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liskantope · 5 years ago

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Some not-so-brief reactions to major Disney films 1968-1988

A little while ago I wrote another collection of quick commentaries on major Disney films (which I’m watching one by one through Disney+) from their inception with Snow White in 1937 to The Jungle Book in 1967. I was planning to round off my next collection at another 30-year mark, but the little mini-reviews I’ve been writing are beginning to look so long-winded in aggregate that tonight I decided maybe I should stop at this point. Also, last time, without fully being aware of it, I stopped at the end of what is considered Disney’s Silver Age (coming after Disney’s Golden Age, also included in the last set of commentaries), and apparently 1968 to 1988 is considered Disney’s (Bronze and/or) Dark Age (the Disney Renaissance kicking off with The Little Mermaid in 1989), so there’s another reason it makes sense to cut it off here.

I’ll keep watching the major Disney features, one a day, through the 90′s works, but whether I’ll find time to keep writing about my impressions of each film I watch, I can’t guarantee anything.

The Aristocats, 1970

This is a beloved favorite of mine. I got the video in later childhood, having previously admired the main number “Everybody Wants To Be a Cat” (still the highlight of the movie, from my adult point of view) and having read the story in a Disney book. After seeing it many times in childhood, I rewatched it only a few years ago when it showed up on Netflix. Around that time (or maybe just afterwards), I noticed that my favorite cartoon/Disney reviewer YouTuber Phantom Strider occasionally mentions that he dislikes The Aristocats -- he doesn’t put it on his top 10 worst Disney movie list or anything, but he’s made some disparaging remarks without going into detail. Watching it once again this month on Disney+, my verdict is that, yeah, it’s subpar in quite a few ways, but my more critical adult sensibilities will never override the fond feelings I have for this movie.

Since this is the next movie on the list after The Jungle Book, I couldn’t help constantly comparing the two, and I did see some parallels. In both cases, the story is pretty weak: this time, a family of cats gets kidnapped and stranded far from home by the greedy butler villain and have to pass through several adventures to get back to their owner. In both cases, the plot is a very linear one involving small adventures and minor characters having little bearing on the overall arc (this is perhaps slightly less the case with The Aristocats, where the new acquaintance Thomas O’Malley stays with them the whole time, and at least Scat Cat’s gang makes a return at the end -- minus the unfortunate and entirely unnecessary character of the Chinese cat -- to fight for the protagonists). In both cases, the voice acting is great and includes Phil Harris and Sterling Holloway. In both cases, the villain’s motives are rather flimsily stated -- the butler villain is more comical and slightly more rounded out, and the fact that his motive doesn’t make a lot of sense is perhaps meant to be part of the comedy. The Aristocats has far more filler material, including a useless but somewhat amusing and ultra-cartoonish sideplot about our butler villain losing his hat and umbrella and having to return to the countryside to get them (it’s more amusing than it sounds, trust me).

The Aristocats is simply weaker in almost every way than The Jungle Book. Although I like all the music, including “Scales and Arpeggios” which I only just learned was written by the Sherman Brothers and I appreciated a lot as a kid who practiced the piano every day, the only truly memorable song was “Everybody Wants To Be a Cat” (not written by the Sherman Brothers), whereas in The Jungle Book there are multiple numbers of that caliber written by the Sherman Brothers at nearly the top of their form. This film can also be compared to One Hundred and One Dalmatians and again comes out looking worse -- Dalmations sort of perfected the whole “animals coordinating a rescue” type plot, and The Aristocats only seems to make a feeble attempt at it.

One interesting thing about the pacing of the film that as an adult I’m a bit taken aback by is how quickly the ending of the movie runs. I was shocked when I rewatched this for the first time as an adult on Netflix, got to the ending of “Everybody Wants To Be a Cat”, and saw that there were only 15 minutes of running time left: that includes the late-night discussion between the romantic leads, the arrival at their home, Edgar re-kidnapping them, Roquefort going for help and nearly getting himself killed by Scat Cat’s gang, the whole action sequence of the actual rescue, a final scene with Madame welcoming O’Malley and rewriting the will, and the final song. We don’t even get to see Madame’s reaction at seeing her beloved cats alive and well, which is one of the ways this movie compares unfavorably with Dalmatians. There is some real artistry in The Aristocats, but the amount of effort put in is clearly not up to the standard of Disney’s finest.

Bedknobs and Broomsticks, 1971

I mainly knew this movie through the song “Beautiful Briny Sea” growing up. Eventually I did watch the film one time; I also read the book it was based on (I can’t remember which came first). I remembered very little outside of that one song, the fact that the characters travel in a bed, and David Tomlinson (who I knew well as Mr. Banks) being in it as an jarringly un-Banks-like character. I had entirely forgotten the fact that the story takes place during World War II and that this is crucial to the plot. I knew this as the Disney movie that tried to be Mary Poppins and failed to be anywhere near as exciting or resonant. However, I was still very curious to rediscover, two decades later, what the movie was really all about.

The story is really quite good on a level that appeals to grownups as well as children -- not as deeply as Mary Poppins, mind you, but distinctive and captivating. (I think this has something to do with the story being as much to do with the adult characters as with the children.) The acting is also solid. It only increased my respect for David Tomlinson’s versatility as an actor, in fact, and it was fun to see the likeness of the dignified and proper George Banks display so much awkward vulnerability and eventually get himself into so many slapstick situations. Unfortunately, the only memorable song is “Beautiful Briny Sea” -- I mean that quite literally, as sitting down to write this a couple of weeks after watching, I’m finding it hard to remember much about any of the other songs.

Also unfortunately, the song “Beautiful Briny Sea” is sort of a beacon in a murky area as, halfway through the film when we switch to the animated portion, the movie suddenly gets... quite bad. The live-animation hybrid is consistently done to weak effect, first of all. For some reason, only Mary Poppins made this effect believable, ahead of its time. Secondly, I understand that we have to suspend our disbelief to enjoy a children’s fantasy film, but having the group plunged into water without themselves or their book appearing wet or having any issue breathing is pushing this a bit far. Thirdly, the writing gets rather silly. As soon as they come across an animated codfish who welcomes them to the area, the oldest kid Charles (always the skeptic) says, “Now I’m hearing things! Fish don’t talk.” Nor do fish “walk” along the bottom of the sea with a cane while fully clothed and smoking a cigar, Charlie, so what was your first clue that you’re in a story where things you thought impossible are happening?

The whole crew later gets up onto the animated island of Naboombu, where Mr. Banks Professor Browne is forced to referee a soccer game between teams of anthropomorphic animals as part of his efforts (somehow) to get his hands on the lanyard of the island’s arrogant monarch (who rather resembles Prince John from the next film on this list) which winds up evaporating as soon as they get back to their own world anyway. The ensuing soccer match is by far the most bizarre part of the film, or of any of these films really -- it feels much more like some wacky Saturday morning cartoon than Disney animation. Browne the referee winds up getting (literally) dragged into the game; the live/animation hybrid is done especially poorly here. Once the characters get back to the “real” world, however, the movie becomes good again, with a fantastic climactic conclusion that left me smiling at the overall effect of the film despite its weaknesses.

Robin Hood, 1973

This was a Disney classic that we owned from the time I was fairly small, and that I watched more times than almost any other one, with Alice in Wonderland being the only possible rival I can think of. I went what was probably close to a twenty-year period without seeing it or missing it until a couple of years ago, on a transatlantic flight when it was one of the movie options on the plane. I was taken aback on that rewatching by the fact that... Robin Hood just isn’t that good. When I later saw my parents (I think this was on the way to visiting them), I told them of this revelation, and they told me, “We never thought it was that good either, but you seemed to like it.” I guess I can see some of the appeal to my much younger self, but less easily than I can see the appeal of the some of the other so-so films like The Aristocats -- there is something about Robin Hood that is eye-catching on the superficial level but ultimately shallow. At the same time, I’ll always have to feel a bit sentimental about this one because of the role it played in an early period of my life, introducing me to words like outlaw and in-law and taxes (I vividly remember thinking in early watchings that Taxes was just the name of the unpleasant wolf character), helping to develop my understanding of what poverty looks like, and also introducing me to the concept of political satire (under an anti-free-speech monarchy no less. The scene shown in the video just linked is my favorite scene of the movie, by the way.)

