#succession being shot on film just adds so much

[babufrik]

Bruh this shot

#this is my form of film criticism #like just #damn #succession being shot on film just adds so much #the COLOURS #the Texture #the depth #yummy #succession

[red-might-be-dead]

hello hi here to force strange thoughts into your brain once again, this time about jrwi (wow who could’ve guessed)

been thinking about this for a little but it’s basically what i think some campaigns would be if not podcasts, i haven’t listened to some of the older ones so i’m sorry they’re not on here :(( if you have any ideas feel free to add them btw :DD

RIPTIDE!!!!! - really long animated series

not an anime though, no matter how much grizzly wants it, it would be an animation style where the characters could have very clearly different nose, face and body shapes, really pushing my riptide nose agenda here sorry, each episode would be like 20-40 minutes long and instead of coming out in seasons there would be massive gaps in between episodes, from 2-6 months long, to leave time for writers and animators to get stuff done (massive team of animators btw, i feel like it would be pretty successful)

PRIME DEFENDERS!! - comics

literally nothing else they could be, just really well made, well performing comics (i’ve already talked about this before you can stalk my talk tag if you really want to find it lmao), the comic company making them would be keeping well away from movies n shit btw

APOTHEOSIS!!! - i wasn’t really sure about this one to be honest

i had to ask my friend and she said anime which i don’t agree with but i can see it, i think maybe a short book series where each book is 150 - 300 pages and is about a different god they have to kill/a different episode, i think that works but if anyone has any better ideas please tell me :D!!

BLOOD IN THE BAYOU!!! - i hate to say it, i really do…

bitb would be a really long really good 80s horror book with strong homoerotic undertones, a satisfied fanbase and lots of active members in the community making fan comics, films, writing, theories and art ect… until well after the book came out……….. and then it would be made into the most egregious and awful live action movie you have ever seen, the most awful casting (like chris pratt as officer dudes….. throws up) and even worse sfx, oh yeah and the characters would be ruined and the story would become so butchered it wouldn’t make sense, they would do some shit like cut out becky so kian just kisses some random lady (removing both a really good and well written character and a layer of kian’s character that i think is super important) and make rolan really be an evil bug spy the whole time so rand has to kill him to save the town also add in a whole new sub plot that never existed like the rand family is secretly a long line of bug alien hunters or something fucking stupid like that and the entire fanbase would murder whoever thought re-writing the story was a good idea (ahaha can you tell ive been through something like this before ahahaha, character morals and motives being removed and whatnot ahahahhahahaha.)

anyways………

THE SUCKENING!!! - live action series

it would be well made though, unlike the bitb movie it would be its own original thing, have great makeup and effects also be well casted and well shot, well written, ect ect, it would bloody and gory and not suitable for people who can’t handle showing bones and organs all over everywhere, lots of shitty rip off merch would be made though and the fandom would be 99% gay little freaks (normal suckening enjoyers) and 1% homophobic straight white men who get mad whenever they see soda and emizel having gay sex on screen or whatever fag shit that biting thing was

again feel free to add your thoughts and ideas and shit in the reblogs it would be nice to read them :DD!!

#red rambles relentlessly #jrwi show #jrwi pd #the suckening #jrwi riptide #jrwi apotheosis #jrwi bitb #jrwi spoilers #jrwi the suckening #jrwi prime defenders #bitb spoilers #suckening spoilers #i think i wrote some shit that could be considered spoilers in those two sections #definitely the bitb one #which i definitely didn’t base around a certain netflix adaptation of one of my old favourite books cough cough #I HATE THAT FILM SO MUCH WHY DID YOU DO THAT TO SOPHIES CHARACTER SHE IS SUPPOSED TO BE A BITCH STOP TRYING TO MAKE HER NICE #anyways like maybe one person who sees this post will know what that’s referencing #and i will admit the books weren’t perfect but at least the characterisation made sense

[fuckyeahworldoftaika]

Taika Waititi: “I just want to spend my money and enjoy it”

As he talks about what a fabulous thing it is to be Taika Waititi, he occasionally glances out the window of the hotel to the gin palaces moored in Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour. So, which one is his?

“They’re all mine. I’m actually trying to get rid of some of these to make room for my QE3.” Everyone in the room laughs – there’s a Disney PR team with camera crew present for a small conveyor belt of local interviews with journalists under instruction not to ask our most prominent global celebrity anything unrelated to his new movie. But Waititi does present as a man who has done quite well for himself. That’s assuming the jewellery that is adorning his fingers, neck and ear is as expensive as it looks. Of course it is. The man’s been on the cover of Vogue, after all, albeit as half of a “power couple” with wife of a year-plus, UK pop star Rita Ora.

It’s not the Listener that has brought up the fruits of his success. Just before the boat quips, Waititi had been pondering the difference between being the young Taika following his creative whims and the 48-year-old one, who now doesn’t have the option of starting things – like multimillion-dollar superhero films – and not finishing them because he can’t be bothered. Add to that, he has so many irons in the fire, there is a risk of a stable overflowing with shoeless horses. That’s whether it’s writing that Star Wars film (“four pages,” he deadpans on how far he’s got), acting in pirate comedy series Our Flag Means Death, making videos for the All Blacks, among other corporate gigs, or supposedly doing remakes of seemingly everything he ever liked growing up. Yes, there is a New Zealand film on his to-do list. More of which later.

To that work-in-progress pile (“I’ve got a few irons underneath the other irons”) you can also add a redo of Mel Brooks’ classic comedy Young Frankenstein. The Jewish-American comedy great liked Waititi’s Hitler-spoofing Oscar-winning Jojo Rabbit very much – it reminded him of his own Hitler-spoofing good old days. He asked Waititi if he’d like to remake Young Frankenstein, the 1974 film starring Gene Wilder that was arguably his greatest big-screen comedy. You don’t say no to Mel Brooks. He is 97, after all. That said, Waititi says he could do with a break from the blacksmith shop. Right now, he says, “I just want to spend my money and enjoy it”. Well, reportedly, he has splashed out on that unobtainable thing for many Kiwi artists of his generation – a nice house in Auckland. The NZ Herald last month reported he’d bought a $10.5 million waterfront property in Point Chevalier, supposedly as a base for his joint custody of his two daughters with his former wife, producer Chelsea Winstanley.

We would be discussing his purchase – after all, who doesn’t like a natter about Auckland real estate? – but this interview is taking place back in April. Disney stipulated it couldn’t run until the local release of his new film Next Goal Wins, which it eventually bumped until the end of the year, having made its New Zealand staff redundant in the interim. Next Goal Wins is based on the true story – there was an earlier doco of the same name – about the American Samoan football team, the biggest losers of any Fifa World Cup qualifying round, having gone down 31-0 to Australia. It stars many familiar faces including Oscar Kightley, Beulah Koale, Dave Fane (“all of my mates – I think Robbie Magasiva is the only one not in this”). And, as the Palagi saviour coach, is Michael Fassbender, an actor not exactly known for his comedy. He plays Dutch-American Thomas Rongen, who became the team’s coach and lifted them from the bottom of the Fifa rankings, a little.

It’s a film that seems to have been stuck in extra time. It was shot in Hawai’i in 2019. Then came the pandemic, which paused production for a year. Along the way, Armie Hammer, who played a minor role as an American Fifa official, became persona non grata due to a storm of sexual abuse allegations, which required reshoots with comic actor Will Arnett subbing in. “I was actually already changing that character in the edit and Will came in and played a different version of it,” says Waititi, who isn’t the first director caught with a cast member who’s acquired a toxic reputation. But all his films, even his modest budget New Zealand ones at the start of his career, have taken years. “This is just the normal Taika schedule … I started working on Star Wars three years ago. By the time I finish, it will probably be another four years from now.” Next Goal Wins debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and opened in North America last week. The reviews have been decidedly mixed. That’s possibly because, like his parody-risking Thor films, it’s trying to be two things at the same time – a feel-good underdog sports film with the coach trying to redeem himself, and a send-up of feel-good sports films.

