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timeisacephalopod · 5 years

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Snapshot

A lil Ned/ Peter AU because these boys don’t get enough love! They’re aged up, so they’re in their twenties rather than teens, but still. Its a celeb AU also- Peter plays Spider-Man instead of being him.

“Oh my god I can’t go out there,” Ned hisses at Michelle. She looks nonplussed but she always looks like that even when there are celebrities here. Ok, there are always celebrities here but Ned doesn’t really care about most of them its just that he happens to be a huge Spider-Man nerd and Peter Parker is the best person he’s ever seen cast as the character. Toby Maguire was a travesty, and Andrew Garfield is pretty but not the perfect fit. Peter Parker though, Ned has never seen someone bring the character to life the way he does. Everything about him is absolutely perfect and now he’s sitting at a table with Tony Stark and okay this is... this...

“Ned, get your head out of your ass, he’s in your section,” Michelle tells him.

“You’ve got this!” Liz tells him over the little half wall that separates him from the kitchen area she’s in.

Yeah, he’s got this. He’s totally got this- Peter Parker is just a regular dude looking for food and Ned happens to know the food here is good. He probably eats too much of it, though to be fair he works a lot. Celebrities give good tips and he has school bills to pay for and also rent.

He starts walking over and okay never mind he does not got this he’s a lowly fat boy in school walking towards a person who plays one of the most iconic characters on television right now he is not worthy. He goes to turn around and give his table to Michelle when Peter god damn Parker notices him and smiles, waving a little excitedly and Ned has no choice now he has to go over.

“Uh, hey. I’m waiter, I’ll be your Ned this evening. I mean I’m a waiter, my name is Ned. I will be waiting. On the food. With the food, on you. Um. I’m going to shut up now,” he says, wishing he could banish himself to the shadow realm forever for that. Holy Christ he managed to embarrass the hell out of himself in less than two seconds this is the worst day of his life he hopes the earth gets hit by an astroid large enough that he’ll die long before he has to deal with poor Peter.

Yeah, Peter knows Ned is embarrassed but it was cute, watching him flounder a little. “Do you ever get used to that?” he asks Tony.

He shakes his head, “not really. I mean you get used to it in a way that you kind of expect it, but not in a way where you can really accept why people treat you that way. Or I didn’t, I know a lot of people who kind of let that kind of treatment go to your head and we’ve all watched what happens when child stars leave Disney. It really does fuck with people to have everyone treat you like a god only for them to turn around and get pissed off that you act like one now too.”

Shit, yeah Peter has seen that happen plenty but that’s just... not him. He grew up in Queens and didn’t even think he had a shot at landing the role of a lifetime. Hell, he would have ended up working a shitty dead end job because he couldn’t afford to go to college if not for Tony finding him at an improv group and deciding he had enough talent to fund his education. He’s always loved acting, putting on a show, and boy that has come back to bite him in the ass in really weird ways but in the end things worked out really well. Except for the part with the crazy fans, he doesn’t care for that, but that’s part of the job so.

“Hm. It wouldn’t be like... creepy to ask a fan out, right? Like because they’d be way less likely to say no to you? Would that be weird? I think that might be weird I won’t say anything,” he says, sealing his own fate.

Tony laughs, “depends on the fan and that one isn’t the type to worship you and also isn’t the type to stalk you. Keep in mind that consent goes both ways and fans are just as likely to ignore your boundaries. Maybe more, actually, since totally ignoring our privacy and personal space is considered normal and kind of encouraged. But that guy- just flustered. Probably a comic book nerd too,” he says.

If he’s a comic nerd Peter doesn’t see why he’d like Peter much. He can’t even believe the amount of blowback he got from the comic fandom over the fact that he’s trans and playing Spider-Man. Yeah, he obviously expected some blowback because that’s... well, normal not that he wants to admit that casual transphobia is alive and well. But it is, and he expected it, but the sheer amount of people that thought just that part of who he is should disqualify him from playing the character was nuts. Thankfully Peter Quill happens to be a crazy bastard and basically told everyone and their dogs to shove it because he knows what he’s doing. Which, to be fair, he does. And casting happens to be a skill he’s especially good with.

“Think you might be wrong about the comic nerd thing,” Peter says. Comic nerds are bird brains, he has decided.

“If you say so, kid,” Tony says and Peter can tell Tony thinks he’s right but he doesn’t say it.

Tony is trying to explain how he and Arthur Curry of all people ended up in a relationship when Ned comes back with food. Poor guy already suffered through drinks and Peter tried to talk to him to try and make him feel more comfortable but it didn’t really work. So when he comes back over Peter grins, “that smells so good,” he says and he is starving. Being stuck under film lights all day is actually exhausting work contrary to popular belief and obviously he gets fed but he’s like a bottomless pit with food. Can’t ever seem to get enough, but he’s always that way. The bonus is now that people read him as a guy no one asks if he should eat that much they just kind of assume he’s a glutton. Which, yay, because pastries.

“Um yeah, its pretty good. I’ve tried basically everything here except the caviar and the escargot because I draw the line at rich people food that sounds like it should be poor people food,” he says and Tony snorts, laughing into his hand.

“Yeah, guess fish eggs kind of do sound more like a thing poor people would eat than rich people. Weird. Also, not good- I’ve tried it and I don’t get the hype,” he says, shrugging.

“Tastes like spunk, I don’t get it either,” Tony says and the response obviously surprises Ned because he looks at Tony with a shocked expression on his face which, in hindsight, is probably why he doesn’t notice Peter’s food go overboard and into his lap. He jumps up before the hot food can do damage, then winces when the plate ends up in several pieces on the ground and Ned looks horrified.

“Its okay!” Peter says fast. “Things happen!”

“I am so sorry!” Ned says, eyes wide in horror.

“Its fine! I’ve had worse things thrown at me,” he says fast. Which is true, but also.

Ned rolls his eyes, “all those people who decided you couldn’t play Spider-Man because of some comic book inaccuracy or whatever bullshit need to look at those comics again because in issue 1034, which was released eight weeks before you even got the role, Gwen Stacy asks if you can lay eggs. Tom Holland, not you, you just play him. Whatever. Anyway, Gwen Stacy is a genius so she’d definitely know that only lady spiders can lay eggs. Also, Spider-Man is well known for his slightly high pitched voice and sure, people can argue that’s because he’s a teenager but I was sixteen once too and by then my voice was normal, so for Tom Holland to have hit puberty that late its totally acceptable to consider the effects of T on his voice and also- wait, no, oh my god. You don’t give a shit about any of this, people suck. They’re transphobes and also you have the perfect frame for it and lets be real, Christian Bale would have been a better choice than Toby fucking Maguire,” he says, flapping a hand around and wincing at his rant.

Peter raises an eyebrow, “there’s actual comic text evidence for trans Spider-Man?” he asks and Ned shrugs, cheeks turning a little red.

