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birdwonder · 4 years

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Bucci Gang | Body Swap Headcanons

|| i’m just chilling w/ my phone right now and im choosing to do my next request later today so for now super lame pt 5 headcanons inspired by the body swap fiasco but like ... let’s say it was a different stand that did it and no one died/is missing.

WARNING — fem s/o ! it’s not too sexual but sorta ? in a comedic way more than spicy. i guess also pt 5 spoilers too !

Bucci Gang | Body Swap Headcanons

Bruno Bucciarati

- When Bruno had stopped stumbling and was no longer disorientated from the enemy’s attack, he was certainly confused as to why no extreme damage had come to him. He was really counting on the sensation of a thousand stab wounds to cover him like a sheet and yet, he felt perfectly fine. Glancing down, he still wanted to check for any externel injuries but his plan was quickly halted when he saw clothing and hands that certainly didn’t belong to him.

- “What... What is this?!” He’s nothing if not confused, much smaller than his own hands patting all around his body until they paused at his ( if he could say that ) chest. In seconds, his face blew into a bright red colour as soon as the realisation of him being in a woman’s body hit. With his clever perception, Bruno had also come to recognise that the clothing he was adorned in was strikingly similar to [F/N]’s, meaning one thing ...

- “Bruno Bucciarati, what the hell are you doing?!”

God, it gave the man whiplash to see his own face scruched up with anger while his body marched towards him. The small pink tint on his own face had confused him however, if that was you then maybe you were just embarrassed of him being in your body or vice versa? Now that he thought about it, he really hoped you hadn’t done anything scandulous as him, not that he suspected you would.

- When you suddenly slapped Bruno’s, or your’s really, hands away from their position, he was quick to understand your fury. He had just technically groped you in a way. “Wait, wait, it’s not as it seems! I’m sorry, [F/N]—”

- After a rushed explanation and excuse for his actions, and a what his theory of the stand’s power was, the two of you agreed that you should start to look for the enemy and get back to your own bodies soon for both of your sakes. Bruno did appreciate the soft comfort he had to grip on temporarily though.

Leone Abbachio

- The drastic change in perspective that Abbachio had five minutes ago to now left him horribly bewildered. Why was everything so much taller now ? He was certain that he wasn’t lying nor sitting down.

- All he could do was confusingly turn around and look up at everything around him to try and figure out what was happening. Was he shrinking? That was a possible answer but why wasn’t he going down any more?

- The answer to his dilemma was clear when you, in his body, approached him frantically, hands gripping his shoulders and having to lean down so that you could both be face to face, inches away from each other. Had your minds not been switched, Abbachio was sure that he would have been a little more flustered than he was dumbfounded. “Abbachio, look at us! Our minds ... they’ve been swapped and I’m— I’m- so tall, holy shit.”

- Poor Abbachio had to watch you do what he had done earlier, looking around the whole area with wide eyes and total shock. You just couldn’t believe how different things looked! Oh, was this how Abbachio saw you? Jeez, maybe you should be more careful with how you part your hair if he can see too much of it.

- His jaw dropped when you started to check him out, pulling at the strings connecting his v-line while peering down to see his chest and stomach. You let out a low whistle, clearly impressed by what you were seeing, “damn your physique is good. I didn’t know you worked out, Abba!” Please kill him now before the embarrassment does first. Again, if your minds had not been swapped then he would be relishing in your praise but it was incredibly hard, and annoying.

- “Stop that, damn it!” He yelled at you, his shame worsening when he realised that his tone didn’t come off nearly as scary as it did when he was in his own body, in fact you were even laughing a little at him. Well, if you wanted to play it like that... Abbachio moved his hands to have one placed on your body’s backside and another on your breast, his anger momentarily diminishing when he squeezed both. Fuck they were soft—

- “Oh hell no!” You cried, now as equally as bashful as Abbachio was. Sure you got a little bit too curious but you weren’t touching his body up! With a huff, you mimicked his move to the extent that you placed both hands on his ass, suddenly pausing when you came into contact with it. “SIR, wHERE IS YOUR ASS?”

Pannacotta Fugo

- He’s fucking dying on the inside; he can’t do this. Someone please take him out of his misery because he can not handle being in the body of the girl he was super into.

- Fugo in all honesty didn’t try anything funny while in your body but the shame of it was too much. On one hand, he was grateful that it gave him a chance to admire the cute little imperfections you had such a scars and small spots on your arms that he hadn’t notice from his usual distance from you, while on the other he was afraid to be stuck like this forever.

- When he finally found you, the idea of you also looking over his body, as he had done with your’s to a respectable extent, flustered him greatly and he struggled to get any words out at first, “we should, uh, really find that enemy stand user. ahem.”

- “Yeah! You’re super cute and all, Panni, but I really want to be back in my own body, it’s more comfortable for me! Plus, your fashion style isn’t really my go to.” You laughed softly at your last comment, taking hold of Fugo’s hand to guide the two of you into a rough guess of a direction to where the enemy stand user could be. Meanwhile, the ‘cute’ comment replayed a thousand times like a broken record in Fugo’s mind, both a faint blush and smile taking over him as he nodded and followed your lead.

- When Mista or Narancia asked him afterwards if he had done any ‘research’ while in your body, he threatened to kill them both as he tried to stab both with cutlery. During that, you were covering your face and internally screaming at the idea of Fugo seeing the more private side of you, especially when you would rather show him on your own accord.

Narancia Ghirga

- Since the situation was a lot less life threatening than the Chariot Requiem one, Narancia was a lot more comedical about it. Sticking his temporary body’s hip out, he placed a hand upon it while another weaved it’s fingers through the hair that could only be called your’s. Narancia batted his eyes exaggeratedly while placing on a high pitch voice, poorly impersonating you.

- “Ooh, Mr Narancia! Please, take me!” He mockingly begged, strutting towards you that in a fashion that made you want to burst out laughing and shrivel up in shame since it was your body that was looking absolutely ridiculous. Wrapping his arms around your neck, it allowed you to notice the height difference that he had to see on a day to day basis but that was hardly a main thought when he started to rub his cheek against your’s. “You’re just so studly and handsome, my body just needs your touch!”

- After a pregnant pause, the two of you erupted into laughter, wheezing and coughing as though you were being choked out. If the stand who had done this to you both wanted you dead, then it was certainly working seeing as you were both soon to die of laughter. Wiping a tear away, your giggles died out and you gently whacked Narancia over the head, which would have been a regret for future you if it was any tougher. “You’re so silly, Narancia, we should be looking for the stand user not messing about!”

- “Yeah, yeah, I know,” he whined, still having to force a few laughs down. “I think my impression of you was pretty good though, right?” He jokingly winked at you only for his expression to falter to surprise when you sent a more flirtatious one back, stroking his cheek faintly while you walked past him to start your search.

- “Oh, it was brilliant, you know what I want so well!~”

Guido Mista

- His actions were incredibly similar to when he realised that he was in Trish’s body, when he instinctively placed his gun into where the front of his pants would be only to realise that it didn’t rest upon his crotch just quite the same.

- After frantically groping at the soft breasts he had seemingly grown and complaining that he was missing the best part of himself, Mista noticed that his own face was looking at him distraught and embarrassed. “Mista... You’re in my body. [F/N]’s.”

- Mista apologised quickly once you said that, now understanding the situation. You both had swapped bodies! How could he have not noticed? Especially when it was your body, something which he had discreetly checked out a few times before, since well c’mon. You were like a goddess.

Speaking of, Mista was sure this was actually a Heaven of some sorts since he had full control over what he did with your body, which was kind of exciting! At least, it would be if you weren’t there to judge his movements.

- “Ugh, Mista you stink,” you complained, raising an arm to your nose to take a whiff only to gag instinctively at the scent that violated your senses. Seriously, who wears a cashmere sweater with a wool hat in Italy? The amount he sweats must be ungodly! The hat was seriously starting to get itchy too, leaving you no choice but to take it off dramatically with a cry from Mista.

- “Hey, I’m not that bad!” The gunslinger argued, snatching the hat from your grasp so he could reach up and force it back onto his hair, hiding the thick curls that had momentarily escaped from their woollen captivity. Scoffing, you turned your nose up and looked to the side, refusing to look at him, “it is and you know it. If we’re stuck like this all day then I’m seriously going to have a shower for you.”

- Mista smirked at that. It was a weird look to see on yourself but it still made you fluster at your own words and his overactive imagination. “Oh? I mean, if you wanted to see my body that bad then you could just ask, babe. I wouldn’t mind showing you,” he cooed, snickering when you shoved his face away with a ‘shut up!’

Giorno Giovana

- Giorno was massively taken back when the situation the both of you were in were clear. He was in your body and you in his. This stand ability ... seemed so incredibly useless. Granted, it left the two of your flabbergasted and frantic for a while but in the end you both adjusted pretty well to the change and were read to take down the stand user.

