing their relationship as siblings, Mako is unceremoniously killed off and Jake gets thirty seconds of screentime at most to mourn. Boyega and Kikuchi are good performers both doing well with what little they’ve been given, but it doesn’t fix how little there is to begin with. This issue is compounded by the dozen fresh-faced cadets in the Jaeger program, since it’d be generous to call any of them one-dimensional and I’m not in a generous mood for this movie. The one potentially interesting new character among those cadets is Amara Namani (Caelee Spaeny), a street punk girl with a gift for engineering who built a miniature Jaeger, Scrapper, out of decommissioned parts from the mechs. She gets to have just enough scenes of developing a friendship/mentorship with Jake that it makes you wonder why they bothered with Eastwood’s character at all instead of making this the focus.

There was a point early in Uprising where the quick-paced editing and the camera moving around with little apparent purpose behind any of it where I thought, “Oh no, the entire movie’s going to be like this.” When it was exactly that, I wasn’t surprised or angry as much as numb to everything going on. This movie refuses to slow down at all, even when it’s trying to be emotional in a clumsy retread of one of the previous movie’s best moment. The editing compounds every strike against this movie it would’ve had anyway, like middling jokes that land with a thud not having a beat to breath. It gets worse when the action scenes kick in as the weight and power the Jaegers and Kaiju had in the previous movie are replaced with weightless struggles. I have no problem with the more toyetic designs of the Jaegers this time around or their more anime-esque actions in themselves, since that’s true to the mech and kaiju genre roots, but the lack of any meaningful dramatic buildup to the action makes it a bunch of sound and fury, but without the fury. Like someone turned the volume up to eleven on the most repetitive drum solo ever.

Pacific Rim Uprising isn’t completely without merit. Some bits of world-building could’ve been fun if the movie took its time to give them focus, including Scrapper, Jaeger-Kaiju hybrids and new weapon systems for the Jaegers that add visual variety to the otherwise bland action. However, without a vision of its own to give this life beyond a bland attempt at spectacle at the expense of where the first movie excelled, there’s nothing to stay in the brain long after watching it. I find Uprising hard to recommend unless you’re desperate for some giant robot versus monster action and have already watched the original movie more times than you can count along with all the anime and tokusatsu that inspired it.

#Pacific Rim Uprising #Pacific Rim #John Boyega #Steven S DeKnight #Movie Review #Wit's Writing #Mecha #Kaiju #Jaegers #science fiction #Sci Fi Films

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hetmusic · 5 years

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TMR TALKS TO... JY | The Most Radicalist

In this interview feature, we get to know the most radicalist up and coming stars on the planet. This time we had a chat with Los Angeles alternative R&B talent jy. We’ve been tracking the upward trajectory of Californian artist jy ever since he released dreamy single ‘Pink & Blue’ two years ago. Since then we’ve had the pleasure to feature the romantic ‘Glide’ and the floating ‘Blossom’, as well as premiering jy’s first music video for the sophisticated new single ‘Paradise’. What we love about jy is his consistency; with each new release the singer, songwriter and producer delivers his flawless electronic R&B packaged into emotive storytelling that often handles the matter of love, whether complete, unrequited or broken. As you’ll discover in the interview with jy below, the West Coast talent is now stepping up this emerging project with captivating visuals, building on the story presented in the beautifully directed ‘Paradise’. Read about jy’s background in music, love for production and more below.

Photo credit: Hai Truong TMR: Hey jy, what have you been up to this week? Hello! I’ve been traveling within Japan– visiting both Tokyo & Kyoto. I’m calling this a “work-ation” because I’m doing sessions and going to shows, while trying to relax and go sightseeing. TMR: The first time we featured your music on TMR was with the single 'Pink & Blue', do you think your sound has evolved since then? My sound has definitely changed. I think having a background with music production & engineering, it’s difficult to apply formulas that keep my music sounding the same. I’m always trying to push myself to create something that I feel is better than what came before. TMR: Congratulations on releasing your first music video! What was the concept behind it? Thank you! I have to really give a shout out to Rangefinder35, the directors that created the entire story and treatment. The song itself is about how my parents fell in love at such a young age when they met in the US (they’re originally from South Korea). They moved out to the West Coast from Chicago with hopes of starting a family, but after some time, they drifted apart. TMR: How important is visual content in the music industry? Have you found a different reaction to the video rather than audio alone? Visuals are so important in the current musical landscape. ‘Paradise’ is my first music video and I found that people have been interacting with it a lot more than when I first released the single back in 2018. There’s much more content to take in and experience within the same amount of time, so that’s probably why I find myself gravitating towards musical artists that have a strong visual presence. TMR: Your songwriting, as we've heard in 'Paradise, 'Pink & Blue' and other songs, comes straight from the heart. Is it cathartic for you to put these emotions into lyrics and sounds? Growing up, I’d always found music to be therapeutic. I grew up playing classical and jazz on the piano, so whenever I’d feel emotionally confused or depressed, music would sort of be there for me in the form of an old Yamaha wall piano. My songwriting and outpouring of emotions (via music) started on that piano bench. TMR:. You also produce all your music - how did you first get involved in that side of the creative process? I was in college and I didn’t really have a lot of friends, so whenever I had nothing to do, I would mess around in a program called GarageBand. The music I was creating within the program was very rudimentary but it helped me relax. I eventually became obsessed with the whole process of creating a song. TMR: What's your personal favourite track? ‘Pink & Blue’ would have to be my personal favorite because it’s an imperfect love song about someone I deeply admire. I think that whole relationship is still sort of ongoing (even though I don’t see that person) because it still affects me to this day. TMR: Has life on America's West Coast informed the way you make music or the music you listen to? Absolutely. I grew up listening to West Coast Hip-Hop (Snoop Dogg, Warren G, Dr. Dre) in middle school and I remember being so impressed by the production. It still sounds damn good until this day. TMR: Tell us about a local talent we should keep an eye out for. I’ve been producing for an upcoming LA based artist named FrankHaveMercy. He just dropped a full length LP and it’s quite different from everything that’s out there right now. This is definitely a shameless self-plug, but a band to start looking out for is Yngcult. We’ve been around since 2013 and I’m one of the two founding members. After a two year hiatus, we’re going to start putting new music out at the end of November. TMR: Shortly, listeners will be able to enjoy your Recital II EP. Can you give us a quick overview of the EP, whether that's the themes, styles, surprises? I’m trying a different approach with my production & songwriting by inviting more collaborators into my world. I’ve created most of my records in my bedroom in Los Angeles with little to no outside perspective. I’m beginning to realize that opening myself up for other artists to create different textures and help tell a story is crucial for the creative process. The idea behind the Recital II EP came from when I played my first piano recital as a six year old. I’m preparing for this one as if it’s my second, except I’m an adult full of different experiences. And instead of performing a Beethoven Sonata, I’m performing jy.

http://www.themostradicalist.com/article/tmr-talks-to-jy/

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curdinway-blog · 4 years

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Top 102 Movies of the 2010’s, According to a Crackpot

I’ve decided to try the impossible.

The seed for this idea came from Polygon. The site ran an article by which various staff members ranked their top ten movies for the decade. Naturally, that got me thinking about MY top ten films for the decade. Then I realized I hadn’t seen most Oscar winners, let alone enough movies to qualify to make a list. Then I realized I would have much, MUCH more than ten movies in my list.

Thus, I embarked on a madman’s dream. It involved crunching movie after movie after movie, then trying to hopelessly rank it on my list if I thought it was good enough. I missed my own deadline of New Year’s. Now, I am releasing this on my next deadline: The Oscars. Literally now, when they are already underway.

I hope you will read this list with some forgiveness in your hearts. Biting off more than you can chew doesn’t describe it. There are a whole host of movies I wanted to see before I made this list I haven’t gotten to and probably never will. There are many movies on this list I saw close to a decade ago and am trying to place in a ranking against pieces I just saw a few days ago. Oh, and I’m comparing across genres and types. What I’m trying to say is, this list is probably going to suck in a lot of ways.

With that being said, I really did try to rank the following to the very best of my ability. I racked my brains, racked them, and racked them again. Ultimately, I made my decisions from a whole host of criteria, ranging from everything from pacing, to various aspects of entertainment value, to complexity/themes, to cinematography. I tried to be objective as much as possible, but I also think that how much you like a movie should be considered a piece of criteria as well. After all, that’s primarily why we go to the movies; we want to have a good time. As such, expect to see a lot of science-fiction and animation of this list. In my defense, it was a great decade for each.

And now…without further ado…let me introduce…The Top 102 Films of the 2010’s, According to a Crackpot!

102. Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow

Starship Troopers meets Groundhog Day, Live Die Repeat is a well-executed mecha-battle movie with a wrinkle of time-travel tossed in for good measure.

101. Wreck-It Ralph: Ralph Breaks the Internet

It may not be as good as the original, but Wreck-It Ralph 2 makes the grade with some cunning swipes at internet culture, the world’s best worst Disney Princess song, and bittersweet revelations about what it means to be a true friend.

100. Mirai

Few films truly approach their story from a child’s perspective; but in tone, structuring, and imagination, Mirai lets us see again through young eyes. Director Mamoru Hosoda uses time travel as a vehicle for exploration of deeply personal familial relationships, and how they shape us into the people we become.

99. The Last Gold

The Last Gold is an unheralded little gem about a quartet of female US Olympic swimmers who found themselves competing in an impossibly frustrating and unfair situation; the 1976 Olympics. As East German swimmers swept podium after podium (with the aid of a systematic doping program), the US Women’s team faced intense public criticism, especially phenom Shirley Babashoff, who could have been the female Mark Spitz if not for the rampant cheating going on. Largely forgotten and regarded as a disappointment by the American public, The Last Gold illustrates the team as one worth remembering and dignifying; in particular, for their final, desperate effort at gold in the 4 x 100 m freestyle relay.

98. Mad Max: Fury Road

Pretty much nonstop surreal nutty action, Mad Max surely has some of the most creative and tricky stunts done in the past decade.