“I mean, you kinda gotta dig but if they can randomly make Captain America HYDRA and then unmake him HYDRA when everyone hated that shit trans Spider-Man is much less controversial. Actually, its totally inconsequential because why would that affect being Spider-Man, it just means you gotta take T and you- Tom Holland not you- got bit by a radioactive spider. Is being trans really more unrealistic than that? Because any idiot who claims realism probably need to pull their head out of their ass because the real world ain’t got super soldier serum to give you a shredded bod. Which, by the way, is my kind diet plan- just taking some experimental serum and come out hot. You don’t care about that either, oh my god, I’m getting comic nerd on a celebrity and also your food and-” Peter cuts Ned off to save him from himself.

“I think I might be in love with you, Ned,” he says and then winces, looking to Tony in a panic. Why the hell would he even say that!

“What he means,” Tony interjects smoothly, “is that he thinks you’re adorable, and he wants you number. Maybe a date, if you’re comfortable.”

Ned stares for a long moment. “Oh my god this is exactly season two episode four where MJ asks Gwen out for you even though that’s dumb because MJ and Gwen clearly belong with each other,” Ned says, eyes wide.

“Yeah I know right? Peter- Quill-” he clarifies when he remembers too late there’s two Peters involved in Spider-Man, “keeps pushing for it but stupid TV people won’t let him. So now he’s writing them as gay as possible to piss everyone off, except its kind of backfiring because now everyone thinks he’s queerbaiting but he’s not he’s queer expliciting as much as he can before someone fires him. Also yeah, I just don’t think Gwen is a good match for my character anyways, I mean she’s nice and all that but they’re kind of... platonic. Oh, um, do you know what a Miles Morales is?” he asks because Quill mentioned him and Peter has no idea who that is.

Ned does because he lets out a loud noise that’s halfway between a huff and a squeal and Peter is sure he’s never heard a noise like it before. “Oh my god they’re introducing Miles Morales! Yes!”

Tony throws a dinner roll at him and it bounces off his head, “you shit head, don’t give away spoilers!” he says like it isn’t a meme that Peter consistently gives stuff away. At this point they’ve started using it as marketing material it happens so often. Like that time he opened a supposedly internal poster on his Instagram and faked being shocked when he realized it wasn’t supposed to be public. Everyone ate it up even if they all knew it was fake- obviously it was considering the video was never taken down, but the fans loved it anyway.

“Give me every single spoiler now!” Ned says, excitement written all over his features.

Peter considers saying no but he’s not good at peer pressure, its how he got talked into doing shrooms when he was thirteen and that was a bad plan. “The multiverse explodes and one of the spider people dies but I can’t tell you which one,” he says quickly. Tony throws another roll at him for it but he can’t help it.

Ned lets out a loud screech, “oh my god if Peter Quill kills you I’ll go kill him!” he yells way too loud. People turn to stare and Peter waves them off.

“Talking about a TV show!” he assures people and Ned, to his credit, looks like he kind of wants the earth to swallow him.

“Peter doesn’t die,” Tony says, “and we’re going to leave before Dipshit McGee lets any more spoilers loose. You might not want to tell anyone any of that stuff, people will find you and I really wish that was a joke but its not. You’ll get like twelve cease and desist letters.”

“That’s true, I have like fifty of them in frames and also I’ve been banned from reading scripts until shooting schedule because I really am terrible at keeping things secret and this is really Quill’s fault for telling me any of this stuff and hey wait I don’t have his number yet,” he says and Tony drags him off.

“I’ll get his number and pay, you stop spoiling Quill’s hard work before he decides to kill you next,” Tony says.

#peter parker x ned leeds #fanfiction #alternate universe #writing

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sophygurl · 6 years

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Wiscon 42 panel Lighter Side of the MCU

Okay, the rest of my panel write-ups are not going to be quite so dramatic as the Killable Bodies one thank goodness. And I’ll be typing the rest up in chronological order - excepting the ones I was on since I don’t take heavy notes for those, so will add a bit about them at the end.

The first panel I went to was Lighter Side of the MCU

Reminder that these panel notes are only my own recollections and the things I managed to write down - my notes are incomplete and likely faulty in places. Corrections and additions are always welcome. Especially please do correct me if I get names or pronouns wrong!

Also I name panelists as that’s publicly available information but not audience members unless requested by that person to have their named added.

Panel description:

In 2017, the Marvel Cinematic Universe gave us 3 movies that were lighter, funnier, and a bit different from their normal fare: Guardian of the Galaxy Vol 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Thor: Ragnarok. All three of these movies felt like a year-long palate cleanser after the darker path the MCU has been on. However, with movies like Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War coming next, are we back to serious business, or is there still room to play?

Moderator was Christopher Davis. Panelists were Jess Adamas, V. Greyson, and Carrie Pruett.

Chris talked about Thor: Ragnarok as having a shift from the other Thor movies, not just due to Taika Watiti’s influence but the writing and acting as well.

Jess said people figured out that Hemsworth can do comedy and is not just ridiculously good looking, but also willing to make an ass of himself.

Jess and V. agreed that they almost can’t even remember Thor 2. Thor should be funny and silly - the comics are. There are still real feelings and relationships in there, but every scene looked like it should have been painted on the side of a van.

Carrie said the movie found the right tone for including the Led Zeppelin song. The use of Bruce/Hulk in the movie also used more comedy than earnestness. She compared it to Deadpool as far as pointing out the ridiculous parts.

She also talked about her desire for Darcy to interact with more MCU characters.

V. talked about Kenneth Branagh’s Thor 1 and that she liked how serious it was. But she enjoyed the comedy of Ragnarok even more as a contrast. She brought up an article that talked about the Maori flavor of the comedy in the movie, the deprecating aspect and poking fun at the earlier movies (example: “the sun is going down”).

Carrie liked the calling out of Loki as Odin as a reminder of how Thor 2 ended, but doing it in such a funny way.

Jess talked about Korg and the hilarity of how his revolution failed because he didn’t print enough pamphlets. She brought up the Grandmaster - Carrie asked who? - Jeff Goldblum - oh yea! (lol)

Chris discussed the heavy 80′s nostalgia and Jack Kirby aesthetic in the visuals and musical choices. For example, the Pure Imagination song while going through the tunnel.

Jess and V. joked about their husbands not getting why certain things were funny (IIRC this was because they weren’t as familiar with some of the references to earlier Marvel movies?).

Chris said that Goldblum was the perfect choice for that role. He asked the panelists what their favorite bit of his was.

V. said the meltstick part. Carrie added - accidental killing is hilarious. Jess brought up the part about Bruce looking for a button on the ship for a weapon and getting the song and lights - the discovery that it’s an orgy ship. Carrie added that Bruce’s whole life is a series of wondering how he got here.

V. talked about the deleted scene of the Grandmaster engaging in tentacle porn. Chris said in Watiti’s director’s cut, he filks the Marvel logo at the start and it just goes from there.