The American-Samoan team featured Jaiyah Saelua, a fa’afafine who was the first transgender international footballer. Played by fa’afafine actor Kaimana in the film, the character is a big chunk of the story. Some reviews have wondered why the film’s whole focus wasn’t Saelua. Why wasn’t it? “Jaiyah’s story is really interesting, but I was not tempted, because I really wanted it … to be about that relationship between the team and Thomas. But also him and the team, because there are a lot of other interesting characters there … [Jaiyah’s story] wasn’t something that I was massively drawn to as the main thing.” Waititi wanted to keep things light and bright in what he has said is his least cynical film yet. By which he means? “It’s more just that in this film nothing bad happens to anyone. In all of the other films there’s some darkness there. Jojo Rabbit is probably the most cynical, but in a satirical way. But with this film, the message is on the poster: “Be happy.” I think one of the most important parts of the film is when Thomas says, ‘I can’t win’, and Oscar says, ‘Well, then lose, but don’t do it alone, come lose with us.’ That’s a really important thing. If it was in an American’s hands, it would be all about winning … I think it’s good to embrace losing but doing it together.” Waititi isn’t much of a football fan. He played as a kid for a while before switching to rugby. “I played it from, like, eight to 10. I just felt like it was a real white sport, so I was a bit turned off because all of my mates were playing rugby. I just enjoyed playing touch a lot more than waiting for that round ball to come my way … ‘Can someone, like, kick it to me?’ “Notoriously, soccer is one of the worst things to try to film, because it just always comes across as super boring … It’s bad enough watching it when you’re waiting for something to happen in a big game. But it’s just a hard sport to make look interesting on film. And I think we did a really good job.” Whatever Next Goal Wins does at the box office – and it’s unlikely to be troubling Oscar voters – you suspect Waititi’s life and career will continue on its seemingly charmed way. According to the man living it, it has always been thus.

“It’s like The Truman Show – everything has just been put in front of me, for me. Like, you’ve just been sent in here to entertain me for 15-20 minutes, then you’ll go and these people [the PR team] will do something for me. My mother says this to me all the time … I used to write stories about how the world was on fire and everyone was dying. My parents died and I was the only one who survived. I’m always, like, the star of my own show … This is basically my whole story, just for me.” There are words for that. “It’s called being a Leo. Oh, narcissism? It’s true.” But with that, he says, is the self-doubt of being a fêted figure but feeling a bit of a fake. “It all comes from a deep place of insecurity and imposter syndrome – all the things that everyone else in this industry has – the deep sense of not feeling like you belong here, or that you’ve gotten away with something, and no one’s found out yet. “Most people in this industry have that fear or that sense that it’s either all going to be taken away – the window is going to close – you’re going to be irrelevant soon, or that you’ve somehow stumbled into this undeservedly – that there’s been some sort of glitch or mistake, and no one has noticed that you don’t know what you’re doing. “If anyone asks me, ‘So, how do you make films?’ I don’t know. I don’t know any of the names of the equipment on set. All I know is what I’d like to see as an audience member in a rectangle on a big screen, and I’ll try my hardest to get that. “I think directing in general is just you making decisions fast and confidently, and then people will believe you and follow you.” Does he have anything left to prove? “Nah, I’m good. Film wasn’t even my dream. I didn’t have a dream of doing this, and I’ve already achieved it. I don’t care about anything other than just my happiness and my family.” His marriage to Ora has made him both tabloid-famous and a glossy magazine fixture. He also appears to have met everybody. Yes, he has been starstruck on occasions. Such as when Ora introduced him to Mick Jagger at a party. He gulped, excused himself and departed.

“It was, ‘I’m not going to sit down and talk to you because I’m going to fuck this up, so I’m just going to walk away.’ ‘Have a good night.’ That was enough for me.” He will be busy for the foreseeable future with whatever is next on his Hollywood to-do list. But he does have the makings of a New Zealand film in a drawer somewhere. One of his early short films, Tama Tū, was about six Māori Battalion soldiers in World War II Italy. He’s been tinkering with an idea about a battalion feature. It is the “Don Quixote of all films that every Māori film-maker has been trying to make,” says Waititi. He’s not the only one – Muru director Tearepa Kahi also has one in the works. Waititi feels his is a good 10 years away. “I think the problem is we shouldn’t be making a Saving Private Ryan version of the Māori Battalion film because we’ve already got Saving Private Ryan, right? So, it has to be something that celebrates being Māori – the stories, the cool, amazing stories of the battalion. It’s got to be in our style, which means it has to be entertaining and fun.”

By Russell Baillie, 24 Nov, 2023 And thanks to @sassy1121 for the article

#taika waititi #next goal wins #nz herald

[louisupdates]

All Of Those Voices review | Louis Tomlinson documentary will surprise even the cynics among us

WHYNOW

Teddy Coward | 22 Mar 2023

2010 was The X Factor’s peak. Not only did it see the show’s highest average weekly viewing figures, raking in a peak of 19.1 million viewers for its final, but it also involved a list of names that have become embedded in British TV history. Cher Lloyd, Rebecca Ferguson and, of course, Wagner, the barmy Brazilian from outer-Brum; it was a year that seemed to match a genuine degree of talent with a light-heartedness.

And, of course, it brought together five baby-faced teens who would go on to produce not just the show’s most successful act but one of the most popular boy bands this country has ever seen: One Direction.

Yet because, with The X Factor, what was once pop cultural cache has nowadays become merely pub quiz fodder (the show last aired in December 2018), that snobbishness towards 1D still lingers to this day – despite the many awards its leading light, Harry Styles, picks up as a solo artist.

All Of Those Voices, the new documentary from Charlie Lightening (whose prior credits include the award-winning Liam Gallagher: As It Was and The Paul McCartney Project), reminds us that at the heart of the manufactured, Simon Cowell-orchestrated world One Direction once operated in, lie real lads. And one of those young men, Louis Tomlinson, is relatable, honest, and has overcome more than his fair share of struggle under a public spotlight.

The film’s best attribute – and the way it achieves it – is how it’s shot. It’s not so much fly-on-the-wall as it is captured with considerable trust between artist and filmmaker. At one stage toward the end, Louis and his crew joke about the seeming lack of a barrier between each other, and this feels like it was extended to Lightening, too.

As such, Tomlinson is forthright about his sense of having no control over his own (let alone One Direction’s) destiny for at least the first two-and-a-half years of the band. He casts himself as the band’s thinker in a rather shrewd creative light by telling us he’s most proud of being the member with the most songwriting credits.

But another strength of the film is that it doesn’t dwell on Louis’ 1D days. Granted, you can’t tell his story as an artist by ignoring it, but its inclusion merely paints a backdrop of what’s to come, most usefully starting the narrative arc of someone at a loss, personally and creatively, when the band announced their split in late 2015.

From here, Louis begins to build, pensively smoking and staring into empty space like any self-respecting existentialist as he contemplates life as a solo artist. Then, tragedy hits. His mother, Johannah Deakin, with whom he had an exceptionally strong relationship–mainly because of an absent father growing up (which struck a particular nerve with me) – passed away in December 2016 after her battle with leukaemia.

Replays of an X Factor performance Louis gave that very same week, spliced with personal testimony from the present day, remind us of the public gaze he was under during an exceptionally challenging period.

Meanwhile, the tragic death of his sister Félicité in 2018 is discussed in less detail but adds to the image of not just an artist but a man beset by loss, still keeping his head afloat. (A moving discussion with Louis’ grandmother provides insight into the keep-calm-and-carry-on spirit of the whole family).

These make the high points feel all the more gratifying – and there are plenty of those. From the release of his long-awaited debut album Walls in 2020 to his triumphant, Guinness World Record-setting livestream during the pandemic and his subsequent return to a global headline tour, it’s safe to say his artistic trajectory is a pretty sharp incline throughout the film.

But whereas some pop personalities might make that seem like an irksome inevitability, the setbacks Louis Tomlinson faces and, crucially, his authentically affable charm mean you end up rooting for him. Do you have to be a fan of his music? Not at all. Can you still admire the way his personhood is portrayed? Of course. And this film captures that in abundance.

Of course, Louis’ mass of fans will love it. That much is a given. But for a purely personal tale, even the most cynical among us would struggle not to find something from All Of Those Voices. Indeed, we’ve come a long way since the fakery of The X Factor.

