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tlgtw · 2 months

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Aside fromsoft, are there any fantasy game settings/stories you're into?

Like what was the first game that pulled you in and before you realized you were checking dialogue for inconsistencies?

Zoooooomg, I *wish* had any other answer for this but the first game that "pulled me in" indeed WAS a Fromsoft game; and it was Bloodborne.

This came around a few months after it came out, (Meaning I was 14.) and I'd wanted Bloodborne the whole time because of how wicked fucking awesome it looked. (even if perhaps I was a little too young for it.)

I can't remember how, but by some means or another leading up to or concurrently with Bloodborne's initial release I got into all the "Loretubers" from that time, as they're known now.

VaatiVidya of course--most likely he was the first person I ended up watching, but also the other ones. Like the one who wrote that big book about it basically called like "The Paleblood Hunt" or something, and a few others!

The most significant of which I can tell you for a fact was the 'late' Jerks Sans Frontieres.

Her videos shot straight into my spinal cord because she wasn't a summarizer. She, in a similar sense that I am now, was a detective.

At that point I was still purely an audience-member for that latent genre of YouTube videos. As the consumer I enjoyed all of them, but I liked her's best. And I must've rewatched each of her Bloodborne videos at least a half-dozen times before I finally got my hands on the game myself--for my 15th birthday--and I got *so* scared by my experience in Central Yharnam that I think it took me days to pick up the controller again the second time.

I legitimately considered returning it! It was my first FromSoft game. I'd never played something that just, say, *didn't* have background music all the time, for example. I remember it still, clear as day, how unnerving it was just walking around the early areas hearing just your footsteps and the background rumble and when I was unlucky the screaming sounds of the crows and other enemies.

Precisely, when I first came up that ladder to the Central Yharnam checkpoint, when I heard the scream of the Cleric Beast, it scared me out of my wits so goddamn hard that I stopped moving for like 15 seconds.

I was still *just* turned 15, but at that point I had watched all of Bloodborne over and over again like 80 times. I'd watched tutorials and build guides and cheese strats and weapon movesets and everything else I could about that game, before I finally got my hands on it. I thought I would be, at least, ultimately okay. Cause I would still know everything I'd have to do.

I was wrong.

But I did get through it, hahaha.

In-fact I ended up getting through it so hard that by the time I got my hands on the actual DLC, my main save file was in NG++. So the first time I beat The Old Hunters was in NG++.

Fortunately I was very grinded-up so I think ultimately the experience balanced out.

And nowadays I've beaten Bloodborne so many times that I have the entire level of Central Yharnam actually memorized. Until a few years ago could've draw an accurate map of it from memory (and I have).

With Bloodborne being my introduction, as it were, to the concept of Videogame Story Explained Videos, it was also my introduction to the concept of seriously reading a videogame's story in the first place.

What this wasn't, yet, was me actually going in *myself* to actually cross-reference item descriptions and dialogue, for my *own* understanding. You don't do that sorta thing unless you're specifically involved in discussion. And I was involved in *no* discussions in 2015, or 2016, or '17 or '18 or '19 or anything all the way up to until 2022, because online I have the tendencies of a weird hermit.

Although that is me exaggerating. In truth prior to my dealings with Elden Ring I had been a Redditor and I talked (argued) about the story details of Little Nightmares 1 and 2 (My favourite games.) on the subreddit for those games. By then I had already become the kind of person I am still now, most of all in my disinterest in finding any answers regarding a fictional story that can't account for every extant element... of that story. (As you've seen, and will see more of in Episode X of ERwSET. When an idea I have appears to conflict with work in subject, I drop the idea. And develop one that doesn't conflict with it instead. This is opposed to the alternative of making up reasons or justification to keep the initial idea regardless)

No doubt doing that instead would probably make me a lot more content to make money with... Personally, doing so isn't engaging to me, because I am already someone who writes fiction. And in my opinion, "Videogame Story Explained Videos" are fundamentally a non-fiction genre of video, and for me are more interesting in general when they conform to that, because they interface directly with the media itself, and the material that media's author's put into it. Rather than just the individual video creator's personal experience of that media, of that material.

In part this comes from my background as someone who writes poetry and fiction. Of course.

*Of course,* an author who writes and puts meanings into material themselves, finds themselves more interested dissecting the material and creative decisions of *other authors,* who do the same thing, as opposed to the material and creative decisions of just *other readers.* Who most of them don't--generally maintaining more humane professions and areas of expertise instead.

And probably this is rooted into my tendencies as a 'weird hermit,' too. But, from my perspective, if I wanted to see what a fellow member of the audience thinks are the inner working of this character or imagines regarding the off-screen elements of a story, I would read their fanfiction.

...

That is of course reductive, but I think saying it like that is really funny, so that's why I'll be still saying it xd.

"Everyone consumes, but not everyone makes," you could say. The same way there are less farmers than people in the world. There are less writers than readers in the world. When I analyze a work of fiction, underneath it all what I'm looking for is to see what decisions the authors made, for *their final product:* "What does that do?" "What does this do?" "If it was different, what would that make?" "What does this matter? Does it?"

"Would I do this too?"

And this interest excludes the question of 'why,' predominantly. I'm not interested so much in wanting to know 'why,' because the only way to learn that is if the author themselves actually decides to share "why." I'm interested just in what the final decisions "are."

"Why'd the author decide to make this character do this?" Well, maybe they were really hungry that day. Or maybe they saw an ad on TV. Or maybe they were talking to their friend about something unrelated and their friend happened to say a phrase in a peculiar and cool way and the author decided he wanted to make use of that, too. And everything else that encompasses the spectrum of the human experience.

"Why" is whatever it wants, it's not like it would change what the final product "is," right?

And of course this doesn't preclude the fact that author's can just *lie* about their motivations too. For that reason, actually trying to find out 'why' is generally an impossible task.

And I'm not interested in pursuing those/I'm not interested in not #winning.

Perhaps this, you could say, then, is the ultimate source of my attitude. Not in the way that it's why I actually decided to write and draw and voice and edit my 80% Elden Ring lore series and 15% weird cartoon; "Elden Ring Explained with Snake-Eyes Teieruji." I did all those for completely circumstantial reasons! (And I go into detail about them in Issue #0 of the Kinda-Monthly Newsletter.)

Nor even in how my show is... the way it is! 'Cause even that is just me being really really slow and meticulous, (as you've no doubt suffered) and anyone can act like that~!

But it is, perhaps, what made me come up with the idea of making such a show as ERwSET, at all, in the first place. (And you can also read about the *second* major exclusion in my recounting here from that same article in Newsletter #0, which was the Sekiro-related project for which Snake-Eyes Teieruji was actually created, that didn't end up going anywhere.)

You'd have be a pretty specific kind of chucklehead to actually think of doing, specifically all this; y'know?

But you may be surprised to learn that I'm normally not like this at all, when I play videogames. Most of my creative energy in such regards are channeled into my poetry, art, and fiction. When I eat games, or movies, or books or TV, I don't really feel a want to find out "exactly what the author did for this character" or "exactly what elements of this scene connect with another scene" because I guess, perhaps, I'm too occupied with enjoying myself...

Hm.

Well, maybe it'll be more accurate to say that what I'm presenting, "of myself" in ERwSET, is effectively extremely extremely scripted and deliberate.

I spend months writing my scripts. (sorry about that.) And those months include the meticulous cross-referencing and fact-checking that gives those videos their noticeable pow.

It's a large amount of *work,* that that is. The desk-jockeying kind. And it's not something that can just do itself when you're relaxing playing any game normally. (I'll never just stop what I'm doing while playing a game to fact-check whether I'm currently right about something, while I'm still in the middle of playing it.

For example in my first playthrough of Elden Ring: I wasn't actually sure how Marika's name was spelled until I had finished my first playthrough. That I wasn't sure if it was "Marika" or "Merika" at the time just legitimately didn't concern to me. I just didn't pay that close of attention whenever I passed a Church of Marika or whatever to actually remember how it spelled her name, afterwards.

I actually kept a journal to keep track of all of my sidequests and stuff for my first playthrough, too! So maybe here's another example, haha:

And here's one more dfbjkskjdbfbkjsdkjbfsjdsf. These are all things I actually wrote down in the middle of playing the game so reading these myself is really fucked up I just remember what I was doing when I wrote them:

What I'm referring to as 'the fucking castle' there is actually what I thought the Siofra Aquaduct was, the first time I saw it, hahaha. I was even a little bummed out when I actually got to it, I'll admit. I thought it was gonna be an entire dungeon.)

In any case;

The experience of *creating* something, and the experience of *consuming* something, are just fundamentally incomparable things.

You could never figure out how houses are built by just living in one, even if you lived in one for a really long time. Right?

It's that very sort of thing; in terms of cross-referencing dialogue and noting game-wide consistencies and inconsistencies for discrepancies and explanations, no playing a game inspired me do that, or could. It was my becoming an author of fiction that inspired me to do that, and my burgeoning desire to understand the decisions *other authors* made, for *their* fiction.

"I wanna know how to do that too." Right?

Eventually this desire lead to me writing poems instead.

Which lead to me (once I finally became good enough at writing to realize--as related in that poem I flashed from highschool in ERwSET1) disavowing the written word entirely! TOO limited for me, I though...!

Pictures have WAY more pow than words!!!

And that's how I got into drawing...

(which are like *way* more powerful than words, right, like it's not even comparable, the only thing words are up-to-down unbeatable at is, indeed, non-fiction... but also in being a trillion times faster than everything else to actually work with. I have returned to the written word, since then, as you might tell. And I'll tell you that writing also has one advantage that no other skill on Earth has--and that's you can practice it using only your head. Every other skill needs equipment, lit only needs words.)

...which is lead me to my foray *now;* the likes of 2-dimensional medias like video! (visual + audio)

:DDD

But that's maybe not the kind of question you were actually asking, either... so...

Y'know... maybe it actually *is* Elden Ring, that's what 'pulled me in'.

I'm pretty far-in-deep right now in this, aren't I? And I've certainly never been this deep in something before!

How... did I get here...!?

I talk all about this in Issue 0 of the Newsletter as well but it's because of how Elden Ring served to combined FromSoftware's skills in atmosphere, the acting of the characters, visuals + audio, and gameplay, with George RR Martin's skills in actually have a coherent plot to present with those elements.

I've stated so before so I'll say so again that earlier FromSoft games such as Bloodborne and (especially) Dark Souls 3 are, to *a* meaningful extent, "not worth" looking into closely from a narrative perspective. In the way that their stories were never purposely finished.

The Soulsborne games have the reputation of having stories that are predominantly based on vibes, and that's not by accident. They are based on vibes.

Gameplay, atmosphere, acting, etc. Those are things that dictate the vibes. But they're not precise. You can't find the definitive answer to a character motivation in their boss theme, that's music.

*Power,* of course, they have in spades, but obviously not any 'precision.'

As we know, Bloodborne had a lot of cut content. And Dark Souls 3.

And as a result of the same internal situations (i.e. real life reasons like time, budget, and workforce) that lead to all that content being cut, a number of the questions you would ask regarding the plot details in those games, literally do not have answers *in* those games.

The stories of Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3 are ambiguous. But not in the way that there are multiple answers: In the way that there are *no* answers.

Again, that isn't by accident. The games themselves are obviously, literally, finished products. It was deliberate decisions made during production to *remove* material communicating parts of the story, for variable reasons, from what would become the finished product.

Thus, leading to parts of "the story" being, for the reader; missing.

Most people will frame this as equivalent to "the audience deciding what the truth is." And I think this is completely inaccurate.

"The audience can choose what the truth is" is when there would be multiple possible answers. (Little Nightmares 1 and 2 are my favourite games.)

"The audience can *never* know what the truth is" is when there are no possible answers.

And in my opinion they are completely different narrative outcomes. They shouldn't be equated.

...

...not acknowledging, of course, the *massive* amount of subjective legwork the word 'possible' is doing there, with those vibes-based definitions:

"Possible" as in, coherent with what is (percieved to be) in the text... by the reader?

Or "possible" as in, literally possible to be imagined by someone... such as the reader, whoever that happens to be?

The topic is only more complex from there. (All into academia and shit tho I wouldn't know I'm an art school dropout.)

And... almost definitely that's also not what you asked, either...

Hm...

Well, I ask that you forgive me.

As for *why* Elden Ring was special to me, circumstantially, such that it lead to my actually making ERwSET, the explanation for that will remain in Issue 0 of the Members-Only Kinda-Monthly Newsletter.

As to *what* lead to me becoming this way, as you see before you? (Insane.) I hope I was able to answer it.

As for RECOMMENDATIONS, for games in general, that inspire ME, personally!?!?!? (Specifically, in the way that they inspired me to think about the setting and wonder about how things in there connect. These listing might look random but I'm positive they're exactly what you might mean in you including, specifically, what "settings" I'm into. Albeit, you are getting this from a poet. So... there is that as well. I hope if you end up looking into any of these that you do end up pleased with the experience.)

Hohokum (2014), for PS4 and PC

GRIS (2018), for basically everything

Bloodborne (2015), but note it standing directly *on* Elden Ring

Minute of Islands (2021) for PC and consoles

The surrealist artbook "Codex Serafinianus" by Italian artist Luigi Serafini (originally published in 1981, but still added to by him occasionally with an updated 40th anniversary edition having been released in 2021.)

Gorogoa (2017), for basically everything again

Child of Light (2014), also, for basically everything, somehow

Flower (2009), available on PC (and I really cannot overstate how important 'Flower' is to me, I didn't even know games could *be* like that, before I played this)

And of course, my all-time favourite book "The Vine That Ate the South" by the band The Legendary Shack Shakers's basically only actual member, JD Wilkes. (A book that has all-but baked itself into my genome since I first read it in highschool, and the additional 29 times I've read it since. 'Cause I have been counting. I voraciously recommend the Audible-licensed Recorded Books and RB Digital audiobook version; the narrator T. Ryder Smith's voice is a trillion bucks for that book.)

And y'know what I think I'm wanting to mirror this answer directly into the Kinda-Monthly Newsletter itself. Not all my readers follow me on Tumblr, even fewer'll be online at the right time as to actually *see* this post this before it's buried under everything else I'll post afterwards, and I've just spent the last few hours enjoying the hell out of myself writing all 3100 words of it, gyahahahhahaha!!

So, for those who aren't reading this!

Look forward towards seeing it the first time, in Issue #1 of the T-L-G-T-W Official Fanclub Members-Only Kinda-Monthly Newsletter. (The Issue that'll be available for free.)