Chris moved on to the Guardians movies - a part of Marvel that’s not well known outside of the deep fandom. This gave them more freedom in their choices. They mostly take place outside of the MCU world, but still did well.

Carrie compared Guardians to Deadpool 2 saying that there is such a thing as too many ironic music cues and Guardians had just enough while D2 went too far.

Carrie also added that the Guardians/Thor part of Infinity War was the best part. The bit where Thor keeps calling Rocket a rabbit (I added from the audience that this somehow didn’t make Rocket mad) and Carrie agreed saying he really responded to Thor as an authority figure in ways that he usually doesn’t do with anyone.

Jess said that she has James Gunn issues and especially didn’t think Guardians 1 was that well written, but that G2 did a good job of balancing the serious with the funny. She was really resentful about crying at the end. She really bought the Peter/Yondu relationship. Jess tears up talking about the scene with Rocket at the funeral and how he noted that Yondu yelled a lot and was mean but that people still stuck with him. [I teared up a lil too, that part hit me hard]

Jess also added that the rainbow glitter aesthetic of the Guardians movies seems to be responding to the darker superhero greyscale we usually get.

Carrie said that they did good with the Ego stuff, as well. She knew that a twist was coming, but not what the twist was going to be. It called out toxic masculinity in a unique way. Kurt Russell was used well in the role. Peter has his own sexist issues, especially in G1 - which is not interrogated - but in G2 he’s clearly trying to be better than his dad.

Jess said Russell was great in the role because the audience sees him as his oeuvre.

V. didn’t like G2 as much as G1. G1 had a lot of lampshading of Peter calling himself Starlord and the group the Guardians of the Galaxy. Also - so many Groot-based tears. She didn’t like the start of G2 with the team all fighting and being mean to one another. But G2 and Thor:R both used that rainbow glitter aesthetic well and showed that you can have serious issues going on even if it’s sparkly - things don’t have to be all grey with just some blue.

Chris brought up that lighter movies can still have some very serious issues and still be funny. The characters and relationships can grow and change, for example Thor finally acknowledging that Loki is going to keep tricking him.

V. talked about how Spiderman: Homecoming’s humor is more of the #relatable type. Peter is “just like us” and we identify with him.

Carrie said she has a complicated relationship with Spiderman. She saw the Toby Maguire movies before she got into comics and didn’t realize that Spiderman was supposed to be funny. Andrew Garfield did okay but still didn’t really feel like Peter. Tom Holland does Spiderman/Peter better. But the movie changed around some of the characters from the comics. Also - why is it appropriate for Tony to have this relationship with a high school student? On the other hand, Tony’s use as a side character is funny and done well.

Jess added that Tony makes terrible decisions but doesn’t realize it until someone else points it out to him - like, maybe don’t take a minor out of the country for combat-related reasons?

Jess went on to say that all Marvel movies have some humor, and it often is that relatable kind, but it also comes from the fondness for the characters and their relationships to one another. It’s not just references (V. - like The Big Bang Theory).

Jess talked about how Thor:R addresses colonialism and anti-colonialism while being funny. Spiderman:Homecoming culminates in a homecoming dance. Jess always wanted a Marvel high school movie. Also Michael Keaton did well in the role for similar reasons as Russell in G2. Both actors bring their career history with them into the role.

V. talked about the humor of Spiderman in the pratfalls. Heroes already have such exaggerated physical movements, so this leads well to physical humor. Holland is a good physical actor in both senses.

Carrie lamented the lack of funny women in the MCU. (I spoke from the audience again pointing out MJ)

Jess said that Gamora did not get a lot of comedy - a lot of her character is wrapped up in drama with Nebula. Mantis is a character we laugh at and she is not comfortable with that. Valkyrie gets to be funny. Cate Blanchett as Hela was very campy but in a straight-faced way. She does tell jokes, but they’re terrifying.

Carrie discussed the issues with Mantis a bit more. The jokes were mostly about her fitting the submissive Asian trope. Black Panther has women who got to actively do stuff and be funny! There should be more little sisters in superhero movies. Lupita Nyong’o was used better as a funny character in BP than she was in more serious roles. Jess added that Okoyo was used in humorous ways too.

Carrie said BP was not just about found family, as many of these movies are, but is actually a family movie.

Chris said that Hela got some of the best lines in Thor. Examples: “Whoever I am?” and the bit about the executioner to execute plans ... but also people.

He added that BP did have a lot of humor. It also had a similar plot as Thor, but with a very different tone and narrative.

Carrie said BP makes you care about Wakanda. Asgard feels more distant. While watching Infinity War, her concern was for Wakanda - why are they bringing the fight there?!

Thor:R builds on the other movies for it’s worldbuilding, whereas BP is introducing us to this world for essentially the first time. There is a sense of wrestling with what is the right thing to do. An audience member added - it’s a less mythical world.

Jess talked about BP having lots of joy - you get the sense that the cast and crew just loved being there and making it what it was.

V. talked about Thor 1 having more of a fish out of water type humor. The humor in BP comes from investment in the character relationships.

An audience member brought up the M’Baku vegetarian joke. Someone (another audience member maybe?) brought up how the Grandmaster was queer-coded and a villain and funny but it was not offensive.

Jess said that was just Goldblum being Goldblum. It also works because Watiti is queer, so he’s aware of the tropes and it’s not a mean-spirited laughing - we’re not laughing at the queer-codedness of the character. Contrast this to Mantis, where we are supposed to be laughing at the racial and sexist stereotypes.

Chris brought up that Mantis literally personifies emotional labor.

An audience member said that the Grandmaster reminded them of Tim Curry’s characters - he’s using himself in the role, so we’re not laughing at someone’s depictions of an other.

V. said in Thor:R the gags are at everyone’s expense - it’s equal opportunity joking. We’re not just laughing at say, the one campy character in the entire movie.

Carrie talked about not liking Drax as much in G2 because he was so mean to Mantis - we were expected to laugh at this one character.

An audience member talked about Drax’s actor being hilarious. The MCU and DC are mostly white and male, so they appreciate when this is not the case. The Drax/Mantis issue would have been better if they’d addressed his crush on her. It felt like a third of movie was cut out because they skip right over his meanness to acceptance. Mantis is the first Asian character in the MCU.

Carrie said there is a representation problem. A friend of hers who is Asian said her kid told her she looks like Mantis, and she wasn’t sure how to deal with that. There were no other characters for the child to compare her to.

Jess said this was especially bad because outside of the Mantis thing, Drax is the best of them as far as emotional expression.

Chris said - as a white dude named Chris, I’m getting lots of representation and I’m getting tired of it. (lol)

Valkyrie came up and someone said their headcanon was that she lived and took the half of the Asgardians who live off to safety. I shouted out from the audience that this was confirmed as canon. V. said her theory is that she took the sex space ship!