#louis press #aotv review #why now #aotvfilm #24 march 2023

[widowshill]

How do you think Dark Shadows would differ if made today? Would it still be the cult classic or is that kind of writing lost to us?

with the disclaimers that I don't think you can set out to make a cult classic, and also I only know as much about the entertainment industry as the next person, and also I don't really think the writing in Dark Shadows is that good, I do think it's an interesting question! I'll do my best.

To start: for me, the lion's share of the show's enduring appeal is in its earnestness, and part of that is the palpable shoestring budget. things like flubbed lines, camera man and mic shadows in the shot, and other genuine mistakes are part of what you watch the show for, they do not detract but add to the experience. this contributes a similar sense of watching live theatre (paired with most of the core cast being new york theatrically trained and bringing that acting style with them) because you know you're seeing something usually done in one take, where the mistakes bleed through, where who the actors are as people is alongside them on the stage. they flub, and recover, and this is part of the story: so too do the Collinses make vast mistakes, and go on. it is an imperfect world riddled with faults.

This is not something you're going to get in the current media landscape from one of the big networks like ABC; I find it almost impossible to imagine a daytime show being produced with the kind of natural errors Dark Shadows contains. To capture that same kind of poor theatre troup earnestness you would have better success as either a) actual serial theatre, b) a webseries / tiktok series / etc, c) a low-budget independent or college tv station, or d) a miniseries, possibly. If a major network took it on and purposefully put those mistakes in, it would not feel the same. I'm a bit bored of the constant insincerity/irony in a lot of 2020's media, and I think it would rapidly veer into that genre of work.

As far as being a daytime serial, specifically, I don't think the current media environment is exactly right: part of the reason they aired a gothic horror soap opera to begin with is it was part of the broader cultural conversation, next to television like Bewitched, The Addams Family, I Dream of Jeanie, The Munsters, The Twilight Zone, etc. American entertainment in the late 60's had a love affair with the occult (with witches, monsters, ghosts, the works) and this permeated broad aspects of arts and culture: The Haunted Mansion opened at Disneyland in 1969, Monster Mash was number 1 on the Billboard chart in 1962 (and #91 in '70, and #10 in '73). Pair that with prominent artists like John Zacherle's discography, Vincent Price's film credits, 70's gothic horror comedies like The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Phantom of the Paradise, and of course the wild popularity of gothic romance paperbacks in the 60's and 70's. This isn't everything, of course, but just to broad-strokes the landscape.

It's not that we don't have supernatural media today — horror is one of the highest performing movie genres, and there are shows like Ghosts and WWDITS, and Watcher Entertainment — but it's not quite the same explosion of culture (in my opinion). Making a gothic romance-horror-vampire serial would be more at home in the 2010's among the love affair with Twilight, True Blood, The Originals, the dominance of horror game Youtube, the height of Supernatural, Crimson Peak, What We Do In the Shadows 2014, etc. One imagines this is why the 2012 film adaption came out when it did; the cultural moment was conducive, overall. Most nighttime network television today (and I am generalizing) is dominated by legal, medical, and police drama; current soap-operas (especially General Hospital) reflect that, and there are only three soaps getting aired, period. Nothing is impossible: but a soap in the Dark Shadows vein (ha) getting green-lit today seems unlikely, vastly unlikely with the ebb in vampire fervor.

What I will say that works better in today's production moment for a potential series revival (revision?) is we're starting to see an embrace of practical set building / prop making / etc that was lost to us for a little while, especially among the horror genre. For example: Blumhouse's FNAF utilizing the Jim Henson creature shop, the beautiful set work on Haunted Mansion 2023, the use of practical effects in Beetlejuice 2. This is something that to me feels integral, for making Dark Shadows. You may disagree! But I don't think the heavy dependence on CGI did 2012 any favors. The magic inherent in the show (curses, ghosts, whatever you want to call it) is supported by movie magic and the invisible (or sometimes visible) artisanal hands crafting the world for us.

Moreover, with Bridgerton, especially (but also Emma, Little Women, The Gilded Age, The Great, etc) there's been a bit of a renaissance of lush period pieces. The current fascination with historical romances (and anachronism!) lends itself very well to a dive into 1795 or 1897. My best guess is that if we produced a revival right now, there'd be a very heavy focus on one of the alternate time periods (probably 1795), and they would lean on anachronism (and sex) very heavily, and the present year would be a very very minor presence, if they bothered with it at all – and maybe they wouldn't!

As for the writing, specifically? There's nothing that extraordinary about Dark Shadows' writing, to me, what is extraordinary is the characters and the actors' management of them (and Lela's direction) and what they are able to do with the script (aside from a few standout moments of memorable lines). There are brilliant television writers out there who could write a lovely gothic adaption. Some of our priorities in terms of storytelling are different: one thing you would have to acknowledge that the original show rarely dealt with and never performed well on is race. However a lot of the dominant concerns in the cultural landscape do reflect the issues at the forefront of the themes in the writing: especially women's bodily autonomy (Barnabas' hypnotism and forcing Josette's identity onto the nearest brunette/the inherent violation of biting and enthrallment, the way his victims are 90% of the time poor women, or sex workers, or the criminalized and otherwise vulnerable); women's economic position (Liz running the house and business, Victoria and Maggie's subject to endless horrors for a wage, Carolyn free to kick getting married down the road because she's economically secure) and the rigid dominance of the hetero-nuclear family structure as it is entwined with economics in America, and its subversions; and, especially, the way that the American houses (architectural, economic, genealogical) are built on the exploitation of those beneath them, often demanding the physical sacrifice of bodies and blood.

If I had my choice — and this is not what I think is probable, what is probable is a lean into the literal vampires and witches and sex associated in a modern-day setting — a current version of Dark Shadows would lean heavily into those themes, and take the reflection of the literal monsters (Barnabas, Angelique, Quentin, Laura, etc.) on the metaphorical monsters (Elizabeth, Roger, Burke, David, etc.) seriously. Preferably I'd want it set in the 1960's-70's again, because, like Collinsport, we seem to repeat the same sins over and over again, currently we are engaged with and reversing much of the progress that was made by social movements of that era, so in some senses we are returned to that time, culturally. Preferably I would emphasize the mystery? the permeation between the boundary of human and monstrosity? that dominated the early supernatural arcs with Laura and the beginning of Barnabas; and emphasize the terror, especially the terror of violence contained within the charming, and genteel, and refined, and beautiful. Above all I would not begin any first episode of anything with Barnabas, who should be first and foremost a reflection on the family so ready to accept him as like kind.

cult classic? I don't know. I think there's an appetite for earnestness; for long-form storytelling; for the quotidian — to learn about characters as they eat breakfast and bicker, as well as fight monsters. and theatre-trained enunciation that you can hear. I would hope, with sufficient intimacy training, the kissing and sex scenes would be a little better and not make me so very miserable.

#➤ answered. ┊ Collinsport 4099. #➤ ooc. ┊ she’s nauseous，she’s hysterical，and she’s exhausted.

[jadelotusflower]

Oh hey, The Little Mermaid, might as well give it a go.

Hans Christian Anderson quote to start off, good choice.

This opening sequence feels long? I miss a song to deliver exposition.

Oof, the cgi is…not good. Disney know there are real life coral reefs they could have shot footage in, right?

Love the mermaid aesthetic! Shame about the cgi. The sisters sitting there mute and badly rendered doesn’t help.

Ariel passes the MSR test - Flounder, not so much.

Why is the Scuttle sequence taking place underwater? No wonder the budget was astronomical.

It also undermines the scene with Trident and ironically makes Ariel less rebellious? She doesn’t break the rules by regularly going to the surface, her first time is rescuing Eric.

Halle Bailey has a beautiful voice - I actually really love the belting.

Oh I get it, they wanted this shot and reverse engineered Ariel never having been to the surface around it.

Now we’re getting Fathoms Below. Ok.

Aw, I like Ariel helping Max swim.

Eric reaching for Ariel’s hand as she’s singing the reprise is a nice touch.

Why is the bulk of Ursula’s dialogue explaining the plot already happening? Lots of showing and telling in this movie.

Eric’s song is no Her Voice, but I get what they’re going for.

Javier Bardem is a very subdued Triton - maybe it’s a case of the greenscreens.

I do kind of love what they did for Ariel’s hair.