97. The Amazing Spiderman

Utterly forgotten in the wake of its more successful follow-ups (and predecessors, for that matter), The Amazing Spiderman is nonetheless a solid reboot of some well-worn material. The concept behind Spidey’s origin is well-thought out and original, and ties directly to an interesting villain who is more the victim of his own genius than the archetype evil megalomaniac.

96. Doctor Strange

Doctor Strange marks itself as unique among the various Marvel offerings by pondering nothing less than the meaning of life… and overloading us with psychedelic, Inception-esque imagery.

95. Concussion

Featuring a terrific and vocally unrecognizable Will Smith, Concussion asks not only some difficult questions about the country’s (and my own) favorite sport, but also some difficult questions about what it means to be an American.

94. The Big Sick

I’m not a big rom-com guy, but The Big Sick won me over by creating romantic tensions from realistic scenarios; in particular, the difficulties that arise from differences in race and religion. The film’s awkward sense of humor is well-incorporated, making this a funny movie as well as an intelligent one.

93. Bridesmaids

A funny movie about friendships and change (anchored by an excellently tragicomic Kristen Wiig), Bridesmaids showed the Judd Apatow formula could work on equal terms for the female sex.

92. 50/50

50/50 tackled the cancer movie with an unusual slant of good humor, and chased it down with heartfelt drama and good performances.

91. Hanna

In which a supergirl Saoirse Ronan (pre-fame and accolades) is honed into an assassin by her father so that she can kill a wicked, hammy CIA operative Cate Blanchett before the agency gets to her first. If you ever wanted to see a small girl beating thugs to death with her bare fists in the style of Jason Bourne, this one’s for you. Loads of fun, totally bananas, and dripping with cool.

90. Hunger Games

More or less a faithful adaptation of a literary bestseller, Hunger Games nonetheless deserves credit for doing the job right. The cinematics and ideas here are very nice for a teen blockbuster, and Jennifer Lawrence rightfully turned into a star for BEING Katniss Everdeen.

89. What We Do in the Shadows

Quirky, subversive, hilarious, and utterly “New Zealand”, What We Do in the Shadows made vampires and werewolves funny again…in a good way.

88. Icarus

An accidental documentary seemingly spurred on by fate, Icarus is about the creep of misinformation and deception into every aspect of our lives, even sports, by the unscrupulous and powerful.

87. Prometheus

A film I absolutely adored the first time around, but toned down my enthusiasm for with a more critical eye to detail. Nevertheless, Prometheus should be appreciated for its immense scale of ambition and huge open-ended philosophical questions; it should also be appreciated for throwing a veritable kitchen sink of full of campy horrors at its viewers, including a crazy autosurgery scene.

86. 10 Cloverfield Lane

10 Cloverfield Lane flies high on its simplicity. Three main actors, one small doomsday shelter, and loads of palm-sweating, stomach-clenching, double-guessing suspense. John Goodman, you so craaaaazy.

85. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Give J.K. Rowling credit for not making this a cynical cash grab; the writing in Fantastic Beasts is actually delightful. There is a strong balance here between the sweet magical whimsy going on and some dark, brooding commentaries on American society. A strong cast of endearing characters rounds out a very robust entry in the Harry Potter series.

84. How to Train Your Dragon II

A very good sequel to a classic, HTTYD II still provides the acrobatic, dragon-flying goods, even as it steers us into a troubling, thought-provoking battle between might and right, fixed circumstances and free will.

83. The Big Short

While Inside Job will always remain the definitive work on the maddening 2008 financial collapse, The Big Short is a strong effort featuring intimate inside perspectives of the actual people who did the dynamiting. A slick sense of humor and a celebrity all-star team intent on ripping Wall Street a new one makes this film a winner.

82. Captain America: Civil War

Cap: Civil War is noteworthy in that it makes civilian collateral damage the primary fulcrum and conflict of a superhero movie. It is also a bit of a “mini-Avengers” that successfully incorporates some slam dunk additions to the team; then pits them against each other.

81. Get Out

One of the decade’s cleverest and most ambitious horror flicks, Get Out shows how the sum of a million little microaggressions equates to something very ugly indeed.

80. The Hateful Eight

A slow-burner as far as Tarantino films go, The Hateful Eight is an interesting social play interspersed with exaggerated violence and profanity; a commentary on how our nation was forged in the fires of overcoming racial and societal differences.

79. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Catching Fire does what all good sequels aim to do; take the appealing constructs of the original film and pump them up on steroids. Everything the Hunger Games did, Catching Fire does bigger, badder, and better.

78. Big Hero 6

A weeaboo’s dream, a great superhero flick, and a gentle meditation upon loss and healthy grieving, Big Hero 6 is a very entertaining film with a big heart and a wonderfully plush-looking buddy robot.

77. Mary and the Witch’s Flower

Mary and the Witch’s Flower is a Studio Ghibli flick, helmed by Studio Ghibli animators…under a non- Ghibli studio. Here are all the familiar beats we love as viewers; the weird, wonderful setting (a school of sorcery for talented children), abuses on the natural world wrought by technology and ambition, and a delightfully ordinary red-headed girl who must think on her feet and grow if she is to survive. Harry Potter crossed with Miyazaki…who could ever resist that?

76. Avengers: Infinity War

The key to Infinity War’s successes is Thanos. The Mad Titan had been waiting in the shadows for most of MCU’s run during the past decade; in Infinity War, we finally see him in the formidable flesh. At once terrifying and tragic, Thanos is the most iconic villain of the 2010’s; a villain finally worth pitting an entire squad of heroes against, and perhaps, more than a match for all of them. The film’s shocking ending and willingness to go to darker places makes this movie MCU’s The Empire Strikes Back.

75. Alien: Covenant

Man, did Covenant get a bad rap. Audience members branded its characters stupid, its monsters unscary, and its premise a letdown from Prometheus. They were wrong on every count. The characters of Covenant act as normal explorers should; not as we, in all of our omniscient wisdom, should advise them to. The monsters are absolutely bloodcurdling; truly nasty, unrelenting creatures which are content to flay their victims alive if they cannot kill them outright. And the story did not answer many of Prometheus’s big questions because it was simply better and more interesting than that. I posit the reason Covenant was such a flop is not any failure on its part, but rather a failure of audiences’ openmindedness and tolerance for the macabre. Alien: Covenant is the best Alien movie since at least Aliens; a pitch-black, bordering on nihilistic tale of bad things happening to good people. It is also a successful conglomeration of the various qualities of Alien, Aliens, and Prometheus, and a fascinating cross-examination of an android who is too human for his own (or anybody’s) good.

74. The Shape of Water

Amélie meets The Swamp Thing, The Shape of Water is an odd, intriguing romantic Cold War thriller that celebrates those members of society who are ostracized, marginalized, or cast aside.

73. ParaNorman

Funny, scary, and important, Paranorman is a spooky, kid-friendly take on tolerance and the price of ignorance.

72. Gasland

By all practical accounts, Gasland is horrifying. This is a film that shows the surreal consequences of free-for-all fracking; water that can be set on fire, air pollution that exceeds 100x the safe limit for some toxins around fracking wells, and literal poisoning of wildlife and residents via breathing, drinking, and skin absorption. While all of this content would make for a great documentary, it is banjo-pickin’, easy-going filmmaker Josh Fox who makes this film even better. His heartfelt personal accounts and willingness to stand aside and let the victims speak for themselves gives this documentary a warmth and decency usually missing from such explosive exposés.

71. Wreck-It Ralph

A hilarious mash-up of video games and memorable arcade characters, Wreck-It Ralph manages to stay clever, hip, and inventive the whole way, even as it plays expertly off audience nostalgia.

70. Green Book

Thanks in large part to its pair of terrific leads, Green Book manages to be an uproariously entertaining road trip buddy movie; even as it brings to light the racial problems which existed (and continue to exist) in America.

69. Scott Pilgrim vs The World

Possibly the most Millennial film ever made, Scott Pilgrim is a busy, delicious barrage of video games, garage bands, pop culture references, and comics. Intricately detailed and gut-bustingly funny, Scott Pilgrim’s supply of visual gags and uber-referential one-liners is practically (turns 8 sideways on fridge) infinite.

68. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Winter Soldier is high-tier MCU. The electric superhero proceedings benefit from a deliciously twisty plot, and a surprising injection of sharp political commentary.

67. Dunkirk

One of the most viscerally intense PG-13 movies ever, Christopher Nolan’s war epic is a nightmarish tour-de-force that places viewers directly in enemy crosshairs. In typical Nolanian fashion, however, this is also high-brow, intellectually stimulating fare. There is not only the logistical puzzle at play of how to successfully evacuate 300,000 plus English soldiers from the French coast; Dunkirk understands warfare as a product of two extreme and opposite polarities of human nature. War cannot be waged without nasty, selfish streaks of human survival, as there will simply be no one left to fight it; neither can it be won without remarkable acts of courage and willing sacrifice.

66. Blackfish

Deeply troubling and disturbing, Blackfish shows what happens when you take the most intelligent and sensitive animals in the world besides us and confine them in a bathtub for their entire lives. A stirring call for respect for nature, and a long-running tally of SeaWorld’s sins, Blackfish is a must-see documentary.

65. Contagion

Contagion is one of the decade’s scariest films. After all, murdering mask-wearing lunatics and supernatural bumps in the night can be discounted as a trick behind the camera; but the boogeyman in Contagion almost assuredly exists, a nuke buried somewhere in the bosom of Mother Nature. If we blunder into it, God help us all. The film’s chilly, distant demeanor and scientific accuracy (Contagion gets bonus points for being the most scientifically accurate movie of all time) makes its depiction of a modern plague frighteningly plausible; its fixations on points of transfer are enough to convince anyone to wash their hands twice.

64. How to Train Your Dragon

One of the best movies to ever exit out the Dreamworks pipeline, HTTYD is an excellent parable about hate and jingoism, wrapped up in an exhilarating thrill ride that made us all want a Toothless of our own.