An audience member brought up how some people found Asgard as a flying disc in space as being more relatable than a non-colonized African country. This is partially because you have to set up the seriousness first and then introduce humor. Thor could be funnier right away because it was the third movie.

V. said that both Thor and BP had interesting things to say about colonization and Chris laid it out as: Killmonger wants to start conquering and Hela wants to go back to doing it.

V. talked about BP as having to engage white Marvel fans, black audiences who aren’t as familiar with the comics, and of course the Venn Diagram of black fans of the MCU. Discussed the use of both Wakanda and Oakland scenes to accomplish this.

An audience member asked about the evolution of Hulk as a comedic character.

Chris said Ruffalo was able to pull off the humor well on Thor. The physical comedy of when he tried to pull the Hulk out and then splat! The movie used both Bruce and the Hulk for comedic effect.

Carrie related back to the comment about starting off with the serious backstory and then adding in the humor - Bruce himself has learned to take himself less seriously over time.

Jess said that he does get to be funny here and there in the other movies, but it’s more of humor as coping mechanism. In Thor:R he gets to do more slapstick stuff.

And that’s all I got! Overall this was a fun, funny panel which also hit on some serious themes in these lighter movies.

#wiscon #wiscon 42 #mcu lighter side #mcu #thor: ragnarok #guardians of the galaxy #spiderman: homecoming #black panther

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pickalilywrites · 6 years

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Rivetra for The Spiderman movie please?

Send me a ship and a movie and I’ll write a one-shot!

You Don’t Have To Be Alone

I’ve actually only seen the Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield one although I hear the recent Tom Holland movie is excellent! Spiderman is probably one of my favorite Marvel heroes to watch in film tbh.

Levi’s kind of a curious choice to be Spiderman (personality-wise they’re quite different, at least from what I’ve seen in the movies) but it was pretty fun imagining what it’d be like if he were!

He picks up the phone as soon as he sees the stupid scientist’s name flicker across his screen. If anyone knows what’s wrong with him, she does.

“You better have something good to tell me,” he growls. There were some things that were a little more convenient than others. The superhuman strength, for example, and the heightened senses like hearing and sensing movements in his surroundings. But other things were just weird or plain disgusting, like the strange webby fluid that came from his wrists. It’s not that difficult for him to hide these things from his classmates; it’s not like he talks to very many people anyway, but it’s fucking annoying.

“I have two things to tell you,” Hanji chirps on the phone. She either doesn’t mind his harsh tone or doesn’t care, although it’s quite possible that she hasn’t taken notice of it either. A part of him thinks that the scientist, although a highly gifted employee at Titan Corp., is kind of an airhead. “The bad news is that I have no idea if we can ever reverse the effects of the spider bite. The good news is that it seems to have altered your DNA for the better. Super strength, heightened senses, your enhanced physiology. You could be a superhero! And I took a look at that fluid sample from your wrists. Did you know it’s made up of that same stuff that spiderwebs are made up of? It’s pretty incredible.”

“How is any of that good news?” he hisses. Sure, maybe it’s every kid’s dream to be a superhero but he’s not a kid. “If you guys were going to have something as disgusting as a spider around, you guys should have locked it up properly.” His free hand reaches up to his neck. The bump from where the spider bit him isn’t as prominent as it was the day he got it, but he can still feel it when he rubs his thumb across it.

“Hey, it wasn’t just any spider. It was a genetically enhanced spider for scientific purposes! And normal spiders aren’t bad either. They’re just misunderstood! People just paint the little critters as villains because they’re scared and don’t know any better.”

He’s about to tell her he doesn’t have time to listen to her chatter on about the wonders of spiders and their abilities, but a voice from behind calls him. “Levi!”

There aren’t a lot of people who would shout his name and normally that sort of thing would bother him. He hates his name being shouted for so many other people to hear, but he knows that voice and he’d be stupid to ignore the girl calling for him. “I’ll call you back later,” he says, interrupting Hanji in the middle of her sentence and not even bothering to say goodbye before he hangs up.

Petra looks curiously at him as he hurriedly shoves his phone into the pocket of his jeans. “Was that important? You could have just told me you were busy,” she says to him.

“It wasn’t important,” he lies.

She wrinkles her nose at him, showing she doesn’t believe him. “Alright. I just wanted to make sure you were still coming over to study. You are, right?”

“Yeah,” he grunts. “You’ll be home at four, right? When your club meeting ends.” He’s not actually sure how he’s managed to snag a study session with Petra Ral. He’s not actually sure why she’s invited him to her house for studying, but he’s sure as hell going to go along with it because there’s really no other way he’d get close to her.

She smiles at him and she has a dimple in her cheek, he notices. “Yeah. I’ll text you if I’m out early though.” She glances at her watch. “Better go before I’m late. I’ll see you later, Levi.” She leaves but not before reaching out to squeeze his arm, giving him a smile before she walks away.

He’s never really been the type to stop and stare in awe, but for some reason he’s rooted to his spot and he watches as Petra disappears in the crowd of people in the hallway. He would probably stand there all day if left uninterrupted, but his phone vibrates violently in his pocket and snaps him out of his daze.

It’s Hanji again.

“Did you have something else to tell me?” he asks, a little miffed that the scientist feels the need to call him up twice in such a short period of time.

“Was that a girl calling your name before you hung up on me?” she asks. “Her voice is cute! She’s not your girlfriend, is she? You never said you had a girlfriend. I can’t really imagine you with one, to be honest. You’re kind of a dark and brooding loner. Some girls like that though. Maybe that’s it?”

He hangs up without saying anything and makes a mental note not to pick up for her anytime soon.

“Heroes are really something,” she murmurs as she scrolls through an article on her laptop.

Petra, Levi has discovered, isn’t that great at studying. She does it in spurts. Reads something for thirty minutes, then fools around by looking at cat pictures or reading articles about heroes saving the city. He’s never been able to take breaks like that. He has to do everything at once or not at all. He scolded her once or twice for fooling around but she always tells him that she retains information when she studies this way.

“Stop looking up pictures of Captain America,” he tells her, not even bothering to glare at her anymore because he’s too used to this.

She turns her laptop around, a picture of the blonde supermodel superhero on her screen. “Captain America? More like ‘Commander Handsome,’ right?”

He doesn’t bother responding to that. “Why do you like superheroes so much?” he asks instead.

“Hmm?” she turns the laptop back to face her, typing a few things in. She’s probably looking for more pictures of Captain America or some other superhero that everyone else is spazzing about. He thinks she has an unhealthy obsession with them, but then again everybody seems to these days. She finally tears her eyes away from her screen to look at him. “You don’t like them?”

He shrugs. It’s not that he hates them. He just doesn’t understand them. He can’t see these all-powerful people saving others out of the goodness of their hearts. It didn’t seem to be a good enough reason. “I’m indifferent,” he replies.

“Well,” Petra says. She sets her laptop on her bed next to her and closes it. “When people are helpless, shouldn’t you help them if you have the ability to instead of looking the other way? It makes people less alone, I think, especially when they feel helpless.”