I think my main criticism of Disney’s Robin Hood could be summarized by saying it oversimplifies what could have been a nuanced story, way more than it needs to. This shows most starkly in its clearly-marked division between good characters and evil characters. Naive Good-vs.-Evil plots are very much part of the Disney brand, but I can’t think of any of their other films which takes that aspect to this much of an extreme in developing the characters, so that the entire cast is very openly divided between the white caps and the black caps and (this is the most important part) to the detriment of individuation between the characters. The personalities of all the characters on the Good Side seem pretty much interchangeable throughout the film. Oh sure, Robin Hood has Plucky Hero stamped on him with Designated Sidekick Little John, and Maid Marian has Love Interest stamped on her, and so on. They get into different situations because they all play different roles in the community. But there are no deeper differences between them. Friar Tuck, for instance, is the local religious leader, and you think he might present a more thoughtful, pacifistic, and spiritual point of view to his comrades and enemies. But no, he shouts at the Sheriff and chest-bumps him out of the church and engages him in physical combat just like all the other characters do. All of the people on the Good Side are in complete lockstep throughout, and this makes their part of the story deeply uninteresting.

King Richard is never developed as a character; he is a faraway abstract entity throughout the film, which makes his sudden appearance at the end (which is what really saves Nottingham and finishes the story) very ineffective. (Let’s not get into the fact that he’s described as heroic for going off to participate in the Crusades -- “While bonny good King Richard leads the great crusade he’s on” -- talk about sugarcoating history!) This is part of what I mean about oversimplifying: they could have injected some complexity into the political story beyond “usurper taxes all the money out of the people because of his personal greed until the real king returns and makes everything lovely again”. I strongly believe it is possible to present real issues in a way that is both mature and engaging to children and that it has been done even in other Disney features. Disney didn’t try very hard to do it here.

I’ll give the writers credit in that the three main bad guys, Prince John, Sir Hiss, and the Sheriff of Nottingham, are somewhat individuated, partly I think out of necessity because the Bad Side of any story has to consist of people who quarrel amongst themselves. Prince John is actually well enough developed as an insecure, petulant child with no idea what it means to lead a country that I enjoy watching him even as an adult. The parallels between him and President Trump are unmistakable, and I’m surprised that I haven’t seen more memes about this. Still, by the end of the film, even he was starting to wear on me.

Another aspect of the movie that bypassed my attention as a child but bothers me as an adult is its blatant American-ness in retelling a very old, extremely British story. As in One Hundred and One Dalmatians, all of the accents, except for those of two of the main bad guys, are American. The rooster narrator of the story sounds particularly American and plays folk music throughout of a style that strikes me as the epitome of American.

The way the script and animation deal with bodies and obesity is particularly interesting in this one. Four of the characters I can think of are portrayed as fat, including one of the main bad guys (the Sheriff “Old Bushel-Britches” of Nottingham) but also three of the good guys. Minor quips are made about this by some of the characters, but overall it could arguably be considered a rather positive, good-natured treatment of this issue for its time. It is the source of some physical humor, and some of the body-related physical humor in general slightly raises my eyebrows as an adult -- there is a boob grab, for instance (well, fake boobs as part of a disguise, but still).

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, 1977

I had avoided watching any Disney rendition of Pooh for a long time before watching this one last week. I got to see a lot of Pooh in earlier childhood because of videos given as gifts by other kids’ parents, which my mom (who loves the original books by Milne and hates Disney’s interpretation of them) let me watch only with great reluctance. I soured to the Disney Pooh franchise as I got older and remember in high school getting sick of how many things were decorated with animated Pooh characters, and how few people knew the original books.

Starting to watch this film, I had no idea which of the Pooh stories would be included or whether I would remember seeing them before. As it turned out, I remembered almost none of it: I knew the theme song well and was slightly familiar with the early song about Pooh climbing the honey tree (it must have been on one of the Disney Sing-Along videos) but didn’t remember anything else until vaguely recalling some of the later Tigger stuff (I remembered, before it happened, that Tigger escapes from the tree by sliding down a paragraph of text in the book, one of many instances of extreme fourth-wall-breaking that runs as a theme throughout). As it happens, although The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh seems to go along pretty smoothly given that it makes no pretense of having a unified story arc -- something I give it credit for -- it is actually composed of four short films produced throughout the decade beforehand. This explains why I only remembered the Tigger stuff near the end: we must have had the quarter-length film Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too at my house for a while, but not the other three. (What I actually watched the most, I think, was a video of TV episodes called “Newfound Friends”, which I’ll look up on Disney+ out of curiosity but probably won’t include in this list.)

I remain anti-Pooh[Disney_version], but this anthology film wasn’t as bad as I had thought it might be. The first story about Pooh and the honey tree was actually pretty good. I am not opposed to Sterling Hollaway’s portrayal of the title character. Eeyore’s voice is way too flat, but otherwise most of the characters are portrayed okay. I distinctly remember reading Rabbit as a female character as a kid, and on hearing his voice again I suppose I can understand why. Tigger is the most offensively adapted: he is one-dimensional in a very obnoxious, not-so-amusing slapstick way. His portrayal would have come off better if they had given him more of a child’s voice, which is more appropriate to the book version of his character anyway. The gopher character is pretty annoying as well; he’s rather useless and unnecessary given that he’s not in the books (he even has a fourth-wall-breaking line about not being in the book). Some of the stories from the book are meshed together in a way that does a disservice to each of them, and the movie might have been better if it had committed to adapting fewer of Milne’s chapters. The story about Pooh getting stuck in Rabbit’s front door is done in a distasteful way, with Rabbit turning the back half of his body into part of the upholstery (an idea that Walt Disney had himself when he first read the book!). The songs weren’t great, and I wish that some of Pooh’s poetry from the books had been adapted to song instead.

Leaving those details aside, this is an earnest attempt at turning Pooh into an animated feature which turned out to be not too terrible given my low expectations.

The Rescuers, 1977

I remember watching this once as a kid and almost nothing sticking with me apart from the fact that the main villain (who I remembered nothing about, not even really the gender) had two pet crocodiles. I watched it a second time on Netflix a few years ago, I think within the same week of watching The Aristocats on Netflix.

I have one word for this Disney animated classic: weak. The story is not all that interesting. Having watched Dalmatians and The Aristocats in the few weeks before hand, coordinated animal rescue plots were starting to wear on me. There is no music except for a few forgettable songs not sung by the characters. Eva Gabor makes Ms. Bianca a beguiling character, but the rest of the characters are completely forgettable. The main male character, Bernard, has the blandest voice ever. Even the little girl being rescued, while sympathetic, is not very unique or interesting. (There is something subtly heavy and haunting about having her teddy bear as her best friend through most of the film, though.) At the time of writing, I’ve already halfway forgotten what the villain’s sidekick was like. There are a bunch of other animals who are fun to watch in animation but don’t stick in my mind, apart from Pat Buttram’s drunken rat character (because it wouldn’t be a Disney film of the 40′s-80′s without some alcoholism in it).

The villain, Medusa, is a particular fail here. She is basically a lame Cruella de Vil 2.0: modern, non-fairy-tale-ish, greedy and materialistic, drives like a lunatic, etc. After watching, I found out that the story writers initially thought of simply bringing Cruella back as the villain in this movie, but decided against the idea of it being in any way a sequel to Dalmatians (remember that at this point no Disney sequel had ever been done -- the 1990 sequel to this film was the very first!). I think they should have gone with that idea: bring back one of the most celebrated Disney villains, rather than come up with a new one who is a lot like her but with subtly less pizazz.

Random observation: this has to be one of the only classic Disney stories where the animals can talk to exactly one sympathetic human (the girl) but no other human. If I remember right, I don’t think even Cinderella can understand the words of her mouse friends.

Anyway. Some people say the sequel is much better than the original here. I haven’t seen The Rescuers Down Under yet, but I hope it’s true.

Pete’s Dragon, 1977

This is the first movie on this whole journey that is so obscure that I don’t think I’d even heard of before, let alone seen, and that’s despite the fact that there was a remake in 2016. (The one thing that rang a bell for me while watching was the idea of a dragon playing tic-tac-toe on its belly, an image I possibly saw in an isolated context.) I questioned whether I should watch yet another 1977 Disney film at all, when it would be mostly live-action and was obviously so obscure. In the end, I’m glad I watched this, partly because the story did grip me on some level, but mostly because this film is so very entertaining in how badly done it is.

Pete’s Dragon, in almost every way, is bad -- hilariously bad -- the sweet spot of Bad: the kind of bad that’s actually interesting to examine and yet also shallow enough to make for good Bad Movie Night watching. It’s hard to know where even to begin. The consistently terrible acting of almost everyone, especially in every single line of the boy protagonist (I hate to trash a child actor like this, and part of it was probably bad direction: for instance, someone should have taught him to go easy on the pointy finger). Almost none of the right emotional notes are hit at the right time in what is a very heartfelt story. Only Helen Reddy as the female lead and Jim Dale as the charlatan doctor strike me as good actors doing the best they can with a terrible script and bad acting around them. Then there are the cheesy, poorly-written, often poorly-sung songs. (Did I mention that in one song, each of Pete’s main abusive guardians continue to sing, each in an unperturbed, full-throated voice while being flung in the air by an invisible dragon and plunged into the water?) The awkward choreography. The weak visual effects (as with Bedknobs and Broomsticks, they really didn’t know how to pull of hybrid animation well. I’d go easier on them for this if Mary Poppins hadn’t nailed it 13 years earlier.) I could go on and on.