63. Restrepo

Restrepo is such a hard film to gauge. It doesn’t take aim at politics, or delve too deeply into the lives of its subjects; American soldiers in the Korangal Valley, Afghanistan. Restrepo is content to simply put us in their boots. Never has combat been so realistically brought to the American doorstep. In Restrepo, one can see the terror of death, the adrenaline hit of downing an enemy, the tomfoolery of kids messing around with one another in between bouts of fighting for their lives. This is the pure essence of modern war; in its DNA, one can see what so many directors of fiction have been trying to recapture in their work. Restrepo is a remarkable and dangerous accomplishment; an accomplishment that would eventually cost co-director Tim Hetherington his life while shooting a subsequent film in Libya.

62. Abominable

Dreamworks has been a rather lackluster studio in comparison to the rest of the industry. With that being said, it is more than capable of making great movies; and Abominable is right up there with the best the studio has ever made. This gorgeously made Asian-flavored film explores China as a meeting grounds of various philosophies; wealth and privilege versus working class, urban versus agrarian, East versus West, and how exploitation and cultural diffusion have reshaped life there. It is also simply a wonderful tale of an introverted girl who must travel to the Himalayas to deliver a magical yeti back to nature; and how that journey unlocks her ability to grieve and connect with others.

61. Winter’s Bone

Winter’s Bone is the movie that announced to the world that this Jennifer Lawrence person could act, I tell you h’what. This menacing coming-of-age journey through the Ozark drugscape shows the importance of family in such poor, isolated communities as something more than a cliché of hillbilly pride; it is actually a means to survival and redemption.

60. The Boy and the Beast

The Boy and the Beast can certainly be appreciated simply as a fantastical, colorful training/battle movie about an orphaned human boy and his cantankerous bear master. But it is as it dives deep into the complexity of the male mind that the film fascinates thematically and generates stirring emotional resonance. In particular, the film has something to say about the anger that can spur young men to violence, and the stabilizing force a mature male presence can have (but does not always have) on that anger. The benefits of fatherhood extend to father-figures as well, who become more emotionally aware and sensitive, and gain deeper meaning and fulfillment in their lives. Hosoda is truly one of the best directors working in animation today, and The Boy in the Beast is typically intelligent, thematically dense work from him.

59. The King’s Speech

A feel-good film done with classical style, The King’s Speech is an elegant, touching tale of friendship that will surely play well among lovers of The Royal Family.

58. The Artist

Thanks to rich visual storytelling and fantastic performances, this pre-talkie throwback hardly needs words to delight.

57. The Tale of Princess Kaguya

Isao Takahata’s final film The Tale of Princess Kaguya feels like a beautiful pastel picture book brought to life. At once a fable of ruinous greed, classism, and sexism, it is also a haunting soliloquy of love, nature, freedom, beauty, and death…all that makes life precious.

56. Kubo and the Two Strings

Kubo and the Two Strings makes me mad. Not because it is a bad film; far from it. I am angry because Kubo had everything going for it. It had big-name actors, it had effects which pushed stop-motion to its limits, it had a big marketing push in theaters to push viewership, it had great critical reviews. It was supposed to be Studio Laika’s crown jewel; the film that would win big at the box office and thrust the studio of perennial indie hits like Coraline and Paranorman into well-deserved limelight. And it was good. Like, really good!

Unfortunately, Kubo and the Two Strings flopped at the box office, for reasons I cannot imagine nor articulate in polite company. But it will get its due here; Kubo is a stop-motion masterpiece with rich, resonant themes and ground-breaking visual effects. It also has a rendition of “My Guitar Gently Weeps” on a Japanese samisen. So go see the damn thing.

55. The Wind Rises

We might be getting another Miyazaki film after all, but The Wind Rises was a fantastic send-off piece for anime’s most legendary director. This is a truly complex, mature film about the relation of beauty and art to woe and suffering, and a critical examination of the tunnel vision that often grips great artists.

54. Knives Out

A classic whodunit tweaked for the modern era, Knives Out balances its twisty mystery proceedings with some well-timed black humor and more than a few pokes at the wealthy elite.

53. Inside Job

A carefully researched and scathingly delivered incrimination of the greed that ruined a nation, Inside Job is one of the best documentaries of the era.

52. Hugo

A wondrous, Dickensian-tale of an orphan who lives in a Paris train station and discovers the secret of a mysterious automaton, Hugo is an intelligent, sensitive family picture and a touching love letter to early cinema.

51. Moonlight

Being different is hard, as I can say from firsthand experience. While I can hardly imagine what it is to be African-American or gay, let alone both at once, Moonlight offers some glimpse into that difficult reality. The film’s touching love story is a journey of self-acceptance and courage that is well worth seeing.

50. Tangled

Tangled was Disney’s announcement to the rest of the field that it was back, baby. After a period of shaky and poorly thought-out 3-D projects in the early 2000’s, Disney took a long, hard look at itself and identified what it did best, then brought out the best of those qualities in its witty, triumphant take on Rapunzel. Here are the songs, guffaws, villains, and magic we all love as fans, delivered perfectly into the next dimension.

49. Source Code

Groundhog Day via sci-fi thriller, Source Code is a clever, action-packed take on time travel, but also an emotionally investing take on what it means to live each day-and life-to the fullest.

48. Toy Story 4

Rarely has a sequel piece ever seemed as risky as Toy Story 4. The studio had its closing piece in Toy Story 3; a film I thought was respectable but not particularly interesting. But rather than let sleeping dogs lie, Pixar opted to throw that ending in the garbage…and pulled something far more bizarre and wonderful from the trash. Toy Story 4 is a wacky, existential riff that acknowledges the importance of family and responsibility in our lives, while simultaneously declaring that it is okay to value ourselves outside those traditional parameters.

47. Arrival

Arrival is hard science-fiction done exceedingly right. Depicting an extraterrestrial visitation across the globe, Arrival seems truly tangible in a way most alien films do not, down to the very form of its decidedly non-humanoid creatures. In vein of Contact or Interstellar, Arrival picks the brain and heartstrings with equal acumen, making it a lasting and valuable commodity to anyone’s sci-fi library.

46. Spiderman: Homecoming

Spiderman: Homecoming is the geekiest of Spiderpieces. This is the Spiderman where Spiderman is Go-Pro-ing himself before a big battle, or joining a quiz bowl team, or building a Lego Death Star with his nerdy confidante, complete with miniature Lego Palpatine. Light, refreshing, and utterly hilarious, Homecoming gets a lot of mileage out of Tom Holland’s awesome portrayal, and tells a simple, uncomplicated story that doesn’t impede the shenanigans.

45. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2

Audiences were expecting a fireworks show for Deathly Hallows: Part II, and boy did they get one. A terrifically exciting heist sequence and a grand final battle made this the most epic and exciting entry in the Harry Potter canon. The culmination of carefully laid character arcs and sentimental links back to the series’ early days had fans smiling through their tears and punching their tickets to Platform 9 ¾ again and again. A splendidly satisfying sendoff.

44. Skyfall

Apparently, you can teach an old dog new tricks. Skyfall brought Bond into the new decade in style, modernizing and sharpening all its facets while remaining, yes, Bond. James Bond.

43. Argo

Argo is a rock-solid retelling of a tense CIA extraction op, hitched to the allure and wonder of good old-fashioned movie making.

42. Free Solo

Free Solo is a marvelous documentary, and I mean that quite literally. Marvel at the jaw-dropping heights depicted, marvel at the logistical challenges of filming a free climber without killing or distracting them (which would mean the same thing). But most of all, marvel at the huge cojones of subject Alex Honnold, as he attempts to climb the world’s largest rock wall; without the life-saving grace of a rope. As a thrill act, Free Solo is visceral and terrifying. But as a character study, it is equally fascinating. The same things which make Honnold such a one in a billion talent are the same things which cripple him emotionally and socially. Watching Honnold slowly start to conquer these own personal obstacles-even as he prepares for the physical obstacle of his life-is a truly satisfying experience.

41. The Lego Movie

Endlessly imaginative and hilariously subversive, The Lego Movie is not only a worthy standard-bearer of its iconic toy brand, but also a glorious celebration of creativity and free expression.

40. Snowpiercer

I’m gonna describe Snowpiercer using single word describers. Okay? Hilarious. Bloody. Ambitious. Tragic. Exhilarating. Revolutionary. F***ing insane. Okay, that last one was two words. How about amazing? Yeah. Amazing works. This dystopian satirical piece is a mad thrill ride on a runaway train through an environmentally wrecked world, and it is one of the craziest things I’ve ever loved in my life.

39. Moneyball

This movie is a sports genre gamechanger about a sports genre gamechanger; that is, the “Moneyball” strategy that forever changed the world of baseball evaluation. Watched purely on the terms of its baseball X’s and O’s, Moneyball succeeds. However, it is the tale of lovable loser Billy Beane, and the film’s assertion that winning comes second to loving yourself, that really turns this hit into a home run.

38. The Social Network

As eccentric and brilliant as its central genius, The Social Network depicts the synthesis of Facebook as an unflattering mirror for the site itself; that it is often driven by negative emotions of inadequacy, jealousy, and loneliness, and serves as a proxy for the real social interactions we require for fulfillment and happiness. Slickly edited, funny, and smart, this is one of the most iconic and generational films of the decade.

37. Gravity

The opening few minutes of Gravity is one of the most intense movie scenes not only of this decade, but of all time. From there, the tension just barely relents. Suspenseful and tightly-spun as a space survival story, Gravity is also a technical marvel which redefined zero-G cinema forever; and made us eternally thankful we are safely on the ground.

36. Beasts of the Southern Wild

Beasts of the Southern Wild is a ground-level view of poverty and climate change in the Mississippi River Delta region, seen through the eyes of a child. Quvenzhané Wallis brings her role to life with an incredible child performance, and lends this work a sense of deep intimacy and emotional resonance, even as it grasps at themes which are national to global in scale.