And maybe that’s why he doesn’t get it. Because he’s always been alone and now he doesn’t feel like he owes the world a thing. He never asked for these powers and even if they are a blessing, why should he use them to help people who would have turned a blind eye on him in the past? Where had they been when he cowered in the corner when strange men came home with his mother? Where were they when he and his mother didn’t have food for days? And where were they when he finally watched his mother pass away, leaving him truly alone?

“Levi.” Her voice breaks him away from his train of thought and she’s leaning towards him now, her hand stretched out to brush his hair away from his eyes. “Are you okay?”

He grabs her wrist, stopping her from touching her face and he can see that he’s gripping her too hard because of how she’s wincing. He lets go just as quickly as if he were burned. “I’m fine,” he mutters. “Let’s get back to studying.”

She opens her mouth and it appears that she’s about to say something, but she shuts her mouth and just nods, opening her laptop again.

He’s always been okay with silence. He finds it peaceful, but this time it’s different. It’s so quiet that it’s giving him a headache and he can’t stand the distance he feels growing between them. And he probably can’t close the gap, he’ll probably end up alone again, but he finds himself reaching for her hand and whispering, “I’m sorry,” in a voice so desperate that he doesn’t realize how much he wants to fix this until now.

She looks at his hand so tentative on hers and she sees his face. He’s ready for her to pull her hand away from his but she abandons her laptop, pulls him into her arms. “I know,” she tells him.

He wraps his arms around her and doesn’t let go.

His phone vibrates in his pocket and sighs, not even bothering to glance at the screen when he picks up because he already knows who it is. “Do you have to call me all the time?” he asks.

“Do I have to call you every time you rescue a cat from a tree? Save people from an impending doom? Prevent total destruction of the world?” Hanji asks on the other end. She always has impeccable timing, calling him the second he’s done with one of his unintended hero tasks. It’s like she has cameras everywhere. “Yeah, I do! What if something happens to you? You should be flattered I care about you so much!”

“It’s not flattering, it’s just a bother,” he tells her.

As usual, she just laughs it off as if it were just a joke. “You’re funny, Levi,” she says. “But you know, I’ve really got to wonder why you’re doing all this. Didn’t you say you weren’t interested in being a hot shot superhero? I’m pretty sure you’re the only thing the people in this city talk about now.”

He had never meant to be a hero, not then and not now. It just sort of happened. It started with him helping a cat out of a tree. It wouldn’t be a big deal, he decided. He just had to pull over his hood to obscure his face a little, use his new webbing powers to reach the cat, and then bring it back down. He’d do it and leave it before anyone could see him. The only problem was that someone did see him. It was a kid who was probably in elementary school who had come to see where the crying cat was.

“You saved that cat!” the kid said, wide-eyed.

“Uh, I guess,” Levi mumbled, trying to pull his hood down over his face more.

“Are you some kind of superhero?” the kid asked suspiciously, trying to sneak a peek at Levi’s face.

“No,” Levi said hastily. “Why would you say that?”

“I saw you get down on from that tree with this string stuff from your hands!” the kid said. He was speaking a little too loudly, but Levi didn’t know how to shut the kid up. “You were like some kind of…spider man!”

“You’re just seeing things,” Levi said, pushing past the kid and the stupid cat that kept rubbing at his legs. He was trying to act natural, but he was probably walking too quickly to seem completely unsuspicious. “Go to school!”

He should have been a lot more cautious after that, perhaps just avoided any type of heroic act entirely, but things just kept popping up. It used to be just simple things like saving people who were crossing the street at the wrong time and preventing them from being hit by a bus. Then things just started escalating. There were “meta-humans,” as Hanji called them, popping up over the city. People with superhuman powers that were able to control the elements. Some of them were heroes, part of a team that people referred to as the Avengers, but others came to terrorize the city. So of course, he found himself in the middle of everything he had meant to keep away from and the next thing he knew, his hooded figure and dreadful superhero name (which ended up being “Spiderman,” a hero name that a ten-year-old could think up) were splattered on every newspaper and television screen.

“It just sort of happened,” he says to Hanji after a while.

She snorts. “Please, I’ve been begging you for it and you would just grumble to me about how you didn’t owe the world a damn thing.”

He still stood by that thought. He still doesn’t owe anyone anything, but he sometimes thinks about what Petra said. Maybe he could make it so that those who are in need the most aren’t alone.

“My friend’s more convincing than you,” he tells her.

“Must be a good friend,” Hanji muses.

“Yeah, well. She’s not bad, I guess.”

She’s on his doorstep and he has to stop himself from slamming the door in her face. He’s faced monsters with unnatural powers, so why is it that a normal girl like her makes him want to run away?

“What are you doing here?”

He doesn’t make any room for her to come in, but she pushes past him and walks into his apartment. It’s a mess no matter how much he cleans it. His uncle’s a slob and leaves his trash everywhere. The only real clean space is Levi’s room, but Petra looks too angry to care about how messy his place is.

“What are you hiding?” she asks. She’s planted herself firmly in the center of the living room, making it clear that she didn’t plan on leaving unless he gave her a clear answer.

“I’m not hiding anything,” he mutters, but he doesn’t know why he even bothers lying to her. She knows him too well and she’s too stubborn to give up. “Petra, it’s really nothing.”

“You don’t even show up to classes half of the time. You don’t return my calls. I haven’t talked to you in days, Levi,” she says. She’s angry, but she’s trying hard not to cry. “What are you doing that you can’t tell me?”

He can’t bring himself to tell her. It’s too dangerous for her to know. But he can’t bring himself to lead her out of the apartment either. He stands in place and lets her walk closer to him, her hand reaching out to push back the hood of his jacket, so she can see his face. He closes his eyes when she finally pulls it back and hears her gasp when she sees the cuts and bruises on his face.

“Levi,” she whispers, “what happened?”

“I’m sorry.”

She should walk out right now, leave him alone like he had always been, but she takes him in her arms. “Don’t be sorry,” she tells him. “Just tell me what’s wrong. So you don’t have to be alone anymore.”

And he does.

#snk #rivetra #petra ral #levi ackerman #hanji zoe #i write too much for one shots tbh #spiderman au #asks #answered #anon #anonymous

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mrnerdteacher · 7 years

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“Spider-Man: Homecoming’s” Seven Best Jokes and Why they Matter

Spider-Man has had a rocky ride when it comes to Hollywood. Sam Raimi’s first two films were instantly beloved mega-hits that proved the superhero formula could be a cash cow, but the next three titles that bore the wall-crawler’s name ranged from just alright to downright abysmal. In case you didn’t already know, Spider-Man: Homecoming is a MUCH needed course correction, and in my opinion the best Spider-Man movie, ever, by a pretty huge margin.