It made a lot of sense to me when I read afterwards that Pete’s Dragon was originally written as a stage musical, because there is something unusually stage-musical-ish about how the songs are written (for instance, having subsets of the ensemble throw out response lines in unison) and the way the choreography is done. I’ll say as someone who has been in stage musicals that these elements can feel a bit awkward even on the stage; they look to me more awkward in the medium of film; and they’re especially awkward when the songs, choreography, etc. is as poorly written as it is in this film -- someone who hates musicals wanting to teach a friend to hate them too might well choose to show their friend this movie and pretend that it’s a representative example.

Even through all this, I was able to appreciate that the story is pretty good, and I came to care for the sympathetic characters, however badly acted they were. I also enjoyed the atmosphere of a small coastal village in northeast US (called Passammaquoddy, apparently a real bay in Maine). So, by the time I was partly through watching this (fairly long) movie, I felt very committed to continuing, enjoying it as I was just as much for its entertaining badness as for anything else.

I want to end by mentioning one musical scene in the movie that took me by surprise because it was actually good, and funny and catchy and overall entertaining. It’s our introduction to the charlatan Dr. Terminus, and so it’s self-contained. If you want a taste of a part of the movie that I think is head and shoulders better than the rest while reflecting exactly what I mean by a stage-musical-style musical number (not making any claims about how good in absolute terms this scene is, though), here is a YouTube video of it (the song “Passammaquoddy”) (warning: mildly off-color taste on body type and disability stuff). I would actually enjoy leading a song like this in a musical.

The Fox and the Hound, 1981

These more obscure Disney films are getting more and more interesting. I distinctly remember knowing about this one as a kid, seeing VHS boxes of it at friends’ houses, etc., but I never had much interest in actually seeing it. I watched it for the first time on Disney+ with great curiosity, coming in knowing literally nothing about what the story would be about except “a fox and a hound are friends”. I was pleasantly taken aback by the new setting of backwoods American farmland and by unusually quiet, low-key tone.

The main thing I can say about this movie is that it’s far and away the least Disney-ish of the animated ones I’ve seen so far. If nobody had told me which company made this movie, it would never even occur to me that it was done by Disney, except for the presence of Disney icon Pat Buttram’s very recognizable twangy voice (perfect for this movie, not really appropriate for the setting of Robin Hood). It’s hard to explain just why I feel this way. Maybe it’s something to do with the pacing and the sort of quiet story. Or maybe it’s the fact that none of the animals seem to be drawn in the traditional Disney fashion (that is, we’ve seen fox and owl characters before in Disney, and for some reason their counterparts in The Fox and the Hound aren’t recognizable to me.) Or maybe it was the almost complete lack of songs. Honestly, trying to write this, I can’t quite pin down what made this a slightly offputting Disney-watching experience.

Despite feeling affection for the characters from the get-go, I actually found myself rather bored throughout the first half of the slowly-progressing movie. Then I perked up in the middle, actually thinking there might be a death, and of a rather morally ambiguous character too (this didn’t feel like a Disney film, so it might break the rules?). After that I felt enthralled to the point of breaking down and finishing it after having previously decided to leave a bit left over for the next day. I’m really not used to not having any idea how stories will end when going through Disney movies, and I guess I couldn’t handle even that small bit of suspense.

In the end, I thought the story, and how the story was rendered, was pretty good -- not stellar, but genuine. I don’t know about how overly-neatly everything was wrapped up with the main antagonist Amos Slade doing a complete 180 at the end, but after all this is Disney even if it doesn’t particularly feel like it and I shouldn’t be surprised at a happy ending.

Random side note: I wonder if Big Mama (the owl character) could be criticized as sort of an African-American stereotype and thus what Disney+ would call an “outdated cultural depiction”, or if it will be in another ten years.

The Black Cauldron, 1985

We continue with our sequence of more obscure Disney flicks. I guess this era is called the Dark Age of Disney for a reason, and one could say that this movie epitomizes such an era both in its role in the evolution of Disney and in its actual content. I don’t recall even hearing about this one as a child. I’ve heard it referred to as an adult only in the context of its successor being advertised as fun to provide a contrast with the overly-dark box office failure that had just come out, so I came in expecting a not-very-worthwhile movie that would be uncharacteristically dark and un-fun.

All I can say is, wow! The Black Cauldron, while indeed uncharacteristically dark (in ambiance at least, less so in subject matter), is genuinely, seriously good!

Within literally the first two seconds of the film, I knew that I was in a Medieval setting (not having known anything whatsoever about the story prior to watching) both from the music and from the backdrop. This remained the case throughout the movie. Everything in its style is boldly, wholeheartedly Medieval, not like some other Disney movies where the Medieval setting is watered-down and phony *cough*swordinthestone*cough*robinhood*hack. The only other movie on this list so far which comes close to succeeding at this was Sleeping Beauty, but that is such a different type of film, with such a different animation style, that comparing the two is like comparing apples to oranges. Honestly, I don’t think that the flavor is so thick even in Sleeping Beauty. The art of The Black Cauldron actually feels closer to that of Magic the Gathering than anything else I can think of from Disney. The effects of the animation are absolutely gorgeous -- in a rather dark way, mind you, not bright and colorful like what is usually associated with Disney.

The story is complex by Disney standards and I had zero familiarity with it beforehand, so for the first time I actually had to check myself to make sure I was paying attention. The characters are reasonably developed with engaging dialog (though slightly hesitant and sparse, with unusually little humor). It was a little jarring to hear “the Forbidden Forest” mentioned by one of the characters and remember that Harry Potter wouldn’t be around for over a decade. The main villain is one of the scariest ones of Disney and I would imagine may have been somewhat influenced by Ian McDiarmid’s Emperor, who had made his debut only a couple of years earlier.

I said that the last film on this list seemed distinctly un-Disney-ish, and I can say the same about this one in its own way -- maybe this was an experimental trend at Disney studios during the first half of the 80′s. The Black Cauldron has even less music in it than The Fox and the Hound and may be the only animated feature I’ve seen here with nothing resembling a song at all. One strong impression I got throughout, especially when the dungeon sequence started and the princess was introduced -- and this isn’t exactly a compliment -- is that something about the pacing, dialog, body movements, etc. seriously makes this movie feel like I’m watching a video game. (For personal context, I’ve never been a gamer, and most of my exposure to video games comes from watching college roommates play during the late 00′s.) I can’t justify exactly where I get this feeling. Also, the princess is strangely voiced and feels particularly like a non-player (video game) character somehow. I’m now curious as to whether there have ever been any games based on this movie or whether it had faded too much into oblivion by the time gaming reached the right level of progress.

Anyway, The Black Cauldron may not be especially fun or enjoyable to kids, but for an older person in the mood for some spooky Medieval fantasy animated entertainment, I recommend it as a fine movie.

(Fun trivia: I had believed that the successor on this list was the first animated feature to use computers to assist in animation, in the clock/gear sequence, but apparently this one actually was. Also, to date it was the most expensive animated film created.)

The Great Mouse Detective, 1986

Now for a classic that I had been greatly looking forward to. We didn’t have The Great Mouse Detective at my home growing up, but I know I saw it a number of times and later remembered liking it so much that on a whim in college, around the time I revisited Mary Poppins, I borrowed it from the local Blockbuster. I distinctly remembering feeling a little sheepish checking it out, but the young guy at the register actually said something like, “Yeah, that’s one of the best ones.” Years later, one of my best friends during graduate school was hanging out at my place and the conversation went to us agreeing on how excellent The Great Mouse Detective is and musing over the fact that nobody ever seems to talk about it, and we decided to watch it together as it was on Netflix at the time. We didn’t bother to log out of my roommate’s Netflix account to watch it, and he was later very irritated at me about the fact that Netflix was now constantly offering him children’s animated features. Anyway, it seems I’m far from the only one who has often viewed this one as perhaps the most underrated Disney classic of all time. (Further evidence: it comes second in WatchMojo’s list, with their winner being its predecessor!)