35. Incredibles 2

Incredibles 2 is one of Pixar’s best ever sequels. Here are the same witty, relatable family dynamics we fell in love with in Incredibles 1; but the superhero shenanigans have been one-upped and then some. In fact, Incredibles 2 has the best action sequences I have ever seen in a 3-D animated film. Add in a smart ideological battle between the current age’s (perhaps correct) cold cynicism and yesterday’s quixotic beliefs, and you have one of the best superhero movies ever, as well as a film that arguably beats out its OG.

34. Guardians of the Galaxy

I admit that from the film’s opening credits, where Chris Pratt canters across an alien planet to “Come and Get Your Love” and utilizes a scurrying lizard creature as his own personal microphone, that I was sold on Guardians of the Galaxy. This is one of those rare works like Shrek or Princess Bride that simultaneously skewers and elevates its genre; in this case, the old-timey B-movie science-fiction flick. A riotously funny movie that just doesn’t give a (expletive), Guardians of the Galaxy is also surprisingly poignant when it chooses to draw its eclectic bunch of outlaws into an impromptu family. This is absolutely one of the best films in the MCU.

33. Coco

A gorgeous, vibrant love letter to Mexico full of zesty music, Coco has some big things to say about art and its link to memory, and how exploitation can tarnish its beauty. Pixar has once again illustrated a remarkable ability to craft a world utterly original and believable in its own rich details and machinations; a world which sets a grand stage for its intimate story. It has also once again illustrated an ability to make us all cry our eyes out. Curse you, Pixar!

32. Her

The film that made a romance between an artificial intelligence and Joaquin Phoenix work somehow, Her is a thoughtful and sensitive film that expands our definition of love to encompass all levels of intimacy and circumstance. It is also, to my knowledge, the most gentle and hopeful AI movie ever made, and it deserves commendation for that.

31. Spotlight

Spotlight is a black hole. This film about the Boston Globe’s reporting on the Catholic Church’s coverup of child molestations by priests starts off slowly, then sucks you in more and more, gathering its mass until you are crushed under all the weight of deception, apathy, pain, and despair. I suppose this is also a strong allegory for the value of reporting or something like that, but frankly, I was too upset for most of the film’s duration to notice. As a lifelong Catholic, Spotlight made me feel utterly betrayed and angry; not only at the Church, but also at myself for sleeping at the wheel. This simply cannot happen again.

30. Citizenfour

Citizenfour qualifies as arguably the most important film of the decade. Laura Poitras’s documentary on government informant Edward Snowden is an intellectual horror flick; full of deserved paranoia, stunning overreaches of executive power, and spooky mirrors to the Orwellian nightmare of 1984. Citizenfour reveals how the alluring promise of the internet has betrayed us, and provided a means to the exponential surveillance of everyone in our supposedly free Western society.

29. Marvel’s The Avengers

Avengers seemed like a fantasy project when it was announced. How could anybody hope to make a movie about not one superhero, not two superheroes, but a whole team of them, without sacrificing narrative coherence, without losing sight of the big personalities at play? Joss Whedon proved such an all-star game could be possible, and somehow, work synergistically. This is one of the biggest popcorn movies ever, and it changed the expectations for superhero flicks towards bigger, grander, better. The success of Avengers also established MCU as the defining franchise of the 2010’s; and perhaps, beyond.

28. Inception

Inception’s script took Christopher Nolan 10 years to tweak, and watching the film you can believe it. This is a 3-D maze of a caper/heist movie, in which dreams form the substance of worlds stacked atop one another. It is a devilishly tricky exercise, but one that is done with the greatest precision and execution. Featuring impressive and trippy set-pieces, one of the generation’s best femme fatales, massively cerebral ideas, eerie atmosphere, and an insidious sense of ambiguity, Inception kept me awake for quite some time after I watched it at two in the morning.

27. Room

Focusing on a kidnapped mother and her young son Jack, who has only known captivity, Room could have been a very dark movie. Instead, it chooses to tack a different route; how do we survive trauma, both its initial effects and its aftermath, and triumph over it?

The film is sold by Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay. Larson deservingly won an Oscar for her role; Tremblay’s performance is the best child performance I have ever seen. Together, they create a mother-son relationship that is utterly real and compelling. The film is also noteworthy for its camerawork, which is used very effectively to suggest changes in Jack’s worldview as he grows older.

26. Django Unchained

Brash, bold, and unapologetic, Django Unchained is a gloriously socially-conscious revenge fantasy. Featuring buckets of blood and Wild West shoot ‘em up gunfights against Klansmen and slave-holders, the film charts the course of a former slave on his way to rescue his sweetheart from the clutches of a diabolical slave owner.

25. Lincoln

Thanks to yet another star turn from acting legend Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln is a witty and warm biopic of one of our greatest presidents. It is also a glimmer of encouragement during the political gridlock and dysfunction of the early 2010’s. Rather than proving democracy does not work, Lincoln seems to argue, such issues are actually a sign of a functioning and healthy democracy. Our ability to disagree strongly with one another and come to imperfect compromises in order to solve our problems is our country’s greatest legacy. It was also the means to the passing of our noblest and most overdue piece of legislation: The 13th Amendment.

24. Won’t You Be My Neighbor?

Won’t You Be My Neighbor is, for me, the best documentary of the decade. Focusing on the extraordinary Mr. Fred Rogers, the film does a great job of humanizing Mr. Rogers; revealing his insecurities, relentless drive, and sly sense of humor (often through dream-like Daniel Tiger animated sequences) while demonstrating that yes, he really was that good of a person. As it progresses, the film grows increasingly melancholic and encompassing. The qualities Mr. Rogers stood for-namely, understanding, love, honesty, and respect-seem sorely lacking in today’s society. Even more distressingly, it would seem the saintly Rogers was beginning to have his own doubts about his life’s work as the cruelty and hate of the 21st century emerged in full on 9/11. Won’t You Be My Neighbor expresses human goodness as something fragile which must be fostered and prioritized by all of us if Mr. Rogers’ message is to mean something in our modern world.

23. Moana

Moana’s audiovisuals are off the charts amazing. The lush tropical landscapes and utterly lifelike oceans make this the most graphically impressive 3-D animated work I’ve ever seen. The soundtrack, partially composed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, stands as one of Disney’s best all time. But it is Moana herself, the titular princess, who stands as the film’s greatest game-changer. Realistically proportional, of Pacific Islander descent, and strong enough to carry a story without a love interest, Moana is a refreshingly modern character utterly in command of her own destiny. Add in a rich story steeped in Polynesian culture and veined with environmental undertones, and you get the new high bar for the Disney Princess Movie.

22. The Breadwinner

The Breadwinner is a testament that must be heard. Adapted by Cartoon Saloon from Deborah Ellis’s excellent book of the same name, the movie is a street-level account of Parvana, a young girl who goes undercover as a boy to feed her family in Taliban-era Afghanistan. The conditions portrayed are nearly unimaginable; imagine being a prisoner in your own home, only let out for reprieve under the supervision of a male guardian. Such was the reality of thousands of women and girls in Kabul as late as 2001. Cartoon Saloon drenches this film in a constant, lingering fear; at the same time, normalcy is depicted and triumphed. Siblings still squabble. Clothes are still washed, meals are still cooked and eaten, water is still fetched. Stories are still told. The Breadwinner is not just Parvana’s tale; it is the voice of the thousands who live in war-torn or oppressive societies worldwide, and yet still make their own brand of normalcy, still form expression and find joy. Their daily survival is an inspiration to us all; their story is to glimpse the resiliency and spark of the human spirit.

21. A Quiet Place

A Quiet Place is one of the most auspicious debuts I can remember. First time director John Krasinki makes his creature feature a masterwork of tension and clever sound editing, and crafts an indelible world where so much as a pin dropping puts everyone on pins and needles.

20. Inside Out

Pixar’s peek inside a child’s mind is a work of the utmost intelligence and sensitivity. Intuitive enough for even the youngest viewers to understand, yet nuanced enough to describe the transition of a human consciousness from child to adult with painful clarity, Inside Out is one of the studio’s very best features, and a strong defense of mental health and self-expression.

19. Your Name

For so long, director Makoto Shinkai was an exercise in frustration. 5 Centimeters Per Second was gorgeous. Garden of Words was the most visually stunning 2-D animation I had ever seen. And yet the writing was pedantic. The plot was tepid, the characters flat. I would watch these films, eye candy at its most pure and non-nutritional, and seethe that they were not better, that all that glorious potential was yet unrealized. And yet, I never stopped believing in the potential of Makoto Shinkai. One day, I reasoned, this guy was going to piece a story together with some semblance of care as he did his illustrations, and on that day something special would be born.

I saw Your Name just a short time ago. Of course it’s jaw-droppingly beautiful, that goes without saying. But here’s what else it is, folks: it’s funny. It’s heartwrenching. It’s suspenseful. It’s got plot twists. It’s got a story. And not just a good story, but a GREAT one.

I imagine watching this movie must be like watching your kid graduate high school. You forget all the mouthing off and dirty socks left all over the place and that fender bender with your new car, and just soak in the glow of that special moment you always believed would come. You couldn’t be happier. You couldn’t be prouder. And you know this is the beginning of something truly wonderful.

Congratulations, Mr. Shinkai. You did it, man.

18. Interstellar

The knock on Christopher Nolan was always that he had the heart of a robot and didn’t have strong female characters. Debate whether that is true of his other films, if you must; but not this one, because Interstellar is possibly the biggest tear-jerker in sci-fi history, and Jessica Chastain’s Murph is a bitter, brilliant centerpiece to it all. Interstellar stands tall as one of the best science-fiction films of the decade. It has strong, ambitious science wrapped in glorious visual effects, and is very quietly a solid piece of Americana, lovingly arrayed amidst America’s cornfields and dusty roads in a tribute to The Great Depression. Most of all, however, Interstellar is a wondrous joining of heart and intellect, a working theoretical thought experiment that demonstrates love is a force greater than gravity, space, time, or any other cosmic entity the universe may foist upon us.