My reader, I also hope you don't mind your ask ending up inspiring me to do this. But you might be the first of more, too.

So for now, going forward for any questions and answers such as these asked to me (even anonymously) on Tumblr blog, that activate me like this one has; *they* might just end up in the *next* Issue of the Newsletter, too...!

I can't say for certain I'll announce every that do, ahead of time.

But, maybe... you'll just be able to just... tell. Somehow.

#tlgtw ask #did not expect all of this to come out of me i will not lie #but... i guess I am just predilicted towards this kind of thing. too.#not even gonna lie I really loved writing this xd. Literally brightened up my day.#Thank you anonymous asker. I really appreciated your question.

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valkyrieandstrangeridingaragorn · 1 year

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Just had a realisation that I’d like to share: I don’t have any drive to rewatch any of the new marvel movies and I feel like that says something about them.

I constantly rewatch all the avengers movies, cap movies .. etc, but I’ve not even considered rewatching MoM or NWH or even the new guardians movie (I know it’s new but that didn’t stop me with Avatar:WoW), It’s like I don’t care about them, there’s nothing memorable to laugh at, they’re just one watch and nothing else, as if there’s nothing new to see once you’ve finished it the first time.

I’ve come to realise that with the old movies there’s new things you can discover in a rewatch, even if you watch it a hundred times there’s still details you can miss or dialogue you can find another meaning inside, with the new releases there’s none of that, it’s like everything needs to be explained to you constantly + the dialogue is so bland there’s nothing else you can take from it besides the base meaning (not to mention the fact that the acting hardly seems to fit what’s being said anymore).

That's probably the biggest risk of expanding the MCU universe to so many movies and series and specials, etc. Many times it seems the entire point of one movie is to sell the next product, and I know Feige hates this word but it seems like they're putting out content, not telling stories.

I feel like in the past we learned new things about the main characters but these days they mostly wait for things to happen to them. It's like watching a movie where the story could happen to anyone else and it still would work. Replace Scott with any other character in Quantumania... does it change anything? Take Stephen out of MoM... does anything change? Do we learn anything new about Thor in L&T?

You need Steve and Bucky in TWS. Scott and Hope and Hank are essential for Ant-Man &The Wasp. CW only works (well it doesn't, but you know what I mean) because the rift is in the Avengers team.

Dunno, the way I see it we care about those stories because the characters are there. Now they're the excuse to get people to care about the stories... they did a 180 and I'm not sure it's working for some of us.

It's probably worth mentioning though that we have seen the conclusion of the first 3 phases so it's easier to go back to the old movies and draw parallels between certain words and actions and tie them to what happened afterwards. It's what people are doing now with Rocket post-Vol 3. But of course, this can only be done when the stories are so well-crafted that they have a coherent ending. You can't watch L&T and draw any parallels, if anything you can only see how blatant Thor's character regression is...

#mcu critical #mcu salt

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winterlovesong1 · 9 months

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btvs s6e7: once more, with feeling

As an outsider before becoming a fan (as of very recent), I had not only heard of the episode, but had the outskirt knowledge of how historical it was…how it had set the precedent for the type of episode it was… to use a hyperbole…(or perhaps not)…

A television musical…not done spectacularly…until…Once More With Feeling…

And so, I did have some set of expectations going into the viewing, and yet watching it, seeing it for the first time, fresh eyes, fresh audience, I can truly say what an amazing episode of television it was…is…will forever be. I’m writing it here for myself, but also probably, most likely, paraphrasing some essayist who noted it more profoundly in the past… but all television musical episodes are imitating what the Buffy musical accomplished. And so, in receiving this ask, in attempting to answer it, to pick my favorite scene, from one of my favorite series, I’m really trying to look at it objectively…

But I’m afraid I love it too much to look at it objectively. So here is a very fan-based answer with some ship leaning tendencies…

(read under the cut because it's lengthy)

Send me an episode from a show I follow/watch and I’ll name my favorite scene and why

There are the less glittery moments I could choose, the memorable, but not framed as full musical event number… the mustard lyric…Anya’s bunny rock interval…the various interjections of dialogue that refer to the oddness of why the music/singing is occurring in the first place…

Then there are the showcases…

The opening number…Buffy’s song “Going Through the Motions” – our heroine/protagonist introducing the audience to the venture ahead…condensed into minutes, the character is only allowed to sing in lyric to set the stage for the audience…and in our case, in Buffy’s case, it’s what she’s been coping with in the specific season, but also arguably, since arriving at the precipice of growing up and realizing there’s not just social expectations on the horizon, but expectations, supernatural forces, laid upon her she must meet…and defeat…and yet here is our heroine/protagonist singing of her heart…and how it no longer contains what it did…once…

To get light for a minute, I also enjoy the parody of the number - from musicals of the bygone era as she rids every creature who dares to enter her path – rather than greet or laugh with those along the street…in this case the cemetery…

Moving on, one of my favorite musicals is RENT and thus, I am noted as a lover of rock musical numbers. Enter Spike’s “Rest in Peace.” A song, from what I assume, was based on the musical rock tradition. And yet, it’s crafted with lyrics that are speckled with the character’s traits – banter – brooding – melancholy – love…and just as with Buffy’s introductory song, it’s speaking from his heart…plus there’s James’ voice singing the lyrics…

I’m going to stop before my continuous draws into rambling…

“Walk Through the Fire” – guilty, a very catchy song for myself that I often find humming along to now absentmindedly since watching the episode (rewatching…) Maybe the closest to that choral number showcased midpoint in the musical when the acts are transitioning…maybe the closest to that musical pop hit hence why it finds a place between my ears so often…

And last, but never final, because their story is only halfway through at this point in the tale, and seems to be continuing in print form (though I have not read any of the comics), but this, for the time, for the episode, is the final scene of this musical – the “Coda” as its officially titled – tension building, continuing to build as it has for several scenes, for several seasons, this time though, this is their time, suspended in lyric and melody, the episode ends, closing the curtain, with Buffy and Spike, with a kiss, one many members of the audience have been waiting for maybe as long as the characters, and yet, we never could have imagined something so spectacular – standing ovation for all.

In receiving this ask, in attempting to answer it, I did pick my favorite scenes, not one, but several, from one of my favorite series, and so I hope this very fan-based answer with some ship leaning tendencies was worth the read.

#tv: buffy the vampire slayer #spuffy #spuffy things

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sticks-and-souls · 1 month

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20 Questions for Writers

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Only 5. Some of y'all write so fucking fast.

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

19,583

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Basically just star wars, and within that, just The Clone Wars (but in my defense, that is a highly diverse universe). But I daydream around whatever media I'm consuming so if something sticks, I may write it (like Loki).

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Lmao, all five that I've written! But Battle Scars (star wars) and Moribund (loki) are basically tied in first place with each other.

5. Do you respond to comments?

Listen, I get really in my head about it. Like the answer is "yes" but also if it's been too long....then I feel like it's too late (RIP all comments for the 2nd chapter of Battle Scars). But comments are the BEST and I always appreciate it when an author responds to comments that I leave for them.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Ha! Moribund.

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Off Duty?

8. Do you get hate on fics?

No, thank god. I don't know what I'd do.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Not....yet........

10. Do you write crossovers?

No but I have read some especially good ones.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware of?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Not that I'm aware of? Seems unlikely.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, but I think it would be rad. If @mithrandirl ever wanders back to star wars I feel like we could create something great.

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Spuffy. The older I get the less I believe in "there's only one perfect person for you" and I'm much less rigid about who I ship characters with. But Spuffy hit me before that time and even in rewatches of the series there is something so deeply intimate in the way Buffy and Spike understand each other, validate their strengths and weaknesses, and complement one another in the best way possible for the lives that they're living.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I don't have time for your naysaying! I will finish them all if I have to live to be 200 to do it!

16. What are your writing strengths?

Having my characters feel very true to character, I think? And dialogue maybe?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Dude, I am so fucking slow at writing. My quality/speed relationship is a steep negative line.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

Does it strengthen the writing, the story, or the characters?

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Before I realized that formulating entire stories in your head, and revisiting them over and over again until they're memorized, even if you never actually write it down still counts as writing (to me), Artemis Fowl.

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

That's been posted? Battle Scars, but let the record show that Wa(te)r Born holds a very special place in my heart. I am deeply proud of the writing that I did there despite it being only 500 words.

But ultimately, my unpublished foxiyo fic is where my heart lies. Hopefully someday soon I'll start posting.

This is my extreeeeemely late response to @mithrandirl 's tag. I'm sitting at home sick so I'm not up for writing (is my excuse and I'm sticking with it) but I AM up for talking about writing. Tagging @ladysongmaster, @ninjigma, @captainlaurence, and @grave-cupcake, but if you write things consider this an open tag <3

#on writing #on fanfiction #questions game

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jailesbleu · 1 year

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My TV show favourites of all time

Life on Mars & Ashes to Ashes - they cannot be bested. Goated shows.

Doctor Who - RTD era only. Nostalgia n that.

Black Mirror - UK series’ only. I first watched it when I was 13 and it was …memorable to say the least.

Bob & Rose - a wonderful creation by RTD. Despite its simplicity, this is really something special. Very funny and excellent dialogue.

Queer as Folk - Groundbreaking. Fun. Camp.

Cucumber - I think of this as as a sequel/modern day equivalent to Queer as Folk.

Line of Duty - Series 1-3 only. Intense.

Bodies - Jed Mercurio’s show. Rather underrated and unknown by most. Highly recommended, especially if you like dark humour

Frasier - The most British American sitcom ever. I enjoyed up until Daphne and Niles got together.

Waterloo Road - Series 1-8 were so much fun to watch whilst at school.

Misfits - A really funny show that also happens to have some great sci fi elements. I didn’t expect to enjoy this one so much. It’s like “Skins” but far superior.

Breaking Bad - a classic. Despite being slow at times, those last episodes at the end of series 5 more than made up for it.

The Sopranos - I once saw a great fanfic writer explain the show perfectly: “the sopranos is to television what Dante’s inferno is to literature”. There’s a good reason this one is always put at the top of those “greatest tv shows of all time” lists. Watch it and find out. My mistake was watching this show too young - many jokes went over my head. Definitely due a rewatch :)

Game of Thrones - Series 1-4 are excellent, and do (fairly) well to stay true to the books. Series 5 onwards isn’t worth your time. Highly recommended to read the books first before watching the show!

This is going to hurt - I enjoyed this much more than I expected. The guy who plays the main character of the show does it really quite well.

Peep show - As i age, this show only becomes more relatable. British humour at its best

Brass Eye - Chris Morris is the GOAT! The original Ali G.

Jam - Another Chris Morris show. Everything he’s made is of the highest quality. Jam just happens to be one of the darkest shows I’ve ever watched. It’s pure genius but not for the faint of hearts. Lovely ambient soundtrack as well.

The thick of it - Malcolm Tucker is an icon. An awful but hilarious, raging mad Scottish legend. The political satire is off the charts good.

Green wing - Very silly, but very funny. There’s a twist in the end of series 1 that is genuinely unexpected. One of the most unique sitcoms you’ll watch.

Nathan Barley - Chris Morris and Charlie Brooke, two geniuses, get together to create a TV show. Of course it was going to be fantastic. This one took me a while to get into, but once I did, it made me laugh a lot.

The book group - I have a weird fondness for this. Highly recommended if you’re a book nerd.

The simpsons - the golden years made it one of the best shows ever. And it will never not be weird how the Simpson’s managed to be spot on with its predictions.

It’s a sin - Made me cry. A lot. Educated me as well. It’s a RTD show, of course I was going to love it.

End of the fucking world - a show I watched ages ago, but I remember liking a lot. Can’t remember too much of what happened, but I had a lot of affection for the characters.

Sex House - online series that can be watched on YouTube from the onion account. Despite the raunchy title, it’s anything but that. It’s a lot smarter than you would think it to be. Watch it. But don’t expect much sex.

Last tango in Halifax - not the type of show I usually enjoy. But the sally wainwrights writing make the characters endearing, and what might seem like a slow boring show spring into something funny and special.

Happy Valley - Sarah Lancashire…Christ on a bike, that woman can act.

Clocking Off - Series 1-2 are surprisingly great. I was mostly invested in Mac’s character, but the writing for most of the episodes is quality.

Humans - Series 1 was really enjoyable. Don’t remember the other series that well.

The Wire - Tragically I have only watched the first series, but it was really super. One of those shows that’s tricky to get into at first, but we’ll worth pursuing.

Death Note - Can i include anime here? Of course. I usually turn my nose up at anime actually, but this one is different to most. There is a cat and mouse dynamic between the two main characters L and Light. This drives the plot. It’s a remarkable show, one I like to rewatch every now and then.

Killing Eve - My oh my, this show went downhill fast. I include it as a favourite merely because series 1 alone was utter perfection.

Goodness gracious me - Asians are funny. Also cuts deep into racism in the uk at the time.

Sugar Rush - I really enjoyed watching this when I was a teen.

Luther - like killing eve and death note, there is a cat and mouse dynamic between Luther and Alice (a psychopath) in this show which is what makes it something special

The traitors - a reality show like no other. The game theory, particularly in the early episodes make this really fun to watch.

Years and Years - Yet more RTD. This one made me cry as well, inevitably, but it was also warm and fuzzy in places too.

#TV Shows #moi #ashes to ashes #life on Mars

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introvertguide · 2 years

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1994: A Great Year for Cinema

There seems to be a strange nostalgia for previous times amongst teens who did not live through that time. From what I have observed, the favored decade seems to be about 25-30 years prior to the current time. This specific time discrepancy makes me theorize that it has something to do with parents sharing their childhood stories with their kids, but I have no proof or research on this. I have noticed that as we have moved into the 2020's, the focus has shifted from the 80s to hit squarely on the 90s. This was my formative decade in which I was a teen and really first started to realize what was going on in the world. One thing that stands out to me was my introduction to quality film, and the best year for film in that decade was 1994. I want to take a little trip back to the mid 90s, and we can take a look at some of the great (and a couple terrible) films from the mid 90s. Minor Spoiler Warning: I am going to summarize some films with some spoilers, so be aware before reading further.

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Forrest Gump

This was the eventual Best Picture winner in a very contentious year for films. This is most definitely a complete story and deserving of the high praise it received. Tom Hanks also won the award for Best Actor and Robert Zemeckis won the award for Best Director. The movie is very memorable and the lines from Forrest are so quotable that it has made a lasting impression on the American subconscious. Definitely one of my favorite movies of all time and one of the best films to come out of the 90s.