The Great Mouse Detective was billed as “All new! All fun!” to assure audiences that it would be a departure from the heavy seriousness of its predecessor, and in this it generously delivers all the way through. It’s based on the just-silly-enough-to-be-delightful premise that in late Victorian London there was a mouse version of Queen Victoria living in Buckingham Palace and a mouse version of Sherlock Holmes (our title character) living under the human Holmes’ flat in Baker Street. Our villain, the dastardly Ratigan, is hatching a plan to take over all of Mousedom via a plot which is incredibly silly, but the movie, which is consistent in its unpretentiousness, is able to pull this off just fine. All of the characters are nicely fleshed out (there’s a case to be made about Fidget’s character reflecting ableism but let’s leave that aside). Ratigan is the juiciest villain we’ve seen since Cruella de Vil. The plot is actually pretty complex, not at all like the predictable fairy tale / fantasy type plots we’ve often seen, yet not so complicated that it would lose the audience (or if it loses some kids, they will still be entertained by the great voicing, music, and animation). The action is, bar none, the very best I’ve seen so far on the animated movies of this list, and the movie is somehow packed with action -- every single sequence of it is superb, and the climactic scene inside of Big Ben is a revolutionary masterpiece of animation (by the standards that existed at the time). The abrupt transition to that scene, beginning in near-silence, is one of the more delightfully, deliciously chilling Disney moments for me.

This is not one of the great Disney musicals, but all three of its three musical numbers are still very enjoyable. I remember learning in college that the same person wrote “The World’s Greatest Criminal Mind” and “Goodbye So Soon”, but I only just now internalized that the composer was Henry Mancini who I love from The Pink Panther and Victor Victoria. There is a certain type of wit and humor in the lyrics of both of those songs which I don’t know how to characterize in words except to say that it’s sprinkled with phrases either containing self-contradictons (“You’re the best of the worst around”, “You’re more evil than even you”) or redundancy (“No one can doubt what we know you can do”) or just plain wordplay (“Even meaner? You mean it?”, “With time so short I’ll say so long”). None of it makes a pretense of being extremely witty or anything; it’s just mildly dry. I don’t know what to call this kind of humor and can’t think of another example of it, but it consciously (though subtly) influenced the vibe I was going for with the section headings in certain of my earlier Wordpress essays.

Perhaps Lady and the Tramp can make a case for winning the Most Underrated Disney Animated Feature prize, as it seems more mature and elegant, but I’m not ashamed to say that I find The Great Mouse Detective every bit as enjoyable and that I still have enough inner child in me that I can rewatch the movie in my early 30′s and come out of it smiling broadly.

Oliver and Company, 1988

The first major Disney feature that came out in my lifetime! As with The Fox and the Hound, I always knew about this one growing up but was never really interested enough to watch it (even despite the fact that it was somehow loosely based on Oliver Twist, whose musical adaptation I was raised on pretty heavily) -- at least, I don’t think I ever saw any of it until one day in my young adulthood cable days when I caught it on TV. By “caught it on TV”, of course I mean that I probably didn’t see all of it, and it was interrupted by commercials and I was probably doing something else at the same time and not paying much attention. Literally the only thing I could remember was the line “Don’t want to mix with the riffraff?”

It’s just as well because in the grander progression of Disney creations, Oliver and Company turns out to be pretty skipable. Now I will say that I appreciate the variety of locations and cultural backdrops in Disney films and the amount of effort the creators put into carrying them out (something that was mostly lost on me as a kid). In this case, we are transported for the first time to contemporary New York, and it’s clear that the writers, voice actors, and animators went full throttle on making everything seem as in-your-face New-York-ish as possible. I don’t fault them for doing this, but it’s all done in a slightly brash way that doesn’t at all attract me to late-80′s New York culture.

I was struck in the first few minutes by a change I don’t quite know how to describe in words, except to say that the animation and even more the music feel palpably distinctly more modern than anything I’ve visited so far. The animation is simpler and more generic (luckily I have a fondness for kittens and they do succeed in making Oliver look adorable, but otherwise the visuals left me cold), and the music is a sharp reminder of the blander forms of pop music I remember growing up hearing. “Why Should I Worry?” triggered a recognition of the song that I had long forgotten -- apparently I used to know it very well but I’m not entirely sure how. The other songs are forgettable enough that I’ve already forgotten them. Interesting to find out that the principal voices were done mainly by Billy Joel and Bette Midler, marking another step on Disney’s road towards featuring more big-time celebrities in their voice acting (culminating in Robin Williams’ role in Aladdin several years later).

The story is very watered down compared to either the book or the musical version of Oliver -- understandable, I suppose, but I didn’t find it very interesting. The characters were lackluster, and the main villain Sykes managed to be even more forgettable than What’s-her-name from The Rescuers. This movie normalizes hitting on women by making catcalling noises, as done by two of the non-evil characters -- I wonder if this was put in because it’s considered a distinctive feature of New York culture, but either way I found its presence in the film obnoxious. I will say that the character of Georgette (played by Midler) stood out as very funny, and I enjoyed all of her scenes, but I don’t have much else positively positive to say about this one.

#disney films #the aristocats #bedknobs and broomsticks #robin hood #body issues #winnie the pooh #the rescuers #the black cauldron #Harry Potter #episode vi #the great mouse detective #ableism #oliver twist #catcalling #Our Current president #alcoholism

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ask-q-and-picard · 5 years ago

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Q: ... Jean-Luc. You know, of course, what day it is.

Picard: ... It would appear to be Tuesday, Q.

Q: Mm, mm... try again, darling.

Picard: It’s, erm... 48734.39, which I believe is -

Q: New. Year’s. Eve.

Picard: Oh, at least we actually celebrate that one nowadays.

Q: And what do you tend to do for it?

Picard: Well, there’ll be a speech or three from myself and the good Commander - I do normally prepare something, though I’ve been rather waylaid recently by unforeseen circumstances -

Q: I can be foreseen, if you’d prefer it dear...

Picard: Oh good lord, hush. Still, I ought to be more than capable of summoning the relevant eloquence in the moment; we’ll engage in a synthohol toast to the continuing mission, naturally -

Q: Lovely, I’m sure, though it does involve a distinct lack of, ah... fireworks. I think we can rectify that, don’t you?

Picard: ... And what exactly are you prop - Q!

...

Q: Oh, nothing too grandiose, you know me!

Picard: Oh no, of course! Grandiose, you? Pah! Where the devil are we, man?

Q: Where on Earth, even - Paris! Away from the crowd, in case they steal the goods.

Picard: ‘Goods’? Is that a basket -

Q: The wine, darling, the croissants! No one shares my pastries, Captain, with a single notable exception. Do help yourself, there’s a good man.

Picard: Q, this is -

Q: Ineffable? Well, I’m not sure what you were expecting at this point, frankly.

Picard: - Charming, my dear. I was going to say ‘charming’, but unnecessary.

Q: You never think any indulgence is necessary, in my defence. Look, I’ll get you back in time for your infernal speeches, though it may be via some curious dimensional loophole. It’s midnight everywhere and nowhere at once, after all.

Picard: Q, I don’t mind how it long it takes.

Q: ... You don’t?

Picard: No. Well, assuming you’ll correct -

Q: Yes, obviously, and good - I might just have a little something else in mind for our first new year.

Picard: ... You are absurdly sentimental for an ages-old entity.

Q: You bring it out in me, darling. Ready for the fireworks? They’re about to count down, and I’d be a shame not to inform you of that classic new year’s tradition -

Picard: Oh, do you mean the kissing one? I quite agree, it would be a tragedy not to indulge that one...

Q: How on earth do you know - you are a consistent surprise, Jean-Luc. Was it the misspent youth?

Picard: Oh, almost certainly. Trois...

Q: Deux...

Picard: Un...

Q: ... Should have mulled the wine, really - mmph... but then, never mind...

Picard: Telepathic link? Cheap trick, though highly effective. Happy... whatever year this is, Q.

Q: You too, darling. Best you don’t know, trust me - just enjoy it. Allow me to fix that wine... a toast, then, albeit not under your precious bartender’s sinister gaze, and perhaps aloud?

Picard: To... France, some time in the future judging by the architecture, and to persistently stubborn gods who insist on taking me out of time.

Q: Oh, but you love me!

Picard: ... So help me, I truly do.

Q: You see, that... 2657, Jean-Luc, to your mortal linearity at least. The year the Continuum’s civil war began. We don’t quite work on the same scheduling as mortals, of course, and... I needed a decent memory. Not necessarily today, but - and you appear to be kissing me again. Against a backdrop of fireworks. This isn’t at all cliché.

Picard: Are you complaining?

Q: Oh stars, no. Piling on the positive connotations, mon capitaine?

Picard: Doing my best to, yes.

Q: Oh, you always do. I can think of better locations, though...

...

Picard: Well, it’s a little more exotic than Paris, I’ll grant you that...

Q: A celebration on both our terms, dear. And the cusp of the correct year, too.

Picard: I... where are we?

Q: Ah, and now that’s the question, isn’t it? I’m a god, Jean-Luc - immortal, of course, all-powerful, with more than enough gravitas to name as-yet undiscovered nebulas. Thought I might grant you the honour, darling.

Picard: ... You want me to christen this?

Q: Mm - though you might want to watch it explode first, get a feel for its totality. Ready for the real fireworks, Captain? Paris has nothing on this, I assure you.

Picard: ... I... you’re quite mad, Q! Deep space pyrotechnics, on New Year’s Eve.