- You were a little curious though, reaching up to play with the buns in Giorno’s hair and stroking a finger over the lady bugs on his attire. Not to mention is ‘boob window’ as you jokingly called it, much to his dismay. “You’re pretty brave to wear something like this, Giorno,” you told him, glancing into a nearby shop window to look yourself over, even secretly admiring the blond’s good looks. How could he look so good and not even act like a primadonna? “Plus, you make it look good.”

- Giorno hummed in response, arms wrapped over his chest as he stood a feet or two away from you while still being able to side glance the window to see his own reflection. He was certainly flattered by your praise and could easily repay it tenfold seeing as he thought you were stunning both physically and as a person, yet his mind was too focused on finding the enemy. “Mh, grazi, you could make it look good too,” he murmured, not really thinking too hard over his words since he didn’t think it was the time.

- “I would?” You choked out, wheezing a little at what he had said. Wearing an outfit like his in your actual body would give you a very ‘out there’ look, one you’re not sure you could even wear in public. “I mean, I’m glad you think so but I didn’t take you the type to say something so bold so suddenly, Giorno...!”

- That pulled him from his thoughts. “Hm? What do you mean, I just meant you could look good in anything, I mean,” he then made a gesture to the reflection in the window, smiling softly, “I’m not blind, I stand by what I meant.”

- Gulping, you nodded slowly, averting your eyes from his since you were certain he would be able to notice a blush on his own face. “Oh I see, it’s just I thought you meant you wanted me to have the boob window look too,” you laughed, nervously scratching your cheek.

- “Oh, no, no! I didn’t mean- Well, I’m not saying it’d be a bad look on you but I just meant-” Giorno, a typically well composed person, was stuttering like crazy, unable to even look at you much like you. Really, the both of you were messes.

- “It’s fine, it’s fine. Let’s just get going, yeah?” You reassured, placing a hand onto Giorno’s or uh, your’s shoulder. Nodding, he smiled and agreed, “we should before the user escapes, and you know if I’m right, they must be somewhere around...”

Trish Una

- Trish was just as shocked as you were when she realised what was going on! You both had a screaming session until one of you calmed down, taming the other’s screams until the two of you caught your breathes.

- “How -?! Did that guy from earlier do this?!” Trish panicked, looking up at your desperately with your own eyes, which was little off putting at first since it was so weird but you looked past it and shrugged. “I mean, that’s the only thing that makes sense, right? Right now we should really be looking for him to swap back.”

- “Yeah, you’re right,” she nodded before immediately marching off to find the stand user, you quickly catching up to her and walking along side her. After a few minutes of awkward silence, Trish spoke up suddenly, your head turning to the side to realise that her hands were moving up and down your hips while her eyes were glued onto your body.

- “Woah [F/N], you look great! I mean, your hips are so nice and you work these clothes so well!” Her praise made you chuckle a little, the flattery warming your heart. Looking down at yourself, you already knew Trish looked amazing so repaying the compliment was no feat.

- “Thanks hon, you’re beautiful yourself, y’know? I mean, you’re so slender and pretty after all.” Trish blushed at your words, gently slapping your arm while giggling like a teenage school girl. “Oh stop, I don’t need you to be nice back, I just wanted to tell you what’s been on my mind for ages now!”

- “Is that so?” You asked, surprised that Trish thought so highly of you and even thinking that you were hearing things for a second. Honestly, you were pretty sure you were going to go have a heart attack from how quick your heart was beating - to be praised by someone so pretty, sweet and loveable was something you couldn’t fathom yet it was still happening. “Well I’ve always thought you were pretty anyways, not to forget amazingly kind and badass for sticking through all of this!”

- From there, the two of you spent the rest of your search praising each other and by the time you found the stand user, your bond had grown strong enough to land an amazingly co-ordinated attack, to which you both returned to praising each other over.

- Once you met up with the rest of the Bucci gang, the rest of the boys were pretty much ignored for the day as the two of you either held hands or linked arms together while chatting about similar interests and making plans to one day go shopping or to a cafe together once everything was over. Narancia was allowed to join in every now and then though, to which Mista complained over.

#nO ASS RIGHTS FOR ABBA.#sorta crack writing #bruno x reader #bruno bucciarati #abbachio x reader #leone abbacchio #fugo x reader #panacotta fugo #narancia x reader #narancia ghirga #guido mista #mista x reader #giorno x reader #giorno giovanna #trish una #trish x reader #jjba x reader #jjba headcanon

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king-killaway · 3 years

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After having watched the 2021 Snyder Cut, while not being the biggest fan of Zack Snyder, the two things I can truly take away from this movie are:

A- The studio did Snyder dirty, they completely sabotaged his movie because of racism and money mongering. They completely ruined beloved characters and reduced their complexities to being the comedic relief. The only character in the original that actually has complexity to them is Wonder Woman, and that's not saying much.

On top of that, they did it while Snyder was grieving his dead daughter. How fucking low can they get?

And B- Modern movies deserve longer runtimes, not shorter ones. Some of my favorite movies from the past 10 years all have at least 2 & 1/2 hour run times, some even hitting the 3 hour mark. I've noticed a trend among movies lately where the story is so utterly rushed constantly. Movies that deserve that extra time to flesh out characters or have some more explaining before time jumps.

The War for the Planet of the Apes was a three hour long movie that finished off the new trilogy reboot of Planet of the Apes. This movie was over 3 hours long, it was fantastic.

But, I cant tell you many others, aside from Avengers: End Games, that were actually really really well done and received. In my personal opinion as a movie enthusiasts as well as an unlicensed filmmaker, movies suffer from having too much story to tell and not enough time.

Let me use The Greatest Showman for example, brilliant movie that did wonderfully by both critics and the average audience, but by god, its pacing is a mess. The story of this movie is so fast, especially in the beginning, that it feels like you're meant to be getting emotional whiplash. I believe tacking on another hour or 40 minutes to The Greatest Showman would have fixed this issue.

The Pet Cemetery remake also suffers horribly from this problem too. Only being half the runtime of the original, it suffers from needing to info dump its watcher halfway through just to make time, even though this information should already be known to the husband who's being info dumped on. A movie that has such bad pacing because it have too much to tell in too little time, I honestly couldn't tell you the names of the characters because all of them are forgettable, because you dont know them. Let the remake be as long as the original, add in some extra time with the cast members, let the mom have a panic attack that establishes her backstory rather than info dumping, and stop trying to rush stories.

People always try to tell me that today's audience doesnt want to see a movie that's over 2 hours long because today's generation "has short attention spans because they grew up with the internet".

And all I have to say is "How fucking rude."

To even suggest that this generation cannot sit through 3 or 4 hour movies without getting bored is just a fucking lie. If your characters are compelling, your story is engaging, and the audience is actually sympathetic to the plight of the plot, then yes audiences will watch a 3 or 4 hour long movie. But of course you dont believe that they can, so you condense about 2 and a half, maybe even longer, worth of a story down into an hour, an hour and 40 minutes. You cut away at all the "unnecessary bits" in order to get the point across.

Do you big studios wanna know why your movies arent doing so well by audiences review anymore? Its because you dont give the audience the full fucking story anymore!

If your movie told in its entirety is going to be a 4, 5 hour long movie, either let it be long, or make a part 2. Stop being so greedy as to think that we would just consume this laziness without care. That we wont boycott your movies. That we cant just pirate movies and completely ignore even having to give you money. That we cant see the racism and sexism and homophobia behind your actions.

Stop thinking your better than the little guy because you have money. When in reality, you only have money because we let you.

#justice league #snyder cut #zack snyder #dceu #dc universe #they really did snyder dirty

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thisizaraisu · 3 years

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Fall 2020 Superlatives

I definitely turned this season into a massive undertaking. After graduating college, I found a lot of free time on my hands, and in a season with 38 brand-new shows there were a good number of them that appealed to me. I started with 18 series on my docket and only ended up watching 11 of them the whole way through. Still, I ended up with plenty of options for this season’s Superlatives, so enjoy my terrible opinions as I hand out these awards.

Best OP

Most of the shows this season had OPs that were at least passable, but there were only a small handful that I felt were remarkable in any sense. In terms of visuals and tone-setting I think I Believe What You Said from Higurashi NEW is phenomenal, but there’s one thing that’s really holding it back and that’s the facial animations because they are REALLY bad. Literature from Majo no Tabitabi is also great from a visual standpoint but the song isn’t quite as breathtaking as the landscapes. There is ONE OP this season, however, that hit all the right notes... no pun intended.

Winner: “Dying Wish” - Moriarty the Patriot

Dying Wish immediately establishes Moriarty the Patriot as something special. It’s gritty and sinister, and the visuals reflect this tone perfectly. The ominous London backdrop complimented by the intense chorus and strings sent chills down my spine the first time I saw it. There’s knife fights, gun fights, Moriarty jumps off Big Ben and points a gun at his own head, it’s a great 90 second sequence that manages to be more tense than Higurashi NEW’s OP in part because of how grounded it is. This is one of those OPs that I just love everything about, and I had a strong feeling this would be my pick for Fall 2020′s best OP right after my first viewing.