Pulp Fiction

This was Quentin Tarantino's masterwork in the eyes of many and it was an example of standout acting for Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta, and Uma Thurman. This film paved the way for heavy dialogue and slick characters in mainstream action films that came after this. On the note of mainstream, this film was technically considered an independent film at the time, but all of the accolades have promoted it into the mainstream. Because of the non-linear timeline, this film is one of the most rewatchable pieces of media ever created.

The Shawshank Redemption

Arguably the best Stephen King adaptation of all time, this film is filled with great performances and a great script. The score is exceptional, and the cinematography is stand out. It is still ranked the best film of all time on IMDB members poll, and the Academy said they would have given this film Best Picture over Forrest Gump if the award was given today. Although I love Tom Hanks, this was objectively the smartest story and the best acting of the year. The prison escape reveal might be the best 10-15 minutes of storytelling in a Hollywood movie ever.

The Lion King

The highest grossing film of 1994, this was one of Disney's most successful animated films of all time. The music is great, the story is based off the Shakespearean story of Hamlet, and the animation was fantastic. Truly one of the Disney classics.

Interview with the Vampire

Cans you imagine a movie with both Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise? I can. This was a time when Ann Rice was writing horror novels that were bringing attention back to vampires and gothic atmosphere. This was also the breakout role for Kirsten Dunst, a little fashion model at the time. This was actually a really good movie and Tom Cruise as Lestat was pretty amazing. Definitely worth a watch.

Four Weddings and a Funeral

This was the beginning of the Hugh Grant as a romantic lead series written by Richard Curtis. This was the beginning of some of the most successful rom coms including Notting Hill, Bridgette Jones Diary, and Love Actually. Everybody loved that bumbling Hugh Grant character around the turn of the millennium, and this started it all. The film was actually nominated for both Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay. It was extremely well written, especially for a romantic comedy.

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective

I don't like this movie at all, but I recognize what a large effect it had on American culture. People who liked the film quoted lines incessantly and tried to convince others about how genius it really was. People who hated it used it as a point of reference about how bad movies had become. Either way, everybody was talking about this film in the mid 90s.

Dumb and Dumber

Why is Jim Carrey the king of smart dumb comedies? Well, the year was 1994 and he starred in two of the dumbest, strangely-praised-by-other-comedians films ever. This film and Ace Ventura really established Carey the go-to physical comedian for many years. Again, not a movie that I personally enjoyed, but worth giving a chance because some people really loved this movie.

Reality Bites

Not that great of a movie, to be honest, but maybe the most 90s grunge film of all time. It has a killer soundtrack and stars Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawk, Janeane Garofalo, and Ben Stiller. It is quite a Gen-X story of young adults in the 90s: something that Millennials seem to be very curious about.

Speed

This was a big, dumb action movie that really solidified Keanu Reeves as an action film badass and Sandra Bullock as a leading love interest. I have seen this film many times and always laugh at how stupid it is...yet, I go back and watch it again and really enjoy it. Maybe it is a guilty pleasure, but I feel it is a fun, dumb movie.

The Crow

This was a fantastic dark action film based on a comic. This was a start to things like Spawn and Blade, which eventually lead to things like Guardians of the Galaxy and Deadpool. This was also famously the film in which Brandon Lee (son of Bruce Lee) was accidently killed on set. The irony and tragedy behind the film made this a really memorable viewing experience. And the film was pretty good to boot.

True Lies

This was a James Cameron big budget action film that was the third highest grossing film of the year. This is Arnold Schwarzenegger at his best: making witty puns, looking buff, and shooting the crap out of everything. This was also early days for the American Harrier Jet, the one that could hover like a helicopter. Tons of explosive action with an actual good story.

Clear and Present Danger

Tom Clancy novels were very popular amongst upper- and middle-class dads. My dad was definitely part of that group. It was a lot like taking Indiana Jones and sticking him in a more current era. This was the middle movie of the Clancy books that were turned into films, the others being The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, The Sum of All Fears, and Without Remorse. Clancy stories were also adapted into video games like Rainbow Six. Tom Clancy was very big in the 90s.

Natural Born Killers

This movie is quite the visual presentation. It is very similar to the way that Rob Zombie filmed his Devil's Rejects trilogy. Lots of psychedelic lighting, weird camera angles, and extreme violence. This movie was directed by Oliver Stone and based on a screenplay by Quentin Tarantino (who eventually disowned the film). The film was ranked in the top 10 most controversial by Entertainment Weekly. What I remember most about it is my mom getting motion sickness when we saw it at the theater.

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

A very important film to the LGBTQ+ community, this is the story of two drag queens and a transgender woman who are traveling through the Australian Outback in a tour bused called Priscilla. It is one of the few completely positive portrayals of LGBTQ+ individuals at the time, and the film has gained quite a following since. It stars Hugo Weaving and Guy Pierce in solid acting performances. This was a rather big hit with worldwide audiences, making $31 million off of a $2 million budget. This kind of success was a sign that the world at large was aware of the LGBTQ+ community and ready to begin the process of acceptance.

Quiz Show

This was a standout film that was nominated for Best Picture, but very much faded away into obscurity. It is the story of a cheating scandal on a game show back in the late 50s, something that would most definitely get a Netflix original today. The 50s were popular in the 80s and the 90s seem to favor the hippie era, which was very anti-establishment created in the 50s. The movie was considered long and boring by the younger movie going public, so it never got into the pop culture subconscious. It is still a fantastic movie.

Ed Wood

This movie has become a cult classic as reviewing bad movies has become popular. Groups like MSTK3000, RiffTrax, and Red Letter Media have made watching bad movies a fun past time. This is the story of the original bad movie maker, Ed Wood, and his film Plan 9 From Outer Space. Considered by many to be the worst film of all time, Plan 9 is filled with technical errors, terrible acting, and ridiculous settings and props. It is so bad that it is actually very enjoyable, and Ed Wood is the story of how the director managed to make the film. It stars Johnny Depp and is probably my favorite acting performance by him. Well worth a watch and it will make you want to check out some really poorly produced movies.

Hoop Dreams

This was a fantastic documentary that got rave reviews and no Oscar nominations. It is the story of a couple of kids in poor neighborhoods that were attempting to have a career as basketball players. This was a truly insightful look into the lives of talented individuals who were unfortunately born into poverty and how hard it is to "make it." It was a running joke to make fun of the Academy for a while for this egregious snub because the movie was ironically about big institutions ignoring people with low socio-economic status.

Clerks

Do you like the quick moving dialogue of Kevin Smith movies? Do you like Jay and Silent Bob? This one is the original made for less than $30,000 and made over $3 million at the box office. There is no action and no special effects, it is just a really well written story by Kevin Smith. It's not even filmed in color. It is a great example of a creative mind that just grabbed a camera and filmed their vision the best they could. Truly a micro budget success story.

Stargate

This was the beginning for the very popular sci-fi franchise. It stars Kurt Russell and James Spader as soldiers who go through an interdimensional passage and stop an alien who is ruling an Egyptian like culture. This was the work of Roland Emmerich before he started churning out garbage like Godzilla (1998), The Day After Tomorrow, and 10,000 BC. There were later accusations that Emmerich stole his ideas from Dr. Who and the film has lost favor because of the white savior spin. The TV show is very different and a lot better, but this is what started it all.

Leon: The Professional

I have written many an article about how great this film is, and I will continue to claim it as one of my favorite films. The acting of Jean Reno and Natalie Portman as the most unlikely of assassin partners is amazing. It is also the first film I had seen by Luc Besson, and I have since become a big fan. The concept that an abused young girl would be rescued and mentored by an assassin is the kind of concept that should be explored by film. Astounding movie that really needs to be seen.

Immortal Beloved

This was an interesting film that followed a trail of historical clues to try and track down Beethoven's lover that he mentioned in letters written right before his death. The woman was referred to only as "my immortal beloved." I don't want to give the film more credit than it deserves, but it does follow a similar path as Citizen Kane. Both films are a voyage of discovery about powerful men through interviews of their peers and acquaintances to find meaning in some enigmatic last words.

The Color of Night

I put this film on here because it has quite the reputation. It is one of the worst movies ever made (it won the Razzie for worst picture that year) and verges on softcore pornography at some points (Maxim magazine singled the film out for the best sex scene of all time). It is a film noir that is completely confusing with a terrible performance by Bruce Willis. By the way, Bruce Willis plays a psychologist that deals with the death of a client he couldn't save. Maybe M. Night Shyamalan was a fan?

Cemetery Man (Dellamorte Dellamore)

This is just a personal favorite, but man do I like this film. It is a French film in which an undertaker is forced to go out zombie hunting because the bodies in his cemetery keep coming back to life. It is so funny because Rupert Everett plays the character as simply inconvenienced because he has to keep killing off zombies. Things change when he finds somebody who died that he wants to come back. He also happens to have a little Igor-like assistant that helps around the grounds. It is really good if you like horror.

The Mask

Here is Jim Carrey again and I would doubt that anyone would argue that this wasn't his best year as far as films. This was standout my favorite Carrey film of the 3 that he put out in 1994 and also was the breakout role for Cameron Diaz. The over-the-top cartoonish nature of the film really fits Carrey's acting style and is one of my favorite roles I have ever seen him in. He also has a song credit for Cuban Pete, which is quite a catchy song and dance number in the movie.

The Santa Clause

Not my favorite, however, this film has been voted the best Christmas film by many outlets. It stars Tim Allen as a man who is forced to take the role of Santa Claus. There is a heartwarming story of a divorced dad bonding with his son and finding a place in the lives of his ex-wife and her new husband. It is pretty sappy, but that is exactly what most people want in a Christmas film.

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There were 100s of movies that came out that year and I remember going to the mall on a pretty regular basis to check out a flick. Another thing I remember about that year was the number of new faces that I would see rise to stardom. In that group of debuts was Jessica Alba, Claire Danes, Cameron Diaz, Scarlett Johansson, Jude Law, Haley Joel Osment, Natalie Portman, JK Simmons, Kenan Thompson, Mark Wahlberg, Chris Tucker, and Kate Winslet. In my opinion, it was an amazing year for movies and a good place to start if you want to get a real feel for 90s popular culture.

#1994 #year in movies #introverts #90s nostalgia

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suncaptor · 3 years

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s7 adoration

First off, one thing I love about it is the versatility of it. some of my favourite parts are the humour of it, and the balance to the horror of it. It does lean towards dark, and is certainly darker than the rest of the show, but that just makes the gravity of it all lift off so intense when there’s randomly then dick jokes and so forth. same goes for the characters in it with the themes.

I genuinely think that leviathans are one of the scariest and best villains on the show because of the reflection of psychological horror and the flip on the script of hunted/hunter.

That being said, I also think Dick Roman is a great villain for comedic reasons as well and genuinely find his dialogue memorable. So memorable, in fact, I made this uquiz.

I also think that it is the darkest season psychologically in supernatural, like it rings out nadir to me, yet at the same time, this is all canon dialogue. but also it is quite unseen, the depth of it, which is infuriating (and my main fix would it being from Sam’s perspective), but it makes it compelling to me too.

I actually really like having sodium borate being corrosive to leviathans

There’s a canonical bipolar main character who’s vital to the plot and who’s talented and who’s also part of the inner themed reflections of paranoia within without systems and being incapable of trust anything even your brain while still retaining that vitality.

The season starts out with perhaps one of my favourite arcs in the show, as well, which brings me great joy in all the dialogue while also introducing one of the other most compelling parts of the show (being godstiel then Sam’s PTSD hallucinations retrospectively).

Two of the three main writer’s I look to as the core of what I love about Supernatural are perhaps the strongest voices in the season (Sera Gamble and Ben Edlund) and I really actually love the addition of Robbie Thompson and think some of his episodes are top tier. I don’t like Adam Glass, Buckleming, or Robert Singer writing any of the episodes, and my fix to s7 would be deleting those episodes, and Dabb is on like, thin ice, but I do really like most of the writing and theming and all and am genuinely enjoying the individual episodes and think that tied with 2, 4, and 5 it’s got the best quality for being entertaining to me.

And when I was looking at favourite episodes in Kripke/Gamble era (which I generally vastly prefer), it had the most of top 30 (8), and 20% of the top 10. And of that, it would skew towards the top total.

While Hello Cruel World sets up the season’s intent extremely well, I think that Defending Your Life drives the points home about how this reflects onto Sam and Dean in regards of their own psychological issues and how it will then impact their actions, the conflict not at all then revolving around leviathans but the concept of monstrosity and mental illness. While the season is incredibly ableist constantly and with some writers it’s clear that it’s intentional and the characters and they treat Sam with respect, other times it’s clearly not. I still am obsessed with this because it is directly and not metaphorically addressing these issues even if poorly.

Slash Fiction has some of the most in character and pointed analysis in the show immediately, including this scene and actually references and uses the history of the characters and the show itself to be more horrifying.

How To Win Friends and Influence Monsters is just also the epitome of s7 in general, from Sam hallucinating Lucifer and saying he’s lucky and people have it worse, Dean at his nihilistic worst about to lose Bobby admit while high on a sandwich what it’s really about, the fact they didn’t ever want to shoot deer, and just iconic dialogue from everyone including our favourite Dick Roman and “bibbing” while also having Bobby see the plans building the tension of the overall arc in the season right before being shot.

And while Death’s Door is very painful for me to rewatch, it is also an astounding episode of television from the terror of going back to the origin “You can never go home” and the only genetic case of bullet to the head (generational trauma), the insight into the abuse, how it shaped all the memories proceeding it, how Bobby didn’t escape it or what it did to him, but he also never was anything like his deepest fears or his fathers, and also Bobby’s speech towards his father. I also think the way Sam and Dean respond is extremely well written and their grief is palpable.

We also then get these lovely random images I get to share here :) X, X, and X.

Repo Man I may have some criticisms about in terms of ableism and homophobia, but it is still one of the best, and most horrifying, episodes in the show. Both the mirrors and the revelations throughout the episode and the dark intoxicating obsession while also seeing Sam’s actual trauma in front of us… I feel like I could literally analyse this episode for years, it’s so rich and deep, as much of Edlund’s episodes are when he decides he wants to make something deep instead of comical.

that being said I think The Born Again Identity may be one of the best episodes in the entire show. I can’t rationalise this because it would take hours if you don’t like this episode we just have entirely different taste.

Though, outside of the actual episode writing, the way it opens with the surreality and mental deterioration is very important to me, and it’s just one of many aspects of this episode, but I feel like it may be less popular so I thought I’d say it.