Q: You’re welcome in advance, darling. Is that a yes?

Picard: Oh, always, mon dieu.

Q: Excellent - here we go!

...

Picard: I... I’m a diplomat. I’m not accustomed to running out of words, but...

Q: ... Never thought I’d see the day! I’m absurdly proud of myself, I’ll have you know.

Picard: You ought to be. You are astonishing, truly. I was going to make a speech, Q.

Q: Oh, you still are. Hopefully you’ve been a little more inspired, too?

Picard: I... completely, but - Q?

Q: Yeah?

Picard: Why do you want me to name this nebula?

Q: ... I take it you’re not going to accept ‘sentimentality’ as an answer?

Picard: You’re going to have to do a little better than that, I’m afraid. This is a grand responsibility for a human - this will, I take it, be known throughout the cosmos by the name I select?

Q: Oh yes. That’s the entire idea.

Picard: I... why, Q?

Q: ... You know, I wasn’t kidding about the sentimentality, Jean-Luc. You are the core of my universe; felt it best to make it official. After all, I imagine you’re familiar with this: ‘When wasteful war shall statues overturn and broils root out the work of masonry, nor Mars his sword nor war’s quick fire shall burn the living record of your memory.’

Picard: Sonnet 55. You... you wish to have a piece of me with you, out here.

Q: Would be quite nice, really... it’s very, very large, my dear, and so often empty.

Picard: You... ‘’Gainst death and all-oblivious enmity shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room even in the eyes of all posterity that wear this world out to the ending doom.’

Q: ... And everyone will know, yes, however indirectly, how very important you are.

Picard: ... Q?

Q: Jean-Luc?

Picard: I hereby christen this nebula 2383; Almond Croissant.

Q: You... you’re actually being serious. Have I ever told you how much I love you?

Picard: Mm, you may have mentioned it, though do feel free to elaborate. ‘It’s midnight everywhere and nowhere at once’, isn’t it?

Q: That it is, my darling... though we may have to revert back to the telepathic for a while...

#non-asks #aesthetics #date night #on a tuesday? I think it's worth it just this once #q speaks #picard speaks #happy new year folks! <3 #welcome to the ultimate in cultural merging and blog headcanons for the occasion #we've got croissants!#mulled wine!#shakespeare because picard!#exploding nebulas and paris!#not quite sure how I've managed to avoid sonnet 55 on here for so long but the gross oversight has been rectified for your reading pleasure #it's literally about eternal love #it doesn't get more of a qcard mood than that #celestial would like to thank you lovely people for supporting and enjoying this insanity and hopes you'll continue to in 2020 ^_^#now if only they'd give us all what we want and chuck this level of adorable into STP...#2020 - the year of Qcard #MAKE IT SO CBS #I've just made a croissant nebula canon #I am absolutely wild

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dweemeister · 6 years ago

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Toy Story 4 (2019)

2019 marks the completion of the John Lasseter era at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios with Toy Story 4 (credited as story writer; uncredited as producer) and Frozen 2 (as producer). Lasseter’s disgraceful end as the creative head at both studios was marked by scandal, in which the Walt Disney Company cut ties as quietly as possible. At one point untouchable because of Pixar’s creative output – not a single dud from Toy Story (1995) to Toy Story 3 (2010) – Lasseter’s recent years had reeked of complacency, dependence on sequels, and having played a part in erasing the final vestiges of hand-drawn animation at the famed Walt Disney Animation Studios. Pixar’s impeccable record is no more; the groundbreaking studio is fallible after all. With Lasseter now at Skydance Animation (to the dismay of many), his final involvement with a Pixar film continues the legacy of arguably the most consistent animated film series ever.

Directed by Josh Cooley and with a screenplay by Stephany Folsom (her cinematic debut) and Andrew Stanton (1998′s A Bug’s Life, 2008′s WALL-E), Toy Story 4 had languished in development hell for years. An army of writers have doctored the story since 2014, so it is difficult to understand who contributed what. For those who were children when Toy Story and Toy Story 2 (1999) were released to theaters, Toy Story 3 appeared to be the fitting farewell to Woody, Buzz Lightyear, and their friends. Pixar, which has claimed that it does not pursue sequels unless there is artistic and narrative sense to that sequel – they have some explaining to do about the Cars sequels – has charged forward with this newest entry in the Toy Story mythos.

Now with Bonnie, the cast of toys must contend with the fact she is about to attend Kindergarten. Worried that Bonnie will have a difficult day of Kindergarten orientation and the fact that – though he would never openly admit it – Bonnie has not given him much attention recently, Woody hops into Bonnie’s backpack and has a hand in the creation of Forky. Forky, believing himself to be trash, makes numerous attempts to toss himself into the wastebasket, much to Woody’s dismay. As Bonnie’s family embarks on a vacation, Woody and the gang must prevent Forky (whose scenes are frequent and comedically overcooked) from disposing himself. While at a mountainous town, numerous situations will introduce the likes of other toys including Gabby Gabby (a ‘60s-era doll who longs to be loved by a child); the miniscule Giggle McDimples; prize toys Ducky and Bunny; motorcycling daredevil Duke Caboom; and Woody’s old flame, Bo Peep.

Without detailing the film’s conclusion and, as someone who rewatched my VHS of Toy Story and DVD of Toy Story 2 ad nauseam as a child, Toy Story 4 does not feel as strong a conclusion as its immediate predecessor. Yet Toy Story 4 deepens the series’ existential themes and characterization of Woody – its moral center after extinguishing his homicidal feelings towards Buzz in the original – at the unfortunate expense of almost the entirety of the cast of toys. Nevertheless, Woody’s character growth has been tremendous to behold. His steadfast loyalty – so often a source of adoration from moviegoers – is called into question here. His unwritten sheriff’s code to be of service, embodied by Jimmy Stewarts or Gary Coopers in decades’ past, clashes with the “lost toys” without children to call their own. The misadventures and toy-sized heists characteristic of Toy Story are derailed by unfortunate timing and increasing stakes. No wonder the frustration towards Woody – among the characters and the audience – is so palpable.

The fragmentation of the plot and physical separation of its characters creates a handful of storylines that, with the film’s sharp editing, are comprehensible. Toy Story 4, when analyzed through its editing (and even when excluding flashbacks and fantasies) and writing structure, is the least linear of the Toy Story films. Characters are not so much reacting to a singular event as they are personifying or espousing the film’s themes. One’s ability to tolerate this structure will be tested, but screenwriters Folsom and Stanton are content to not devolve into lengthy expositions or soliloquies that too explicitly outline their intended subtext. Gabby Gabby’s apparent and ultimate fates will elicit instant, strong reactions that might just be universal. Woody’s final decisions in the film’s closing minutes will be viewed through the prism of life experience. Many of the questions Toy Story 4 presents once Forky has been introduced have been central to the series, with variations with each passing installment. What does it mean to realize one’s obsolescence? How does one come to terms – if at all – with that realization? When does a lifelong dream transform into obsession? Folsom and Stanton are not interested in whether there is a “correct” way for a toy to exist – note that every toy in this film defines their existence in bringing joy to a child, even those toys have been lucky enough to do so.

After years of late Lasseter-era twist villains and films with so little nuance in trumpeting their vaguely liberal inclusive messages, this is a refreshing change of pace. Whatever answers viewers find will not arrive easily and will change with time. The most worthwhile art tends to be as such.

Toy Story 4′s characters are stand-ins for human relationships with a coat of comedic paint to make the most difficult moments bearable for everyone. To ask so bluntly the nature of meaningful existence might be dismissed in a live-action film as maudlin, manipulative (film is always manipulative; the effectiveness and appropriateness of such manipulation is not beyond criticism). Inside Out (2015) and Coco (2017) are the best recent examples of this from Pixar’s filmography of how animation lowers these barriers to posing such ideas. The studio’s success is not because they created imaginative worlds filled with talking toys, rodents that can cook, or a post-apocalyptic humanity too dependent on technology. Nor is it the storytelling the studio justly prides itself upon. It is because of the raw ideas found within their films, when the excesses of plots are discarded.

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The production design by Bob Pauley (1993′s The Nightmare Before Christmas, all three previous Toy Story films) – in addition to the ever-increasing photorealism of Pixar’s backgrounds and character animation – is superb. Pauley juxtaposes the dusty, earthy antiques store that the film spends much of its runtime with the neon-lit carnival beaming its lights into the night sky. More than the previous Toy Story films, this edition allows the use of colors to help guide the dominant moods in respective scenes. The darker, subdued antiques store scenes lend a feeling that something or some secret lurks around the next cobwebbed corner – evoking claustrophobic spaces, ideological and personal entrapment (the placement of “Midnight, the Stars and You”, which is most famous for its use in 1980′s The Shining, plays a key contribution). The carnival/fair has occasionally been a source of macabre elements or thematic irony in Western cinema; it is a tradition that at least goes as far back to 1920′s The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (more recently, and though not a film, the third season of Stranger Things contributes to that tradition). The summer carnival of Toy Story 4 is more liberating than most, leaning into whatever escapist nostalgia the audience holds – of which Toy Story could be a part of. The fourth installment of this series is the most atmospheric; one wishes that the filmmakers could have slowed down a tad to allow a fuller appreciation of the various settings.