Honorable Mentions: -”I Believe What You Said” - Higurashi NEW -”Higher’s High” - Warlords of Sigrdrifa -”Literature” - Majo no Tabitabi -”Needleknot” - Ikebukuro West Gate Park -”Kaikai Kitan” - Jujutsu Kaisen

Best ED

Winner: “Lost in Paradise” - Jujutsu Kaisen

Yeah I’m not even gonna bother with any build-up here. I mean, what else could it possibly be? Lost in Paradise is one of the greatest visual and auditory treats that I’ve ever seen not just in an anime, but in any form of media, and I can easily call it my favorite anime song of all time. Its visual style is just as fun as the song itself, it’s jazzy and upbeat and hits you with that perfect feeling of whiplash immediately after a tense conclusion to most episodes, setting things up perfectly for Juju Stroll. It’s just a perfect sequence in every sense of the word.

Honorable Mentions: -”Sayonara Namida” - Warlords of Sigrdrifa (Seriously in any other season this would have been an easy winner) -”Etoile” - Noblesse

Worst OP

This is an award that I probably won’t be handing out too often. Even the shows that I found more mediocre this season like Ikebukuro West Gate Park or Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear have really good OPs. That said, if you’ve been following the blog you know there’s one OP from this season that I absolutely detest.

Winner: “STEAL!!” - Akudama Drive

I love Akudama Drive, I think it’s a stylistically brilliant show with great fights and characters, as well as one of the most satisfying conclusions a single-season anime original could possibly offer. That being said, HOLY FUCK is this song terrible. Seriously, you have to actively TRY to make a song this bad. It’s essentially just the words “KISS ME” looped over and over, with constantly varying tempos and no effort to hit the right notes. It’s a shame too because like the rest of the show, the visuals are really cool, but it’s held back so much by just how god-awful the vocals are. My least favorite moment in the entire show is the bit towards the end of the finale where they play the OP in the background during the chase scene because I had to mute a goddamn chase scene. There aren’t many shows where I’ll always skip the OP no matter what mood I’m in, but Akudama Drive is definitely one of them. STEAL!! is ear-bleeding garbage and the one positive about Akudama Drive coming to a close is that I’ll never have to subject my ears to the screeching of KISS ME KISS ME KISS ME ever again.

Most Pleasant Surprise

I was going to make this a tie between two series originally, but as it turns out, they have a very common trait between them. What do I mean, you may ask?

Winner: A-1 Pictures

A-1 Pictures hit me with two shows this season that I absolutely love: Hypnosis Mic and Warlords of Sigrdrifa. Going into Fall 2020 and poring through every synopsis to see what shows would interest me, both of these were the two shows that really had me going back and forth, internally debating whether or not I should watch them. In the end, I decided to take a chance on them, thinking that if I didn’t enjoy them all that much I could say I tried and move on. What I ended up with were two of my top 5 shows this season, and shows that I would unironically give an 8/10 to. Hypnosis Mic was just a TON of fun to watch every week with stunningly well-implemented CG animation, diverse characters, great music and a lot of personality. Sigrdrifa is a much more serious, emotionally-charged series that baits you in with promises of cute anime girls only to expertly deliver themes of coping with failure and discovering who your true family is. A-1 Pictures absolutely KILLED it for me this season, and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on their works for Winter 2021 in the hopes of finding another set of hidden gems.

Also the Sigrdrifa dub is pretty damn good too.

Biggest Disappointment

There were two strong contenders for this award, so I really had to sit and ask myself: which one gave me less to enjoy than the other? In the end the conclusion I reached was about what I expected.

Winner: Burn the Witch

I’ve already talked at-length about why I absolutely hate Burn the Witch. It’s a terrible excuse for a movie that’s completely dedicated to the idea of doing nothing with its characters (except Balgo who is the worst character I’ve seen in an anime), with an insultingly bad conclusion and the animation being the only PASSABLE aspect of it all. Even after dropping 7 shows this season, the only competition Burn the Witch really had was Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear, but at the end of the day my disappointment with that show was based on my personal expectations (and love of BOFURI) vs reality. Burn the Witch is terrible on its own, and is completely deserving of this distinction.

Best Character

Winner: Satoru Gojo - Jujutsu Kaisen

I’ll be blunt, I don’t watch many shonen anime, so for me to really get into a shonen series, it needs a strong selling point. Obviously the shonen I have the most experience with is JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, and the selling point for that series was honestly the memes. Jujutsu Kaisen, on the other hand, had me sold on the strength of its characters. Itadori is a great lead, but Gojo stands tall above the rest. Jujutsu Kaisen perfectly balances his overpowered nature with his fantastic comedic relief potential, and I love every scene he’s in whether it’s a fight or a joke. I’m definitely excited to see what Gojo has to offer in Jujutsu Kaisen’s 11 remaining episodes.

Honorable mentions: -Syalis - Maoujou de Oyasumi -Swindler - Akudama Drive -Sonoka - Warlords of Sigrdrifa -Ramuda - Hypnosis Mic

Worst Character

Winner: Balgo - Burn the Witch

I HATE YOU. Not even gonna waste any more time on this one.

Honorable mentions: -Shimamura - Adachi and Shimamura

Best Scene

Winner: Brawler vs Executioner (Akudama Drive, episode 6)

HOW DO YOU CHOREOGRAPH A FIGHT THIS PERFECT? IN AN ANIME-ORIGINAL SERIES, NO LESS???

Everything about this fight is objectively perfect. The innovative uses of the setting, the incredible rain effects, the weight behind every punch, the emotional climax, every second, every blow, is just jaw-dropping perfection. The fact that there was no source material behind this scene to make it such a perfect sequence is baffling to me, and it was the scene that cemented Akudama Drive as something truly special to me.

Best Episode

Winner: A Deep Sorrow from the Past (Majo no Tabitabi)

Majo no Tabitabi has three episodes alone that were in contention for this award, but in the end, A Deep Sorrow from the Past hits harder than any other episode this season (figuratively not literally, read the paragraph above for the episode that literally hits hardest). For an episodic and often comedic show like Majo no Tabitabi to so perfectly present an emotional, legitimately horrifying story of betrayal, I was totally blindsided. There were many good episodes this season and I’m definitely gonna have a few honorable mentions here, but this still feels like an obvious award to give.

Honorable mentions: -”The Princess Without Subjects” - Majo no Tabitabi -”The Two Apprentices” - Majo no Tabitabi -”Tateyama Castle Swimsuit Skirmish!” - Warlords of Sigrdrifa -”BROTHER” - Akudama Drive -”Marriage” - Tonikaku Kawaii

Worst Episode

This award would be too easy to give to a show that I’ve dropped, so I’m going to set a rule right here and now, I can only give this award to a show I’ve watched all the way through.

Winner: The Day of Battling Tiles (The Day I Became a God)

Say what you will about The Day I Became a God, I definitely found it enjoyable for the most part and even found the ending to be rather satisfying. Episode 4, however, was definitely the biggest roadblock. Like most Jun Maeda shows, the comedy in the show’s opening half was rather stellar, but The Day of Battling Tiles didn’t make me laugh so much as scratch my head and wonder “What the hell were they thinking?” Like I don’t even hate Tengan but I just didn’t find the idea of a newswoman getting turned on by a minor because he made up some shit about mahjong that funny, and it isn’t even the moral aspect that bothers me so much as just how uncomfortable the whole thing feels as it drags on. Also I can’t decide if I’d like or dislike this episode more if I actually knew anything about Mahjong.

Anime of the Season

There were some phenomenal shows this season. Jujutsu Kaisen, Sigrdrifa, Hypnosis Mic, Moriarty and Tonikawa are all shows that are going to hold a place in my heart going forward, but you know damn well that there’s one that stands above the rest.

Winner: Akudama Drive

Akudama Drive is the best anime that I’ve actually watched on a weekly basis. I know I just talked shit about the OP but it’s literally the only thing I dislike about this show. Akudama Drive is the Suicide Squad premise done as right as possible, the cyberpunk aesthetic is incredible, the action is expertly choreographed with Brawler vs Executioner being the greatest fight I’ve seen in anime, the story is full of wild dystopian twists and turns while still making some sense in context, the characters are irredeemable as they should be, and the conclusion is satisfying to a degree that I did not anticipate. There’s seriously almost nothing to dislike here, and honestly I was ready to hand this award out by the end of episode 6. Thank you Studio Pierrot for this absolute gem of a show.

#anime #anime review #awards #fall 2020 #Seasonal anime

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fantasticcloaksandhowtolevitate · 5 years

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Endgame spoilers

I am writing this less than 12 hours after the beginning of my viewing of Endgame. I was too emotional and too tired and unwilling to do it when I got home last night, so I am doing it before work this morning (which is probably a mistake because, emotions). I will not be posting this for a few days because I want to give my followers a chance to see the movie before I start spoiling things. If you haven’t seen Endgame do no read below the line!!!!!