This movie is 2 hours 20 minutes long, and it’s because half the scenes are twice as long as they need to be. I don’t want to get into the weeds with comparisons, but the animated film screenplay was tight. Not a word wasted.

Case in point, Ursula doesn’t just say she’ll make Ariel human, she then explains that she’ll lose her tail and won’t be able to breathe underwater. Trust the actors (and the audience) please! Not everything needs to be articulated.

So Ariel doesn’t remember she needs to get Eric to kiss her? Is this trying to fix a plothole that doesn’t exist?

Between this and Eric being adopted things are needlessly complicated yet have little bearing on the plot or characters.

I do like Eric’s observatory visually mirroring Ariel’s grotto as well as thematically. It’s a cute bonding scene, these two have nice chemistry.

The market scene is nice, but has real filmed using covid safe protocols vibes. It’s begging for a proper song and dance sequence.

Ariel has never been to the surface, but can pick out star constellations?

The on land half of the film is overall more successful than the undersea half.

Look. It’s fine. A compelling central performance from Halle Bailey, and once you get over the terrible cgi there are things to enjoy.

But it falls into the trap of much of Disney’s live action output - on one level it tries to add to the story, but on the other it’s slavishly devoted to recreating iconic scenes and lines, except most of the time they just don’t translate to live action, or the original voice performance/line reading was so strong tweaking it comes across as lacklustre.

I really wish this had been in the vein of the live action Cinderella and The Jungle Book - inspired by the original animated film but creating their own aesthetic/take/interpretation. There’s a lot to mine in the story of The Little Mermaid, and there was almost the attempt here by making more of the land/sea old world/new world conflict but ultimately very little is done with it.

#the little mermaid 2023 #disney #jlf posts

[filmjoyreviews]

FAILURE!: Movie Review - by Amanda Mazzillo

Failure!, written and directed by Alex Kahuam, follows James (Ted Raimi) as he must make a decision whether he wants to support his living family or uphold his father's legacy.

The film explores the lasting impact of generational trauma and how feelings of inadequacy haunt even the people we think have their shit together. James's dilemma of selling his factor or letting his father's legacy live on--even though the business is failing--highlights how he views himself as a failure through the eyes of his father.

Tension Builds

Failure! creates tension in what should be a simple decision by showing James's internal debate between himself and a representation of his father--always telling him not to sell and judging him for ruining his legacy.

While Failure! accomplishes a technical feat with its one shot structure, the film tells a story we've seen before, but does so with a unique sense of absurdity.

We've seen these twists and turns before, but there's something unique about the tonal shifts between family drama and dark comedic thriller.

Crowded Room

But Failure! never reaches its full potential. Failure! is at its most engaging before it adds more and more characters. Ted Raimi's performance is the powerhouse at the center of the chaotic world established in Failure!.

As the film progresses, it becomes crowded with new characters and tells us more about James--taking him further away from his daughter's perfect image of him.

Learning more about James can be good--and it is when Raimi's performance peels back each façade, showing us another layer of James. But once we are told too much, the mystery is gone and the reality isn't unexpected and strange enough to satisfy.

Instead of making us more intrigued about how this family man was once ruthless, we long for the days we thought he was an ordinary man pushed too far.

Failure! is an entertaining thriller filled with exciting moments of dark humor. This is especially true during the initial moment where James goes too far, leading to delightful scenes of him trying to hide a body that he threw in his closet.

Failure! is at its best when its just James talking to what appears to be a manifestation of his dead father. In these moments, the film feels fresh and interesting, but as more characters get added, the plot gets muddled and rings less true to its own absurdity. As we move further away from the internal debate and darkly comedic moments, Failure! loses its charm.

Complexity

Ted Raimi's performance holds the film together beautifully, but no matter how layered James is as a character and how well Raimi performs each divergent aspect of his personality, I'm left thinking 'I don't really care what happens to this family man.' And when your film is so tied to a character making a decision, it's imperative that we care about the outcome, or even care about what it might say about the man. Since the weight of his decision doesn't spark an emotional reaction, the film feels hollow.

Raimi plays all the elements of James well. Going from unhinged rage to overprotective father to a grown adult brought back to being a scared kid, worrying about what his father thinks of him. The scenes where James reacts to Noel Douglas Orput's 'unknown man' like a child would to their parent correcting them for the umpteenth time are some of the film's most engaging. This idea of James still being treated like a little kid comes through wonderfully during a scene of a chess game.

The film also thrives in the few moments we see James interacting with his daughter Maria (Melissa Diaz) , trying to hide the dangerous parts of his personality, but also trying to hide the weakness he still feels in relation to his father.

Failure!'s location--a rustic cabin, possibly a vacation home. The one thing James still has from his past of being a rich family man with a successful business. The location looks great--which is especially important for a one-shot one-location film like Failure!.

But the choice of home also plays on the film's ideas of generational wealth eroding away. The film's central idea focuses on James asking if wealth for his living and breathing family who loves and supports him is better than a perceived legacy tied to his father who always viewed James as a failure.

Alex Kahuam's Failure! almost works as a single-shot thriller since its central performance from Ted Raimi is compelling and explores his personalities, unraveling who he really is as the film progresses. But there's not enough here to keep the audience fully engaged and wondering what will happen to this man.

Failure! is a mildly engaging thriller dealing with generational trauma and the pressures to hide who we truly are from the ones we love. Alex Kahuam shows promise with this well-shot film with compelling moments of dark comedy. Ted Raimi succeeds as a leading man in a nuanced , challenging performance.

Failure! had its world premiere at FrightFest.

#failure #alex kahuam #ted raimi #film reviews #movie review #film #movies

[kenjiyabuki]

DMD FTR: finale thoughts

i forgot to put this out because i've been in the process of being an employed adult human person these days, unfortunately (no one who saw my previous DMD FTR posts is surprised that i was unemployed). now i wont even get to have my weekly crisply shot and edited hang outs w Gen 3 besties while this new job is sucking my soul... but this was a pleasant finale to this sweet and chill and incredibly unsurprising show!

here's the thing: i dont even know who Domundi is trying to fool w this double win stuff cause they did literally announce the new gen would be acting in TWO (2) new series during their 2023 Line Up event???????

so the double win wasn't a surprise AT ALL but it's okay, it didnt really diminish my enjoyment out of the show at all. i wanted both couples to have series anyway!

as i've said in my first post about this show, it has been very obvious that this shows' intention isn't to be a competition, it's more of a new gen "inauguration". they could've just put the boys through bunch of workshops and let them choose partners off camera too but they chose to put money and time in to make it a whole show, so people could witness their journey and premature fan clubs would form and develop. i think its fun and clever marketing but did it work???

well, the boys def have more fans now BUT on the same day this episode was premiering, some ZNN fans were crying about their faves (who just had a movie come out, also filming a show rn AND scheduled to film another one after) being slighted by the company and they didn't need to "add more". like i said, i don't really follow Domundi closely, if the fans are right about artist management i might not know... but their Gen 2 was extremely successful after all and people are BEGGING for more series, so it's not a bad move for a company to want to grow. i wish fans would be more mature and learn more the industry the person they "stan" works in! why would a growing company would just make shows w 2 actors over and over man, cmon 😭

okay now that i got that out of me, back to the finale. some notes about the general:

the group performance of the theme song was a bit cringe to me bc i just hate that kind of music. but everyone's ending fairies were really cuteeeee so i forgive them

real winners of the episode is the background dancers because they literally did all the performances and acted too, very well!!

Domundi members and variety of industry people in the audience was sweet to see and added valuable comments/advice for the boys. i was especially happy to see Jimmy and Tommy, whom i ADORE!!!!

i was laughing at that LOUD ASS clapping and hollering track they kept playing to add some more noise to the audience's. like i know why they did it but how much that big sound didn't match w that small crowd just tickled me..

well, yeah, i cant get into idol-ing stuff personally so i was kind of bored during the solo performances. i dont really have comments that hasn't already been said by the judges. i thought all the boys did what they were supposed to do and showcased their talents, EXCEPT Latte........ my dude, what happened? i think he could've lip sync to the song, which IS a skill (Rupaul's Drag Race battles and just drag performances in general as evidence...) that would add a lot to his performance.