Charlie’s first episode and actually having our first actually good fully fleshed out lgbt character genuinely changes something in me when I watch it like. It is so full of hope for me personally just because of how fun and deep it remains. We get to hear Dick Roman describe the spark in humanity he can’t replicate while also saying “Nothing’s safe. I like that.” (the thesis of the season). Donald Trump helped him get the leviathan tablet. We get the scene where Dean coaches Charlie through flirting with a man and also have her make Harry Potter references which I just personally find very funny to watch. And Charlie’s mere existence just makes me hope, like the way she is.

Season 7 is the first season Cas tells Sam and Dean he loves them.

And Kevin Tran is introduced, one of my favourite characters who also adds much to the season itself.

Reading is Fundamental is the episode that Kevin Tran is introduced, that we get to see more into Cas’s past through the ways in which is he more open in his altered mental state such as how he loved Neanderthal poetry and bees, Hester’s accusation towards Dean, more talk around the hell trauma transfer which intrigues me even if it also infuriates me, and Cas actually faces and reacting to what he’s done, even if in an altered state. There are countless reasons I love it.

Also, this may not be something someone who doesn’t ship destiel can see and leans much more subtextual, so ignore this part if you are bothered by those interpretations, but I think season 7 is when Dean realised he was in love with Cas and like I do have a lot of reasons for thinking this and find it just another layer of why seeing the psychology of the main characters is intriguing to me. I also then can do parallels throughout that reflect this grapping too. And it adds layers to how Dean finds him married then, maybe even add the demon he kissed.

And then, of course, is the matter of the trench coat.

this is very very limited, but I tried my best to be comprehensive of my highlights and reasons for loving season 7!

#s7 #spn #supernatural #incoherents #lists

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revchainsaw · 3 years

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One Cut of the Dead (2017)

Spoiler Alert. I have never made the claim that this is a spoiler free film blog. I barely consider this a collection of film reviews as much as it is a space for me to have a one sided conversation about movies. I don't want to limit myself to the constraints of spoiler free content, for one because I believe in most cases we don't watch films to be surprised. I read many books, and many of those books have been adapted into films, and never once has knowing what is going to happen ruined my experience of a film. In regards to One Cut of the Dead however, I think you owe it to yourself to stop reading right here and go and see this film for yourself. I'm going to get the letter grade out of the way right now and let you know without any context that One Cut of the Dead get's an A from Reverend Chainsaw and the Cult of Cult. However, if you've already seen the movie and you would like to worship along with the Cult Film Tent Revival, please read on.

The Message

One Cut of the Dead is a two for one punch. First we are told the story of a film director who goes to extreme measures to create his zombie film. These extreme measures include shooting in a former testing facility and using an occult ritual to bring real zombies into the mix. The real zombies terrorize the actors and the crew as the mad director sporadically pops in and out shouting "Action". This almost 40 minute short film is of course done in one outstanding take. Due to all the running and chasing if you are a fan of butts more than faces, you will have a pleasant time. Still, this short film is off, there are strange lags where characters jump up from off screen for one reason or another, points where the camera drops and points at the ground, or where long drawn out conversations occur or the action just suddenly stops for an unexplained reason. What could possibly be happening?

Well, this is why when the credits roll early on in the feature you should stay tuned. You see our One Cut meta film, is actually a film within a film. Every thing that can go wrong will go wrong. Higurashi is a small time director living in Japan who specializes in small projects. One day he is scouted by the Zombie channel that is looking to launch it's premier with a very special project. Impressed with Higurashi's signature style "cheap but average", they propose that he be their man. The Zombie Channel wants to do a LIVE ONE TAKE thirty minute short film. After initially taking a moment to realize this insane idea is no joke, Higurashi agrees.

The filming takes way. The cast is difficult, the crew is barely manageable, and Higurashi and his wife are forced by their strange circumstances to take prominent roles in the chaotic picture. Equipment breaks down, improvisations are required, and there is no time for bathroom breaks. "One Cut of the Dead" proves a bizarre testing ground for our likeable rogues and they somehow manage against all odds to pull it off, explaining every quirk and oddity in the short films run time.

Please, please treat yourself and join me in receiving The Benediction.

Best Aspect: All is Revealed

One Cut of the Dead is so frustrating that it's brilliant, and so brilliant that it is frustrating. I want to know so badly if the film we see in the first half, is actually made up of footage that was being shot by the cast as the second half was being filmed, as opposed to being shot like a traditional movie. If so, It would add yet a third level of beautiful meta narrative to this movie.

What is particularly brilliant is that it does not sell itself as a film about film making, but as a much easier film where "it turns out the monsters are real", spoopy doopy stuff. Once you go in expecting that and you see all this surreal amateur stuff happening it keeps you intrigued. Why is the zombie pausing, why did those legs just appear on screen and walk off? Your left wondering what is happening and then the credits roll and the second part of the movie begins.

The second half is hilarious and it's so fun as you have each little mystery resolved and it's never boring but almost always mundane. This is not a horror movie, well it does contain a horror movie, but this is a love letter to all those happy accidents. I particularly love Evil Dead and the Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a love that is fueled by the chaotic stories that happened behind the scenes. It may be scripted, but One Cut of the Dead gives me all the satisfaction of watching a low budget horror romp, immediately followed by it's charming creation myth.

Worst Aspect: A Hat wearing a Hat

That said, it's strength is also a weakness. It is hard to write about, it's hard to always keep your head straight. This movie is a movie about making a movie about making a movie, it also is contains the movie about making a movie. Are you lost? No? Maybe I'm just dumb. It helps to not try to hard to explain it. And it only takes a little time to keep it all straight, but then again that's asking way more of the audience than most films do. Personally, it's barely even a problem, but that just speaks to how freaking great One Cut of the Dead is.

Best Character: In on the ACTION!

There is not a single character in One Cut of the Dead that is unlikeable, I almost did not give this movie a best character. However after a little bit of thinking I came down to Higurashi or Nao. Oh how I love you Nao, you crazy wild thing. But when it comes down to just candid hopefulness, and a hero that you root for the whole movie, Higurashi is the man. Every time he solves a problem and smiles it just warms my heart. I keep watching to see Higurashi succeed and anxiously anticipate his failure. The satisfaction the audience feels at the completion of this film hinges entirely on whether you want Higurashi to accomplish his herculean task.

Most WTF Moment: POOP!

I'm not even going to explain this one. Just know that there is a line of dialogue that is simply "poop" and it'll get ya.

Most Memorable Shot: Ritual Site

In lieu of a Best Kill category or another Worst category (which is hard to come up with in regards to One Cut), I'd invented the Most Memorable Shot category. It's not the same as a scene because in my minds eye I'm not thinking of a whole sequence. if I were I'd have to give it to the titular one cut. What I mean is a solid shot that sticks with me when I close my eyes and think about this film. And at the conclusion of the film within a film our lead actress is clutching a knife, facing the camera that is staring down at her, and at her feet is a massive pentagram made of blood. It's a really cool image and if you've seen the movie you know how much Higurashi and the crew worked to get that specific image in your mind. You could say out of all the visuals in this movie the pentagram shot is the top of the pyramid.

Summary

Once Cut of the dead is so enjoyable I've watched it 3 times in 2 days. Every time I rewatch it I catch something else. My initial motivation was to see the first segment again with the thought of the second segment in mind, but I just couldn't stop there. This movie is candy. This movie is cocaine. If you love horror films for the artistry (or lack there of) and not just for the scares, then this movie will hit many sweet spots for you. Don't sleep on this. Get a Shudder subscription and watch One Cut of the Dead, and then watch it again.

Overall Grade: A

#A #Grade A #Grade: A #Once Cut of The Dead #Japan #Japanese #Comedy #horror film #mockumentary #zombie #horror comedy #2017 #2010s #(A)

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sevensoulmates · 4 years

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okay wait hold on, I was rewatching season 3 in preparation for the finale and....we all know the scene in Fools when Eddie introduces himself to the teacher with "please call me Eddie. it's short for..." and the teacher automatically says "edmundo?" Idk this is probably not a hot take and has been said before, but I don’t care I gotta talk about it. It just hit me like...Why did Eddie feel the need to tell her his full name in the first place? Especially since only his family (Abuela, Pepa, his parents) calls him that.

Like Eddie is a fairly common name. Even with names that have many elongated forms like "Maddie", she never goes around saying "hi I'm Maddie, short for Madeline/Madison/Madonna" even when she meets a cute guy (ie. has a reason to be nervous/talkative like Eddie was in this case.) ((in fact we don’t even know Maddie’s full name??)))

Eddie’s response is pleasant surprise and to say “Most people guess Eduardo.” And who is “most people” in this case? The only person to ever ask Eddie for his full name on screen is Buck. And he guessed Eduardo (the more common name) before being corrected. That's the only time we have ever seen anyone making a distinction about Eddie's name on screen. So why purposefully make a call back to this during this scene?

They very easily could've had the dialogue be straightforward "Hi Mr.Diaz." "Please, call me Eddie." and continued right on with the "flirting" as normal. That would’ve done the job of tearing down the professional wall between them just fine. They would’ve gotten to first name basis anyway. And it would make the scene purely about the new bond he's forging with the teacher and NOT make the audience think of ANOTHER character who isn’t physically there (and who many of us honestly would’ve expected to be there if Carla wasn’t.)

By making their first ever interaction have a very distinct and very memorable call back to Eddie's first real introduction to Buck and how he guessed Eddie's full name WRONG, (and showing how in contrast Ms. Flores KNEW it right off the bat), the general audience is pulled out of focusing on Ms. Flores and Eddie, and is now trying to think “hey where have I heard this exchange before?”. Or if you’re someone who immediately remembered Buck and Eddie’s first exchange you’re thinking “why on earth did they reference Buck during this scene that’s supposed to be sparking flames for this new love interest?”

By calling back to how Buck got the name wrong and Ms. Flores got the name right, the audience is supposed to be remembering Buck in this instance. When Eddie is meeting a new "love interest". The first female one since Shannon (I do not at all count Lena as a love interest).

So why make us think of Buck? One reason for this might be because they want to show that Ms. Flores would instinctively "know" Eddie better than Buck (his best friend and majorly implied co-parent). So she's supposed to be the perfect fit for him at first glance. She would understand his family background, she has a connection to Christopher, she thinks he’s a good father AND she’s pretty and female. But why feel the need to make this distinction? Supposedly, Buck has never been and never will be a romantic partner to Eddie right?

Shouldn't we at this point be thinking “Hey, Eddie's a red blooded heterosexual man. Of course he'd be attracted to Ana right away.” The general audience should just assume he's just a boy and she's just a girl can I make it any more obvious? Instead the script has a direct call back to Buck in order to make it seem like Ana is better for Eddie than Buck (the person he has the closest bond with of anyone on the show who is not his kid). Because Ana guessed his name right, and Buck guessed it wrong. But why would we even be considering Buck a contender for Eddie if we're supposed to be assuming both Eddie and Buck are straight until proven gay?

It just doesn’t make any sense to me why this line was written this way, if we’re purely only supposed to be seeing Ana and Eddie as a distinctive couple on their own. Or one who might become one. Why paint their “meet-cute” in such a way that we’re supposed to be thinking about and comparing Ana to Buck from the very beginning?

And this is regardless of whether or not Ana and Eddie eventually become a thing, or if she just has a few cameos and her relationship with Eddie is never explored again. The whole point is this one line of dialogue frames Ana and Buck as rivals. And romantic ones at that. Nobody is out here thinking Ana’s competing to be Eddie’s new bff. Why is the show wanting us to subconsciously think of Ana as a rival to Buck? Established buddie shippers would’ve been #TeamBuck from the start, even without mentioning/calling back to Buck at all in this scene. So why add that line in?

idk man, it just seems like too pointed a line of dialogue to just be poking fun at buddie shippers like haha of course the female love interest got Eddie's name right, they're not gay blah blah okay Karen but make it make sense otherwise?

if someone can it explain to me how this tomfoolery makes heterosexual sense then I will personally wipe my clown makeup off.

#buddie #911 fox #buck x eddie #911 meta #buddie meta #3x12

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travllingbunny · 4 years

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Clarke Griffin’s memories and images in her mindspace

In this post I will list all the drawings from Clarke's mindspace seen in season 6 of The 100 (in episodes 6x06, 6x07 and 6x10) that we have been able to spot - most of which (over 90 of them! Yes, this is gonna be a long post) we've been able to identify, with image comparisons to scenes from the show.

First, credit where credit is due: this idea first came from @ofnailbatsandaxefives who identified many of the drawings and made a bunch of side to side comparisons last year after 6x07 aired in this post.

I later tried to identify the rest of the drawings, with the help of a few people here and on Twitter (rewatching the show also helped), but this resulted in an endless number of reblogs. Episode 6x10 Matryoshka also had more drawings that weren't in 6x07 Nevermind, some images were misindentified, and I decided to redo all the images with better resolution screencaps.

Big thanks to everyone who helped in identifying some of the trickier images (many of them are on Twitter and I don’t know if they have Tumblr profiles), especially (Twitter handles) SheiGarche (who identified several of these and corrected some of my mistakes), Lovestory813, BellarkeMood, taunadora, becki_travels, fabiana_vec, indreamswake, KindZouzou and my Tumblr mutual @jeanie205 (I’m sorry if I forgot anyone).

See also my earlier post about Sets, props and costumes in 6x07 Nevermind.

As a BONUS in addition to the images on Clarke’s memory wall, I’ll also go over audio flashbacks heard at the end of 6x06, in 6x07 and 6x10 - as a mix of voices representing Clarke’s jumbled memories. Many of them can be heard and identified in the episodes, but special thanks to (Twitter user) klarksbell for removing the background sounds from the scenes so some of the background voices could be heard clearer.

(In a follow-up post. I’ll go over Clarke's drawings from her Shallow Valley home in season 5, which we also saw in the mindspace version of her Shallow Valley home in her happy place; and those we saw in season 5, many of which overlap as the set was re-used for 6x07. I’ve also noticed that the art department used many of these drawings for the drawings representing Clarke’s memories on her mindspace wall.)

Before I start listing the moments from Clarke’s memory wall - her mindspace version of the actual cell in Skybox she used to be locked in on the Ark - let’s compare the two different versions of this wall. The first one was seen in the very last scene of 6x06 Memento Mori - where we first learned Clarke was still alive (yeah, yeah, of course no one really bought it that she was dead ;) but it was still such a Hell yeah moment) and in 6x07 Nevermind.