______________________________

I honestly don’t even know where to begin, but I guess the beginning is as good a place as any. The first five minutes with Clint and his family was all I ever wanted for my smol bean and I cried happy tears for him. Then I cried angry tears for him. I knew it had to happen because I knew he became vengeful, but I didn’t want it to happen.

I kind of felt like I got whiplash from this movie. One minute I was crying and the next I was seeing something funny, but not wanting to laugh. It was like they didn’t want to make it “too sad” so anytime things got too heavy, they brought it up with a little comedy, usually at the expense of Scott Lang.

Captain Marvel was amazing, I just wish she had played a bigger role through the movie as a whole. She is such a great character and I wish we had seen her more. I understand not taking away from the Avengers we have watched prepare for this for years, but more than like five minutes on screen might not have killed anyone.

I loved that they brought Professor Hulk (even though they never called him that) into the mix. He was great. He had the super awkwardness you expect from a guy like Hulk, but also the brain of Bruce. He was another comedic relief guy too and I felt like that detracted from his character a little.

Cap was incredible as always. Fighting himself. Resisting the urge to see Peggy. Trusting Tony literally with his life. And then giving up a life with his friends who had become family in order to have the life his friend Tony told him was more important than anything. He got the life he deserved with the woman he loved and I cried joyful tears for it.

Natasha. Flip. I can’t. She and Clint literally fighting over who should die. She didn’t deserve it. Neither did he. Neither of them deserved to die, or to lose the other. I thought maybe just once everybody might live. But instead they sent my babes to freaking Vormir...

Thor was pretty much just more comic relief for the first part of his screen time. He was drunk. He got fat. It was funny. For about five minutes. But then he went to Asgard and he saw Frigga. And he cried. And I cried with him. And he told her about his life. And she comforted him. And I cried some more. And I love Thor and I am glad he realized that who we are meant to be isn’t always who we turn out to be.

Tony. My sweet, precious Tony. He was right about Pepper in Infinity War. They have a child. She is as smol as her father. He didn’t want to do the time travel thing. He knew what it might cost. But he figured out a safe way. And it worked! But it still had costs. And he paid most of them. And more than anything I wish he had hugged it out with Cap. They made up. Cap telling Tony he trusted him was proof that things were okay between them. But a hug would have almost made up for what happened. And his dad. Flip. Tony finally being able to tell his dad that it was ok. That he only remembered the good things about him. That he tried to be like him in those ways. He didn’t deserve it. He spent a decade protecting this planet “whatever it takes”. He stood for what he thought was right (even if he was wrong). He had a daughter. And Peter. Who needed him. And when it happened I cried. But I kept thinking they would bring him back. That he couldn’t be gone. And then the funeral. And I lost it. Shaking, sniffling, sobbing, the whole shebang. You would have thought my best friend died. But he started it all for me. Eleven years ago I was just a fourteen year old who had nothing. No friends, nothing to look forward to. Then I saw iron man. And he was an arrogant jerk who didn’t need anybody. But he wanted to do what was right. He wanted to do what was best for everyone, not just his wallet. He was brilliant, handsome, charming. He reminded me of someone I knew and it made me smile. And for once there was something out there that I felt was made for me. And then I was hooked. Eventually seeing every movie at midnight premieres and then earlier as they began to release them before that even. I was addicted. And then he was gone. My Tony. Who adopted Peter under his tutelage and loved him like a son. Who was concerned for nothing more than this child’s safety. Who had a daughter of his own. And was amazing. The man who went from carefree to “whatever it takes”. The man who went from unentangled to loving his wife and daughter with everything he was. The man who once put fortune above morality began to put family and friends over everything. He was truly a changed man, and for that I am glad. And when Pepper told him to rest. Tony. The man who never sleeps. Not since the cave eleven years ago. Not restfully. Because the war inside his head was never going to be over. But now it is. I guess I should be glad for that. My baby isn’t fighting himself anymore. I wonder how many nights Morgan heard him up in the night and wandered out of her room to check on him. How many times he dozed off on the couch and woke up from a nightmare to see his daughter standing over him with a concerned face. But no more. Now he can rest. We will be okay. Maybe not for a long time, but we will.

Overall I truly enjoyed the movie. It was great. It was unpredictable, funny, sad, mostly sad. I would have done things differently, but I’m not in charge. It was a good movie with my favorite actors playing my favorite roles. I am blessed to be able to see it and have opinions. I might never watch it again unless I want a good cry, but that’s okay too. An era has truly come to an end and while I am sad to see them go, I will always cherish them in my heart. If I could say one thing to the actors and actresses that made these stories come alive for me it would be this: thank you. Thank you for giving me something to look forward to. Thank you for showing me all the ways ordinary people can be super. Thank you for giving me something to love. You have made my life easier, better, and more special. I would truly be a different person if it wasn’t for you.

#tay rambles #marvel #endgame #endgame spoilers #dont spoil the endgame #long post #sorry #hawkeye #cap #iron man #i love you 3000 #a4 spoilers #avengers engame spoilers

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kelnius · 5 years

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A Viewer’s Review of...

I initially watched this film for one reason - because it was a time-travel movie with black people in it. Ever since seeing Black Panther, I was made consciously aware of just how many movies don’t have black actors, and I wanted to expand my horizons. Since I like sci-fi, I figured that this would be a fun little dip into more racially diverse films, and I was lucky in finding out that this was yet another afrofuturist piece. Unfortunately, the film is a little inconsistent, so I was left feeling a little underwhelmed, but I don't think that sentiment alone summarizes this movie and its impact.

Don't get me wrong, the director and writer of this can make an amazing family adventure movie, and I've seen how well he can put together a "street drama" about race and community. Unfortunately, the reason I've seen that is because he tried to do both at the same time in this film. Whilst both of those elements separately are done perfect, this film puts the two together, and as a result struggles to portray a clear tone. See, the idea behind this film is that a young black girl named CJ, and her friend Sebastian, develop time travel. At the beginning of the film, CJ has perfected the principles, but the actual time machine (two backpacks that can open up a wormhole) still need tweaking in order to actually go through time. They manage to achieve a successful trip, but one week later, CJ's older brother is unjustly shot by police in a scene which was painfully accurate to the real world.

And this is where the tonal issues come in. When the two friends are building their "Temporal Relocation Packs" or taking supplies from the school laboratory, or travelling through wormholes, this film is brightly lit with technobabbled dialogue and the props look over-designed with goofy bulk or lights, with exaggerated caricatures and a bombastic score. But then they walk through the streets of a Bronx neighbourhood and are confronted by police, or they have a quiet heart-to-heart at home with family members, we're given low-lighting or soft lighting, no score, long takes and a focus on character and dialogue.

Perhaps this was a stylistic choice, but it feels like you could cut the transition between these two modes with a knife, which is a tragedy, since this is a coherent story with a solid idea at its core, but this style makes it feel less cohesive. I mean, in time travel movies we've seen before - with white people - we fly to the far-off future to save later generations, or we slip into the distant past to save our predecessors; meanwhile, in this film, a black girl travels back a single day, because 24 hours ago police shot her brother. That is so real, it hurts. That is the basis of the movie - if a black person could change the past, could they go back and stop police brutality from happening? For that reason, I feel like this is a movie that needed to be made - and perhaps that's why there's such a tonal whiplash for this film. It's taking a premise that we've used in kid-friendly family movies, and saying, what if you could stop black teenagers from dying?

And this movie sees just how potent the idea is. Early on the movie CJ talks to her science teacher, Mister Lockhart (played by Michael J. Fox in a perfect little cameo that proves he is still a great actor despite his disease), and he says that the science of time travel is ultimately secondary, since CJ should be considering the philosophy and ethics of time travel, about the responsibility that power endows. Actually, I need to take a moment to celebrate all the great actors in this film. Eden Duncan-Smith plays CJ, the beautiful and brilliant young scientist, whose single-mindedness manifests as both determination and stubbornness. Her friend Sebastian is acted by Dante Crichlow, and he has amazing chemistry with CJ, and although he is usually her co-conspirator, he can be the conscience that she is overlooking when she needs that. In my opinion, the breakout performance has to be Jonathan Nieves who plays Eduardo, a Colombian boy who is awkwardly enamoured with CJ, and although he is just the comedic relief he owns every scene he is in.

These actors are amazing, this story is amazing, the cinematography is amazing and this director is amazing... but, unfortunately, there are a few issues that let this film down. Of course, the major one is that choice to shift between genre styles. Perhaps it was a stylistic choice, but it doesn't help the theme and could be distracting during some core moments of this film. As well, probably because my suspension of disbelief was already damaged, I was distracted by how cheap some of the props were. The time machines, although they did create a practical "machine", they put them in backpacks, meaning that in most shots it just looks like two backpacks with a clear tube sticking out of it - and that was distracting, since despite this being a "prototype time machine", they built... two; there is also a prop which is meant to be advanced circuitry, but looks exactly like someone spray-painted a motherboard gold and screwed a perspex plate onto it, & most distracting (to me, at least) whenever they time travel, the kids wear goggles which, for no reason, have a steampunk aesthetic. These kids are supposedly scraping together bits and pieces to make these things, yet waste money for protective goggles on cosplay?