What makes it so special? Its sense of humor. Jon Watt’s attempt reminds me a lot of my favorite Spider-Man stories: the first few years of the “Ultimate Spider-man” comics penned by Brian Michael Bendis (who unsurprisingly gets a special thanks in the credits). What he does better than any iteration prior (or since) is fully convince the reader that Peter Parker is a goofy kid caught up in a world of larger than life choices, risks, and consequences. That premise is simultaneously kinda heart-breaking and, more importantly rife for comedy. Here are, in no particular order, the 7 best laugh out loud moments in Spider-Man: Homecoming and how they help give this movie its secret sauce.

Minor spoilers ahead, but I will write these in a way that the punchline isn’t ruined prematurely.

Every Scene with Hannibal Buress

Not only is he one of my favorite comedians, but in this film he perfectly captures the DGAF high school gym teacher who’s only there for the paycheck. Far too often teachers are portrayed as either inspiring life-changers or raging assholes, but his trademark drawl brought to life a type of “educator” that is rarely represented. It simultaneously got the audience laughing and buying into the setting of a real world high school.

Captain America’s PSAs

Glimpsed in the trailer, these short segments in which Rogers doles out advice to impressionable and angsty teens are not only hilarious but add a fun bit of world-building, making this movie feel very much a part of the same timeline we’ve been following for nearly a decade. Plus, the final one in the film is gleefully tongue-in-cheek. How many more, indeed?

Zendaya’s Sketches

Does it count as a spoiler if it made national headlines? I’m gonna go with no and assume that you already know about the model’s casting as some manner of “romantic interest” and the subsequent backlash provided by the “totally not racist” idiots of the world. However, her appearance is by far the least important thing about her. Zendaya’s performance is unique, funny, instantly likable, and a total scene-stealer. Her “art project” is more interesting and entertaining than anything Emma Stone or Kirsten Dunst ever did in five movies combined.

“What are you doing in here? There’s a dance going on…”

A big part of what makes this movie so much more watchable than previous attempts is that Peter is finally not “going it alone.” Every few scenes he is getting advice from someone, whether it’s the always hilarious Robert Downey Jr. or the awkwardly sincere musings of an A.I. voiced by Jennifer Connely. However, there is no question as to who is the real Robin to his Batman: Jacob Batalon’s lovable “Ned” not only fills your heart with joy in every frame but provides probably the movie’s biggest laugh when he is questioned about his late night whereabouts during the Homecoming dance. The delivery is FLAWLESS.

The Importance of Color Coding Your Futuristic Weaponry

A lame villain can do irreparable harm to an action movie, but thankfully Michael Keaton’s “Vulture” is just complex enough to keep you guessing. His origin story of a union man screwed over by big business is certainly empathetic, but the story needed to find a way to make him menacing without having him go “Full Dafoe” and be a heartless monster. The film deftly has its cake and eats it too by making the first travesty he commits be a hilarious gaffe. It’s all downhill from there, but in the best way possible.

Donald Glover’s Got Two Hours to Kill

Seven years ago, this popular rapper and comedian jokingly campaigned to play Peter Parker in the next theatrical reboot, and once again the “not racist, just purist” idiots of the nerd world went bananas. Thankfully, he gets a great cameo in Homecoming, and not only does his dialogue provide a very cool easter egg, he also adds a little humanity to the “nameless minion” trope that so often hangs out in the background of these comic movies. The interrogation satirizes more serious films like The Dark Knight while reminding the audience that Peter is just a kid, and really needs to “get better at this part of the job.” We are thankfully spared from seeing Uncle Ben get gunned down for the umpteenth time, but this scene is a nice reminder that this is still an origin story, complete with all the hilarious fumbling and missteps you’d expect.

“Never Again...”

Update: How could I forget Martin Starr’s hilarious soliloquy about a field trip gone horribly wrong? Beyond injecting being the perfect amount of dark comedy, I really appreciated what this character brought to the premise of the Academic Decathlon team. His under-appreciated enthusiasm echoed very true for someone who spent three years of high school on just such a team, and while we’re on the topic: how refreshing was it to see socially well-adjusted straight-A students unburdened by hygiene problems? I especially appreciate the re-imagining of Flash Thompson as no longer a jock stereotype but rather a spurned peer with an inferiority complex.

Watching Andrew Garfield or Toby Maguire’s interpretations of Peter Parker, it almost seems as if his sense of humor is part of his alter ego, as both are pensive, edgy, deeply stressed, and prone to tearful outbursts unless they’re wearing spandex and dodging bullets.

By contrast, this film never forgets what it’s trying to be: a funny, heartfelt high school comedy that just so happens to be about a superhero. As someone whose enthusiasm for comic book movies was flagging in a big way, I can not recommend it enough.

FINAL GRADE: A

#spiderman #spider-man #spiderman homecoming #marvel #marvel cinematic universe #MCU #tom holland #donald glover #comics #michael keaton #funny #zendaya #hannibal buress #captain america #iron man #tony stark

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cryptoriawebb · 7 years

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Spider-man Homecoming: Review

Heads up: this isn’t for the super sensitive.

I’m not gonna lie: I didn’t love this movie. I didn’t go into it expecting much but carried with me that hope the movie might prove those expectations wrong. It has thus far. This year has been one surprising but pleasant ride as far as super hero films go. Logan, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and of course, the masterpiece that is Wonder Woman. Each film stood strongly on its own, raising the stakes for the genre in a way I haven’t seen in years.

In my personal opinion, the latest addition to the MCU felt a little lackluster in comparison. There were highlights of course: Michael Keaton, Peter’s unusual preference towards being Spider-man rather than viewing it as a responsibility, his relationship with Tony Stark, and this new/reimagined cast of classmates. That said…I almost felt like I was watching a Spider-man fanfiction, rather than a new, professional blockbuster installment. At this point, maybe it is fanfiction, or rather, since Marvel is in charge again, writers picking and choosing from previous “fanfiction” and crafting their own, alleged relevant interpretation. Fanfiction of fanfiction.

I’ve never seen so many new characters in a super-hero film than this one. They have existed of course, both in the MCU (Coulson as the most well-known example) and the X-men films (Nina, Peter’s little sister), this is just the first time, as I’ve said, I’ve seen so many in one setting. It’s incredibly strange for someone like me, someone who knows the Spider-man mythos better than almost any other hero/comic line, with the exception of the X-men.. I’m thinking specifically of Ned and Michelle. Ned I know was inspired by Ned Leeds, and I do think it would be cool to see him as a reimagined hobgoblin one day. Michelle…I loved her character, she’s fun and weird and something not seen too often in the super hero world, super-powered or otherwise. That said, and this is my personal opinion, I don’t particularly care for this implied idea she’s the new “Mary Jane.” Generally when it comes to the MCU, Marvel has been pretty good about keeping iconic characters true to their comic book origins. Minor or less well-known (Jeri Hogarth, Kilgrave and Claire Temple as two primary examples), have been, in the past, Marvel’s way of exploring reimagined characters and including a more well-rounded universe without upsetting fans for whom certain characters left such an imprint.