But when we saw Clarke in her mindspace again in 6x10 Matryoshka, the walls were different: there were at least 3 new images that weren’t seen in 6x07, and many other images were moved around and placed in different ways. Which does make sense, as Clarke’s mindspace was reacting to her states of mind, so we should probably assume it was always changing, with different memories being more or less prominent at any given time.

And finally here are the identified images with side-by-side comparisons. Some were obvious and taken straight from the scenes (I've been told there's a software for that), others are a bit less straightforward (and several of them were also seen as Clarke's drawings in season 5).

I'm going to do them chronologically, not by episode but by when those things happened in Clarke's life.

Starting with the image of Clarke and Wells as children on the Ark (confirmed by Jason Rothenberg on Twitter). The closest thing in the show is the video of them Jaha watched in 1x12.

The next one was tricky as it's not a scene from the show either. It was first misidentified as Clarke watching what ALIE showed her in 3x16, nuclear plants melting on Earth, but that scene is shown in another drawing. It shows a young girl watching the Earth from the Ark. We've decided that this is young Clarke on the Ark. I used the Octavia flashback scene from 1x06 for comparison to show this is a window on the Ark and a view from there (not because it's the same scene - which it can't be,as this wouldn’t be Clarke’s memory). But the girl looks younger and is touching the window as if yearning for Earth.

Flashbacks in 1x03, a year before the Pilot: Abby and Jake during the happy times; Jake when Clarke overheard him tell Abby that Ark was dying and he'd go public with it; Wells when Clarke told him about it.

1x01 - there are more images from the Pilot than from any other episode.

The first scene of the show - the image on the floor in the mindspace version of Clarke's cell in Skybox is the same image she drew on the floor of her actual cell.

This portrait of Abby seems to represent the next scene where Abby told Clarke she was being sent to Earth. When the camera zoomed on it in 6x06, we heard the dialogue from that scene over it ("Clarke, I love you so much!" - "Mom?")

When the camera zoomed on this pic of Wells on the dropship in 6x07, we heard Wells' voice saying "Welcome back" as he did in that scene.

I've been told that the inscription from the Ark we see below is a Chinese proverb that means, more or less, "A friend in need is a friend indeed".

"We're back bitches!" twice - the second is from Clarke's POV. The first one was one of the drawings Josephine touched and we (and Josephine) heard an audio flashback of it and this, uh, memorable line.

Mount Weather - the first time Clarke saw it, after landing.

I spot the same image among Clarke's drawings we saw in her Shallow Valley home in season 5, though it was really tiny in the background.

More scenes from the Pilot:

1x03

It's a pity that the plan to have Eli Goree guest star in 6x07 didn't work out, but at least we had many Wells images and even in the voice memories - I clearly heard Clarke telling him "How can you forgive me?"/"I blamed you because my father's dead and it's my mother's fault."

1x04 Finn with one of the pencils from the shelter he found, trying to impress Clarke.

1x05 Brief time of Clarke being happy and infatuated, right before Raven arrived and her heart got broken for the first time.

There was a bit of disagreement about this Bellamy image (or images). It shows up as a part of the drawing of him torturing Lincoln in the scene from 1x07 on one of the walls, but it also appears on its own on the ceiling:

@SheiGarche believes that, since this appears as a part of the Lincoln torture scene, the Bellamy image must be from that episode. However, while the rest of the scene 100% matches the 1x07 scene, Bellamy's image doesn't match - in posture or expression - anything from that episode. On the other hand, especially when you look at the Bellamy image on its own, as it is on the ceiling, it looks most like a drawing based on the scene from 1x02 - "I heard you have a gun''...

I think that the ceiling drawing represents season 1 Bellamy in general, and was drawn based on the 1x02 scene. OTOH, the art department made the 1x07 image from the 1x07 scene but couldn't get a good Bellamy angle so they edited in that same Bellamy image in. You decide.

https://youtu.be/Cj37TWjBwvE?t=59

A Raven portrait, which is probably not about any particular scene (some images just represent certain characters), but it most closely matches this love-triangle moment from 1x08.

The same portrait was seen as one of Clarke's drawings in season 5.

1x09 - negotiations with Anya and the Grounders on the bridge. Also the first time Clarke has ever seen horses in real life.

1x13

Probably some of the Grounder warriors who got burned in the Ring of Fire, but this scene clearly indicated that Clarke was thinking about closing the door on Finn and Bellamy and that they may have been burned.

2x01

This image gave us so much trouble, until it turned out it was just a random woman from Mount Weather who yelled "CONTAINMENT BREACH!" when Clarke entered the mess hall dragging Maya and saw all the people sitting there.

Another one of character portraits that are probably not important for any particular scene or moment. But going by Miller's hair and facial hair, it can only be season 2 Miller at the time he and Clarke were both in MW (this is from 2x02).

Ending of 2x02:

2x03 - Escape from Mount Weather

2x04 Anya after Clarke beat the crap out of her and managed to win their fight. "You fought well".

Now a few more character portraits. This image of Raven with a brace doesn't 100% fit a scene from the show, but it looks a lot like this promo pic of her - except for her red jacket, which she wore in 2x05 when Clarke first saw her with a leg brace.

Since Jaha has a beard and hair, it can only be from season 2 or 3, which limits it to 2x07 or 3x16, the only times he and Clarke were in the same place. I used 2x07 image of non-chipped Jaha, when he came to Camp him and argued for Arkers leaving, pitting him against Clarke,as this would’ve meant abandoning her friends to their fate in MW.

Portrait of Indra - also probably not about any particular scene, but it looks like their first meeting in 2x07. It was also among Clarke's drawings in season 5.

2x08 This image is one of the few that were not seen on the memory wall in 6x07, but appeared in 6x10. Maybe it's because the ALIE projection said in 6x07 her most painful memories were not on the wall - and the scene of Clarke killing Finn was only seen represented in her dark place by the pole and knife. Maybe she was able to process some of those memories better by 6x10?

2x09 Raven holding Finn’s dead body

This profile of Lexa is probably not from any particular scene, but a general image of the warrior leader/ally Lexa from S2. I used the scene of her making a speech in 2x15, but there were scenes in 2x09 (like when she told Clarke that Love is weakness) that looked similar.

2x10 Well, an attack by giant mutant gorilla would be pretty memorable to anyone.

2x11 I previously thought this image of people in radiation suits (also seen among Clarke's drawings in S5) was from 4x12/13, but looking more closely, now I think these are Mount Weather Ground unit guards - specifically, are Emerson and the other Mountain Man who tried to assassinate Clarke in 2x11. The outfits, helmets, guns are the closest match.

2x12 Clarke's guilt over letting the MW missile drop on the people in Tondc was referenced not just in 6x07 when her projection of Octavia called her out on writing her off there, but also in 6x10:

Josephine: I wasn't always like this.

Clarke: I know the feeling. I mean, look around you.

*Josephine looks at this big image on the wall*

2x15 - breaching the Mount Weather door

I'm about 95% sure that this picture of Lexa is her betrayal in 2x15.

2x16:

"Together" - "Together"

3x01 The most important character in the show! LOL

...seriously though, this little bunny (? who looks more like a squirrel in the drawing?) that Clarke used as a bait to catch a panther, stands for the 3 months Clarke spent in wilderness.

The only image of Niylah on the wall. It's the scene when she lied to protect Clarke when Roan and a bounty hunter came looking for her.

Another character portrait not related to a specific scene, and another one that was seen as one of Clarke's drawings hanging in her Shallow Valley home in S5. Going by the hair and beard, it's seasons 3-4 Kane, so I used the scene of his and Abby's meeting with Clarke in 3x03.

3x04

3x07 - there are 3 images of Lexa from this episode

Lexa smiling during the talk in which she asked Clarke to stay - this is the most prominent of the images of Lexa (one of the images that appear multiple times on the wall + had a flashback). Seems these softer moments are larger in Clarke's mind than warrior/leader Lexa.

The second most prominent image of Lexa (one of the pictures the camera zoomed in on in 6x06, when we also heard the dialogue among the audio memories - "Can we talk about something else?" - "We don't have to talk at all").

and Lexa right after she was shot by Titus.

3x11 What turned out to be the most important of all Clarke's memories, as it contained info on the neural mesh and how Raven was freed from ALIE and that Clarke has to remove from the wall and hide from Josephine.

3x13 Luna, refusing the Flame

3x15 When Clarke didn't break and give ALIE the password and it almost cost her her mother's life. This drawing was previously misidentified as Murphy being hanged in S1 - some thought there were two hanging scenes, but there's just one and it's clearly indoors.

3x16 - there are several scenes from the City of Light. Including the image of the COL itself. You can see even see the tiny figures of Lexa and the people she's fighting.

What ALIE showed Clarke: the Earth, full of nuclear plants melting, telling her about the upcoming Praimfaya.

Clarke pulling the kill switch and destroying COL

One of the first things Clarke saw after returning from the City of Light was Murphy is one of his most heroic moments - pumping Ontari's heart so Clarke could take the Flame.

4x01

This one seems a bit random: it's a moment when Indra came and hugged Kane while Octavia, Clarke, Bellamy and Abby were already there in the Grounder shrine - but I think it's important as the scene when they all discussed what to do in the situation and Clarke told them all about Praimfaya.

Roan, after agreeing to an alliance because of Praimfaya, giving a public speech in Polis to say that 'an attack against the 13th clan is an attack on all of us'.

The drawing of Arkadia is another one that was hanging in Clarke's Shallow Valley home in season 5 - and was also seen in the mindspace version of that home in 6x07. I used a scene from 4x03.

4x04 There are 3 scenes from this episode, and all of them have to do with Jasper. The first two are two of Jasper's pranks: "floating" Jaha, and the prank Jasper pulled on Clarke. But the mood of the latter got ruined because he had already found the List before Clarke came in. (Josephine touched this drawing briefly in 6x07 and we heard the audio flashback: (Monty: "Clarke, wait..." - Clarke: "Really?" )

And what happened right after, in the same scene, when Jasper started telling everyone present about the List. (Jasper's angry comments can also be heard clearly among the mix of voices at the beginning of 6x07 - more about that later)

The portrait of Emori is probably from 4x07, when they had their first major interaction. It was also one of Clarke's drawings that could be glimpsed in the background in S5.

Skip the next one if you don't want to see an image of a person dying a gruesome and painful death in a radiation chamber.

4x08 The unfortunate Grounder thief from the Rock Line clan whose name we never learned, at the moment of his death.

4x10 Octavia in the Conclave - more of a symbolic representation (with the sigils around her). This was a very prominent drawing in Clarke's sketchbook that we saw a couple of times in season 5.

4x11 Another one of the 3 images that weren't seen in 6x07 but were in the second version of the memory wall, in 6x10 - Clarke pointing a gun at Bellamy to stop him from opening the bunker door, before she broke down and cried. The drawing even shows Clarke’s hand with a gun.

4x12 the rocket in Becca's lab

4x13 Clarke being left behind in Praimfaya and watching her friends leave while she was aligning the satellite dish so they could get to the Ring and survive.

This was also another prominent drawing from Clarke's sketchbook we saw in season 5.

There's another scene from 4x13, but that one happens 6 years later, so I'll come back to it later...

5x01 Post-Praimfaya

Polis was Clarke's destination after she left Becca's lab - trying and failing to open the door of the bunker after the temple had collapsed on it. Then realizing she'll be alone for at least 5 years.

Then she went to Arkadia, where she only found "ghosts" - the chest with Maya's music player, Jasper's goggles and his letter to Monty (as we saw in the flashback in Clarke's "dark place", where the chest played an important role).

The bird that kind of tried to eat Clarke (?), showed Clarke where Eden was, and then got thanked, shot and eaten by Clarke.

Shallow Valley

This image is both a memory of 6 year old Madi (not the moment they met, but when Clarke was drawing her while she was fishing), of Clarke drawing her and of the drawing she made and gave Madi to make friends with her.

Madi and Clarke, but some 6 years later. This image was prominent of at the beginning of 6x07 when we saw a flashback of it when Clarke touched it ("I'm sorry they left without you" - "If I was with them, I never would've met you").

4x13 - 2199 days after Praimfaya: Gagarin transport ship, the moment when Clarke saw it clearly and realized it wasn't the ship she was hoping for ("Never mind, I see you"), but one to be afraid of.

5x03 - Makes snse that images of Diyoza, Shaw and McCreary are all from the episode where they captured and tortured Clarke.

5x04

Bellamy reuniting with Clarke.

Coming out of the bunker.

5x06 - Madi watching Octavia practice.

5x09 - There were quite a few changes between the memory wall in 6x07 and 6x10, and the most obvious one was seen right after Clarke woke up in her mindspace - the big image of Bellamy when Octavia arrested him and right before Clarke left him at her mercy in Polis.

5x12 - This is one of the rare drawings that doesn’t fully represent a memory correctly as Clarke saw it. But it makes sense to me that Clarke remembers it this way - seeing Madi in pain when she zapped the shock collar to stop her from leaving and going to war. But in fact, the screenshot shows Madi shocked that Clarke put a shock collar on her. Clarke closed her eyes and had her back turned to Madi, because she couldn’t watch it when she actually zapped the shock collar, and only heard her scream.

This was another drawing Josephine touched and had a flashback of (we heard Madi screaming and Clarke saying “I won’t let you die in this war”), commenting "Child abuse dressed up as protection!"

5x13 - Clarke pulling the lever to close the door of the Gagarin ship, after waiting until the last moment for Bellamy to come in, closing the door after Bellamy, Monty, Emori and Murphy were inside and the missiles were already hitting the Earth.

One last image. It's clearly Madi, and with the horizontal placement of the drawing, I thought it was Clarke putting Madi in cryo. But it turns out the same image - only vertical - was one of her drawings she had in Shallow Valley in season 5... so, I don't know.

There are other images that we couldn't link to anything specific or weren't sure. Mostly locations, objects and nature images. 1) A forest? 2) Waterfall/rocky shore? 3) Rubble?)

If anyone identifies any of them or notice other images or anything else, I’ll be editing and reblogging this post.

BONUS - audio memories

ending scene of 6x06

vimeo

Lines I can hear:

over the image of Abby: Abby and Clarke in 1x01: "Clarke, I love you so much!" - "Mom?"

"I'm scared"? - this line can be heard clearly but I don’t know who it is. It sounds like a child, but I don’t thin Madi or Charlotte ever said it.

Finn in 1x01 when they see the deer: "No animals, eh?"

Madi in 5x11: "I love you, Clarke" (the entire line was “...but we’re on the wrong side of this war”

Clarke to Wells in 1x03, after learning the truth: "How can you forgive me?"