This film won't win any awards - and not just because most of those award shows are racially biased - but when this film works, it works. When it was trying to be funny, I laughed; when it was trying to be endearing, I smiled; when it was trying to be sombre, I felt sad & when it was trying to tell me something, I listened. That's what I want from my movies, so although this film doesn't get the best score, I still think you should see it. Did I mention that it's on Netflix (at time of writing)? It's not perfect, but it's better than expected.

Where have all the Black Lives gone... - 6.5 ⁄₁₀

#A Viewer's Review #See You Yesterday #Stefon Bristol #Dante Crichlow #Jonathan Nieves #time travel #street drama #family adventure #science-fiction #black lives matter #police brutality #afrofuturism #I love you black man #I love you black woman #review #kelnius

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eggoreviews · 6 years

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MCU Villains RANKED

I finished watching all the MCU films a few days ago (I have too much time on my hands) and, as a first Marvel list, I thought I’d rank all of the main villains in terms of how cool/powerful/how generally good I think they are. Come and see where your faves have placed in this messy, ill-informed list!

This list includes all of the main villains for every film up to Infinity War (Ant-Man and the Wasp isn’t out yet so it’d be difficult to include Ghost in here) with a couple of side villains that I felt needed a spot in the list. Enjoy! (Also, possible spoilers ahead for basically any MCU film)

Disclaimer: My opinion will probably, definitely not be yours

23. Whiplash (Iron Man 2)

Oh God.

I’m pretty vocal about how much I’m really not a fan of Iron Man 2 in general, but one of its worst aspects is a totally forgettable and laughable villain. I mean, I think at some point he has a subplot about his dad or something but most of the time he’s whining about his ‘bord’ and building shitty whips with his tech rather than something useful.

22. King Laufey (Thor)

I mean, sure. I guess this guy wasn’t supposed to act as much more than suitably evil looking blue person for Thor to fight. What puts Laufey ahead of Whiplash is pure cool factor, like I wouldn’t mess with this guy. He’d freeze me or somethin’.

21. Abomination (The Incredible Hulk)

Honestly, this is probably a higher ranking for Abomination than any other list I’ve seen. My only issue with this guy is that he’s a bit eh. Despite being played by Tim Roth, a brilliant actor who appears in multiple of my favourite films, his character is just one dimensional, sweaty soldier until the end when he turns into one dimensional, sweaty green monster. Again, his minor redeeming quality comes with his raw strength (say what you like about the Hulk film, that Harlem fight at the end is well worth watching the other hour and a half), but he’s very much let down by an underdeveloped character and a completely absent motive for anything.

20. Aldrich Killian (Iron Man 3)

Okay, now we’re getting into the villains that sort have a motive at some point. Personally, I didn’t hate the whole ‘Ben Kingsley isn’t the Mandarin’ twist, so that’s not why he’s placed so low. I’ll agree that that Guy Pearce plays a decent villain here, but the film itself is so messy and full of subplots that Killian sort of gets lost in it and never really develops beyond angry rooftop guy who can set himself on fire.

19. Malekith (Thor: The Dark World)

I thought Thor 2 was pretty damn okay and not the horrendous mess people make it out to be and I’ll defend Christopher Eccleston’s Malekith just as tentatively. Malekith’s only downfall is a non-existent character beyond cool looking menacing elf dude. We know that he wants to make everything all dark again for reasons that aren’t quite clear, but that’s kind of it. Again, his slightly higher ranking is more the cool factor.

18. Darren Cross (Ant-Man)

Cool suit by the way my dude.

Corey Stoll’s Yellowjacket is a pretty by-the-numbers MCU villain. He has his moments, particularly the Mexican standoff during the presentation of his suit, but he’s a pretty okay aspect of an otherwise great film. He holds his own as a decent villain, but his backstory and motives borrow a little too heavily from Iron Man’s Obadiah Stane. And he doesn’t quite pull off the disgraced CEO as well as Jeff Bridges.

17. Ronan (Guardians of the Galaxy)

I loved Lee Pace in the Hobbit films, so the fact that Pace plays Ronan well isn’t in question. The thing about Ronan is that it seems like putting the heartless genocidal racist at the centre of a comedic superhero film about a group of misfits acts as a pretty jarring tone shift. It sort of feels like Ronan was stuffed into the wrong film here (But maybe that’s why he’s having his second round in Captain Marvel next year). Ronan isn’t exactly forgettable, but when surrounded by such rich and interesting characters, his destructive plans and endless angry monologues just sort of melt into the background.

16. The Black Order (Avengers: Infinity War)

I sort of lumped these guys all together purely because I don’t think any one of them shines out as more developed than another. They act as cool, menacing underlings to the purple fucklord that is Thanos and I’m almost kind of mad they didn’t make it to Avengers 4. As little development as there is, you can tell each one of them plays a specific role (Cull Obsidian is obviously massive brawn thing, Ebony Maw is the clever one, Proxima and Corvus enjoy stabbing things etc), which means the only thing that’s really stopping these guys from appearing higher is lack of screen time.

15. Ultron (Avengers: Age of Ultron)

Age of Ultron, like Thor 2, is often crapped on just as heavily for reasons I don’t think are hugely valid. And, like Thor 2, its villain is often the centre of the crapping. Ultron’s motives are relatively clear throughout the film and he feels central enough to be a genuine threat. I also like the plot arc that Ultron is the Avenger’s (particularly Tony and Bruce’s) fault, so that gives a whole new dynamic to his character. My only issue with Ultron is how odd his humour seems at times, as if he can’t quite decide whether he wants to be the serious villain or the funny villain. I’m all for villains showcasing both of these traits but, in Ultron’s case, he seems conflicted on which he’s trying to be.

14. Alexander Pierce (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)

Robert Redford plays the creepy Hydra dude very well and there’s something genuinely sinister about Pierce that especially comes through with his willingness to kill twenty million people. Pierce’s only downfall is that he’s a non-enhanced villain among many super-powered heroes and villains. So for all his sinister acting, Pierce just comes off as a little bit powerless. Not that this at all negates Redford’s performance or the strings Pierce pulls within SHIELD, it’s just that his lack of genuine power is something you can’t help but think about.

13. Justin Hammer (Iron Man 2)

I maintain that the only saving grace of Iron Man 2, aside from the newly cast Don Cheadle as Rhodey, is Sam Rockwell’s Justin Hammer. He brings genuine humour to an otherwise joyless film and acts as a worthy adversary to Tony Stark. Also, his dancing during the Stark Expo? Worth watching the film for. I’d be very happy to see him return, although it might be a little late due to the fact that Iron Man may be about to make his exit in Avengers 4. RIP Justin, maybe another time my dude.

12. Obadiah Stane (Iron Man)

Here he is, the villain that started it all. Jeff Bridges’ Iron Monger makes for a genuinely chilling, unsettling villain whose calmness is probably his most terrifying trait. At the centre of any good film, especially a Marvel film, is a good, compelling villain and Bridges manages this with ease. Unlike the two Iron Man sequels, this is an Iron Man villain who genuinely feels like he’s up to taking down Stark.

11. Kaecilius (Doctor Strange)

Kaecilius is yet another chilling villain played by the brilliant Mads Mikkelson who, much like Stane, feels like a match to the protagonist. But what put Kaecilius ahead of him for me is the fact that he believes what he’s doing is completely right; he thinks he’s granting everyone eternal life, rather than enslaving them to Dormammu (who won’t be included because of his lack of screen time/only redeeming quality being his massive face). This alongside some kickarse magical abilities just puts him up a bit more. Time for the top ten!

10. Helmut Zemo (Captain America: Civil War)

Daniel Bruhl goes full Bond villain for this one. Civil War in itself is a movie packed full of conflict at its core, so it takes a pretty memorable villain to make a mark on a film like this. Bruhl’s Helmut Zemo pulls all the strings behind the Avengers’ downfall and does so with a lot of sinister energy. But at the same time, we’re compelled to feel sorry for the fact that he lost his family in Sokovia during Age of Ultron. I think we’re probably going to see this guy making a return in future.

9. The Grandmaster (Thor: Ragnarok)

I love Jeff Goldblum. Everyone loves Jeff Goldblum. And while he plays more of a minor villain role in Ragnarok, I think he made much more of a mark and delivered a more compelling, genuinely funny performance than any other Thor villain. So it’d be pretty amazing to see him come back for a future film. Especially if Taika Waititi has something to do with it.