Pickier than most film score composers, Randy Newman (1984′s The Natural, 2009′s The Princess and the Frog) nevertheless has become a staple with Pixar and has created, single-handedly, Toy Story’s musical identity. Recorded, in typical Randy Newman, with an enormous orchestra of Los Angeles-area musicians at the 20th Century Fox studio named to honor his uncles (Emil, Lionel, and especially Alfred were gifted composers contracted to Fox), Newman’s ability to integrate musical ideas he has not revisited for twenty or more years with newer motifs is most apparent in the film’s busiest scene. The cue that plays there is “Operation Pull Toy”, which utilizes character- and plot-driven motifs drawn and rearranged beautifully for this newest film. But standing above the rest is “Parting Gifts & New Horizons”, which plays during a fateful moment and a series of fond farewells. The Americana that Randy Newman incorporated through the series and was especially acclaimed for before working on the original Toy Story appears, without restraints, brass instruments backing, and high strings leading. Though not as distinguished as previous Toy Story scores, Newman knows when to pull the emotional strings with his sweeping melodies.

To digress slightly: in isolated parts of Newman’s score (the brief theme beginning at 4:04 of “Parting Gifts & New Horizons” included), I yearn for Newman scoring for an American Western film.

In the recording studio, Tom Hanks (as Woody) and Tim Allen (as Buzz Lightyear) admitted that neither could record their lines without being overwhelmed by emotion. Hanks claimed that he could not even face the crew as he neared his final moments of dialogue. Another member of the cast, Don Rickles (Mr. Potato Head), passed away in April 2017 – well before any voice actors began work on the film. Rickles’ family urged Pixar to see if a performance could be pieced together through archival recordings. Poring over almost a quarter-century of voice work from outtakes and recordings for promotional materials, Disney parks, and video games, a brief, but serviceable performance was spliced together by Pixar. Rickles is credited as Mr. Potato Head in the film and he, along with animator Adam Burke, is one of the film’s two dedicatees.

As a disappointing decade in mainstream American animation closes with sequels and the ignominious departure of a figure central to the industry, Pixar’s artistic future is uncertain. Pixar’s new chief creative officer is Pete Docter (2001′s Monsters, Inc. and Inside Out). Docter, who has been with Pixar since 1990, is not likely to fundamentally transform the studio’s mission – as outlined by Lasseter – or artistic direction. He is noted, however, for imbuing his films with his deep sense of morality. Combined with the fact that Pixar intends to move away from sequels in the immediate future, will the studio regain its form after an inconsistent decade? Toy Story 4 is, by way of its structure and overuse of Forky, the weakest in Pixar’s most venerable series. That standard, however, is comparing greatness with excellence.

My rating: 8/10

^ Based on my personal imdb rating. My interpretation of that ratings system can be found here.

#Toy Story 4 #Josh Cooley #Pixar #Stephany Folsom #Andrew Stanton #John Lasseter #Tom Hanks #Tim Allen #Annie Potts #Tony Hale #Keegan Michael Key #Jordan Peele #Madeleine McGraw #Christina Hendricks #Don Rickles #Keanu Reeves #Ally Maki #Randy Newman #My Movie Odyssey

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moralanxietystudio · 6 years ago

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“An RPG / Visual Novel / text adventure hybrid” is a mouthful - Roadwarden Devlog

In her Rock, Paper, Shotgun article, Jay Castello has mentioned:

The game’s genre is purposefully fluid. On (...) Studio’s website, the top frequently asked question says “I can’t figure out what is this game’s genre,” to which they’ve cheerfully replied “Me neither.”

When I mention Roadwarden in my Facebook posts or on Twitter, I usually struggle describing it. I keep saying things like “RPG / Visual Novel / text adventure hybrid”, but it’s not very... marketable. I like to use “interactive fiction”, which is arguably correct and sounds fine, but it doesn’t explain well what the player does in the game.

The main goal of this post is to sink deeper into this topic: how could we label Roadwarden? And what it actually is?

By the way, during the next couple of days I want to update the game’s demo. It’s going to be awesome.

Why am I looking for a label?

Why is the label important? Is it just because it’s convenient for social media ads?

When we categorize a game, we also set up the player’s expectations. If we call a game an endless runner, we make a promise. We claim that it’ll be easy to learn and hard to master, with a very stable pacing, without pointless plot and accessible from your phone. Sure, some endless runners can diverse from this premise or even completely fail at executing it, but making this label is an act of communication. Here is what I have to offer. Are yo interested?

And while Roadwarden fits into various definitions of specific genres, it makes promises that are not as commonly associated with its labels. It has an experimental approach to role-playing. Violence, that’s always plot-related and significant, not grindy. Exploration of a grim, detailed and consistent setting, but not a very heroic one. Dialogues used as the core of the experience, not just a tool. Humble adventures of a regular person in a world that overwhelms it. And I try to avoid common tropes in my story.

And I never ask myself “is it OK to add this new feature? after all, it’s not popular in this genre!”. I add everything that helps me make a better game. I put the experience above the marketing convenience.

A term “video game RPG” is famous for being a very vague label, pretty much impossible to define. It’s one of the most diverse branches of gaming. Every person plays RPGs for different reasons, thou we could probably make a list like 1) a complex story with possible side quests, 2) some character progression (both story-wise and through XP-like mechanics), 3) combat and exploration. If you prefer western games, you’ll probably enjoy 4) having important decisions. And you probably like 5) fantasy, eventually science-fiction with fantasy elements.

Sure, there’s a lot of variety - we have action RPGs, text-based RPGs, tactical RPGs, dungeon crawlers, rouge-likes... It’s really weird that the same label somehow covers The Witcher 3, Undertale, Final Fantasy VI and Wizardry from 1981, yet not Far Cry Primal, but that’s because these games are classified by an objective definition of a genre. We just try to say: “if you like X, you may also like Y. they’re kind of similar”.

Roadwarden as an RPG

When I develop Roadwarden I’m interested in things that most RPGs consider unimportant. And I don’t mean something like “I care about story, and These Other Games are all about combat”! That would be a silly statement. But I put an emphasis on aspects of the story which are often marginalized.

For example, in most RPGs you simply kill things (in self-defense!) and grind XP to get stronger. You can kill 10 packs of wolves and 25 boars and it means absolutely nothing. You’re just overcoming a barrier while trying to get a new level or reach the other side of the forest. Killing these enemies won’t be considered animal cruelty. Won’t destroy the balance of the nearby forests. Won’t starve the villagers. These animals are not Really a part of the story.

In Roadwarden, bandits don’t randomly spawn and die without influencing the plot. They are not some random loot waiting to drop on the floor for the player’s convenience. They have families, friends, goals, story behind them. They don’t want to kill you - they want your stuff. And they’ll try to rob you only if they know you can’t beat them. Without an unfair advantage they wouldn’t put themselves at risk.

In my game, violence means something. Nobody here dreams about it, aside of the most terrible, wicked people. Every death leaves a void, and void should be haunting.

In most RPGs you find a tavern, buy a potion and leave. In Roadwarden you spend 15 minutes talking to the innkeeper, and he’s not there just to give you a quest. He wants to know more about you. He wants to know what news you’re bringing. And if you can be trusted.

Also, potions in this game are rare and have taste. And aroma.

Your character isn’t going to have one hundred thousand coins at the end of the game, nor murder two thousand creatures to save a village inhabited by 30 NPCs. They characters are not waiting for The Chosen One or a master of martial marts that can save them. You’re just someone who tries to change your own life by doing something risky, in a realm that’s filled with people who don’t even know if they want you here.

Your character is a part of the world they live in. And I think most RPGs don’t do a good work reflecting this idea. Immersion should be something more than the constant pursue of better graphics, cinematics and more “freedom”.

So while Roadwarden is still a game that includes combat, trade, exploration, unlocking new abilities and building your character, it’s all put in a new context. And there’s a good chance that a portion of RPG fans wouldn’t be satisfied with something this different. I try to encourage them to take a look... But I don’t want anyone to feel cheated.

Roadwarden as a Visual Novel

Roadwarden may also not be a perfect fit for many Visual Novel fans, even though it involves a lot of narration, descriptions and dialogues supported by limited visuals. Roadwarden has fewer gameplay elements than most RPGs, but way more than most VNs - it even introduces simple survival mechanics.