Madi to Clarke in 5x01, during the scene by the fire: "I'm sorry they left without you."

Bellamy trying to convince Clarke not to leave in 2x16 “You don’t have to do this alone”.

Clarke to Madi in 5x12, as she puts a shock collar on her: "I will not let you die in this war!"

over the image of Lexa in bed with Clarke - Lexa and Clarke in 3x07: "Can we talk about something else?” - We don't have to talk at all."

over the image of Bellamy: Bellamy to Lincoln in 1x07: "You're gonna give us the antidote or you're gonna wish you had". Other lines whispered in the background:

Bellamy in 2x16: "(If you want forgiveness) I'll give that to you"

Bellamy during his reunion with Clarke in 5x04: "Clarke, you saved us all."

"This is how we get to peace" (sounds like Bellamy but Clarke was the one who actually said it in 5x08)

Bellamy in 1x07: "Who we are and who we have to be to survive are two different things."

opening scene of 6x07

vimeo

Clarke to Wells in 1x03: “I blamed you because my father’s dead and it’s my mother’s fault” (heard while Clarke is looking at the wall with the image of her parents, among others)

(over the image of Wells) Bellamy: “Who else knows about this?” (in 1x04, when Clarke realized one of the Delinquents had killed Wells)

(also over the image of Wells) Wells: “Welcome back!” (1x01)

(over the image of Roan & Lexa fighting in 3x04: “It’s always something with you!” – Roan to Clarke in 4x01

we also hear Lexa’s and Roan’s grunts during their fight

(over the two images of Madi) Madi (5x11): “I love you, Clarke”

Madi screaming when Clarke zaps the shock collar in 5x12

Two angry lines by Jasper are overlapping as the camera slides from Lexa to Bellamy:

as we see Lexa in focus: “Truth hurts” - Jasper in 3x11, after ALIE!Raven blamed her for the deaths of Jake, Wells, Finn & Lexa

as we see Bellamy in focus: “I found your list. I guess we know who really matters to you” (Jasper in 4x04)

Madi in 5x12: “I’m not a child anymore, Clarke. I’m the Commander, and my people are dying”

(ETA) Jasper yelling “We are Apogee!” and Clarke, Octavia, Monty and Finn yelling happily with him, just before he gets speared in the Pilot

Clarke in 3x11: “I let her get to me.”

the flashback to Madi and Clarke by the fire in 5x01 “I’m sorry they left without you” - “If I was with them, I never would have met you”

more of Jasper’s ranting in 3x11: “I was going to save everyone!” (talking about his plans in 2x16 to kill Cage)

flashback to the Pilot, as we see the drawing on the floor: “Prisoner 319, face the wall!” Some of the lower volume lines in the background, which can only be identified after the background noise was removed:

Bellamy to Clarke in 3x11, after ALIE!Raven had made her lost it: “I’ll let her beat me up for a while.”

ALIE-controlled Raven yelling “Let me go!” in 3x11, when she’s trying to find out the location and help ALIE, and everyone grabs her and subdues her

Octavia in 2x16: “I know where my loyalties lie!”

Bellamy in 5x09, when he brought Madi to see Clarke in her cell: “Clarke, this isn’t goodbye”.

I also hear someone yelling "Octavia!", and mentions of Jasper’s and Jaha’s names.

Josephine and Clarke in 6x07

vimeo

Josephine touching images and we hear flashbacks of scenes from 1x01 (”We’re back, bitches!), 5x12 (Madi screaming when Clarke puts a shock collar and Clarke saying “I won’t let you die in this war”) and 4x04 (”Clarke, wait...” - “Really?” when Clarke got covered in foam as Jasper pranked her). There are many other whispered lines I don't recognize.

In 6x10, however, everything was mixed up - Clarke's and Josephine's memories were all mashed up, because the boundaries between their minds were disappearing - so it’s pretty much impossible to make out anything. But Clarke’s memories are probably the same mix as in 6x07, because I can still hear Wells saying "Welcome back".

vimeo

If anyone notices something I did not, please tell - I will edit this post with any new info!

#the 100 #clarke's mind space #clarke's memories #clarke griffin #the 100 6x07 #nevermind #the 100 season 6 #the 100 6x10 #matryoshka

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moviewarfare · 4 years

Text

A Review of Master Z: Ip Man Legacy (2018)

On my Ip Man rewatching spree, I now stumble on the first spinoff the franchise starring rival/antagonist "Cheung Tin Chi" from Ip Man 3. It is not directed by Wilson Yip who did Ip man 1-4 but rather directed by Yuen Woo-ping who was the action director for Ip Man 3 and 4. He was also an action director for big American movies like Kill Bill and Matrix. I really liked Cheung Tin Chi (Max Zhang) from Ip Man 3 and felt there was a lot of depth to his character so I was thrilled he was getting his own movie. Furthermore, there were some big names in this movie with Michelle Yeon who is a big Chinese Actress and Dave Bautista from Marvel and WWE fame. I was very hyped for this movie. The question was if this movie lived up to the Ip Man legacy?

Let's talk about the action scenes, firstly it is a drastic departure from the Ip Man movies. In Ip Man 2 there was a fair amount of wirework which took away from the grounded, realistic style of the first movie but here there is LOADS of wirework. I didn't hate it in Ip Man 2 but felt like it wasn't as great as the first one but here it is kind of crazy and over the top to the point I found it ridiculously entertaining. A lot of the fight scenes have the actors do a lot of floating and gravity-defying moves with one memorable acrobatic fight scene on neon signs way above ground that was very thrilling to watch. Nearly every fight in this movie is cartooney and unrealistic but it is so entertaining with superb choreography. There are a lot of characters thrown through tables or windows and a lot of slow-mo and close up shots that embody the cliche of the 90s and it goes all the way with it. However, it just works really well and is oddly satisfying.

I loved Max Zhang as Cheung in Ip Man 3 and here still delivers a great performance. His character Cheung has a very interesting arc in this movie where he is struggling with his desire to live a simple life while coping with his loss to Ip Man and his reputation as a martial artist. Throughout the movie, he refuses to use Wing Chun and instead uses a more brutal style of fighting which makes the fights grittier and less elegant than the main series. He then gets wrapped up in some mafia staff which causes him to come into meetings with many different characters but the closest being Julia (Liu Yan) and Fu (Xing Yu) who become friends. Cheung is different from Ip Man in that he feels flawed and having room to grow whereas Ip Man feels near perfect and invincible. Cheung takes a fair amount of damage and hits while also making a fair amount of mistakes which makes him a lot more relatable. He does come out by the end of the movie learning valuable lessons with it even amplifying Ip Man's word of wisdom to him in the 3rd movie and of course, ends up using Wing Chun again.

Most of the supporting cast do a great job as well. Michelle Yeon as "Tso Ngan Kwan" gives a very convincing performance as the leader of an organised crime gang. Her character is also interesting in that she is menacing against those who oppose her but kind in that she wants to turn the crime gang into a legitimate business. Kevin Cheng as "Tso Sai Kit" gives a great performance in being a completely hateable character who wants to be a drug dealer while usurping his sister Ngan Kwan. Dave Bautista as "Owen Davidson" is great as well in that he gives a lovable and charismatic performance in certain scenes while in others a terrifying, hulking menace. He is way better than Mike Tyson was in Ip Man 3 and feels more like an actual antagonist.

Unfortunately, Dave Bautista is very under-utilised with him barely having any dialogue, he isn't the main villain either with Tso Sai Kit being the main villain while Owen Davidson is more of a final boss. Which is a shame as one of my complaints of Frank (Mike Tyson) in Ip Man 3 was that we don't really get any backstory or motive of his character and this is also the case with Owen sadly. Likewise, Tony Jaa of "Ong Bak" fame is in this movie as an assassin with an obsession with black clothing and a top hat. He is a glorified cameo with no dialogue whatsoever and just appears to have a random fight with the main character and then vanishing for most of the movie until the end. It is very jarring as the fight appears out of nowhere and doesn't have any real significance to the story in any way. That is such a downer as Tony Jaa is amazing and they didn't utilise him properly. Additionally, his character just doesn't fit in the Ip Man universe and just feels extremely out of place.

The plot is also a complete mess with it attempting to cram in way too many things into the plot. The story tries to be a redemption story for Cheung, a sibling rivalry story between Ngan and Tso, a gang story, a drug addiction story, British colonialism, racism and corruption. It's very convoluted and a fair amount of these stories aren't even good. It also retreads a lot of Ip Man's 2 and 3 stories with the corruption and racism which is just lazy and disappointing.

It's extremely corny at times as well and that is fine if it was done well but it isn't in this case. There are a lot of moments that feel like they are trying to be a comedy or funny but it doesn't land and I didn't feel like laughing at all. The movie also attempts some melodramatic moments but again it never really lands and didn't make me feel anything. The movie has a lot of moments that are not intended to be stupid but made me end up thinking it was stupid. However, some moments are not meant to be funny but I kind of thought was funny like a man's arm getting cut off with no blood was just hilariously bad. His arm just gets cut like a plastic toy. Some of the line delivery is also quite bad at times. The child actors are very bad and some of the supporting characters feel one-note and lacking in any range of personality.

I also have some gripes with the editing and set design in this movie. The editing is so weirdly bad in which it would transition to the next scene while abruptly ending the music score before it even ended properly. They also do a lot of fades out which is usually done when ending the movie or to signify the conclusion to an act but it is done a couple of times in this movie where I felt it was odd to do so. Also, the set design feels really empty or too open. It makes the city feel lifeless. This could be due to a lack of extras as there weren't many people roaming around until the final act of the movie where they all come out of nowhere.

Overall, it is a ludicrous movie but there is a charm in that. Spinoffs are a good way of doing something different while embodying the spirit of the main series and Master Z does kind of do that. The movie was aiming to deliver on epic action set pieces and it does so successfully. They are exciting, electrifying and extremely well-choreographed but just don't expect much from its story.

#movies #movie review #ip man #master z #max zhang #michelle yeoh #dave bautista #martial arts #kung fu #kung fu movies

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burritodetodo · 4 years

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Burrito’s Guide To Survive Coronavirus Quarantine

We got to keep social distance (1 or 2 meters each other) or stay home during coronavirus outbreak so I thought I can share with y’all some things I’m gonna watch or do doing quarantine (this is a very long post, REBLOGS ARE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED!).

BUT FIRST SOME RULES:

Wash your hands: do it for 20 seconds or a while, but ALWAYS do it. It prevents the virus from spreading. If you don’t have sanitizer, water and soap! The cheapest and best ally against the disease.

Buy everything you need: if you can, try to buy stuff so you can stay some days at home. If the place is crowded, go back home and come later when it’s more empty. Same as medicine.

You can go for a walk: stay at home all day can be overwhelming for your mental health, but unless the goverment puts a curfew or gets strict about it you can go walk outside for a while always respecting the 1 or 2 meters from other people and without making contact (chatting) with other people. This ain’t my rule, a CDC professional says. DON’T go visit your friends or to crowded places such as bars, restaurants, shoppings, etc. If you want to buy something, ask for delivery or take away.

If you have coronavirus sympthoms (high fever, diarrhea, cough, feeling tired, breath difficulties) DON’T GO TO THE HOSPITAL YET, CALL TO YOUR PUBLIC HEALTH ORGANISATION OR WHATEVER YOU GOT AND THEY’LL TREAT YOU.

(credits to whoever made this meme)

SO YOUR LIFE IS ON QUARANTINE

Let’s say your boss or your school told you can stay at home. Okay then, you gotta prepare for some days inside *Isolation by John Lennon plays in the distance*. The first thing you think is you have to prepare a batch of series and movies to watch in order to kill some time. I’m gonna recommend you some you can find on VOD or cable, if you don’t have it don’t worry because I got you covered!

Infinity Train: a yet two seasons saga about people who got to face their problems aboard an endless train. The protagonists are joined by creatures who have different nature and help them, or not, to acknowledge their issues and leave the train. It’s on CN, it will continue on HBO Max.

The Owl House: a teen girl who daydream a lot was going to be sent to a down-to-earth camp but then she crosses a portal to the Boiling Isles, a magical world where she is taken care by a powerful Owl witch/saleswoman and her adorable demon. Lots of fantasy, some action scenes and many many puns. It’s on Disney Channel, it’ll be on Disney+ in some weeks.

Primal: Genndy Tartakovsky delighted us with the alliance of a caveman and a dinosaur, two rivals in a wild world who ally after facing a devastating event. It IS brutal and beatiful, has no dialogue and keeps you watching closely. Five final episodes are set to premiere this year. It’s on Adult Swim, maybe on HBO Max.

Tuca and Bertie: for the critics, one of 2019 best shows. For Netflix, a show that had to be cut off because the studio unionized. Two friends in their late 20s face changes in their lives: from living with a boyfriend and plan a life to look a way to stay sober and get a job. Deals with trauma, ptsd, anxiety and more harsh moments very well. In fact, the creator is a vital part of Bojack Horseman! It’s on Netflix.

Aggretsuko: red pandas are cute eh? But what about a antopomorphic red panda who releases her anger and frustrations by singing at a karaoke? This awesome comedy by Sanrio & Netflix is one of anime’s big hits lately. Like T&B, has a good handle of adult problems but not going too deep just to not break the comedy. You can watch it on Netflix.

Regular Show: yeah-uuuuhhhh! Eight seasons, a movie, five Halloween specials and some others. The adventures of a racoon and a blue jay with their co-workers/friends that relies on psychadellia and 80s and 90s nostalgia. It begins good, gets better, then lowers the quality (they were producing the movie at the same time tho, give some credit) and with and after the movie ends awesome. It’s on CN web, dunno if on Hulu (US only) and proably on HBO Max.

Evangelion: it’s a classic at this point, but addictive to me because I end rewatching the series or the final movie many times. A post apocalyptic future where the world has to deal with strange creatures known as the Angels and a boy with lots of traumas has to get on a mecha to save the humankind. All the characters have traumas and issues, the interaction between them or the action makes it worth. The End of Evangelion is a movie that ends the unfinished series. Warning: at some point it becomes very twisted and there are scenes which are too much violent. Viewer disclosure etc. It’s on Netflix worldwide.

Steven Universe & SU Future: this is the tale of the gem boy who ends a galactical tyranny and brings democracy to the universe. A acclaimed show that broke through many topics like gender, identity, ptsd, relationships and many more. Besides it’s got the best scores of the Milky Way and beyond thanks to the talent of Rebecca Sugar, Aivi Tran and Surasshu. And the actors and acrtresses! I don’t forget the movie, a musical that is an introduction to the epilogue: Shippuden Future. The show is available on CN and will be on HBO Max. Worldwide? No news.