Firstone leaving the competition w Best Friendship & Best Performance Awards in his pocket and two guys wanting to be his partner. What a little star... Deserved and love his cocky attitude.

about couple jukebox musicals:

in my last episode commentary, i joked about Mandee getting inspired from my ideas but then they actually kinda happened lol🧐🧐🧐🧐 ThomasKong's performance was a coming of age, young love story while KengNamping's story was more complex romance w an angsty core, almost exactly like i wished for.

all in all, KengNamping's performance grabbed my attention the most. mostly because their acting & chemistry seemed improved to me (that kiss fake out at the end, what the hell??? you guys couldn't hold an eye contact couple eps ago...) AND their storyline just ATEEEE. i dont know who came up w the forbidden romance between kinda out of touch but well meaning rich boy & his "i suffer through love quietly" village boy bodyguard, w humour sprinkled in, but they need to get their ass eaten regularly...

ThomasKong don't even need to try that hard, they are just natural born charmers!!!! i liked their friends to lovers, nerdy guy cant believe popular one' love bc he doesnt see his value storyline (Thomas could've busted out One Direction's "What Makes You Beautiful"). With the romantic prom climax, it reminded me of American high school movies and fit their vibes perfectly. i wish it was more humorous, because i think comedy is one of their strong suits. like how did it ended up that shy kings KengNamping got more laughs than ThomasKong, the goofballs themselves??? whoever is writing their series, please take notes, now that i know you are reading these...

after the glorious double win and the cute four-way hug, Aof said that two shows would be announced this year which clearly meant that most we are getting this year are pilot trailers. which is fine. not easy to be patient but i get that they are a smaller company w lots on their plates already. i hope they will use that time to work and work and work on the shows!!!!

i honestly want Domundi to kind of change up things in their filmmaking/producing styles, maybe switch directors sometimes and try diffferent styles idk... this show and Gen 3 in general felt very refreshing and i hope they keep that vibe going! and maybe i will finally watch a Domundi show till the last episode.

P.S.: Extra clips were released this week and KengNamping's was sweet. i was kinda laughing at how much of a set up it was like, them conveniently sharing a blanket, all mic'd up, getting filmed w lights on etc. but their conversation and mood in the moment seemed sincere, which is enough. it was nice to see the context for ep 5, when they found each other at the other end of the red ribbon and said that so much happened on that bridge. what a perfect circle moment, from comforting each other about not winning a challenge to winning the show!

#dmd friendship the reality #domundi #what a ride this has been

[bcacstuff]

I made the TV vs film comment. It had nothing to do with CB and everything to do with the entertainment business landscape. The best example of the changing tide is Meryl Streep, arguably the biggest and most successful awarded actress of the last 50 years. Before streaming, and now pre- pandemic, it was mostly unheard of for stars to jump from film to TV. Now we are seeing many film stars opt for the small screen—look at the cast of Big Little Lies (Streep, Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon….) He seems driven by the business of acting vs the art of it—to bring CB into it, I’d say this is where they differ. While others in the cast got great acting opps, he pursued other ventures. Think of how many actresses have pursued makeup, perfume, and clothing lines. At the end of the day, it’s all how to commoditise the brand of self. I think he’s doing just fine, and same goes for CB. 

Thanks for coming back and clarify. I think my comment about comparing them had not only to do with your comment, but with others as well. Sorry if it sounded like I was aiming at your message solely. As you did write " The comments about TV is better more lucrative than films seem to be a hit at Caitriona, Belfast." but also resumed with "Don't understand the competition comments." on which I do agree. I don't understand them either.

I think the line between being a star on the big screen and 'small screen' - although home screens aren't that small anymore - has gotten much more thin. You give some fine examples there.

I'd also like to add that the amount of movies earning the big screen is getting less! Surely depending on taste and liking of each individual. But todays movies seem to be more depending on the technical levels, the sensational scenes that are created more on the computer than by the level of acting skills of an actor or actress (good or bad!)

The last movie really worth the big screen was the last James Bond. But I gotta add here, lots of action and stunts and technical aspects. Add to that the movie where we all finally were able to watch in the theater again after the pandemic, which was a treat for most of us.

A good example for what I mean is perhaps the movie 'Once upon a time in Hollywood'. With a cast with Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt, and a director Quentin Tarantino, who wouldn't have the expectation it being a great movie? Well it wasn't, it sucked. Yes I dare to say so.

Even more when you compare that movie with the ones the title seems to aim at, 'Once upon a time in America' which was good, and totally worth the watch on the big screen. But not even as good as the original one 'Once upon a time in the West'.

Who doesn't remember the endless shots, close ups of faces, the eyes that sucked you into the emotions of the story and the characters. Hardly any lines are spoken, just the emotions supported by the music of Ennio Morricone. Sergio Leone was known by his collaboration with the composer and editing his films on the music he wrote. Music swelling on, gazing eyes, a sudden silence dragged on for seconds adding to the suspense. Building up to an apotheosis that you felt from the top of your head to your toes when seeing it on the big screen. Who doesn't remember the screeching harmonica in the final that went through your soul.

Guess I've gone a little nostalgic here. Most moviemakers wouldn't dare to do it this way today, it would be called slow and boring. But to me, this is the real art of the movies. Making it all come together and getting the audience emotionally sucked into a story. I don't need intimate scenes, no high-tech features nor action stunts that are not of this world. I guess together with changing tide in the industry, the expectations of what the industry thinks the audience wants has changed as well.

[agentnico]

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022) Review

Knives Out holds a special place in my heart. It was the movie I took my lovely fiancée to see on our very first date, and naturally both the film and the relationship turned out to be a great success. Now our 3rd year anniversary together is only weeks away, and ironically a sequel to the movie that started it all off for us has come out. Couldn’t get any more sentimental than this now can it. Was half expecting it to rain on the way to the cinema just to add to the romantic clichés. It didn’t rain though. Instead our Uber driver nearly killed us by driving against traffic on a one way street to the cinema. So that was fun.

Plot: Tech billionaire Miles Bron invites his friends for a getaway on his private Greek island. When someone turns up dead, Detective Benoit Blanc is put on the case.

Knives Out was a great whodunnit that shocked everyone by how good it was when it came out back in 2019. Not least due to it having been directed by Rian Johnson who was fresh off of making the very divisive Star Wars: The Last Jedi. However Knives Out was such a pitch perfect movie which brought the classic murder mystery to modern day, whilst still in-keeping with the old-school Agatha Christie vibe, with Daniel Craig even playing the very clear Hercule Poirot type character. The dialogue was sharply written, the performances were great and overall Knives Out was nothing short of being AWESOME. So much so that it was a box office smash hit. On a $40 million budget it made over $312 million profit. That’s a good fashioned pay-check right there. So then Netflix bought the rights to two sequels for a ridiculous $469 million, where the deal also includes a $100 paycheck to both Johnson and Craig for each sequel. Look I don’t really understand the Netflix algorithm and how it makes money, but now I REALLY don’t understand it. Knives Out was successful, but not successful with these paychecks! Again though, don’t get me started on algorithms - I don’t get them!

So Glass Onion is the first sequel to Knives Out, and one that sets out to show if Knives Out was a one trick pony or if this murder mystery is destined to be a hugely successful murder mystery franchise. The only real connection between Glass Onion and Knives Out is that they both feature the social commentary on the rich and wealthy, as well as Daniel Craig’s detective Benoit Blanc. So let’s start with Blanc himself. He stole the show in the first film with his Southern accent, and he does so again in Glass Onion. Seeing him be the fish-out-of-water by being a lower class member stuck on this Greek island with all the rich folk, it was adorable seeing him in his matching outfit be shocked and in awe at all the expensive tech and aspects of this place. When he tries a special celebrity-made hot sauce and exclaims “Oh Halle Berry! That has a kick” in his Southern drawl... honestly that was peak. Couldn’t get any better than that. Benoit Blanc is an icon at this point. He’s clever, funny, super likeable, and I would love for Craig to keep playing this character for as long as possible.