17. The Force Awakens

While it is not number one on my list, perhaps no film brought me greater joy this decade than watching The Force Awakens during its Thursday night premiere. It was nothing less than the very Star Wars movie I had hoped and dreamed for as a kid. As a massively entertaining blockbuster surpassing huge expectations, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is terrific. As a perfect passing of torch from beloved old to promising new, it is an utter triumph.

16. Rogue One

Okay, is my bias showing yet?

Perhaps this is a bit steep for some people, but heck, when you are dealing with the second-best movie in one of Hollywood’s most beloved franchises, you have to give props where props are due. Rogue One is such a gamechanger for Star Wars. Its gritty, pulpy sense of realism seems peeled straight from a Star Wars comic book; its characters immediately strike as memorable, particularly K-2SO, who is like C-3PO if C-3PO got sent to prison and came back jacked. Rogue One also is important for its many departures from tradition. Many of the innovations credited to Episode VIII were done first-and done better-in this film. Rogue One is not afraid to show the rebellion in terms of moral gray; a shocking act shortly after the film’s opening establishes this and destroys the previous model of basic black and white good vs. evil. If Luke, Leia, and Han got to play the part of hero in A New Hope, then it was because there were elements in the Rebellion doing the dirty and morally-questionable grunt work shown here; Rogue One shows how the war was won.

Rogue One also introduces a few other themes riffed heavily by Episode VIII, including the idea that the Rebellion/Resistance is not a neat, idealistic counter to oppression but an uneasy conglomerate ravaged by internal conflict, and that force-sensitive people are not necessarily the product of hereditary chains of Jedi and Sith, but often sporadic and independent products of the Force. It is, on top of what it initiated, simply a well-paced and superbly-crafted piece of space opera. Rogue One has the best romance (besides Han and Leia) in Star Wars history, has hands-down THE BEST Vader scene ever filmed and another that is a classic in its own right, and has one heck of a villain in Director Krennic. Krennic is one of those mid-level bureaucrats that must have always existed for the Empire but which never received such deserved attention before; his position of weakness, coupled with burning ambition, makes him a hilariously pathetic figure, one you might begin to feel bad for were he not such a nasty piece of work. Even the soundtrack is great. Rogue One is a war film, and Michael Giacchino of Medal of Honor fame makes this sound like a war film, even though it also sounds very much like Star Wars. Ultimately, that’s what Rogue One is. It is a Star Wars film that manages to be a war film and everything else it wants to be terrifically well. To hell with it. I’m putting it this high. If you have a problem with Rogue One being the #16 movie on my list, you can go kiss a wampa’s backside.

15. Roma

Like its protagonist-a nanny to a wealthy family in 1970’s era Mexico-Roma is a film of marvelous patience and understated strength. Alfonso Cuarón’s otherworldly composition and autobiographical authenticity makes this movie a deeply complex take on class and gender, as well as a heartbreaking meditation on what it means to love and be part of a family.

14. Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse

Spiderverse was such a brilliant reimagination of what the superhero genre could be. Not only did it break convention by featuring an African-Hispanic-American kid as its protagonist; it prismed a classic Marvel character in danger of going stale into a delightful and zany spectrum. At once funny as hell and a poignant portrait of growing up as a minority in America, Spiderverse isn’t just the great animated Spiderman movie that nobody saw coming; it’s one of the best superhero movies ever made.

13. Baby Driver

Baby Driver is the coolest movie of the decade. The film centers around Baby, a gentle young getaway driver locked up in bad deals with bad hombres, motoring through traffic and criminal plots in an attempt to just get out and get his girl; but it is so much more than that. This is Tarantino, juiced up on Bullitt, playing in time to a nonstop eclectic jukebox. The dialogue is sharp and hilarious, the characters are all immediately memorable and lovable (even the baddies), and it should go without saying that the car chases are PHENOMENAL. This is entertainment on nitrous oxide.

12. Lady Bird

I did not go into Lady Bird expecting great things. Lady Bird is a family drama. I, for the record, do not like family dramas. But I liked this one. I liked this one a heck of a lot.

Lady Bird is told with so much humor and honesty about the mistakes we make as kids and parents. Struggles for independence and control, respectively, fuel furious arguments and alienation during the difficult period of adolescence. It is not until later that we gain the wisdom to understand why we fought and gain a richer understanding and appreciation of one another’s feelings. In Lady Bird, there is a key revelation regarding the girl and her mother that seems to unfold at the film’s close. It is a profound and emotionally resonant moment that brings the film around to a highly satisfying conclusion.

This movie is also one of the first “time capsule” pieces on the early 2000’s. As we grow older, I would expect more of these films to emerge, but as of right now Lady Bird is the only one that comes to mind. The film absolutely nails the sense of growing up in a troubled time; the Iraq War blares constantly on the news, full-time employment becomes a tenuous prospect no matter how qualified you are, and gay rights are still something very much in infancy. Lady Bird plays out its teenage struggles against this backdrop, showing how such crises were navigated, albeit painfully sometimes, and overcome. Few films have been so well-rounded, nuanced, and well-crafted this decade.

11. Song of the Sea

If you are unaware of the name Tomm Moore, it may be time to become acquainted, as the guy has been killing animation since he first stepped onto the scene with Secret of Kells in 2009. It is no exaggeration to call him the Irish Miyazaki; and Song of the Sea his Spirited Away. Like that film, there is a deeply human story to be told, but it is all dressed up in fantastical trappings. In Spirited Away, a girl struggling to grow up found herself working in a spirit bathhouse. Song of the Sea uses Irish mythology as a gateway to understand the deep and complicated love between siblings, and the necessity of expressing and sharing loss.

This is one of the most beautiful animated pictures this decade. Were the framed stills not hundreds of dollars on Cartoon Saloon’s website (yes, I’ve looked at them), I would probably own at least a few by now. The animation style is so distinctive and innately appealing, with gentle watercolors that soothe and invite the mind. The Celtic musical arrangements are similarly intricate, wonderful, and soothing. Together, story, art, and music come together, and work some deep and affecting magic on the soul. Song of the Sea should be regarded as one of the best animated films this decade.

10. Sicario

Sicario is an utterly bleak, magnificent film that truly depicts the drug war as it is; a chaotic maelstrom of murder, torture, and corruption, spinning and spinning with no end in sight. In such a storm, there is no moral high ground to claim, let alone hold. There is only power to control which direction the storm is heading next, whom it will chew up and devour in its path. And as for the powerless, the best they can hope for is to stay out of its way. Sicario is a sharp critique of American drug policy and a stark glimpse into the grim reality of cartels, packaged perfectly as an ultra-violent thriller.

9. Looper

It is hard to do a time travel story well. Managing plot threads makes plots a nightmare; it is a difficult juggling act merely to keep one’s head above water. That is what makes Looper so special. It is not only a cool-looking, cyberpunk-flavored noir that manages its logic very well; it also features great characters, and larger overarching themes of fate and redemption it advances via those same logistical acrobatics. Looper blew my mind the first time I saw it. It is easily one of the best time travel stories ever, and a sci-fi classic to boot.

8. Blade Runner 2049

It is going to ruffle some feathers to say this, but I think Blade Runner 2049 is even better than the original Blade Runner. While Ridley Scott’s dark, smoggy Los Angeles will always be iconic, Blade Runner 2049 had Roger Deakins behind the camera, and he took us to sections of our nightmarish future we had never been before. Patterns of solar farms set up outside of town to feed swathes of humanity. A post-apocalyptic landfill outside of town for the city’s forsaken. Best of all, a neon-orange radioactive Las Vegas. That seems to be the common theme of 2049. It has taken all the best features of Ridley’s classic and expanded them while trimming down the less successful elements. The defining theme of Blade Runner-what makes us human-is here expounded upon and taken to even deeper levels. And the film’s beautiful ending brings the franchise to a truly satisfying conclusion.

7. Zootopia

Zootopia feels like Disney’s final evolution. The cute critters from its primordial past have fully anthropomorphized, to the point that they must contend with some of the same societal ills as us; chief among them prejudice. Visually gorgeous, full of top-notch tongue-in-cheek gags, and the slickest, most concise cartoon buddy cop riff since at least Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Zootopia counts as one of the most finely crafted animated features I’ve ever seen. Its timely message, coupled with its fantastic quality and outreach potential to the young, makes it one of those rare movies that can change the world.

6. Ex Machina

Ex Machina is one of the most finely-tuned and lean films science-fiction has to offer. In the age of growing research into artificial intelligence, it is also vastly important. Many films have explored the issues associated with artificial intelligence, but few have so fully delved into the ethical quagmires which might arise. Creating new minds means accepting responsibility for the lives of welfare of other beings. Are we prepared to do such a thing? We, who are constantly waging war and victimizing one another? Also, if we are so morally limited, how can we avoid passing on negative traits to our digital children, who will be vastly more powerful and intelligent than us? What if they think differently than us? The possibility of misunderstandings would be catastrophic for both parties.

Ex Machina explores all of these issues with deep intelligence and building tension. This film is one of those beautifully ambiguous works I love so much that require you to pay attention and come to your own conclusions. The primary question in the film asked of the characters is the same one the film asks you: is Ava, the artificial intelligence in question, essentially human? For me, the question was left unanswered until the final, remarkable, tragic shot.

5. The Revenant

Bloody as hell and absolutely gorgeous, The Revenant is a deep plunge into our primal hearts, into the remarkable human invention of identity. At the most fundamental level, we are all the same species; we share the same roots, the same trunk. Yet by means of our human experiences, our courses of life and interactions with other humans, we draw deep fundamental lines between one another. These lines are powerful things. They are what we see ourselves as. We draw lines of genetic heritage; lines of cultures born into, or adopted. Lines brand certain people as friends, while others remain strange or alien. Sometimes, lines can even define people as something hostile; a new species which may destroy us if it is not destroyed in turn. And there are lines which describe the people we call our families; those whom we love and protect at the most fundamental level of our being.

The Revenant draws attention to the lines we draw as human beings; how they are as deeply ingrained to us as breathing or bleeding, for better, and for worse. Aided by director Alejandro Iñárritu’s magnificent direction, and anchored by Leonardo DiCaprio, who has never been better in his storied career, The Revenant is a deep, uncompromising gaze into our personal and national Heart of Darkness.