Also, the story is non-linear - it’s very complex (what doesn’t mean “long”) and modified by how the player moves around the map. Many VNs introduce story branching, but I’m pushing it unusually far. And, of course, Roadwarden has way more choices than most VNs, even though some of these choices are focused on role-playing alone and don’t impact the game’s mechanics.

Not only that, but the visual style and the lack of common tropes that are appealing for the core VN-fanbase can be a big problem. I was even asked a couple of times if my game will involve any romantic relationships. Sure, there are successful VNs that don’t involve porn (VA-11 Hall-A), romance (Ace Attorney), manga-style drawings (Cinders), nor Best Girls, so I’m not saying it’s impossible to make one and prosper. But it’s playing against the odds.

All these things push me into being very careful here, and I usually feel that I should say something like “it’s a Visual Novel, BUT...��

Roadwarden as an adventure game

So let’s make a step back. There’s an argument to be made that Visual Novels are a sub-genre of (or rather, an evolution of) a more interactive label. Here’s how Wikipedia defines the adventure games:

(...) a video game in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving.

That works, doesn’t it? It’s also fair to say that such a definition is very vague and doesn’t even exclude RPGs or games like Half-Life. Quest for Glory series, for example, is usually considered to have “RPG elements” or gets classified as a hybrid of both an adventure game and an RPG.

This vagueness opens adventure games for many subgenres, and Roadwarden graciously falls into a couple of them at once. It has scenes with text parsers, typical for interactive fiction, but its advanced dialogue choices could even categorize it as digital gamebook (CYOA-like). Probably a better option for us is a “graphic adventure game”, since there are Some graphics and few ways to interact with the game - parsers, in-game “buttons”, dialogue choices.

I have a pleasure to be a part of few adventure game communities and there’s usually a small range of titles that are constantly mentioned as the “classic” adventure games. Point & clicks (Monkey Island, Grim Fandango), graphic games with parsers commands (King’s Quest), sometimes games like Myst...

Text adventure games, while accepted, are not really discussed often. And it’s difficult to make silly memes about them, so they are a bit obsolete. However, a group focused specifically on text adventure games really doesn’t care about graphics.

It feels to me like there Should be a spectrum of graphics vs. text, and of visible interface vs. text parsers. But it’s not the case. Text adventures and graphic adventures are almost in different worlds - not because of what they are, but rather because of what communities surround them. And, once again, Roadwarden is in between. It’s not just a hybrid of an RPG and an adventure game, it’s also a hybrid of a text adventure game and a graphic adventure game.

Roadwarden is a hybrid, and that’s not sexy

In conclusion, here are some of the genres that I think are strongly present in Roadwarden:

· RPG;

· Visual Novel;

· text adventure game;

· graphic adventure game;

· digital gamebook.

Also, I heard opinions that “it feels a lot like a tabletop RPG”. What makes me happy, since it’s intentional.

Some of my game’s features are not exclusive to any specific genre. All of the labels I’ve listed tend to be story-heavy and support their plot with dialogues (or even narration), often include inventory management, allow you to role-play a protagonist and tend to use fantasy settings. Others, however, are genre specific: parsers, open world exploration, mechanically progressing protagonist, simplified visuals, resource management...

Roadwarden is a hybrid, what means it’s going to have a problem appealing to fans of a specific genre. Yet, at the same time, it’s a game that’s not restricted by its labels - and I don’t think genres should limit our designs. My game can include all the things it needs. It can be unusual, experiment and creatively look for new ways to explore.

I just hope I can earn your trust.

#indiedev #indie game #devlog #rpg #visual novel #pixelart #text adventure #adventure game #video games

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haynr · 6 years ago

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all blog info below the cut,

apologies now to my mobile users

RULES

Before we interact you must…

have a properly displayed muse

have easily accessible posted information regarding your muse in a section or page

have easily accessible posted rules / guidelines in a section or page

for AU’s, you must have posted information regarding your muse within the fandom universe in its own section or page

make sure I am following you

cut threads

I Won’t

roleplay sex, generally. there may be a few exceptions, but keep the standard that i probably won’t. sexual content, perhaps, if all muns involved are over 18. If we do, it is with the understanding muses involved will be aged up appropriately.

tolerate any sexual advances toward myself ooc

roleplay inserts

always follow back, nor will I follow personals

tolerate pressuring, be it to rp in general or consistent pestering to answer threads

answer everything in my inbox. It’s not often I ignore asks, but I won’t answer something if it violates my rules. If I have difficulty answering something, I will privately message senders or make public inquires about anonymous messages.

follow everyone back / interact with everyone, even if you technically follow all my rules. i’m selective.

Please Don’t:

reblog meme asks. I don’t mind this so much, but it keeps things cleaner when they’re moved to a new post.

reblog inbox answers for non starter memes. examples would be mun opinions and the like but extend to headcanons and other writing. violators will be asked to delete the post and may be blocked.

reblog threads you are not a part of. warnings will be given to violating rp blogs, but personals will be instantly blocked.

reblog personal posts, especial images of myself. violators will be instantly blocked. this means anything tagged ooc.

force ships with me. I am a p easy going shipper, but I will be a bit more restrictive with Hayner. most of it has to do with his muse in general. he’s not thinking about romance atm. if it comes up in plot, great. if it doesn’t, you’re more than welcome to put it forward, but please do not expect me to go along with it. on that note, don’t expect me to always agree with your interpretations of my muse in ships. ideas and suggestions are fine, your own take is fine, but i cannot stress enough, please do not push hcs.

I am open to

multiple threads

duplicates of other muses (i do not rp duplicates of my own muse, but I usually have other muses in the fandom which I will be more than happy to interact with there, no twins etc)

shipping, though I will be highly selective, possibly exclusive. I will not instant ship, but I don’t mind developing our muses’ relationship privately over DMs.

mutli verse and/or polyshipping as befits all the muses and muns involved

rping toxic relationships of any sort, will be tagged accordingly and placed under cuts.

angst and/or triggering threads, though I would prefer to discuss the thread and tagging beforehand

crack threads

select AUs

ask/tagged initiated threads/starters but I ask for some warning if they are not from a meme or other prompt

responses of any length, so long as it is enough to reasonably work with for the pace of our thread

group threads

generally questionable plots. regardless of whether or not I approve of such practices ooc isn’t usually relevant. this is fictional, exploration of an idea– not a real-world execution of that idea. Feel free to DM for details.

Please Also Note:

I do not require length to be matched and may not always match partner’s length. I will respond as much as I feel I am able to or that I feel is necessary.

If my response is inadequate, difficult to respond to, or otherwise distasteful, FEEL FREE to ask me to redo my response.

Understand that my selectivity will depend on my comfort level and that I am not obligated to explain myself.

I tag all my threads as “thread”

I tag my partner’s url

if partner’s url changes, I will tag both old and new urls for the first response then only the new url going forward.

I generally tag triggers as “trigger tw”. same with general cw’s. i’m not the best with tagging, so let me know if I should watch for stuff in particular

my activity is generally a joke, but I’m constantly lurking, so feel free to drop a message

I am incredibly anxious. It doesn’t matter if we have late night conversations for like a month straight i will still be afraid to talk to you every. single. time. so always feel free to come whack me on the head or smth

while I can be very laid back / crack-ish, I do prefer to explore darker themes and my thread responses are much more serious than I come off as.

Blacklisted / Ask to Tag:

food

nsfw (for general safe scrolling, just let me know what your tag is since t simply wont show not safe for wombats content anymore)

“little space” related

“daddy,” “mommy,” etc

literally anything in this vein. in the vaguest, most removed sense. idc what you tag it. either let me know or just tag it “jade don’t look” whatever.

in fact feel free to tag any and all of these as just “jade don’t look” or some variant.

a/o/b related

anything pregnancy related

vivid depiction of sensory / memory alteration (particularly in images, but not excluded to)

unreality (also especially, but not limited to, images)

Of course I can’t require people tag these, but I will most likely not follow you if your post these regularly and do not have some warning which will be picked up by blacklist applications.

In regards to the sensory alteration, I mean things like seeing/hearing/etc things that aren’t there, mis-remembering or outright tampering with memory, etc. It’s kind of situation to situation on what gets me, but when it does it tends to hit me pretty hard. If you have any questions about it, fire away! [ example text post ]

On unreality, this somewhat relates to the above, I use this as a catch all phrase for images, vivid descriptions, and most especially videos/gifs of things that basically don’t behave or seem to behave as they should. Sometimes, I’ve seen these things tagged as “trippy” and the like, but they those posts tend to be too…idk how to put it. Extra? What tends to get me is when things are going fairly linear and then suddenly go for a loop. That’s not the greatest description, but here’s a few posts that have triggered me the worst that I’ve slowly gotten used to. There are also things which should seem fine or normal but aren’t. If anyone has a better description for this, by all means let me know! example posts [ one ] / [ two ] / [ three ] + a weird image that also gets me for some reason. hmvent is actually a blog I use to store things that trigger me so I can slowly get used to them or try and figure out what it is / why these things get to me.