8. Ulysses Klaue (Avengers: Age of Ultron, Black Panther)

It’s pretty rare to see Andy Serkis in the flesh in a film rather than behind a lot of CGI and this character couldn’t have been played by anyone else. With Klaue being the second of two minor villains in this list alongside the Grandmaster, Klaue most makes his presence felt in Black Panther where he more than holds his own alongside Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger (who we’ll get to later). Andy Serkis brings a hell of a lot of humour and genuine manic energy to this role and this is near enough his best performance. It’s just a shame that Ulysses Klaue is unlikely to return, considering the fact he was a shot multiple times during Black Panther.

7. Red Skull (Captain America: The First Avenger)

Here is a villain that more than deserves his spot in the top ten. Arguably one of the most memorable villains of Marvel’s first phase, Hugo Weaving plays the angry clever Nazi scarily well. What makes him so great is the fact that he’s the complete antithesis to Captain America, which just makes the conflict between them seem more interesting. Plus, come on, it’s Hugo Weaving. He’s in every good film ever. What a guy.

6. Ego (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2)

Kurt Russell’s Ego places this high for many reasons, mainly the fact that he doesn’t present himself as the villain until towards the end of the film and yet the film functions perfectly without a central antagonist (I love Guardians 2 a lot. This will become obvious probably). Ego even retains the parts of his character that you originally related to before he goes full bad guy and tries to cover all the planets in blue marshmallow fluff. Other than a couple of misplaced jokes (’I’m gonna go take a whiz’), Ego is a near-perfect Marvel villain.

5. Vulture (Spider-Man Homecoming)

I struggle to call this guy a villain, even though he undoubtedly is. Everything he does is out of a place of concern for his family and the only murder he commits in the whole of the film was an accident. Okay, so this doesn’t necessarily make him a good person, but what makes him any better than the Netflix Punisher? Or Deadpool? Anyway, kind of irrelevant, Michael Keaton plays his second bird super-character in the same way he plays all of his roles; amazingly. One of the main elements of Homecoming that made it such a genuinely good reboot was an interesting, relatable villain that you struggle to hate (apart from maybe when he’s pummeling Spidey into the ground at the end, that hurt my feelings).

4. Loki (Thor, The Avengers)

You can’t really call Loki a villain anymore, similarly to Bucky, M’Baku and Nebula (her especially, if she isn’t a full time guardian by the third one I’m not gonna be happy), he’s undergone a redemption arc that hasn’t negated his mischievous behaviour, but just makes sure the good parts of his character shine through a little more (that’s why I’ve only listed the two films in which I would class Loki as a villain). Tom Hiddleston plays Loki in a very sinister way, but more importantly with an overriding sense of fun. He perfectly strikes a balance between being a funny villain whilst still maintaining his sense of power.

3. Thanos (Avengers: Infinity War)

Speaking of sense of power, it crushed my heart a little to see Loki get so easily offed at the beginning of Infinity War, making Loki’s usually undeniably effective plots seem like cheap parlor tricks (to be fair, all he did was pretend he wasn’t going to stab him, but I guess if Loki’s desperate, you know everyone’s fucked at that point). Aside from all that, Thanos easily is the most terrifying character in the MCU, purely because of sheer power. Josh Brolin plays him (and Cable too) with overflowing gravitas and a threatening aura that seems to be present in everything he does. Even if he is inevitably defeated in Avengers 4, the mark he’s left on the MCU is gonna sting the survivors for some time (Sidenote: if any Guardian turns out to be permanently dead, I will officially never get over that. Yondu was bad enough).

2. Hela (Thor: Ragnarok)

Cate Blanchett as the first central female MCU villain (as well as the goddess of death) is iconic. Hela presents the same threatening, overly powerful aura that Thanos has and does every despicable act with a sense of sadistic humour. If I had the choice to bring back one villain, it would be Hela, because I very much doubt she died when Surtur squished Asgard, so her lasting mark may end up being equal to Thanos’. Or maybe she’ll turn out to be Lady Death? So many possibilites but to be honest, as long as they bring her back, I’m up for anything.

1. Killmonger (Black Panther)

Who else was it going to be? Black Panther in itself was an iconic film, not just for its cultural significance, but also for breaking the usual Marvel mold with its narrative. And at the centre of all this is Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger, who perfectly strikes the balance between someone you love to hate and hate to love. But most of all, Killmonger’s death holds the most emotion of any villain-centric moment for me, as the ever brilliant T’Challa takes him up to see Wakanda’s sunset before he dies. But overall, what puts Killmonger ahead of all the others is the fact that everything he’s doing could easily be seen as morally correct, just not in its execution. All Killmonger wanted in the end was to arm and support his oppressed brothers and sisters, which highlights the film’s political message. Among irrelevant whip-wielding Russian scientists and endless business people in metal suits, Killmonger stands out as a villain you can side with as easily as the hero and is a villain I find it the most difficult to show any dislike for. (Totally not relevant, but Michael B. Jordan plays a good character in a cool indie film called Chronicle that came out a few years ago. If you're planning on watching a film anytime this week, I highly recommend you watch it, it will blow you away)

Phew. That took a while. Thanks for reading if you made it this far and feel free to let me know your top picks for MCU villains! If I do another Marvel list, will probably be the actual films next.

Have a good day/night my dudes

#films #marvel #mcu #avengers #infinity war #avengers infinity war #captain america #iron man #tony stark #steve rogers #eggoreviews #black panther #killmonger

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thelearningcatnaps · 6 years

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Doctor Who with Moffet

I binge watched the first 6 seasons of Doctor Who over the course of a year and a half. This may not sound like binge watching, but considering my schedule at the time and the slowness of me watching hour long tv shows not propelled by my fiance (I am still only on season 9 of Supernatural after starting it sometime around 2009 and Battlestar Gallatica took me something like 5 years or more). It's not that I don't enjoy these shows, rather I have always lived a busy life and either I'm watching a show based on who is with me or I'm watching what I label as fluff- nondramatic, no-plot, comedic, and/or short. Cooking shows, sitcoms, hgtv, bridezilla style shows.

So the fact I found doctor who so enthralling to dedicate so much of my time to it speaks to my enjoyment.

However, around the sixth seasons beginning, I slowed down. All the potential of good ideas was there. I loved River Song and Rory. I loved a lot of episodes with the Eleventh doctor. I didn't care for Amy Pond, but I also hadn't cared for Martha, so that alone wouldn't have slowed me down. It was the plot holes and the rehashed dilemmas that bothered me. It was River Song's storyline supposed to be the exact opposite of the doctor's. The fact the first time she met the doctor should have been the last time the doctor met her. It was the love interest of Amy Pond going on much longer then it should, not to mention being creepy in the first place. It was her impossible constant superpowers. It was the lost opportunities on more episodes with Rory.

When I finally met Clara, I was disappointed in the end of Amy and Rory, but it was at least bittersweet. But it was Clara that made me go on hiatus. We met her multiple times. She was marvelous each of those times. Her beginning plot was fascinating. Then we met Clara, the companion Clara. Who was another Amy level pretty face (this bothers me alone in that each of the companions prior to Amy since 2005 were not traditional western beauties and I had so much appreciation for that) with impossibleness. She crushed on the doctor and lacked any of the spunk I loved her original characters.

I've read a lot on Moffat's writing of women, and I think if you look up that, it addresses a lot of my issues with these companions. Add in the plot holes and all the impossible feats, and you go from a show with character depth, variety, and well rounded plot lines to plots that begin and end within a couple episodes with no development in between.

Needless to say, this all comes to mind because I've finally revisited the series (the last season I watched a few years ago was the 8th season, because I wanted to give the 12th doctor a chance. I'm now almost all of the way through the 9th season, and I'm only reminded of my disdain for Moffet's writing (BBC Sherlock redeems him somewhat).

His best characters are wasted, and the plot lines are underwhelming and feel repetitive. The twelfth doctor feels hypocritical. If you want an apathetic, sociopathic grandpa, then do it. If you want the soft caring, passionate man, then do that. I feel like I get whiplash. I get that Clara is supposed to humanize him. But he constantly is doubting himself and it's getting old. He's constantly acting like he doesn't understand people then giving compassionate speeches as though he does. I don't feel the development has been enough to make sense of this back and forth character traits.

Meanwhile, Maisie Williams' character is brilliant. I admit some bias as I love her as an actress. Her character is undeveloped; I do realize that. But there's so much potential. She could have easily been another jack harknass or River Song repeating character used much long. This is likely due to her part in Game of Thrones, but that speaks to the fact they should have never had such a famous actress in that role if that is the case. Repeating characters don't happen nearly enough in a story about a time traveler. I love repeating characters because you bring in different relationships. It's okay to have complexity (see Game of Thrones, viewers are not stupid). One episode was not enough to develop the pain and trauma she underwent or the realization that her pain and trauma did not mean she actually didn't care. This was immortality the doctor created. This wasn't some river song tardis accident (still not really explained) or Rose Tyler God result. This was the doctor. Willingly giving this child eternal life and not waiting to explain the consequences. Their explanation for why he couldn't take her on the Tardis was actually decent, but it doesn't excuse leaving someone alone to deal with the consequences of his actions. They could've spent the whole season on developing that relationship alone. They could have kept her for multiple seasons as a reoccurring balance to the doctor. The one who helps the ones the doctor leaves behind. And no. She was a four episode character who was rushed through the woodwork.