Adventure Time: something that began as an innocent boy and a magical dog having adventures in a post apocalyptic world turns into the journey of Finn Metens from childhood to almost adulthood. There is a lot of fantasy and comedy you enjoy, but there are dark moments and serious ones through S6 that find a balance with early seasons form S7 to the finale. It also has great music, memorable moments and colaborations. And guess what? There is going to be a special set to premiere on HBO Max in some weeks! You got plenty of time to catch up or rewatch before that on CN or only (!!) S5 on Netflix.

Final Space: a dude tries to save the universe with their friends, where we can find his love interest, a cat-man and his kitten son, a intersexual alien, an AI then robot that is the best of them, two particular siblings and an annoying bot that prevents insanity that makes you insane. Crazy adventures in space, lots of situations, sadness, an evil smol bean who is a space emperor, a dude who looks for revenge, space deities that can destroy the universe. Is this a lot or info? It is not, because there is more and you can watch it on TBS, Adult Swim and Netflix (the world except US).

Rick and Morty: the most powerful, smartest human in the universe has adventures with his grandson. It’s awesome, but has a very toxic fanbase. Anyway, you can enjoy it on Adult Swim or Netflix (which is up to date!) and the rest of S4 is set someday.

Bojack Horseman: a Hollywood satire about human relationships, fame, traumas with a pour of comedy. Alongside the previous series, the best adult animation of the decade. Sadly cut by Netflix because the studio unionized (see T&B), said by both the creator and Aaron Paul. You can watch the six amazing seasons on that platform.

I’m not an animated movies guy, but here are three I really like and you can watch:

Porco Rosso: a handsome Italian combat aviator turned magically to a pig has a face off with an American pilot hired by pirates to get rid of him before WWII in Fascist Italy. It’s entertaining and, like every Ghibli movie, nice to watch. It’s on Netflix and will be on HBO Max for US.

Lego Batman Movie: Batman is depressed and has to get over it. It’s wacky and has lots of comedy. Plus Will Arnett is top 3 Batman. On Netflix (Latinamerica).

Spiderverse: Oscar winner movie about your friendly neighbour Peter Parker Miles Morales. Miles sees Spiderman die and feels bad after being transfered to a private school. Then a radioactive spider from a Fisk compound bites Miles and he’s Spiderman... among other dimensions’ Spiderpeople: Gwen, Peni, Peter Parker, Noir and Peter Porker. It’s visually amazing. On US it’s on Netflix (I guess), on Latinamerica on HBO.

Some interesting live actions I watched lately

Atlanta: Donald Glover is Earn, a dude who struggles to find a job for her baby girld and sees an opportunity when his cousin, Paper Boi, has a hit and uses him to make his cos famous. Sometimes a comedy, sometimes a social satire with touches of drama. And all protagonists are now big shots, like Zazie Beetz, Brian Tyree Henry or Lakeith Stanfield. There are two seasons and two seasons set for 2021 (2022 possible beacuse of coronavirus). It’s on FX, Hulu (US) and Netflix (world)

Avenue 5: this is brand new. On 2060 space cruises are a thing, and one cruise (the Avenue 5) has an accident that leaves the crew and passangers stranded for years. The captain (Hugh Laurie) has to solve this shit with a bunch of incompetent crew, bosses like Judd (Josh Gad), except one female engeneer who is very smart. Lots of crazy things happen in this series from the creator behind Veep. It’s on HBO (it’s free in the US!).

Peaky Blinders: it has some years but damn it’s epic. A gang from Birmingham makes their way to the top during the late 1910s after the Great War and extends through the 1920s. S5 is right in the ascension of fascism in Britain. ALL THE CAST acts spectacular, names like Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy, Anna Taylor-Joy and a long etc. But my fave is Paul Anderson, that ultra violent junkie Arthur Shelby is splendid, then is Tommy and aunt Pol, the baddest badass woman in Britain. Blinders is going to have seven seasons, there are two left. You can watch it on BBC or Netflix.

Sex Education: speaking of Britain, excellent teen comedy. Horny, doubtful teenagers going through those hard years. Stories of sex (duh!), abuse situations, abortion, there are gay relationships either, Gillian Anderson! It’s on Netflix, go go go!

Watchmen: despite not having Alan Moore on board, Damien Lindeloff did a tremendous job with the comic. Way better and less misleading than Zack Snyder’s 2009 film, Watchmen is again at the gates of the world’s end (like today) and handles the problem of racism and white supremacy quite well. Just 9 episodes, but worth to watch. On HBO.

CAOS: Sabrina the Teenage Witch is over. Warner and Netflix made a revival of the Archie Comics character and brought her to XXI Century. But gorier, hornier, dark and magical than the nice 90s sitcom. Sabrina Spellman goes from a doubtful teen who has to decide if she has to be a witch or a powerless woman to rule Hell. How she does it? Find out on Netflix! Note: S1 and 2 take some episodes to start properly. Don’t get bored too easy.

There are A LOT MORE to recommend and I make a list: Harley Quinn (DC Universe), OK KO (Hulu -US only-), House MD, Young Justice (DC Universe/Netflix), Ken Burns’ documentaries (Netflix), Titans (DCU), Over The Garden Wall (CN), Seis Manos (Netflix), Thundercats Roar (CN), Easy (Netflix), GLOW (Netflix), Star Trek Discovery (CBS, Netflix) and Picard (CBS, Amazon Prime), etc.

- You named cool shows, but I’m not from the United States or I don’t have a subscription to (insert VOD here) because I can’t afford it

- Glad you asked, I have the answer here

Introducing Stremio. It’s an open source platform where you can watch shows, movies or even live TV on Windows, Linux, Apple or Android. You create an account, install some addons and start looking for what you want to watch.

Stremio is based on torrents, you should install addons from many known torrent sites. So maybe you find an old show, but there aren’t many seeds to watch. And it could be frustraiting, so make sure there are people sharing so you can watch it.

You can download Stremio here and check the FAQs which is very clear.

NOTE: Stremio is note quite “clean” way to watch, but if you do please support the shows you watch by posting, commenting about them, making memes, thanking the creators and crew for their work, buying merchandise if you can. They put a lot to make the shows we love, let’s give ‘em back that love and effort.

You’re tired of the same music, the same movies or need to leave something to make company? There is Vaughn Live, a streaming page where are lots of channels with movies and series on strem (not VOD). For example, there is a channel that streams Adventure Time, other Regular Show, other Sci-Fi shows, another with DBZ and so on. Take in count that if the channel has +70 viewers, the free access is cut and if you want to watch it you have to pay.

En Vaughn también hay canales en español, como Simpsonmanía, Dragon Ball, Futurama, dibujos viejos y muchísimo más. Anyway, go to https://vaughn.live/ and enjoy yourselves!

Y hablando de canales en español, pueden ir a SeriesLan donde está el mayor reservorio conocido de series animadas de entre 1960 a 2010 en español latino. Pueden encontrar tesoros desde Don Gato, los Halcones Galácticos o Street Sharks a Flapjack y Mechas XLR. Otra alternativa para que pasen el rato.

Some interesting facts:

Epic Games releases a free game per week in their store. This week will be two games. You can check in https://www.epicgames.com

Steam has good prices on games and some free ones. There even is the latest Football Manager for free until March 25th. Check on https://store.steampowered.com/

If you’re interested,

I got this playlist I made on Spotify

with songs I liked in more than one year. More than 1200 songs.

And that’s pretty much it! You got resources for a lot of days, 14 initially since that’s the quarantine time in my country. Remember: obey the indications of the Health authorities, this is no time to play the “fuck the goverment” game. We will overcome this pandemy together, helping and caring for each other. That’s why I did this guide, to keep your minds busy in these tough times! Wash your hands, keep social distance, stay at home, go outside if necessary and have some patience please. This has been a PSA.

Stay strong!

Burrito

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uzuuzuking · 4 years

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so this started out as just a general post about why i like cinderella adaptations, but slowly spiraled into a ranking/review of all the cinderella adaptations i’ve seen in my short, young life. so strap in for possibly the longest post i’ve ever made on this blog. (look, i never know how much i have to say about something until i really get going lmao)

idk why i like cinderella adaptations/remakes/spinoffs so much? most of them are garbage (especially the ones within the last 10 years don’t @ me) but fuck it i like this brand of garbage. it’s fun to watch these movies and rework the bad plotlines and dialogue in my head as i go along.

i guess i like the source material and some of the aspects of all the different adaptations, but honestly i just like re-imagining them because there’s only so much cringey script-written-for-teens-but-clearly-written-by-40-year-old-adults-who-have-no-idea-how-teens-or-even-people-for-that-matter-actually-talk-and-interact i can take in one excruciating sitting.

anyway here’s my personal ranking of all the cinderella adaptations i’ve seen that no one asked for. (not including stage productions because i haven’t seen any and have no opinion of them. also not including into the woods because that’s not just cinderella, but a spectacular amalgamation of fairytale mishap and shenanigan.) and reviews because apparently i had more to say than i originally thought when i first started constructing this list:

cinderella (1997) - the absolute best cinderella adaptation of all time, hands down, this is non-negotiable. this movie has it all: an excellent and diverse cast, gorgeous costume design, beautiful sets, some of the most dazzling dance numbers i ever witnessed when i first watched it at the wee age of 4, and a positive, progressive message that was accurate for its time yet also so ahead of its time. i cannot praise this version of cinderella enough, it is my all time favorite and one of my top 3 feel-good movies. if you watched it today, the effects might not be as magical compared to what we have now, but keep in mind it was released in 1997. anyway, the cast is truly amazing and so effortlessly inclusive (and honestly the fact that the prince was asian with a black mother and white father and they literally never addressed it was such a power move). i could go on about this movie forever (i’ll probably make a whole post dedicated to it in the future) and what it meant to me and many others as young, impressionable poc. in conclusion, this movie set an exceedingly high standard for me and destroyed the chances of any other cinderella adaptation even hoping to live up to that. i love it! so! much!

ever after: a cinderella story (1998) - tbh i never saw this until i was in college but i immediately fell in love. i love the flow of the story as a whole - i never felt like anything was missing. i love the costumes and i especially love how danielle and henry’s relationship progressed throughout the film. slow-burn comes to mind when i watch their interactions and we all love a sweet, sweet slow-burn. it’s romance babes! it’s Dramatic in a few scenes and all i can say is that it really works because drew barrymore’s performance is exceptional, fantastic, engaging, more adjectives to describe how enthralled by her i was. above all, her character is compassionate - she uses her voice to speak in support for those who are suppressed by the flawed government systems and law enforcers, and influences the prince to use his status and power to better his people who lack the privileges of the nobility. she’s such a strong female lead (emotionally and physically - she literally fireman carries her love interest, who is taller than her and definitely exceeds her own bodyweight) and truly the mvp of this adaptation. watch it. watch it for Her.

enchanted (2007) - amy adams and idina menzel - ‘nuff said. okay but for real this one is so unique with its transition from classic d*sney 2D animation style to the real three-dimensional world and i adore it to the ends of the earth. the music? slaps! the story? slaps! the development of the main character? slaps!! she’s so princess-y and d*sney cartoon-y and struggles in the real world, but she adapts at a good pace and i love that she learns to be realistic while also keeping hope and love close to her heart. also her mother figure / daughter figure bond with morgan is so so precious. the only constructive criticism i have for this movie is the fact that we were robbed of idina menzel singing!!! did they know all along she was destined to play the frozen queen years in the future and decided against her singing in this one?? is that it? ridiculous. it’s been over a decade and i’m still seething over this. other than that this movie is *chef’s kiss*

ella enchanted (2004) - anne hathaway’s back must still be hurting from carrying this film. (no shade to the other cast members, they’re good, but anne is a queen and i forever love her.) this is another childhood favorite of mine. the story itself is a refreshing take - hats off to gail carson levine for the source material! i’ve talked about the differences between the movie and book before in the midst of my reread of the book a few months ago, but i don’t remember how much i focused on the movie. it’s so different from the book that it might as well be its own thing. on its own, the movie is pretty decent! again, mostly because of anne. it’s funny, it’s sad (especially that scene towards the beginning between ella and areida, i’m in stupid tears every time), and it gets weird but it’s a fun time. the chemistry between char and ella is so zesty i can feel it through the screen, i swoon over both of them. tbh i probably wouldn’t like this movie so much if not for the fact that anne hathaway is truly talented and i spend most of my time watching it just looking at her.

cinderella 3: a twist in time (2007) - i genuinely enjoyed and appreciated how the characters were written in this one. they all had clear motives and became much more dynamic through their lines and actions (drizella is arguably the most static character here but she still amuses me so it’s fine i guess). cinderella has more agency since the stakes are higher. prince charming actually has a gotdamn personality and has some of the funniest scenes and dialogue. good for him. i was kind of sad that anastasia’s story with the sweet baker boy was thanos snapped by the stepmother, but she and baker boy get a cute credits illustration together so it’s still canon! maybe i’m more biased on this one because i grew up rewatching it A Lot, but i definitely prefer it to the first and second movies.

cinderella (2000) - this one is kind of weird but i like it? the film has a really interesting vibe that i’m still trying to figure out how to describe even after seeing it like 5 times. wikipedia refers to the aesthetic style as “the glamour of the 1950s” which just might be as close as we can get. it follows the general guidelines of the cinderella plot, but the main differences were: zezolla (cinderella) was already helping with the chores before her father remarried, claudette (stepmother) was actively trying to murder zezolla’s father during their marriage, the stepsisters were much more violent and crass (they hunted zezolla’s beloved farm animals for sport and talked about getting “a man in [their] bed”), zezolla’s father was manipulated by everything claudette did and said and treated his own daughter poorly as a result, and prince valiant is honestly kind of a douchebag but seems willing to improve himself after meeting zezolla (basically his vibes are iffy but he’s willing to learn). this whole movie is pretty niche and i have yet to interact with someone who’s also seen it. and the only reason i’ve seen it so many times is because i just like listening to how the dialogue is delivered. (except for prince valiant’s random song at the ball, i kind of hated that and i skip through it every time lol).

a cinderella story (2004) - the classic hilary duff version. very cliche early 2000s high school romance, but it works for the cinderella narrative. not particularly diverse. a classic nonetheless. in my mind this is the pinnacle of the “modern cinderella movie” type. this is one of the most iconic movies for us zillennials and i’d like to think it’s known well enough for me to not go into a lot of detail about it. basically it was fresh and new for its time, had plenty of memorable scenes, and did i mention hilary duff? the film kind of plays into the “not like other girls” trope - as do a couple of the movies i listed above - but i’m just going to acknowledge that the early 2000s were Wack and simply move on. all in all, i like this movie for the nostalgia, iconic scenes, and hilary duff. also jennifer coolidge is pretty funny as the stepmother.