Rian Johnson is also back on both writing and directing duty, and he swaps out the cold and damp suburban setting of Knives Out to the colourful sunny holiday shots of Greece. It’s as if he’s trying to distance himself visually from the first film as much as possible to signify that this is it’s own murder mystery tale. Well, you know, just like with any Agatha Christie or Arthur Conan Doyle book. Same detective but dealing with completely different scenarios. But Ryan really establishes the light vistas of the island, and I must say I am glad I got to see it this film on the big screen rather than on Netflix (where it premieres end of December), as the setting and even the central ‘glass onion’ (yes, there really is an actual glass onion, it’s not just a metaphor) are worth seeing in their true spectacle. Speaking of spectacle, I’m also not going to talk much about the plot, as this is one of those films best seen when not knowing anything, as there are many twists and turns throughout that should be experienced in the moment. Johnson presents the movie in very non linear fashion on purpose, so as to reveal parts of the puzzle only at the exact time he intends to. Like an onion, he peels the layers one by one, only at the end revealing the entire grand plan. Does it at time become style over substance? Partially, however Johnson’s script is so cleverly put, and minus the first 30 minutes where the movie drags a little before getting to the actual murder mystery, the thing as a whole is really well paced an keeps you on your toes.

Glass Onion is also very funny. It dials up on the humour in comparison to Knives Out, and some of these new characters are even more wackier that the previous line up, with the cast all very game here. Edward Norton is evidently relishing playing the Elon Musk-type tech genius billionaire and is on top form. Kate Hudson is on a whole new level of over the top here, dancing and prancing her way from shot to shot wearing massive My Fair Lady hats and taking over the room with her exclamations. Janelle Monae plays the role that Ana de Armas had in the first Knives Out film in that she is the outsider, and the one that Benoit Blanc warms up to the most. Monae is very good in the role, but again, cannot say much about her character without spilling spoilers. The rest of the cast all play the parts well. You’ve got Dave Bautista, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr.... they’re all great, however some are a little under-used. There’s also an abundance of great if not a bit random cameos, which were really fun. Look, we get to meet Benoic Blanc’s partner in this one for one moment, and I must say that the casting choice for that was brilliant. 

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is a great successor to the original movie (though the first film I’d say is still superior) that goes bigger and wackier, and though it doesn’t always work (the first half an hour is rocky), it’s well made up by the murder mystery itself, the great cast and a solid script by Rian Johnson. It’s all very entertaining and super enjoyable. And again, Daniel Craig’s detective Benoit Blanc is a character creation that is so damn good, that I cannot wait to see him again.

Overall score: 8/10

#knives out #glass onion #rian johnson #netflix #glass onion a knives out mystery #2022 #2022 in film #2022 films #mystery #murder mystery #comedy #glass onion review #glass onion a knives out mystery review #knives out 2 #daniel craig #benoit blanc #edward norton #janelle monae #kate hudson #kathryn hahn #leslie odom jr #dave bautista #madelyn cline #crime #drama #cinema #streaming #movie #film #movie reviews

[augment-techs]

fanfic writer questions:

23. What’s a trope, AU, or concept you’ve never written, but would like to?

25. What other websites or resources do you use most often when you write?

26. Would you rather write a fic that had no dialogue or one that was only dialogue?

27. How long did it take to write [insert fic]? Describe the process.

36. Do you visualize what you read/write?

38. Did any of your fics get surprisingly popular (whatever that means to you)? Which ones? Why do you think they were so successful?

39. Is any aspect of your writing process inspired by other writers or people? If so, who?

23. *stares into the middle distance* ...If we're being honest, most of the AUs and tropes I've ever wanted to write, I've written. Finding one that I haven't sunken my grabby little fingers into already is a challenge. About the only one I can think of is the Groundhog Day or Wish Baby AU, and that's because they go on for such a long time. 25. TVTropes, Wikipedia, Youtube analysis videos by way of websites. I generally use actual paper books for everything else. 26. This is a bit of a cheat because I've already done both, but no dialogue is preferable to all dialogue because I HATE THAT. I am not a script writer and it REALLY shows. 27. You're supposed to insert the fic title for this question, honey. But if we're speaking in generalities, it can take me anywhere from several hours to several weeks to write a piece. 36. Oh yes I visualize, and often. Perhaps not very well, because I'm more on the verbal spectrum than feeling, but it works about the same. 38. I've answered this, but might as well add on: My 'okay, but What If...?' SDMI series is constantly and consistently on the up and up in terms of numbers of popularity. One of the reasons most recently is because that fucking 'Velma' series is burning hot garbage, but throughout my writing them, I think the thing that draws most people to them is my complete unwillingness to focus solely on the Scooby Gang. These one-shots always focus on the background characters that don't get very much screen time, but everyone loves or loves to hate in equal turns. Also one Dear Evan Hansen/Be More Chill Canon Re-Write crossover and one Kuroshitsuji anime series ending re-write are intensely popular even years later, but that was just because I put my foot down and kept it down about my views on What Could Have Been. 39. To quote Neil Gaiman, "Writers live in houses other people built." It is impossible to be a writer and not be inspired by one or more other writers, directors, artists, actors, and living things out in the world. But, in a pinch, my current inspirations come from dirgewithoutmusic @ AO3 and aletterinthenameofsanity @ AO3 due to their abilities towards AU and one-shot writing technique, and my current aesthetic comes from Oz Perkins and a few French films in their original languages from the 90s and early aughts.

#ask fill #prompt fill #writing questions

[fembotsrock]

It looks like the leader Fembot was resisting Austin powers the longest she was also the last one to blow up, do you think she was trying to fight back with her charms because she look so sassy and confident like she was in control? what do you think she was thinking about when she was trying to resist Austin powers because my head cannon is that the leader thought Austin powers will give in!

It's certainly possible, not that there is much difference in time between when they all finally overload as Anita, Cynthia and Cheryl blow their tops in quick succession.

One thing to bear in mind is that not all of the Fembots have reacted in the same way, as by the time the cross-mojination finally takes it's toll, Cheryl, Cindy and Donna are the only ones seen to be heavily malfunctioning.

Cynthia and Anita, on the other hand, appear to overheat before exploding while Barbara and Cris are unaccounted beyond the group shots. It could be that being the closest to Austin initially as he begins his tease, those three are effected the most.

It is shown that by the time Cindy and Donna's heads are spinning that Cheryl is still just twitching in response. Plus, Cheryl is the last Fembot we see reacting negatively (not just being mesmerised) to Austin's performance, when he takes off his trousers. By the time she is shaking uncontrollably, all of the other Fembots are all on their last legs too. With all that in mind, we could extrapolate that Cheryl likely had the strongest programming of the initial group.

I would add, though that the Fembots were likely enamoured with Austin as soon as he conjured up some cigarettes, by then we see a wide shot of the group gasping and fanning themselves, likely to cool themselves down. I think beyond this point the Fembots aren't able to process themselves being seduced, which results in them straining against the seduction and before long, results in overheating and glitching which tips them over the edge.

In a filming perspective? The storyboards were a little less detailed that what the scene ended up as, but the final shot was always going to be heads exploding. I'm guessing that as Cheryl was the main Fembot, being the one who shot the guards, the one who initially confronted Austin and the one who confronted him a second time to tempt him back into bed, it's makes more visual sense to have her as the both last Fembot to be defeated, and the first Fembot seen to be casually acting like Austin is no threat as he begins the striptease.

#speculation #austin powers #fembots #femmefatales #cheryl bartel

[theharpermovieblog]

#HARPERSMOVIECOLLECTION

2023

I re-watched Krull (1983)

As a kid, Krull was a wildly fantastic blend of space and fantasy. Apparently, watching as an adult, it's a predictable slog of a movie. Let's find out.

A prince on the planet Krull must rescue his bride to be from an evil being, and so leads a band of warriors on a treacherous journey.

Director Peter Yates has made some good movies. Most recently on this list I watched Bullit, which is a great movie and which Yates directed with true excellence. So, he's far from a bad director.

For Krull, Yates is working with a pretty huge budget. 50 million in 1983 works out to more than 150 million today. And, for the most part, Yates puts the money on screen. Lots of sets were built, lots of costumes were designed, lots of special effects were created, even if a tad underwhelming. If anything is certain, it's that Krull was meant to be a big entertaining movie and. It just a simple cash grab.

The Space Fantasy Genre is one which was huge at this time. The success of Star Wars had brought with it an endless stream of knockoffs, but also opened the door for truly original films in the Space-Fantasy genre, and other just Sci-Fi and just Fantasy films to be developed.