I'm excited for Billy. I've heard some great things about her. I'm going to keep watching because all I've been telling people for years since my hiatus started was that I wanted a female doctor, and they've finally given it. Plus, I'm hoping some of the early brilliance returns with realistic characters, fully developed plotlines now that Moffat's reign of terror is coming to a close. A woman can dream right?

Rant over.

#doctor who #twelth doctor #eleventh doctor #thirteenth doctor #female doctor #steven moffat #spoilers #kind of #amy pond #rory #clara oswald #billy #female companions #companions #bad plots #unfinished plots #underdeveloped plots #underdeveloped characters #wasted potential

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travelerbypage · 5 years

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Book Review: The Rules of Love and Grammar

Book: The Rules of Love and Grammar

Author: Mary Simses

Genre: Fiction/Small Town/Romantic Comedy

Summary: Newly jobless, newly single, and suddenly apartmentless, writer Grace Hammond has come unmoored. A grammar whiz who's brilliant at correcting other people's errors, she hasn't yet found quite the right set of rules for fixing her own mistakes. Desperate to escape the city and her trifecta of problems, Grace hits pause and retreats to her Connecticut hometown. What begins as a short visit with her parents quickly becomes a far more meaningful stay, though, as she discovers that the answers to what her future holds might be found by making peace with - and even embracing - the past. As Grace sets out to change her ways and come to terms, finally, with the tragedy that took her older sister's life so many years ago, she rekindles a romance with her high school sweetheart, Peter, now a famous Hollywood director who's filming a movie in town. Sparks also fly at the local bike shop, where Grace's penchant for pointing out what's wrong rattles the owner's ruggedly handsome schoolteacher son, Mitch. Torn between the promise of a glamorous life and the allure of the familiar, Grace must decide what truly matters - and whether it's time for her to throw away the rule book and bravely follow her heart. -Little, Brown and Company, 2016.

With a lazy Saturday, it doesn't take much to finish a book - particularly a book like this one. The reason I classified this book as a romantic comedy is because it reads like one. In fact, I would be shocked if the movie for this book isn't already in the works. Now, just because I say "movie", doesn't mean it was necessarily a perfect read.

This book is like the antithesis of my previous read (The Book of Lost and Found). Where I loved the careful pacing of the former, Rules was so fast in pace, I think I got whiplash. The characters here are your small town romance archetypes - the clumsy, unaware-of-her-own-beauty heroine, the calm, always-there-for-you best friend, the archenemy who has the fake looks and is always popular - you know the ones. After realizing that, I knew exactly how this was going to go.

There is a love (?) triangle (of sorts). In fact, there was almost a love square, but I feel like Simses was told to cut down on the potential love interests. Because of that, the potential third beau's plot line is cut off and withered. A pity since it had the potential to be genuinely interesting.

I put the question mark earlier because, to put it plainly, readers are told of a romance. It's all up to Grace to tell the reader how Mitch and Peter are acting, but she tells you very little. The reader can see that she is obsessed with Peter; so much so you wonder how Peter put up with her. As someone attuned to second hand embarrassment, there were many, many moments in this book where I had to close the book and walk off my embarrassment for Grace because she was putting herself in situations that would horrify most people (see common romantic comedy tropes).

As for Mitch, you know it's supposed to be the love/hate relationship setup, but it's never shown where hate becomes love. You have to believe that it happens simply because you're told, and that's what's expected of the trope.

In fact, a lot of the plot itself is telling, not showing. Simses can certainly describe locations and people, but rarely does she allow relationships and situations to flow naturally without telling the reader anything.

There's also a tone problem with this book. While Grace runs around with her beaus, she's confronting the guilt she feels after the death of her older sister. While love troubles and unconfronted grief are not necessarily exclusive to each other, there is a way of going about it. The book's tone screams romantic comedy so much that when it comes time for the more somber moments, the tonal shift hasn't properly occurred. There are scenes where not even a whole paragraph before, Grace is waxing poetic about her love life, and then suddenly she's talking about her dead sister. The scenes aren't given time to breathe and settle - they seem rushed in order to get back to the romance shenanigans. In fact, to give minor spoilers, it's hard to reconcile that a woman who can have a fight with her father over being her sister's replacement for his expectations can also be the same woman who gets perfume sprayed on her by comically screeching fangirls. It's very, very odd.

So, for me, while the book is charming in its own way, it's a little too comedic and the pacing, for me, is way, way too fast. It feels rushed, so I couldn't really enjoy it. I felt like I was spun on a swing until I was cross-eyed, especially at the end. Conflicts are resolved so quickly, I almost did a double-take.

I give The Rules of Love & Grammar a C+.

~*~

Please support the author by buying the book or by borrowing it from a friend or your local library.

Thanks for reading!

#book review #The Rules of Love & Grammar #Mary Simses

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twerkstallion · 7 years

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Cars 3 Review!

MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW CUT

I saw Cars 3 on June 15th at 7pm, and wrote my thoughts down after retuning home to keep my tradition on-model with my old Cars 2 review. I’m a fan, I have to review!

Three things to describe Cars 3?

Beautiful

Too short!

Whiplash

First off, let me say that Cars 3 was a success! It was nowhere near the devastatingly deterred Cars 2, although it didn’t quite match the original as I hoped either. I was a bit bored at times, and even disappointed occasionally. But mostly? It was great. I might even go see it a second time soon. It was beautifully animated, lit, and shaded. I couldn’t have enjoyed the technical aspects of the visuals more. The film packed a lot into 109 minutes, another seven or so minutes would have done it justice and served some much needed quiet or a deeper look into Cruz and McQueen’s triumphs. The whiplash is from the “FLOOR IT” pacing, by god, it almost felt like Cars 2 at times. Even though this film had a lot of things going on, it could have used more. I’m too tired to explain this. It would have honestly been much better if we had less clips and hints released! If you went in spoiler-free, you’re in for a treat!

The good: -Lightning has some really funny, heartfelt, important, and dramatic scenes and it’s all I ever wanted. -the moonlit race is beautiful! -Cruz with race exhaust is a sound I won’t soon forget! -We did end up getting a peek inside the wild imagination of Lightning McQueen once more, even if it was a brief, frightening hallucination. -the humor in the first few minutes of the film is joyous! Lightning, Bobby and Cal were an amazing team of friends! (I do wish we had seen Bobby win though!) -miss fritter’s nervous/proud/“best behavior” tv smile -Lightning’s comment about Cruz “getting to” Jackson was brilliant -funny thought: someone finally took Lightning’s tires away, stranded him on a lift, and pissed him off. This scenario was the first thing I thought of after I saw the original CARS trailer back in winter of 2006. I love how this wound up into the films. -Lightning waiting outside sterlings office after he broke the simulator was both tense and cute, like a kindergartner waiting outside the principals office as much as his whole career hinged on the following moments. -Cruz being proud of her thunder hollow trophy was precious and fitting. It’s fantastic to see a first win, and what that does for a character. -Lightning has some of his best moments when he’s talking to his best friend Mater, and his most revealing moments are during a late night homesick Skype call with his buddy. -the view from sterlings office is peak rich person -Jackson showed some insecurity and emotion towards the end and I loved that -when the racers Cruz’s age compliment her incredible debut, it set up a respectful, competitive future for Cruz and it was a relief to see

Neutral: -Sterling and Jackson were both VICIOUS in their own ways- Sterling used his power over Cruz to emotionally flatten her, and Jackson physically lashes out in his anger. Both antagonists displayed very real and very frightening male aggression. And honestly? So did Lightning. (More on that below) -Lightning’s instant knowledge of Smokey is only comprehensible if you understand that Lightning is a big history nerd. If you don’t recognize this character trait, his sudden focus on Smokey is jarring.

The bad: -I wanted to love Cruz more, but the movie doesn’t give you much to work with. (I still love her tho. Not as much as I want to but I do) -when Lightning gives up at the Florida 500, I didn’t want to be sad but I was. My stomach almost sank to the floor at the loss. The end result of the race mends this, but it doesn’t last long. -the stock photos are used with a very heavy hand, they could have put more effort into making original shots for something that would have so much screen time. -Lightning throws an absolute tantrum even when the stakes don’t seem too high, my jaw dropped even though I’ve known it’s coming for months! -Smokey was much more aloof than I expected. He’s probably just an alcoholic -too much precious screentime was used for flashbacks instead of new content, similar to one of the many errors of Cars 2. -Cruz spent way too much time being sad and I want to hug her. TELL HER SHE DID A GOOD JOB DAMMIT!! TELL HER!!!