4. Zero Dark Thirty

Zero Dark Thirty became the unfortunate victim of warring politics. Right-wingers decried the portrayal of torture in the movie, while leftists criticized the movie’s account of torture supposedly supplying the correct information (Director Kathryn Bigelow acknowledged to Stephen Colbert her lead, being from the CIA, might be untrustworthy on that particular facet but she was operating with accuracy to her source). That is all a shame, because such criticism misses the point of the movie entirely. Zero Dark Thirty is made in the spirit of true and utter neutrality. There is no political axe to grind. There is no glorification in the act of Bin Laden’s death; in fact, the face of America’s most notorious terrorist is never shown. Zero Dark Thirty is a work of national recollection. It begins with a deeply painful call to authorities on 9/11, and does not end until Bin Laden’s assassination over 9 years later. In between, there is torture, bombings, false leads and frustrations, hours upon hours of poring over data and entries, and finally, that fateful, dangerous foray into Pakistan. We are reintroduced to each of our own actions through the eyes of Maya, the CIA agent who supposedly made the case that it was in fact Bin Laden hiding in Abbottabad. At the end of Zero Dark Thirty, the movie adds up that long tally of what we sacrificed in order to defeat our greatest enemy and posits a simple question: was it worth it? Each will have their own answer to that difficult and important question. This is one of those rare films that forces us to review our path as a nation, examine what we did right and what we did wrong, and adjust our trajectory accordingly. Zero Dark Thirty is an essential American masterpiece, crafted by a true and powerful auteur at the top of her game.

3. The Raid 2: Berandal

The Raid: Redemption was a revelation in what could be attempted in a martial arts movie. Its creators decided that wasn’t enough and upped the ante. What ensued was the madness of Berandal.

The stuntwork of Berandal has to be seen to be believed. Some participants were knocked out cold; it is amazing nobody was killed. It is doubtful something like this will ever (or should ever) be attempted again, so we may as well enjoy it. There are car chases, assassins affectionately known as “Bat Boy” and “Hammer Girl”, simply loads and loads of fantastic martial arts combat, and more. But in between all this ruckus, there is a compelling gangster story to be told, populated with fascinating characters. A son looking to take over and dangerously expand his father’s influence; a creepy rival leader who cheerfully pulls out razors for throat-slitting; a sad, old-timer assassin who confesses to his daughter that killing was the only way to provide for her; an informant, caught in the middle of the maelstrom and sweating out the possibility that he will be discovered and never make it back to his young family; and of course, Hammer Girl. She’s my favorite.

In The Raid: Redemption, character Mad Dog talked about the pulse. Berandal is that pulse, fully transposed into brutal, symbolic symphony, in which the façade of civilization and negotiations between thugs break down into savage, unbridled violence. This is the best action movie ever, and the Indonesian Godfather, all rolled into one.

2. Avengers: Endgame

No list of top films of the decade would be complete without Avengers: Endgame. It’s the biggest blockbuster in history; and for once, that title is deserved. Nothing like it had ever been attempted before; indeed, it may be hard to do ever again. Facing 1 in 14 million odds, the Russo brothers pulled off a miracle, wasting not a moment in a three hour movie that never feels long and completing the arcs of over a dozen beloved characters, en route to a final and wholly satisfying conclusion to the most ambitious film project ever attempted. If that wasn’t enough, there are more than enough in-jokes, clever riffs on past movies, and sensational action pieces to please even the most critical fan. Avengers: Endgame is the closest to pure catharsis you can feel, and without a doubt the best superhero movie ever made. I confess that I moved it back and forth between #1 and #2 on my list at least a few times; ultimately I left it at #2, with the compromise that even if it cannot be called the best movie of the decade, it will forever be known as THE film of the decade.

1. Wolf Children

Wolf Children is one of those movies you come across that can only be described as magical. As a simple tale of motherhood, it succeeds. As a complex allegory for race and adolescence, it works equally well. It can be shown to the young. It can be shown to the old. It can be shown to all in between. It is sublimely beautiful, patient, and paced. It is excellently scored. It has some of the most fully-realized characters ever depicted in animation. It is warm. It is gentle. It is funny. It is sad. It is life; in all its unpredictability, twists and turns, and wonder.

But I think the reason I truly love Wolf Children is because it engages with the two most difficult and important aspects of being a good, healthy, happy human; how do I love others, and how do I love myself? Wolf Children shows us a truly rapturous example. For being the most beautiful movie, both inside and out, I have seen this past decade, and for a whole host of other reasons, Wolf Children deserves to top this list. Truly, it is Alpha Wolf.

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traveltips41 · 4 years

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Masturbate and Feel Good

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Effectively quite untrue, most people masturbate... you got it even after relationship! six. Masturbation is for adult men. And it is for 70% on the women also. That's right, 2/3 involving all females masturbate! 8. Only losers masturbate! A different of my favorites. Merely goes to show simply how much of any taboo is masturbation! Very first thing, 00% of males and also 70% of females get masturbated at least once within their existence. Now in which is a hell of the lot of losers don't you think! Nothing considerably more that I can also add truly... this is really often the quintessential insecurity amongst men and women relating to self pleasure. 7. Masturbation is for homosexuals. Wow. Where did that will one originate! Someone need to make a etymology of those myths, would make with regard to an interesting read! Merely as untrue as all of these myths, masturbation and also homosexuality have nothing in accordance. Some people masturbate to their fantasies of other sex, other individuals to their own fantasies of same love-making. That's it. in search of. Masturbation will make you blind! Others claim that masturbation is actually bad for your own personal eyesight. But their says are unsupported by facts and medical advice. My partner and i suggest you talk to your common physician in addition to he will clarify anyone what a load connected with bull this is. 15. Masturbation changes the appearance of your male organ Nicely, it does make this rock solid. But believe myself, as soon as you orgasm, the solidity fully gone! So no. Fleshlight provides absolutely no effect on how your penis seems.

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keneerike · 5 years

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“It IS You, Not Me.”: 4 Love Truisms You Won’t Find on a Hallmark Card

On the eve of Valentine's Day, four romantic proverbs to keep you sane:

1) Guard Your Heart.

Proverbs 4:23:

"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."

Life isn't a Disney movie, where following your heart always leads to a great musical number.

"Guard your heart"---letting wisdom and reason take the helm in times of uncertainty---is a best practice for life in general. When you walk into situations with eyes wide open and emotions in check, you are less susceptible to bad actors and foolish decisions.

You need not suffer through a toxic relationship yourself to appreciate this advice. The world is littered with people who've been damaged by matches they thought were made in heaven. History is replete with tales of misfortune that arose from carelessness. The bible itself has a few prominent examples (see: Samson, a seemingly-unstoppable force literally blinded by love.).

There's nothing wrong with a desire for true romance; that's natural. It's reliance on visions of love---to the exclusion of everything else---that brings trouble.

It starts when your newest dating prospect hits the scene: You like what you see and begin imagining what the future might look like. Along with visions of creating your very own magazine-perfect coupling, you can start quieting those very-real questions of "When-are-you-going-to-get-married?". In a bid to hold on to that dream, you silence the voice inside of you screaming that something is not quite right. Friends and family who disprove of your new beau? They're just jealous and judgmental; they don't know him like you do.

"Billy works hard all week. It's fine if he drinks a beer---or ten---to take the edge off."

Without the right safeguards, you become prematurely emotionally-involved and reason falls by the wayside.

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90 Day Fiancé: A series dedicated to those who did not guard their hearts.

We want to make choices by design, not roll with the tide because it's the path of least resistance. Objective decision-making is a tall order when you've already tossed the keys to your heart to someone---or something---else.

Decide what you must have from a potential partner (Religion? Level of education?) and what you will not tolerate (Is "social smoker" a real designation or just a euphemism to keep critics at bay?) before you even consider courtship.

Note that this is not a suggestion to create your own 100-point "Must Have" dating list. In lasting relationships, It doesn't matter what color your spouse's hair is or whether you like the same music.

But that's another discussion for another time.

"Guard your heart" doesn't pertain solely to affairs of the heart; It's solid advice in all matters of daily living.

The best type of learning is education by proxy, absorbing knowledge from the experiences of others. You soak up the benefits without having to endure the pain of experimentation or sport the scars of error.

We'll see more of that below:

2) “It IS You. Not me.”

"It's not you, it's me."

Sometimes, that's true. Most of the time, it's not.

When someone doesn't want to see you any more, it probably is you.

I tackled that one here. A few other common mistakes, too.

People like you for what you can give them: Companionship, pride of accomplishment, financial comfort etc. Your romantic appeal is a direct function of what you have to offer.

The sooner you realize that it just might be you, the faster you can get to becoming someone more people want to hitch their wagons to.

3) Leave Your Pen at Home.

Hallmark has cards for every occasion, so I'm sharing expressions that hit multiple bases.

This is a phrase from one of my favorite websites, LivingStingy. Run by a former patent attorney. you'll find a range of topics there that touch all corners of life.

"Leave your pen at home" is simple, yet profound:

You can't lose, if you don't play.

This is not an ode to fear or a suggestion to run from opportunities because you cannot stomach risk. It's a warning to avoid situations where you're likely to get less than you bargained for. You can't be snookered into signing on the dotted line if you don't bring your pen to the table.

Before your heart (and wallet) get involved in important decisions, your brain needs to perform due diligence. Triage ruthlessly. Choices need to be made with sound mind before the magic of marketing takes hold.

You will not mortgage your future if you shut the door on opportunities to do so.

Whether it's co-signing a loan, buying a [car/house/big-ticket item], or signing a marriage certificate; you protect your present and future by thinking ahead and keeping the end goal in mind.

Let's walk through an example: buying a car:

95% of the legwork should be done before you even consider going to see a prospective purchase. Price range? Clean title? Carfax? The specific model/class/year you've settled on? All done before that new car euphoria sweeps you into trouble.