another cinderella story (2008) - again, an early 2000s classic, but this time with selena gomez. i liked the dancing in this one. i like selena’s quiet, somewhat timid characterization of her character, mary. and jane lynch in the stepmother role is perfection. she’s so fun to watch and is always hilarious. the story is nothing remarkable, but it’s okay and i liked it as a kid. after the hilary duff version, this one still managed to feel fresh because, though it was similar in its modern era approach, it focused more on the performing arts and dance. “cinderella” is an aspiring dancer, rather than the 2004 aspiring scholar. the “prince” is a famous popstar, not a football player. the stepmother is an outdated popstar desperate to stay Hip and Relevant with the kids, not a cranky botox lady. honestly i just love watching this one for the dancing, mary’s genuine and innocent love for the “prince”, and literally everything that comes out of jane lynch’s mouth. that woman is a dialogue gold mine.

a cinderella story: once upon a song (2011) - lucy hale is good. missi pyle is good. they play their roles and lines that they’re given fairly well. over all, it’s entertaining. lucy, of course, has them Pipes and i do like the songs in this movie. the only major downside for me was the “token best friend of color” trope. lucy’s best friend is an asian girl who’s good at sports and is there for one liners and support. the prince charming character’s best friend is a black guy who he only knew for probably a month at the most. he can beatbox, sing, and dj. basically he’s also just there as support. they really don’t do much for the plot but they’re there for diversity and whatnot. this movie is.. fine.

cinderella (1950) - the only reason this ranks so low for me is because i watched it a lot as a child when it was on vhs and it always felt like a fever dream to me. i was just really young and didn’t feel invested in any of the characters. it is a classic, though, and i would watch it again and be able to enjoy it.

cinderella 2: dreams come true (2002) - i liked cinderella’s and anastasia’s stories from this one. jaq’s was meh. it was fine.

dj cinderella or cinderella pop (2019) - netflix knows i like cinderella adaptations so, naturally, they shoved this into my recommended and, naturally, i watched it. twice. which is more than i can say for the following review... so this movie is brazillian and is pretty much the cut & mold of modern cinderella movies. but she wants to be a dj. she stars out living a perfect life as a wealthy girl with a loving family, but turns out her dad is cheating on her mom with his secretary. that’s when she “stops believing in love”. which is actually valid bc if i saw one of my parental figures cheating on the other, i honestly wouldn’t know what to believe in anymore. anyway, cíntia dorella (yes. that’s her full name.) and her mom move into her aunt’s place. a year or so passes. stepmother/secretary/cheating lady is throwing an extravagant birthday party for her daughters and hires freddy prince, a popular musician who cíntia doesn’t really like. meanwhile, cíntia gets a dj gig she’s excited for until she finds out she’s the opener for freddy prince at her stepsisters’ party. she ends up disguising herself as “dj cinderella” and freddy is super into her. it’s pretty generic from there but i was entertained enough to watch it twice. take from that what you will.

cinderella (2015) - ok so we been knew that d*sney’s live action remakes ain’t shit, and this one is no exception. d*sney within the last few years has been like 99% aesthetics and marketing. this movie was visually stunning, especially with the settings and costumes. those were the only 2 things i truly liked. everything else was forgettable. in its defense, i did read a post about the “have courage and be kind” message which is something wonderful to hold onto, especially for anyone in an abusive situation like ella. that’s valid and i respect that. i still lowkey hate this movie tho. i started getting a headache about 4 reviews ago, but remembering how much praise this movie got has reignited my fighting spirit. honestly if you like it, that’s good, you like what you like and that’s that. but this is my review and i hated how proper ella’s posture was (she’s been doing physical labor hunched on the floor for years now, how does she not slump around in exhaustion at the end of the day??), i hated how perfectly curated the whole thing was (again, that’s mostly because of d*sney and their aesthetics), and i hated how hollow everything felt. i can’t perfectly describe it, but i never felt emotionally invested in any of the characters. something about their performance was lacking and yet again i blame d*sney. i actually really like lily james, but something about the way she was directed left me devoid of emotional attachment to ella. i remember nothing about ella’s step family or the prince. that’s how much of an impact this adaptation had on me. also i just remembered the fairy godmother as i type this. i ADORE helena bonham carter, but this movie does a horrible disservice to her. if she liked working on this movie, then i’m happy for her, but even she wasn’t strong enough to sell this to me. i saw this movie in theaters and came out of it lamenting my waste of money that i could have spent on something i would have actually enjoyed. but the thing that enraged me the most, the thing i despised, i detested, the thing i seethed over and rant about to this day was the ONE (1) token black character. i don’t even know if he had a name but he was captain of the guard or some shit. if i remember correctly (but probably not tbh this movie was so forgettable), he was the one who heard ella singing and was the whole reason the prince was able to have her try on the glass slipper. this man, who had zero character development, zero relevance to the plot, an insignificant amount of screen time, is suddenly the reason the main character is able to finally connect with her love interest. um. What. i hate how the writers treated him and i will forever be filled with every last grain of salt over this. anyway he’s my favorite character and everyone else is just eh. to conclude this ungodly long review, i don’t like this movie. i tried to watch it again once but got so bored i quit 10 minutes in. do yourself a favor and watch cinderella (1997) instead. (the only reason this movie is ranked above the remaining 5 is the production quality. but i guess that’s unfair bc d*sney has the big bucks. and maybe i wouldn’t be so harsh if i weren’t sleep deprived and grumpy from a sugar-induced headache, but these feelings still come from my Chest so idk.)

a cinderella story: a christmas wish (2019) - i think we all secretly enjoy christmas-themed movies and this has got to be someone’s guilty pleasure. i was mildly entertained (but again with the cringey dialogue written by people clearly not in high school...) and i do like laura marano. but they autotuned her to hell and back - which i loathed - because the woman can actually sing and she has a lovely voice. she got to sing candidly one (1) time and i relished the experience. my ears thank her beautiful, un-autotuned voice. other than that it was.. fine. i didn’t hate it but i didn’t like it either. laura marano deserves better than this. (can’t say the same for the other actors tho because their roles were unmemorable.) also laura marano was super cute in her elf costume!

not cinderella’s type (2018) - i legit forgot about this one until after i compiled the entire list lol. i saw it on youtube and it was decent as far as i remember. it’s another modern day cinderella. i think the “prince” runs over “cinderella’s” cat or something?? i’m pretty sure it was her mom’s cat so now she has nothing left to remember her mom by. prince boy feels awful and tries to befriend her or do something to make it up to her, but she just doesn’t really like him. i think her aunt and uncle are emotionally abusive to her and prince boy does his best to be there for her without making things worse. if i remember correctly, i liked that aspect of the movie because it’s hard to be there for a victim of any kind of abuse if trying to help them could potentially hurt them more, especially minors still under the care of abusive guardians. anyway i think cinderella girl’s best friend is in love with her or something but she ends up not being into him and slowly gets together with prince boy. she eventually moves out of her guardians’ house and into the spare house at prince boy’s home (he’s rich or something). i need to rewatch this movie tbh i could be wrong about everything here lol.

rags (2012) - not amazing, definitely not memorable because i have nothing to say about its plot or writing, but it has keke palmer which is its one redeeming quality. also it’s the only one on this list where the male protagonist is the cinderella. so that’s solid i guess.

a cinderella story: if the shoe fits (2016) - this was a movie. it happened. i vaguely remember how ridiculous it was and sometimes i felt secondhand embarrassment. i don’t remember what about specifically, but i remember the emotion. sofia carson is a talented singer. i think she’s a decent actor but this script was Bad.

elle: a modern cinderella tale (2010) - i only watched this one because i was bored out of my damn mind and saw it on youtube. i felt bad for all the actors because this script was terrible. i don’t recommend this unless you’re about to sit down with your squad and make fun of it.

apparently descendants is on the “cinderella adaptations and references” list on imdb but i refuse to put it on my list because it’s not a cinderella-specific adaptation and i don’t like the descendants franchise. now, if we’re going to discuss a quality series about the children of fairytale characters, that would hands down be ever after high. but that’s a different topic for a different day.

thus concludes the ranking no one asked for but i felt compelled to make. thank you and goodnight

#summer.txt #cinderella #longpost #if anyone reads through this whole thing congrats!#i'll get u a gold star from the esteemed dollar store and bequeath it to you via uploaded photo #i didn't think i'd be typing for 4 hours straight but apparently i have a lot to say #i started falling apart at the end there lol #and around the middle bc i forgot to add cinderella 1 and 2 #god my head fucking hurts #i had a craving for sugar today but i went overboard and now i'm paying the price

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jupitermelichios · 4 years

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Rise of Skywalker Spoiler Free Reactions

Just skip this post if you’re not interested!

Okay, technical stuff first, since there’s no risk of any spoilers there. (This isn’t going to be kind, so I’m going to start by admitting that I probably wouldn’t be as harsh on the technical elements if I’d liked the plot more, but I certainly wouldn’t be being kind to it even if I really loved the story)

Holy shit that was a technically incompetent film. The camera work and editing were more reminiscent of Michael Bay at his worse than something you’d expect from Disney’s flagship franchise. Keeping track of where characters are in the world, in relation to one another, in relation to anything except the camera, is completely impossible in places, and usually the places that really matter!

There’s a lot of shaky cam but rarely in the places shaky cam should be used (there’s multiple continuous steady shots shot using shaky cam for example, but it mostly isn’t used for running and chasing sequences) and even when the camera’s actually on a tripod it swoops around so much it made me a bit motion sick. Baz Lurnham would think this was too frenetic. The frame composition is at least okay (which shouldn’t even be in question for a film with a budget like this, but apparently this is what $300,000,000 gets you now).

The big dramatic light-sabre duel (not a spoiler, you knew there was going to be at least one!) is actually boring. This is the franchise that made Qui Gon vs Darth Maul exciting, and Darth Maul was functionally a non-character. This was with established characters and stakes, characters I was invested in, and I was so fucking bored, and that was all down to the soundtrack and editing not doing what they were supposed to. It kept doing that Michael Bay thing of shooting every little detail as though it was super important so your brain doesn’t know what to focus on and remember, but to give Michael Bay his dues his fight scenes are at least not boring, just incomprehensible. I’m honestly not entirely sure what went wrong with this - Joel Schumacher could honestly have shot this better, and he could definitely have edited it better!

Speaking of the music, Star Wars is probably better known for its music than just about anything else. It’s iconic. It’s hummable. It’s really fucking memorable. Yeah, they decided they should break from tradition here, The soundtrack is fine, if it wasn’t a Star Wars film I wouldn’t think anything of it (bar one moment when it’s super unclear if the music is diagetic or non-diagetic and it looks like a load of bad guys are singing opera, and it’s really funny) but this is Star Wars. At the very least, I expect to hear some of the iconic Star Wars music from films past, especially given how many original trilogy characters are in this movie, but no. It’s just generic film score, and that’s super weird.

Oh complement time, the sound balancing is good, which is really nice to see in a big budget blockbuster with this many explosions! I could hear the dialogue but the loud bits weren’t painful. Good job David Accord, senior sound editor.

The CG is mostly fine with a one notable exception that anyone who’s seen some of the other recent Star Wars movies will be expecting. There’s a couple of moments where I’m sure they’re actually using puppets rather than CG for smaller aliens, but it was always on the edge of shots and never for long enough to be certain.

The lighting is hit and miss, but when it misses it misses really hard. There’s a reason there’s an official epilepsy warning for this film, and it’s applicable to about a quarter of the run-time honestly.

Costume design, what were you doing on this? Seriously. I think we all had mental imagines of what the Knights of Ren would look like when we finally got a proper look at them, and I don’t think any of us were expecting what they actually went with, especially in terms of their weapons. They looked like they’d wondered in from a completely different franchise!

Despite that, there is some really cool bits of design in this... none of which we see for more than a couple of seconds. An ice world which characters visit briefly near the beginning is a really awesome bit of design, and we cut away from the wide shot of it so quickly it honestly felt like a mistake? It’s really weird. And the desert bazaar caterpillar-track thing that I don’t know the name for is also a really great bit of very star wars-y design, that once again we only see for a second! It’s so weird, it’s like they’re ashamed of the cool designs. The red storm troopers from all the trailers, I really like them! I like that they’re distinctly First Order rather than Empire, it’s a nice bit of visual distinction. They’re barely in it. There’s some other troops in cool red armour we see briefly. They’re also barely in it.

Okay, I think that’s everything I had to say about the micro elements and direction, some super mild plot spoilers (on the ‘this actor is in the film who wasn’t in the last one’ level only) to follow so I’m putting them behind a cut

There’s a cameo in this for someone who’s age suggests he’s in the original trilogy, and I genuinely have no idea who he is! If anyone knows (and no, I’m not talking about Billy D Williams) please let me know!

This film introduces two characters as though we’re supposed to already know who they are. A background resistance dude played by Dominic Monoghan - he’s not important, just a general background dude who occasionally exposits some stuff - and a First Order general played by Richard E Grant. The film is 100% convinced we know who they are. And I, as someone who rewatched TLJ only a month ago, am 100% convinced we do not. There’s a droid they do that with as well, and then later they have a dramatic reveal as to who it is, so they know we don’t know and they still introduce it that way! It’s not a big problem, it didn’t stop me from following the story, it’s just weird.

The ‘first gay character’ is exactly as weaksauce as we were all expecting, although I will say they did at least survive to the end of the film.

This is the biggest waste of Billy D Williams since the 1989 Batman movie.

They introduce so many new characters and concepts that there just isn’t time to allow the existing stuff to really shine, and about half of the new stuff could easily have been cut.

If I had to sum up this film’s script in one word it would be ‘non-committal’. I presume in response to the TLJ backlash, they’re trying so hard to please everyone that they basically end up pleasing no one because they won’t make firm statements on anything more controversial than ‘sith bad’.

Mostly my take away from this is that I remain 100% committed to my belief that Darth Traya is the only worthwhile organic in the Star Wars universe (and she’s not even canon anymore). “I see the chance to turn away from [the force’s] will, and that is what pleases me” may be the most intelligent thing any force user has ever said.

#rise of skywalker #star wars #ros reactions #no spoilers #insert obligatory 'saying a film you like isn't shot well isn't a personal attack on you' disclaimer here

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