The ugly: -The absence of Michael Keaton was so jarring I do not recall a single thing Chick Hicks said. After waiting 11 years for the return of the comedic villain, I found myself literally nearly covering my ears during his scenes. He was a complete imposter and I was shocked. -the rehashing of the Cars 1 score over and over again was a major distraction. I was looking forward to more new content for the score. -the passage of time is only explained twice in the film and it wasn’t enough. The stakes would have felt higher if the time frame for training was made clear.

The strange: -Tex ex-machina -(I’m pretty sure Tex would straight up suck McQueen’s dick is he asked) -the focus on the singer in the bar was so drawn out I had to look away out of sheer awkwardness. She just. Is a weird looking forklift. -I was trying to figure out where Rusty and Dusty were skyping from and TBH it looked like a hospital? No idea

BEST PART: when Lightning naturally fits into the roll of crew chief and he and Cruz FINALLY become partners, their teamwork is beautiful and the whole movie clicked!

WORST PART: unfortunately, I hated the scenes with Chick. I was so looking forward to them too.

Best new character: Jackson, Natalie, Cruz, and Fritter were all awesome new additions!! I loved them all. The 90 or so new racer characters were fantastic too! Worst new character: Smokey. He wasn’t very memorable. And of course sterling. I liked him as a character until the end where he tries to turn his attitude back around on Cruz. It was so sloppy lmao

#CONFIRMED: -McQueen and Sally are NOT married -cars have body odor -there is a short epilogue of snapshots -the end credits scene is just. Mater. -Lightning McQueen DOES sing… terribly -not only does Jackson Storm listen to dubstep, he BLASTS it! -TWO new marvelous McQueen nicknames: Cupcake and Stinky -does Lightning McQueen is depression? Yes. -the trailer Mack hauls is NOT soundproof by a long shot HOLY SHIT -“mackie-boy” -how many gross things does Lightning McQueen get in his mouth THIS TIME?? Stay tuned to find out!! (A lot) -McQueen says something that SOUNDS LIKE he implies he ships cruzon lmao -I forget what he named them but McQueen named his tires and it was good

Final verdict: not as good as Cars 1 but blessedly not terrible. Also sterling can suck my ass

#cars 3 #movie review #pixar cars #cars fandom

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rachelbethhines · 7 years

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Is it for me?

The Cushing Era

The Peter Cushing films

During the 60s, Doctor Who, and the Daleks especially, proved so popular that they received two feature films about them. Spearheaded by the Daleks’ creator Terry Nation with Peter Cushing as the Doctor.

Where to Start

While Dr. Who and the Daleks is meant to come before Daleks – Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D., you can pretty much watch either on their own since they don’t really connect.

However if you do enjoy both films you might also want to check out At the Earth's Core. Many Peter Cushing fans see this film as an unofficial spiritual successor. Seeing as he plays what is essentially the same character in it as well.

Continuity

Unlike most Doctor Who media, the Dalek movies are not considered canon by the BBC. However Doctor Who doesn’t have an “official” canon anyways so what does that matter? But if you are a continuity nut, there are three popular fan theories that you can choose from to incorporate the films into the television show.

First one has the Dalek films be in universe movies about the Doctor. Companions Barbara and Ian wrote a book about their adventures and a movie company snatched up the rights and made the Cushing films. This is supported in some of the expanded media giving it a little more credence, but creates a lot of plots holes. Like why would Rose and others not recognize a Dalek if there was a popular movie about them? Why would UNIT allow a film concerning one of their top agents be made and released? Little things like that.

The second and perhaps most widely accepted fan theory is that this is an Alternate Universe Doctor.

The last fan theory, and the one I personal subscribe to, is that this is the 10.5 Doctor grown old. This is because it helps to explain some of the discrepancies between the show the movies. Like why the film Doctor is human and not an alien, how both Barbara and Susie are his granddaughters (bonus for shippers they’re both blondes like Rose), why he has the surname Who and doesn’t go solely by “The Doctor”, why he would get the idea to build the TARDIS out of a police box, why the Doctor suddenly has a niece in the second film and where she came from (remember Pete and Jackie had a second kid), and why events would be repeating themselves since it’s still in an alternate universe.

The only hiccup in this theory is that this Doctor doesn’t remember the events from the old universe, but considering that he is a timelord trapped in an ageing human body, it’s not hard to believe that he would be forgetful. Which also helps to explain some of the personality differences.

Tone

Despite both Dalek films being adaptations of the first two Dalek serials in the tv show, the movies couldn’t be farther apart in tone even if they tried. While the series is a serious and often bleak adventure posing moralist questions, the films are cozy comedic action filled romps.

Now some criticize the movies of tonal whiplash as it shoves comedy scenes in what were originally tales of mass murder and destruction. While others find the films more fun to watch because they’re less taxing. They have a shorter running time than the originals, can be seen on their own without needing to know several hours of previous continuity, and levy the darker moments with humor; never lingering too long on the deaths unlike the series which makes a point to acknowledge the ramifications of each one.

The Doctor

Cushing sought the make the part of the Doctor is own and because of this his portrayal is the near complete opposite of Hartnell’s. This is very much a good thing that helps the films to stand apart from their tv counterparts. While the first Doctor is gruff, willful, and morally ambiguous, Cushing’s Doctor is friendly, unassuming, and open. Even when being deceitful, he still has a child like innocence to him.

This makes Cushing unique amongst all the Doctor’s actually. Every Doctor in the show has a hint of darkness to him. Either he wears it openly on his sleeve along with his good points, hides his more sinister nature under an unassuming air, or is haunted by past dark deeds. Cushing’s Doctor is a pure hero through and through and that can be appealing to some. Which is why you’ll sometimes find Doctor Who fans who are solely fans of the films and don’t care for any of the televised series.

The Companions

Ian - The Ian of the films is also the complete opposite of the Ian of the tv show. This Ian is a bumbling good-natured coward. He is the primary comic relief of the film with whole scenes, written specifically for the film only, that are dedicated to his antics. It would be easy to despise this in-name-only counterpart if not for two things. First his actor, Roy Castle is a top notch physical performer who sells the slapstick. And second, Ian is the only character in either movie who has something of a character arc; an unwilling adventurer who must learn to be brave and fight monsters.

Barbara - In the movie Babs is both the Doctor’s granddaughter and Ian’s love interest from the get go. She serves the same plot functions as the tv Barbara but without the depth and character development. There’s no character arc about learning to be selfless and brave, no slow burn romance that blooms over the course of years, and no moral dilemmas over using the Thals as a means to an end. This is a Barbara without any teeth to her. She’s not unlikable nor a pointless damsel, but there’s no shaking the feeling that she’s a pale shadow of someone else.

The only thing that helps her stand out is that she is reading a science text book at the beginning of the film, implying she’s a brilliant science major rather than a history teacher. In some ways it ironically feels like Barbara and Ian switched roles for the movie.

Susan - Also known as Susie, is the only companion to be in both films. She’s also the only Doctor Who companion to be an actual child. As such she comes across as your generic precocious kid character. In terms of plot importance she hits the same important plot beats as tv Susan, but without the other worldly paranoia. Which is due more to the change in tone between the two mediums rather than the character’s younger age.

However the age factor does change things in the squeal as Susan is no longer old enough to have a love interest or a coming of age story. Instead she fulfills the plot function of tv Barbara; an outsider lost in a now hostile world. But without the depth and kick-assery of tv Barbara she becomes a mere spectator rather than an active participant in events.

Louise - Louise is the Doctor’s niece and is meant to replace Barbara as the female lead. Unfortunately since they siphoned off all of tv Barbara’s plot to Susie, Louise is left with nothing to do. The writers don’t even bother to make her a cliched love interest. She a nothing of a character with no defining traits or characteristics and serves no purpose to the plot. Which is a shame because her actress seems likable enough and is clearly trying, but she’s just not given anything to worth with.

Tom - Like Louise, Tom is meant to be a replacement for Ian. Unlike Louise though, he is given actual things to do and is relevant to the plot. He also has a semblance of a personality. Tom is a police officer who mistakes the Tardis as a real police box and gets caught up in the adventure. Played by fan favorite, Bernard Cribbins (aka Wilf), Tom is like a fusion between both the film Ian and the tv Ian. He’s heroic and capable of throwing a punch, but is also the main comedic relief of the film. Once again complete with slapstick scenes written solely for the film.

David Innes - In case you do decide to watch At the Earth's Core, David is the main hero of that film. He’s the Doctor’s partner in a scientific expedition, who travels with him to an underground civilization. As you’re stereotypical heroic action man, David ironically resembles Ian more so than Ian’s actual counterpart.

Personal Opinions

The various Cushing films are fun and good for a laugh, but I prefer the original show over all. I would argue that the televised versions of The Daleks and The Dalek Invasion of Earth are just better written. That said these films don’t deserve to be swept under the rug and forgotten by most of the fandom. If you got the time and access, I would recommend seeing them at least once. If nothing else, just to see a great actor’s unique take on a beloved icon.

#doctor who #classic who #peter cushing #first doctor #Dr. who and the daleks #daleks - invasion earth : 2150 A.D.

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