If all checks out, go see the car. If the seller isn't shady, the paperwork is in order, and you can hammer out a good price, great.

But you're not done there.

Before you agree to buy the car, have an independent, trustworthy mechanic examine the car.There may be hidden defects below the surface. You should be able to get a work-up of the car for $100 or so.

If an extra $100 is too big a hit to your budget, you probably can't afford the car.

If you're following the advice to get your homework done before the quiz is given, you shouldn't be inspecting a dozen cars.

Even so, there are ways to mitigate your costs here. As much as you want to buy the car, the seller wants to offload it. Put a contingency in the deal stipulating that, if you agree to buy the car, the inspection fee will be folded into the purchase price.

Is the seller going to balk at $100 off the price if it leads to a sale? Probably not.

Life is a negotiation.

All of this seem like too much work?

You can always skip steps and hope for the best. Worst comes to worst, you can rant on the internet about the shyster who took advantage of you.

There are forums for that.

Again,a lot of times when things go awry, it is you. Take accountability and stop blaming others for preventable mistakes.

4) Stop Trying to Get Something for Nothing.

This is a corollary to #2 and a continuation of the "removing barriers to good decision-making" theme.

Good things come to those who deliver value.

The world is not a fixed pie: More [insert value you care about] for me doesn't necessarily mean less [insert value you care about] for you. Get what you want by giving others what they want.

On the romantic front, you get the partner you're looking for by becoming the partner they are looking for. You want a man who's 6'3" with an athletic build and makes six figures a year. Are you the type of woman he'd go for? If not, what are you doing to get yourself there? Are you quick with excuses to justify complacency?

"It's who I am on the inside that counts."

We resent people who want something for nothing. Everyone wants value.

Ever play a game of basketball or soccer with someone who only wants to shoot the ball? They never get back on defense and asking them to pass the ball is akin to insulting their mother? It's infuriating, right?

The business world is full of these metaphorical ball hogs.

Multi-level Marketing (MLM) companies are habitual offenders. Low barriers to entry, business education, promises of an easy-to-follow program: it's an attractive business model to the masses hunting for financial flexibility.

They skirt the government's definition of a Ponzi scheme---and the jail time that comes with it---by offering a product of some value. And, to their credit, there actually are MLM companies that do have quality products.

Alas, their biggest money-maker remains recruiting and recruitment-related education. The more membership ranks swell, the more money there is to be had by the people calling the shots in the organization.

Before our buddy Chris Hansen was showing us what a "predator" looked like, he was asking hard-hitting questions to businessmen who purported to know the road to financial freedom:

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"That's a year at Harvard."

Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5xu6bIFSeE

Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc4-34V75SQ

Eons ago, I actually spent a few months in a well-known MLM company. The recruiting process; countless diagrams that don't quite explain how the business works; pressure to get all your friends in on the "good deal": I've seen it all.

Every now and then, I run into someone who attempts to sell me on some MLM program. I spot the tells---patterns in their behavior, well-worn phrases designed to stoke curiosity---that let me know what I’m dealing with. Sometimes, I'll even humor them by discussing their business and what they can offer me.

Maybe even show them a better way to get people listening.

Most of the time, when you point out flaws in something someone is deeply-invested in, it falls on deaf ears. Those true believers will shout you down and resent you for it.

"It's not a pyramid. It's a diamond."

The leader is good! The leader is great!

Bottom line: Sustainable businesses deliver real value.

If you cannot describe what a business is in less than ten seconds, it's probably not a real business.

Yes, you can build a business that rewards you with growing autonomy over time.

No, you cannot do it without putting a ton of (the right) work in.

Passive income is a pipe dream, a siren song that lures many well-meaning folks to ruin. Real business is not a game of Monopoly, where you can kick up your heels on Boardwalk and watch the dough roll in. Customers don't care about your "4-Hour workweek".

I'll have some passive income. And a side of fries.

There are all sorts of obstacles to contend with in the market and even those who have a vested interest in helping you succeed need to be monitored.

I’ve been there.

Life isn't a game of Three-Card Monte, where the only way to get ahead is to cheat the mark in front of you. If that's your mentality, you're going to squander a lot of opportunities. Play it straight and you get the added benefit of being able to sleep at night, free of fear of reprisals.

Create value and you'll be taken care of. Stop shoving your hands into everyone else's pockets.

Enjoy your day. And send me your comments.

#Valentine's Day #Love #Relationships #Negotiation #Business #communication #interpersonal intelligence #strategy #money #dating #life lessons #The Simpsons #Chris Hansen

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thekoreanlass · 6 years

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Rich Man (리치맨; Richimaen) is a 2018 television series starring Kim Jun Myeon (also EXO’s Suho; EXO Next Door, The Universe’s Star, How Are You Bread), Ha Yeon Soo (Monstar, Potato Star, Legendary Witches), Oh Chang Suk (Princess Aurora, Innocent Defendant) and Kim Ye Won (Suspicious Partner, Revolutionary Love). It is a remake of the 2012 Japanese television series Rich Man, Poor Woman. The drama is airing on MBN and Dramax starting May 9, 2018 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 23:00 (KST) time slot.

First Impression

The rich man and poor girl trope has been a favorite not just in Kdrama-la-la-land, but also in various Asian dramas. Admit it! We see it every day and it has become a drama story staple that you roll your eyes at it just with how cliche the theme is, but then you become drawn to the story you are unable of dropping the drama in the end. Unnecessary but definitely wanted. Craved from time to time.

I am one of those who must have rolled her eyes upon seeing the storyline Rich Man has. Also hesitated with the prospect of getting a remake that is bound to ruin the original and flop like a dying bird flapping its flightless wings until it crashes down in a very ungraceful fashion.

To say the least, I didn’t expect much from the drama.

Giving the lead role to EXO’s Suho (Kim Joonmyeon, but Suho to me since I’m a fan) must have been a deciding factor for me to give the drama a shot, but it also made me hesitate, considering the notion whenever idols act in a drama, plus the implication people give whenever an idol from SM Entertianment is picked to lead a drama. You know, just look at their history in this field and you’ll realize it’s only rare their dramas get out of the gutter in terms of evaluation. That I must admit to, but I’m not saying these idols don’t have potential. In fact they do. It just so happen people who live because of dramas like this have more expectation and only wants the best from actors. Double standard much? Haha.

Nonetheless, as a fan, my faith stays with Suho. I’ve seen him act in The Universe’s Star too and there’s no doubt I’ve seen some talent from him then. Besides, Ha Yeon Soo ( I watched her in Monstar before) looks fresh from the get go and I think she fits her fun roll as Kim Bora.

I am quite interested in how their chemistry will work too that I decided to watch this along with Come and Hug Me even though both are still on going dramas. Usually I am not the type to wait for upcoming episodes since I am a very impatient person, but anything’s fine that piques my interest. So, isn’t that saying something?

The story

Rich Man focuses on the story of two individuals from very different social statuses and their unknown past resurfacing through their uncanny reunion as the prickly boss and the applicant who is in her 31st job interview.

As their worlds meet, Lee Yoo Chan (Kim Joonmyeon) finds interest in Kim Bo Ra (Ha Yeon Soo) who most definitely reminds him so much of a beloved girl from his past. And with her reunion with Yoo Chan, Bo Ra’s life is about to change for good…or should I say the worst?

Anyway, Lee Yoo Chan is a genius programmer who later becomes the CEO of IT company NEXT IN. Despite his outstanding background and handsome looks though, Yoo Chan has Prosopagnosia (in science; is a neurological disorder characterized by the inability to recognize faces).

Kim Bo Ra, on the other hand, is a graduating student from university that has failed all her past 30 interviews. Despite so many setbacks in her job hunting though, Bo Ra is a very positive character that is all sunshine and unicorns and has an excellent memory that is incomparable to any other.

With this sole talent which makes her really remarkable plus hard work, Bo Ra tries her best to get the job but fails to pass her interviews because apparently having an excellent memory alone isn’t that ‘marketable’ and can be easily replicated by other applicants that can do better than her in other aspects.

Downcast by hard competition the working world has and her inability to spend for her family as a consequence of not having a job, she strolls by the park one night and meets Min Tae Joon (Oh Chang Suk). Bo Ra mistakes Tae Joon for a regular worker at Next In, but finds strength from him with the encouragement he shows her.

Bo Ra is back on her feet soon enough as if nothing happened, ready to face another failing battle and then Tae Joon just had to inject the idea of her trying for his company, Next In.

At first, Bo Ra isn’t sure what to think of it, considering the IT Company is more on the innovative side of things–more on computer programming, software development, etc–but she takes sudden inspiration from Lee Yoo Chan’s promotional video of Next In ready to take in new applicants and tries out the application process only to disappoint herself when the prickly CEO unfortunately preys on her and berates her in front of hundreds of applicants.

Bo Ra is distraught by how awful Yoo Chan’s personality is that she blurts out the first thing that comes to mind–Kim Boon Hong’s name–before leaving behind a very stunned and confused Yoo Chan to himself.

She goes back home to another failure, but somehow Yoo Chan is put into a bind with his ‘mini file’ project that he comes to need Bo Ra’s excellent memory to perform the task of flawlessly discussing their material in front of very important government officials that can back up their project for good. Of course, Tae Joon, who has a soft spot for Bo Ra, puts in a good word for her and eventually Bo Ra gets the part-time job of her life with the best pay.

With her skills, she is able to impress the Minister and her delegates with her presentation of the ‘mini file’, but one mistake has Yoo Chan screaming at her face, saying she was fired and that he doesn’t want to see her. A few more screw ups and their next big project is bound to go down the gutter without even seeing the light.

This persistent girl, however, took it as her responsibility and chased the minister every day with all her might to convince her that they should still invest with the ‘mini file’ for its innovative-ness and potential.

Yoo Chan seemed like he isn’t shaken by everything that happened and goes to Geneva to pick up the key to their success. Without anyone knowing, Yoo Chan goes back to Korea and meets the minister. He presents to her what the mini file can do and the minister is indeed touched by Yoo Chan’s thoughtfulness in thinking of her during the short demo. In the end, she agrees to help them pass the proposal for government funding.