Before anyone says anything, I want to reiterate that I liked some of these changes: Queens New York in 2017 is very different from the Queens of Peter’s comic origins. I adored this reinterpreted Flash, although it took a bit to digest. Not only because he wasn’t the Flash I’d grown up with but his interests and methods of bullying were so different than what I remember. I liked that. I liked that there was friction within the same social circle. I liked that Peter was sort of an outcast in said social circle; when I was growing up I frequently felt that way. Sometimes I still do. I forget where I read this but someone mentioned this Flash chose to bully Peter verbally, and only verbally, which I think is definitely worth noting as well. We live in a different era now; physical bullies are far less prevalent than they were twenty years ago. Speaking as someone who was bullied (although not within my social circle, not really) I found it…not important but I liked that they went that route because verbal bullying can be just as damaging as anything physical. Just because you can’t see the scars doesn’t mean they aren’t there. So I liked this Flash, I liked that he was part of the Decathalon, I liked that part of his dislike seemed to stem from that dislike and I also liked that despite not knowing all the answers (which could have implied he cared less than his classmates) he cared enough to snap at Peter when he rejoined the team at the last minute.

To go along with that, I liked that Liz was also on the team. That she was fairly popular and well-liked, but didn’t fall into the cheerleader type, so to speak. She was that smart and pretty senior nerd whom the slightly nerdier Peter (and I loved that he and Ned were nerds among nerds; that word is so vast now) felt far above his league. I also liked that she didn’t treat him like a nobody and seemed to like him from the start. I don’t know…I’m not big on high school stories or high school romances but this particular interpretation felt more human than formulaic.

With that cleared up, I’m going to go back to Mary Jane really quickly: I don’t care about romantic interests in super hero films and I never really liked Mary Jane. That said, I grew up with her looking a certain way and seeing someone who not only behaved but look so different and just having to accept this is ‘Mary Jane’ now when she’s very clearly her own character bothers me. Don’t groom me to believe one thing and just expect me to be okay with this. I love Michelle as her own character, I want to see more of her and I’d love for her to join Peter and Ned as the third member of their friendship circle but I don’t want her to be Mary Jane. I just don’t.

Michael Keaton was, as I said before, my favorite part of the movie. I didn’t latch onto him right away but I liked his approach: a middleclass dad engaged in weapons’ distribution felt very appropriate as this friendly webslinger’s first real villain. That is one thing Marvel handles well: exploring not only the heroes but what impact they leave on the rest of the public. This goes for both Shockers, too. Neither they or the Vulture have ever, in my opinion, been impressive enough to steal the show the same way someone like Loki or Magneto could, but capitalizing on their strengths to harness not only alien technology but hijack an invisible plane (much less an Avengers’ plane) was, in my opinion, a smart move. Spider-man is young, his powers are limited and these villains felt as though they were just out of his league enough to pose a threat and teach him something about, well, “power and responsibility.” What it means to be Spider-man.

I really didn’t see the twist coming, that he would end up being Liz’s father. I’m not sure how I feel about that. I love a good twist but they weren’t (to my knowledge) related in the comics…if they were, well, that’s my bad. Like I said, certain things I don’t mind changed. Others I do, if only because after a point the franchise movie starts feeling like an original movie, an original franchise and it’s not supposed to be. On the other hand…this is the second Spider-man reboot and I’m sure Disney/Sony wanted to make sure it stood on its own. So the question is, where is the middle ground? How do you create something original with a subject that’s been done over and over and over again? Teenage super heroes struggling to come into their own, struggling to get the girl and dodge the bully, all the while keeping secrets from their guardian…do you know how long it’s been since I’ve seen anything featuring teenage super-hero situations? I don’t count X-men apocalypse because it didn’t deal with that so much as…that movie was as much the adult’s story as the teens and they were trying to stop a literal apocalypse. Spidey, however…it was like someone transported me back to the early-mid 2000s. Sky High, Danny Phantom, even X-men evolution and of course the first three spider-man films…that was the era, at least I think, of the teenage super-hero. Nowadays it feels more like an anomaly, at least in cinema. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, it was just…strange…and really made me feel my age.

Like I said though, there were some things I liked apart from Keaton: Peter reacted to the whole having super powers and being invited by the Avengers thing like I imagine most real-world teens would, the way I would’ve reacted when I was a teen if I were in that situation. He wasn’t the adult in a teenage body Toby McGuire and even Andrew Garfield took on after a while. He genuinely wanted to be Spider-man, he didn’t see the point in his studies if he got to be a world-renowned super-hero. It was really interesting to see him discover what previous Spider-men already harbored, and from Tony of all people. I love Tony, he’s probably my favorite character in the MCU and seeing him try to play dad was both heartbreaking and heartwarming. I look forward to seeing that relationship develop.

I also…I’m not sure how I feel about both Ned and May discovering his identity so quickly. I guess it makes sense? Maybe? Teenagers, especially in this day and age, can’t sneak out the same way they used to. With May no longer a frail old woman, it would make sense she’d be more engaged in Peter’s life. Sally Field played some of that up, and Marissa Tomei continues it. I loved her relationship with Peter, side-note. Always have. She really did behave like an aunt. That aside, maybe the identity revelation was intentional…maybe secrecy has no place in this MCU. Spidey is just one small piece of a larger puzzle. Maybe they didn’t want to waste time with that kind of drama. The MCU never has been big on drama, with a handful of exceptions. Previous Spider-man films were more dramatic, even the Amazing series (which I maintain as my favorite interpretation.)

To summarize: this movie was different, but it wasn’t. Some changes worked, some didn’t. Some similarities worked, others didn’t. There was both life and fatigue in this movie, and a whole lot of pandering.

I would go see it again, if only to pay more attention (I saw it at a drive-in. Missed the Stan Lee cameo, ugh.) As far as Spider-man films go, I’d personally put it ahead of the McGuire films but behind Andrew Garfield’s. At least for now. I do want to see more of this Spider-man, see how his relationships develop and see what other characters they incorporate or invent (J.K. Simmons to return as Jameson, anyone?)

Please remember my opinions are my own. They are not meant to stir any political fire. Just the thoughts of a long-time super hero fan who never quite fit the mold.

#spiderman homecoming #spider man homecoming #peter parker #tony stark #ned leeds #adrian toomes #returnedtothecrypt

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what2watch2night · 7 years

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Summer Calls For a “Family-friendly” Or “Pleasing To a Larger Demographic” Double-bill: SPIDER-MAN HOMECOMING _ IN THIS CORNER OF THE WORLD

The Fun Hollywood Blockbuster with a Superhero Struggling to Live Like ‘Normal People” and the Important Foreign Masterpiece with “Normal People” Struggling to Live Normally!