Krull takes the idea of the Space Fantasy very literally. As Star Wars took some things from medieval Fantasy stories, like princesses and old wizards and magic and such, and folded them into a science fiction film, Krull does not feel the need to fold things in. This movie is a fantasy film that looks as if it takes place in medieval times, but is in fact a science fiction film taking place on another planet. Kind of like Druidia in Spaceballs, but cooler looking.

This isn't a bad thing, and is in fact pretty interesting to watch. The style here is done well on all fronts. There's something in the world building that works, and it seems like it would be an interesting world to explore if any of it was deeper than surface level.

Im not sure Yates has a true vision here. The film plays more like he knew the basic structure to make a fantasy film, but lacked the passion to add anything to it. If you told me he directed this film on a bet to see if he could make a fantasy film for shits and giggles, I'd believe you. He does a great job with his shots, and has made a well put together film if viewed from afar. Busy sadly, when viewed close up it feels a bit soulless.

Writer Stanford Sherman is also to blame. He does not have a career of hits and I assume he isn't all that great a writer. His script isn't completely inept, but it lacks any real character development or imagination pertaining to the story.

Is Krull terrible?

There are certainly worse fantasy films out there. This one has its fun and creepy moments. It's age allows for some cheesy special effects to make you smile and laugh at times. It looks good and grand and definitely isn't an unbearable film to watch if you like older cheesy fantasy films. I'll take this over Hawk The Slayer or Beast Master.

The real failure is in how absolutely bland Krull is, because there's no good characters or story to latch on to.

When Ridley Scott made the film Legend, he told a very simple story with a similar plot to this. But, the difference was , Legend gave us the lore of the unicorns. That lore is then played upon by the need of the hero to impress a girl, the arrogance and innocence of that girl, which causes them both to play a part in the story. It also gave us avillain we were intrigued by, who had as much charisma as a huge devil-man can have.

Krull lacks all of that. We get an unknown, barely seen evil villain, basic characters who are carried by the story rather than doing the carrying, and the result is a movie which is hard to care about. There are cool moments and some good ideas, but this is an outline of a story or at most a first draft.

[zendyval]

Same anon who posted about boycotting content. I 100% don't know or think I am better than SAG and WGA. They are unions that have been around for decades and are definitely seasoned in planning, implementing, and leading strikes. I respect their actions and wish their strategy results in them getting most, if not all, they are asking for. And we can agree to disagree, but I still think the perception of the successes at the box office and streaming is not favorable to the strikers now and give the studios even more leverage, even if it's not sustainable. The seemingly strategy of waiting for content to dry out to force the studios to negotiate, which most people say will happen in the fall, will be very painful for a lot of union members. I don't even know what else the unions can do, I hate it here, lol. I just thought of a boycott because it's economics 101, supply and demand. This shit is just so evil.

The reason why I said what I said about Greta and Noland is my understanding is they are both in the WGA. While they got one of their deals through the DGA, I see the hypocrisy of them publicly supporting the WGA strike and still promoting their projects. Correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think the question was asked during their press runs. From what I read and heard, I understood that the strike was supposed to happen sooner. Still, the studios and streamers managed to delay it by stringing the unions along so that Cannes and blockbusters like Barbie, Opehnhimer, and Mission Impossible could happen unaffected. Even though the studios have the most power, I believe Margot, Noland, Greta, and Tom Cruise (I forgot to add his name to my previous post) knew or were aware of the studio's strategy just based on their proximity to the behind-the-scenes side of their projects and did not say anything because it benefits them. I have no problem with them and enjoy a lot of their work, and I know the situation was just messy and not everything is black and white, and I was not there, but to me, it also comes across as disingenuous on their part and no one has brought it up because everything is so shiny and pink, and stunts and biggest cast assembled for a movie and competition, who will come on top.

Personally I think It's going to be painful for union members either way, whether they are unable to work until the fall or if people boycott their work now and then shows, for those that are on shows, get cancelled. Also while residuals are a current source of contention, the actors won't even get the pennies they receive for past work.

While yes the studios definitely delayed the strike with the extension, even if say Margot was aware it was a stalling tactic on her end, IMO there is literally nothing she could have done if the strike hadn't been called yet. Despite what anyone thinks I don't think she has that level of power in Hollywood unless she wanted to potentially get sued by the studios for being in breach of her contract.

As for Greta and Noland, I won't defend them but I think the situation is way more nuanced than it seems and I fully admit I don't know the full DGA rules, but I remember seeing for another film that premiered recently that the director was legally required to be at the premiere to promote the film and said as much. It wasn't a situation where he just wasn't allowed to show up because everyone else was on strike. I also don't know that I think they bear any direct responsibility for SAG AFTRA accepting the negotiation extension in the first place.

I also don't think that is why nobody has brought up the above. I'd argue people probably have ad nauseam on other platforms since peoples new favorite hobby is calling everyone a scab whether they are or aren't. But I don't want to speak fully on rules that I don't understand fully and the rules across the different unions are all well, different. For instance, twitter idiots started in on calling some WGA member a scab yesterday for posting either a title shot or something related to their work. He wound up deleting it even though he wasn't scabbing and several other WGA members had to come to his defense and point out that WGA strike rules are not the same as SAG strike rules and he is allowed to post whatever he had posted.

[dsiiiafilm]

Ground We Won - Notes

Ground We Won:

Tense intimate intro

Intense diagetic sound

Immediate scenes of agriculture

Slow crossfades sense of time and repetition

Transition cow hooves - to rugby boots / to show leadership and guidance?

Mission - get to division one - a hero’s journey?

They are trash at the moment - redemption

Injury effects ability to provide - the risks of rugby

Random isolated little soundbites - candid comments

Settings: farm, milking station, rugby pitch, pub, home, truck

Very observational - candid and honest moments

‘Play rugby to work up the thirst for afterwards’

Wins first game - beginning of upward trajectory

Sense of fulfilment, closeness, camaraderie

Cuts to milking station - straight back to work

Peanut is almost always shown on his own - looking from a distance

Banter or bullying?

‘The village idiot’

We’ve got the jock, we’ve got the father, we’ve got the runt

‘Man ups the call, man up!’

Heavy focus on diagetic sound - eventuates the brutality and passion for the sport

Peanut pressured to drink - introduces alcoholism as a main component of the culture

Dick of the day - drinking as punishment

Ive been picked on - you are taking it the wrong way - why are you getting upset man - he’s an emotional drunk - happens to everyone - its just rugby man - shhh stop now

A perfect summation of toxic masculinity within aotearoa. 

Went mad - when my boys were born - cause I couldn’t play rugby

One of the few interactions with women - if a failed attempt to ‘woo’ them - followed by a lonely shot of peanut muttering a love song

Stillborn motif?

’17 years old and getting all depressed on us - fuck, what a future’ after peanut loses his fight

Return to the lockeroom shot from the beginning - they lose after all

Finally a successful birth 

Jock goes back to work

Father continues teaching and leading

The cycle continues

Technical:

Time of day/lightning

A whole range with a particular focus on the early morning fog as the farmers start their day. Contrasted by the trainings during the night, creates a clear contrast between day/job and passion.

The lighting is all natural and adds to this very observational approach. But despite this the lighting is very dramatic with gorgeous shots of the playing in the fog coming in and out of the darkness.

Lens choice

Quite a wide lens but shot close up so we the viewer feel placed within the action eg. Close ups in the locker room are tight and intimate so we feel part of the huddle and part of the team. 

Wide aspect ratio and wide lens - accentuates how vast the landscape is and how it has been shaped by agriculture.

Camera angles

Almost always shot at eye level again to add to the feeling of observing but also being close and part of the action and the community. The shots of people are fluid and dynamic so it feels like you are seeing it with your own eyes. Usually a mid shot often with many people included in the frame - but this is contrasted by shots of isolated characters like Peanut to show how he struggles to be a part of the group dynamic.

The landscape shots have a very different feeling though, they are still and wide so you pay more attention to the atmosphere of the environment.

Sound/music

A wonderful use of diagetic sound particularly in the environmental shots, they have so much texture and pull you into the space. There is also an emphasis on diagetic sound during the games or locker room talk to show how everyone contributes with supportive chants, or ‘light hearted heckling’ it helps to show how rugby is central component of the community.