In a sudden turn of events, Yoo Chan who is in a better mood, accepts Bo Ra as a regular employee of Next In, but then giving her an ultimatum of a month to come up of something innovative that will help the company profit. Bo Ra is inspired to do her best, but is admittedly not the best person to come up of something ‘out of the box’ that her proposals all get junked every time she shows it to Yoo Chan.

Even so, despite Yoo Chan’s constant rejection of her ideas and prickliness around her, Bo Ra isn’t one to give up on him just because he’s a jerk. And somehow she slowly makes it not just in Yoo Chan’s heart but also Min Tae Joon’s.

However, in the whirlwind of events while hearts flutter in happiness, excitement, curiosity and pain, Min Tae Ra appears in the picture and completes the square. She eventually starts dating Yoo Chan, if not for her persistence and Yoo Chan’s uncaring attitude towards trying out a relationship with her which is absolutely dysfunctional and doomed to not last forever.

Tae Ra tries her way into Yoo Chan’s heart, but no matter how much effort she puts into it, Yoo Chan is always drawn towards Bo Ra even without her trying to win him–in a romantic kind of way. Tae Ra is left with bitter feelings about this because she knows what she is seeing, so she braves herself to her road in winning Yoo Chan’s heart.

However, in episode 8, despite finding out the sad truth from Bo Ra in the most unconventional way–finding out she really knows Kim Boon Hong and that she’s already dead seven years ago–and being anguished by her betrayal, Yoo Chan finds himself driving back his motorcycle to Bo Ra in the middle of the road and tells her how he can only think of her and remember her face alone.

Thoughts on Episode 1-8

The Good

I think I started to watch this drama with mild interest. For a drama with actors that doesn’t have a strong acting background (start up actors) and a cliche plot that should only replicate the original, this is good so far for a remake. I haven’t really seen the original version and don’t have any plan of watching it, but for the a drama that doesn’t give me that much hype (except for the hype that Suho is the starring male lead), I think the story has more depth than people thought.

Yes, the rich man falling for the poor woman is a total cliche we want to shove to the background, but Yoo Chan’s disability to remember faces and Bo Ra’s secrets, Next In and the love square are enough of an addition to interest me.

I believe that Rich Man is much better than any other dramas that has an idol as the lead character in many ways. The fact that it has a good on going story line, which at least makes great sense and consistent connection to its various subplots, and the other fact that the sequence isn’t dizzying and that it’s cute though emotional and that the characters are easy to love (except the jerk version of Lee Yoo Chan) are plus points to value, though admittedly it is sub-par to its other competition in the drama field right now.

Still, there are many things to celebrate about it than not, you know? And I can’t say that it’s trash because it’s far from being one, though I can’t speak the same for other people who have different taste than me.

The So-so but not so bad

Cliche plot — and yes, we’re already there. No need to talk about how generic the plot is, considering the rich man falling for the poor girl is a K-drama staple, the defining factor now is how they are going to make this kind of plot standout, though I haven’t really seen something above average about it as of yet. Just mildly interesting, but definitely hooking.

Min Tae Ra — I definitely don’t despise Kim Yewon, but sometimes her roles can be so infuriating like Min Tae Ra, who knows she’s pretty and capable and rich that she thinks Yoo Chan only deserves to belong to her. She’s not the kind of drama queen that bitches at the female lead, but she definitely stinks of jealousy and insecurities.

What’s worse is the show making her Lee Yoo Chan’s girlfriend when our poor Kim Bo Ra is at the sidelines watching, teary eyed and silently envious. I really can’t stand this kind of plot cliche, but what can we do? Maybe you need to hate someone in every drama, just like this.

The mystery that is Kim Boon Hong — I really don’t mind talking about Kim Boon Hong and how awesome or great she is Yoo Chan can’t forget her. I guess, there’s just always that first love you will forever be hung up on until you find the closure that you’re looking for, but sometimes I don’t like how they give too much emphasis on Kim Boon Hong only to leave us hanging.

Until now, at episode 8, I’m confused who Kim Boon Hong is to Lee Yoo Chan. Maybe the drama wasn’t just able to establish a clear picture of who she really was yet. But putting two and two together it doesn’t take rocket science to know that obviously Kim Boon Hong isn’t his mother (I read that in the original version, it was his mother he had been looking for), but a first love that could have taken the role of a mother, a best friend and a sister to Yoo Chan, just like how it had been described in the drama before the big reveal, which is not really so big since Bora didn’t have the courage to tell Yoo Chan face to face about Boon Hong and had to take the latter route of telling Tae Joon the truth and Tae Joon passing the message to Yoo Chan, who later reads Bo Ra’s email stating the truth.

I was hoping for more impact on this since the story so far largely revolved around Kim Boon Hong in its first half, but the anticipating had gone to waste after what they did. Anyway, at least it’s one secret out.

Cast & Characters

They are not the so-called powerhouse cast you might have looked forward to, but their quite diverse backgrounds and experience in the small screen is to an extent that they can deliver and keep you looking for more despite the inevitable flaws in acting. Still, there’s always room for improvement and we can only hope that Rich Man will get better in its upcoming episodes.

Kim Joonmyeon (also Suho) as Lee Yoo Chan. I know I am not the only one who thinks Suho looks too young to become a CEO, but anything’s possible in K-dramas. Rich Man made it possible for fans (a fantasy come true!) and viewers alike to see Suho in this light.

Gladly, Suho does look the part, although sometimes I feel like his angelic face won’t allow him to look like the prick he should be for his role. His nasty remarks, power play and jerky-ness as Lee Yoo Chan gladly helps convey who he is as the character and not the idol who is part of the band, although it’s still somehow hard to separate him from being that, but I am working on it.

His acting, however, is quite commendable. He makes it believable as he can do, though sometimes I feel like he’s being too rough with his role that it doesn’t feel right in the eyes. Nonetheless, I am glad that I don’t hate Suho for his role. That’s all that matters.

Ha Yeon Soo as Kim Bo Ra. At first, I thought Ha Yeon Soo looked too young for her character (but really her looks is definitely deceiving! She looks so youthful I am surprised she’s already 27), but Bo Ra’s just out from college so I guess her looks played the part with her age in the drama although she looks still quite younger than that, that she can be mistaken for a high schooler.

But then Ha Yeon Soo delivers a strong performance with her bright and persevering character as Bo Ra, who’s definitely good at heart and easily likable for her friendliness. She can truly make friends even with people who dislikes her, and if that ain’t a talent, I don’t know. She’s just so nice you will only find her annoyed at someone and voicing out her unnecessary opinion when drunk.

Ha Yeon Soo is good in her portrayal of Bo Ra that it’s not hard to say she’s one of the few good things that happened to Rich Man. And though sometimes I cringe at the way Bo Ra acts, I feel like she’ll need it to identify herself from the other characters.

Relationships

I’m picking the most remarkable ones since there’s just too many connections made:

Bo Ra and her family – I most definitely love the way Bo Ra interacts with her family. In this modern world, it is nice that she doesn’t forget those people she had left behind and always thought of them so deeply it’s quite touching. Plus, I definitely love the accent whenever they talked. It’s very raw but also funny.

Bo Ra and Mi So – I feel like Mi So is Bo Ra’s counterpart; where Bo Ra is the modest one, more conservative one, not so materialistic one, Mi So is the more practical and realistic and most definitely materialistic in a sense I doubted her when she started dating Do Jin. It’s clear in her eyes that she’s aiming for him because he’s capable, that it’s too late when I realized she really liked him after they broke up and she tried to grab his attention.

Nonetheless, Bo Ra and Mi So together is quite adorable, and sometimes with a pinch of salt thrown, destructive one moment and then the next laughing again. I think that’s the best kind of friendship, wherein you fight a lot, but then make up at the end of the day even without saying, just laughing at the reason why you even fought.

Yoo Chan and Tae Joon – Where Yoo Chan is the infuriating friend who does whatever he wants, Tae Joon is the sponge that absorbs. I’m just happy that Tae Joon can’t stop doting on Yoo Chan no matter how ugly his attitude gets.

Bo Ra and Tae Joon – Despite the age gap, I will probably stan this ship second to Bo Ra and Yoo Chan if Yoo Chan doesn’t exist. Tae Joon just cares so much about Bo Ra that it’s quite admirable and at the same time pitiful, knowing he must know there’s something special going on between his best friend and his crush.

Yoo Chan and Bo Ra – The absolute mix of hot and cold, love and hate. Sometimes I hate Yoo Chan for being rude towards Bo Ra. He’s like a kid who vies for his crush’ attention by bullying her–which is so childish! But then, I definitely feel the chemistry steaming off the two of them. The only thing that must be missing will be a kiss to seal the deal. Now, that I am looking forward to because I don’t know how they are going to do it. Haha.

Since Yoo Chan kissed Tae Ra first, I just can’t picture Yoo Chan and Bo Ra kissing or hugging. I just think it’s weird, but I am still definitely going to watch out for it.

Overall

They say ignorance is a bliss that’s why I am not going to watch the Japanese version to keep my opinion unbiased towards Rich Man. I’m not sure how great the original did, but I am most definitely seeing potential with the Korean remake, considering the level of similarity it has, but also what they did different with it that makes it unique from the former.

I know that Rich Man isn’t the drama that will trend like the Reply series or Goblin, but hey it’s not that bad. Yes, the plot is cliche, the acting is sub-par to others and sometimes cringey, but the overall production–looking at the big picture–is worth investing your time and emotions with, especially when you want something light yet sometimes dramatic.

So, fill in that blank day with a Rich Man drama marathon and let me know what you think of it!

Rating this drama, I’m giving it a 4.1 out of 5 for exceeding my expectations and for the characters having good chemistry.

First Impression: Rich Man – Episode 1-8 Rich Man (리치맨; Richimaen) is a 2018 television series starring Kim Jun Myeon (also EXO's Suho; …

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