Since it is the 6th Spidey entry let’s start with 6 reasons to watch SPIDER-MAN HOMECOMING

1. First and foremost YES that was just pure fun without bore! It might actually be one of the most fun/comedy-ish Marvel film along DEADPOOL

2. It might also be interestingly the most "realistic" or less “out of this world” comic movie made when nothing is about super-extra-power, but more about above-average skills and crazy technology ( well this teenager can jump quite high and might run a little too fast to some taste…But hey, still nothing like a Captain America or Hulk or even Iron Man or else moment of ‘wtf this move make no sense, how did that happened!’

3. In fact this SPIDERMAN entry might feel closer to a Marvel Netflix show with the "helping the everyday folk of New-York and being your local hooded hero" kinda vibe rather than the "Look at me blowing shit up like Superman and fighting for THE WHOLE GALAXIES”!

4. The diversity factor in this is admirable so clap clap clap for the casting team with all the "cameo" type of roles from teacher to principal to students, this looks just like …a school in NYC! In fact this helps a lot with the realness of the movie but…. the only problem is that all the main character/have surrounding Peter Paker are still mainly white and male good or bad from Favreau (working quite well here) Keaton (is good as usual but might be a little bit to gimmicky here for some of us….We need BEETLEJUICE tho) and RDJ (being RDJm being IRON MAN!)

5. But one have to admit that one have to stop complaining as this might be the best portrayal of an actual teenage Spiderman on the big screen a) because maybe for once the actor might actually be closer to a teenager ( Toby Maguire and Andrew Garfield were way past their teenage years while wearing Spidey costume…Why is it that male in Hollywood tend to play younger easily while women kinda always play way older ;(

Well guess we can thanks people like Ryan Murphy to start to change this dramatically!)

6. The pace was very good and the story works in quite a logical flowing way as opposed to what we usually see with other superhero movie ;)

MORAL OF THE STORY: This might actually be the second best superhero movie of the year after LOGAN (sorry WONDER WOMAN you third for now!) and the second best fun movie of the summer behind BABY DRIVER (yeah this other teenager have to win for now! !)

So, if you want to see some a movie “old-school” just to chill while still have the luxury of seeing a non-garbage summer flick but a well executed fun Marvel flavored story this is it! And bonus points for bringing the nostalgia of around for viewers looking for a little more!

IN THIS CORNER OF THE WORLD is basically a story about the human cost of war without necessarily being a typical war movie.

The film retrace a few decades of the life of Suzu, a young girl from Hiroshima who married and moved to her in-laws in the nearby city of Kure in the period culminating by the destruction of Hiroshima. From a simple life of pure joy in a rural area to a time of food restriction and air raids, our characters will struggle to find normalcy despite the harshness of reality that is to be a civilian in a war zone - or threatened area – and so, we witness their unfold visually and emotionally.

However delicate and hopeful the movie and its message seem there are few devastatingly forceful and important scenes that not only are about showing the daily life during war time but are deeply about the psyche of the situations. In this tragic time, for a daydreamer like our heroine, who then found magic and beauty in all things, now when danger is everywhere, has to dig deeper to find new perspectives without losing the “magic”. Suzu is not only a small-town innocent daydreamer but is also an artist who is at a time face with unprecedented repression and terrible lost and but to find it in herself to transform the horror of war into surreal yet evocative painting.

Being resilient softly but surely is one of the many theme of this film and this is the kind of approach that probably only this genre could have captured this way.

These types of Japanese anime reflect on a sensibility and innocence that cannot be portrayed in film with such a pure simplicity that; thus might make IN THIS CORNER OF THE WORLD more “family-friendly” or approachable as a live-action would be. And this movie one of those rare anime that is quite personal yet so universal and moving in their approach that they can appeal to all (unless you are a …!)

Many of the viewers might a also be surprised how ‘unbiased’ this story appears, and although it was set mainly during the Pacific War- sure at some point the "enemies" is clearly mentioned but it is all quite relative considering this movie is one of the war movie not about the war and its “political games” but about the people who JUST want to go on about their lives and their basic human needs while watching their surroundings turned into battlefield or worse...

In addition to trying to be impartial the movie did a great job as being quite historically accurate and the Hiroshima scenes at the end were quite efficient for those who weren’t expected to be confronted with what it "looked like after the atomic bomb was drop"; it really shows just how much research and effort they put into the realism of the depiction.

Of course, YOUR NAME, another anime released last year, also approaches the subject quite powerfully but IN THIS CORNER OF THE WORLD is definitely more addressing the subject in a more straight-forward manner emotionally and visually. Actually it is not since GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES that we saw something quite moving about the WWII that doesn't involve the Nazi horror... For sure GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES might be more potent in its approach as it tackle the subject in a more serious/mature way but no less magical. IN THIS CORNER OF THE WORLD perspective to the narrative in more 'romantic' in nature as it might be a love story in a way; a love story about a couple; about a family coming together and about people and their humanity (LITERAL SPOILER: especially with the last few scenes showing how everyone come as one after the war in peace and even if we cannot replace lost people/things, we can move on by helping each other and creating new "families ". The genuine addition of the orphan to Suzu’s family is a testimony of that and make this ending feels like an a punching move of emotion and whether true story or not we cannot but think that these act of genuine kindness happened

Another noteworthy layer of the film was its studies dealing with grief, lost, depression and PTSD at a time and place where probably such a thing could not be anything than a “thing” and life goes on ignoring them.

On the other end the beauty of IN THIS CORNER OF THE WORLD resides in its resilience to seem universally understood despite the viewer background or age, and by using the wonderful surrealism style linked to the genre, it bring some lightness and hope in the movie.

It might not be a kid movie but it is “family-friendly” and many children would appreciate it, if they are at a certain age or level of “clever” or understanding, NOT TODDLER!! Kids curious enough and maybe mature enough to be able to understand more layered stories than the usual MINIONS movies (nothing wrong with them but one have to admit they might have hidden /adult jokes but they are quite straight to the point for the kids audience), and maybe also aware of what is war rather than a video game... It is a movie for people who understand that war or violence is nothing that should be glorified and civilians/innocents suffering are the worse kind of casualty...

It will make you agree with so many of us that are pro-peace or anti-war to the most (and those who think that people who wants to should do so with other people like willing to fight and settle it like "men" with swords or their bare hands or maybe guns if this is what their want but it should be settled on deserted battlefield without risk for the population and not cowardly by dropping bombs on innocent or terrorizing people in their daily life . In a nutshell make peace not war.

At the end of the film, many will be certainly moved but yet again it is one of those film that make you wondered in awe about nowadays Japan the will of the people despite real traumatic drama to find hope that we can all live in harmony and that is the MORAL OF THIS STORY: Live your life in peace and to wish for a “forever-ever peace on earth for all” and never stop hoping and dreaming...

#spider-man: homecoming #movie #film recommendation #movie review #Movie Recommendation #Film Review #FILM #IN THIS CORNER OF THE WORLD

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