There is also quite dramatic orchestral music to help build anticipation and transition through different emotional tones.

Characterisation

We are shown a few masculine archetypes - the father, the jock, and the runt and through these characters we are shown different aspects of this community and how the dynamics shift and change.

Theme/message

This film observes rural living and in particular masculinity within this context. It begins with a more positive feeling of camaraderie and community but quite quickly we see this spiral into bullying and peer pressure. Peanut is constantly ridiculed and treated as a runt. The young English player is shocked at the drinking culture and is forced to partake despite having an intensely emotional moment where he expresses his feelings of being pressured - but he is told to shut up about it. We see fatherhood in the form of divorced dad trying to look after his two boys - we see him try his best and lead them to be good men - but I sense an emotional disconnection between them. There is also a Jock - the pack leader who belittles those ‘below’ him. But he is humbled as he returns to his day job once the season is done - he no longer wields the same power in this context.

Despite exposing some really tough and confronting issues it is done in a very subtle way. I don’t get the sense that a perspective is being forced on us but instead offers a chance to observe all the highs and lows so we can make our conclusions. After watching the film I wondered what reaction the characters would have after seeing their own culture on screen, because quite easily the moments where I saw toxic masculinity could be read as just a funny moment or scene depending on the viewer.

Imagery/symbolism

One piece of symbolism that has really stuck with me is the repetition of cows giving birth. We are shown multiple still births throughout the film to show the brutal effects of drought. But at the end there is finally a successful birth - ending with a positive note despite the somewhat anticlimactic end to the film with the team losing.

I think that this has been used to show the cyclical repetition of agricultural life alongside rugby - the reliance on the environment - and the ups of downs of winning and losing throughout a season of rugby. It also shows a contrast of the struggle farmers are having during the drought contrasted by the winning streak throughout the season. But this inverts at the end with a successful birth - and losing the last game.

[mi6011ikepearson]

PREVIOUS RSA WINNERS - “ANALYSING PAST SUCCESS”

with some research, added to our collective, imaginary-yet-practical utility belt, and dictating the sort of direction we would like to head in our project - it comes a time to look at some student’s attempts at bringing their ideas to life, so we can engage further with the visual side of this module, and begin thinking about producing visuals..

to start this process - I chose 3 of my favourite of the previous RSA winners, and wrote some notes, analysing the sort of aspects that worked, and didn’t for each film - to see if I can replicate their success, and hopefully avoid anything negative through the production of my film.

Leanne Dooley: Limerick School of Art & Design

“ Illustrator and animator Leanne picked up the Natracare award, which comes with a prize of £1,000 as well as being picked by RSA staff for an additional award of £500.      It’s a film all of us judges could agree was an outright winner.           Leanne's use of colour, texture and form is accomplished – and the film makes great use of visual metaphor without just representing the words directly. ”

Dooley’s work opens with dynamic typography, ornamented with simple, easy to understand iconography; through the use of speech bubbles and characters that are fundamentally basic, with no faces or intricacies in their designs beyond the few elements of colour that showcase the individual

making the subject matter digestible is what is key for this project - so I think one of my primary ideas will be looking into the idea of using simple visual language to showcase some of the key concepts from such a complex and severe subject matter. writing this - the idea of using the juxtaposition between simple visuals, and serious subject matter might be another concept I’d like to display in my work.. 

the use of boiling lines; with the writing for the list being drawn twice, and looped in a simple two frame repeating sequence adds a subtle element of movement to the animation, which I feel, combined with hand-drawn element is something that works extremely well for this animation.

when I figure out what medium I’ll be working in for this project - I will have to do something akin to this, by thinking about what kind of things I can do to make each shot feel more than just itself, with simple techniques like these..

the transitions between each shot are creative, and engaging through their imaginative use of the visuals - and this is definitely an aspect of this project that is extremely important to me, and I will have to do work to make sure the transitions between each of my shots flow nicely, and aren’t too jarring.. maybe having it all feel like it’s a part of one set piece is the solution to this?

the use of different coloured backgrounds is an element of design that I find to be extremely effective; which in combination with the limited colour scheme creates for a sleek and proffessional feeling outcome in the final film.

Mark Churcher: Edinburgh Napier University, Scotland “A Sinking Feeling”

“ A stop motion animation using 3D models. The animation centres on a cube which rotates revealing different scenarios to show the various futures that are possible if we act - or not - on climate change. ”

this animation uses the natural flow created through the soundtrack (speech) to create transitions, though the visuals don’t necessarily match what is being said - but instead visual representations of the subject matter are warped to match the descriptions; such as the cube that showcased the subject matter on each of its faces rapidly spinning, after the listing ends with “etc. etc.”

very bright, the light blue background remains consistent the whole way through - not using white is a deferral from a formula that I like very much, and will heavily consider using in my own project

the colour scheme is very natural - to match the subject matter of reducing emissions to save the earth; with a primary usage of greens and blues, the only exceptions to this being the red books, the brown of the tree, and the numerous greys for rocks, buildings, etc.

the establishing shot is powerful, having it open with a title makes it feel like an animated poster; and ignoring the speech of the first lines, and 

an element of the amateur that comes from the subtle finger marks in the clay, the accidental repeated part of the loop in the establishing shot, and the jagged lines from where the objects have been cut is one of the things that stops this animation from feeling corporate - whilst still retaining a sense of professionalism.

Arthur Kearns: Birmingham City University

“ full of energy and character. Although fully engaging with the darker parts of the audio, its roughly rendered world where colours bleed outside the lines feels alive and really human. ”

though without much actual animation in the characters movements; Kearns’ work uses lots of boiling lines to reconcile for this - whilst also giving a very hand-drawn feeling; complete with inconsistent framework and marker-esque colour that through their constantly changing energy engages the audience’s eyes more effectively.

with an emphasis on character-lead animation, a few of the shots are framed in very similar ways - which, rather than appearing as a negative instead I argue helps the animation flow between each shot, better.

I think for my own work I will have to look into something akin to this - focusing on designing effectively so that the frames naturally transition with a flow created through the use of space, shape, and object type.

SO WHAT DO THEY HAVE IN COMMON? - “USING OUR ANALYSIS TO DETERMINE A RECIPE FOR SUCCESS”

from everything we’ve brought up and thought about from each specific film; I wanted to take some time to highlight some specific aspects that were prominent throughout all of the projects, and try to relate them to my own approach

Consistent style throughout

picking the sort of style to make the project is a fundamental first step in dictating how you will approach the visualisation process, and therefore the direction you’re heading in

setting the strong frame work comes from thorough research, and an understanding of your project so that things will fall into place, without the necessity of compromise, or alteration..

a problem with working with styles in a project like this, is that everything needs to match, in terms of consistency - certain shots you may have a really strong idea about, in one specific style; but others may not be.. using the breaks in the dialogue as guides for the structure for the piece implies the number of shots that are recommended for this minute and a half animation - so maintaining a style that contains strong concepts for each of the shots is where I think the challenge lays, here.

Straight-forward visual representation

a theme that I think is the key thinking behind this project is condensing the research we have done into a digestible format, for a general audience’s viewing; 

imagining nobody knows about the concepts the speaker is discussing, it is our job to visually communicate these concepts in a way that is easily understandable, with a blend of simple, understandable graphics and of course showcasing relevant iconography that relates to the subject matter.

Smooth transitions

a specific fundamental that I had previously highlighted discusses the importance of having interesting transitions, that stitch the specific shots together.

keeping things interesting by showcasing movements that persist beyond just the primary action in the foreground - thinking of how things will flow into one another, creating relations between two completely different shots and or sequences.

it covers the ground highlighting almost every single one of the positives addressed in the analysis of the three case studies; and therefore I must emphasise its importance, in relation to my project going forward

and above all

S I M P L E.

keeping the project to a manageable degree, while also producing a visually stimulating outcome is arguably the single most important thing!

you can’t set yourself more than you’re capable of; but by the same argument you shouldn’t undersell your abilities -like all good things there needs to be a balance;

and through some further research - we’ll further our understanding of the kind of project we want to make, and therefore where this balance lays for us..