META

Hayner is a young lad who resides in the sleepy Twilight Town. He is described as “impulsive and determined, and is always looking for a new adventure. He is bold to the point of recklessness…He gets bored easily during uneventful times… also easily angered/irked…thirsts for some kind of recognition…” During the events of KHII, he is 15, the same as Roxas/Sora. He has deep brown eyes, dirty blond hair and is a bit tall and, while still skinny, muscular for his age. He is the leader of his quartet trio including Pence, Olette and Roxas himself.

While he does have parents, he’s rather distant from them. While he does receive support from his folks, they were just never really there. Because of this, his loyalties lie greatly with his chosen family, his friends. He considers it his duty to help, lead and, if needed, protect them, even if he’d never admit as much even to himself. If any of his actions or ideas end up hurting someone he cares about, he takes it very much to heart, often beating himself up about it for weeks and weeks after.

Hayner, despite his hotheadedness and brashness, is a very observant leader. His tough guy act, while not entirely based on this, is partially to build himself up, make other less inclined to pick fights with him and his friends. Whether or not this works out, however, is certainly debatable. He also does his best to incorporate his friends’ wants and needs– or at least what he perceives these as– into his plans.

As oblivious as he may seem, he is quite mindful of the people around him. Whether it’s picking out the shady figure on that street corner or this one, or noticing some random kid’s not having a good day - he sees a lot of it, but often it doesn’t strike as a huge priority. He thinks things through a lot more than he’s credited for, but unfortunately, he doesn’t go through the whole process before starting his plan of action.

Hayner also isn’t exactly the most social person. He is outgoing and nice to people out of politeness and giving people the benefit of the doubt, but as a whole he’d much rather just stick with his friends. The only exception to this has been Sora, as he feels a “familiar vibe” about him, and therefore is also open to his circle of friends.

A couple more misc hcs below:

Is a very exceptional swordsman (at least with the training swords). However, his skills do not seem as outstanding compared to that of Roxas and other more major characters.

As much as he hates school, his best subject science. And although one would think he’d be a good athlete because he is competitive, he actually doesn’t have good PE grades because he doesn’t try if he doesn’t have to. The only way to get him to really participate is to make it a competition.

MORE WILL BE ADDED MARCH, 2019 TO INCLUDE SPOILERS FOR KH3

AU Info will be added shortly.

#mobile rules #about blog #psa

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bloojayoolie · 6 years ago

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Being Alone, Andrew Bogut, and Animals: A SHY, TIMID, WALLFLOWER FROM AN UNSTABLE HOME DREAMS OF A FAMILY WHO CAN GIVE HER THE QUIET, CALM, RESPECTFUL & LOVING HOME WHERE SHE CAN FIND HAPPINESS& A ROUTINE SHE CAN COUNT ON CALI ID 48472, @ 3 YRS., 47 LBS OF LOVE, SPAYED &WAITING WITH HOPE, AT THE MANHATTAN ACC TO BE KILLED – 12/21/2018 She’s a shy, timid wallflower, a girl that truly needed a quiet, calm home with a routine she could count on. Instead, it seems her parent argued a lot with her boyfriend, causing this sensitive soul to become anxious. She just wanted everyone to be nice, to be friendly, to be kind. But she never got her wish. Instead, she got a trip to the shelter where she now sits, trying to get her head around her life, and how the heck she ever got here. It was not her fault, it was her parent, but how do you tell her that? As a staff member writes: “Sometimes people and/or animals come into your life for a reason. Cali was brought into our care and I knew from the moment I saw her, that we were going to be buddies. She didn't know this at first. She avoided any interaction with me until I offered her some cold cuts, then she knew. She knew that if she wanted to get out of her kennel that I would be there; she knew that if she wanted some company, to seek me, and if she just wanted some fresh air but otherwise be left alone, I can do that too. She needed me through this part of her journey to help her adjust to a new life, now she needs you to help her get through to the next.” Poor Cali needs a quiet, structured home where she can feel safe and then warm at her own pace. If you can give her a soft place to land, hurry and Message or page or email us at [email protected] for assistance fostering or adopting her. Let’s show this shy, shaken wallflower what it means to be truly loved. CALI, ID# 48472, @ 3 Yrs. Old, 57.1 lbs. Manhattan ACC, Large Mixed Breed, Gray / White, Spayed Female I came to the shelter as a Stray, 11/30/2018 Shelter Assessment Rating: New Hope Rescue Only Intake Behavior Rating: 1. Green AT RISK MEMO: Cali is at risk for behavior, Due to Cali's bite history and low threshold for arousal, we recommend placement with a New Hope partner who can provide any necessary behavior modification. There are no medical concerns for Cali at this time. SHELTER ASSESSMENT – DATE OF ASSESSMENT: 12/20/2018 Summary: Cali has displayed a low threshold for arousal at the care center, jumping up and quickly grabbing handler's clothing. For this reason, she is not a good candidate for a handling assessment. MEDICAL BEHAVIOR - Date of initial:: 12/2/2018, Summary:: Tense, trembling. ENERGY LEVEL:: We have no history on Cali so we cannot be certain of her behavior in a home environment. However, she is a young, enthusiastic, social dog who will need daily mental and physical activity to keep her engaged and exercised. We recommend long-lasting chews, food puzzles, and hide-and-seek games, in additional to physical exercise, to positively direct her energy and enthusiasm. OWNER NOTE – BITE HISTORY: Cali bit her owner when the owner and her boyfriend were arguing. The bite was to the owner's elbow and tricep and broke skin. IN SHELTER OBSERVATIONS:: Cali has been fearful in the Care Center. Initially, she would avoid the leash and growl. However, after patience and some turkey, Cali began to open up and is now removed more easily from the kennel. She is anxious outside the kennel, seeking exit, but will allow brief petting and tolerant of touch. BEHAVIOR DETERMINATION:: NEW HOPE ONLY Behavior Asilomar: TM - Treatable-Manageable Recommendations:: No children (under 13),Place with a New Hope partner Recommendations comments:: No children: Due to Cali's bite history and low threshold for arousal, we recommend an adult only home. Place with a New Hope partner: Due to Cali's bite history and low threshold for arousal, we recommend placement with a New Hope partner who can provide any necessary behavior modification (force-free, positive reinforcement-based) and re-evaluate behavior in a stable home environment before placement into a permanent home. Potential challenges: : Fearful/potential for defensive aggression,Low threshold for arousal Potential challenges comments:: Low threshold for arousal: Cali displays a low threshold for arousal at the care center, jumping up and grabbing people's clothing. This has the potential to tip into aggression. Guidance from a positive reinforcement trainer/behaviorist is strongly recommended. Fearful/potential for defensive aggression: Cali has displayed fearful behavior at the care center and bit her owner during a fight her owner was in. Guidance from a professional trainer/behaviorist is recommended to assess behavior after decompression in a new home environment. Force-free, reward based training is advised when introducing or exposing Sasha to new and unfamiliar situations. MEDICAL EXAM NOTES: 2/12/2018 DVM Intake Exam Estimated age: Estimated 2-5 years based on dentition and overall impression Microchip noted on Intake? Scanned negative History : No health hx available Subjective: Alert, tense in kennel, walks well on leash Observed Behavior - Tense, fearful, tail tucked, trembling throughout exam. Easily leashed and muzzled, allows all handling if we move slowly. Evidence of Cruelty seen - None Evidence of Trauma seen - None Objective BAR-H, MMs pink and moist, BCS 5/9 EENT: Eyes clear, ears clean, no nasal or ocular discharge noted Oral Exam: Clean incisors visualized through muzzle PLN: No enlargements noted H/L: NSR, NMA, Lungs clear, eupnic, no coughing or sneezing ABD: Tense, not distended, no masses palpated U/G: Female, small nipples and vulva, linear ventral abd scar consistent with spay scar MSI: Ambulatory x 4, skin free of parasites, no masses noted, slightly moth-eaten hair coat on dorsum CNS: Mentation appropriate - no signs of neurologic abnormalities Rectal: Normal externally Assessment: Apparently healthy Prognosis: Excellent Plan: Placement 1088 11/12/2018 SO: QAR, withdrawn socially, tense body positioning, visible tremble, tail tucked A: Shelter setting anxiety P: 5 mg/kg trazadone PO BID for 1 month Recheck in 2 weeks 1619 *** TO FOSTER OR ADOPT *** CALI IS RESCUE ONLY. You must fill out applications with New Hope Rescues to foster or adopt her. She cannot be reserved online at the ACC ARL, nor can she be direct adopted at the shelter. PLEASE HURRY AND MESSAGE OUR PAGE FOR ASSISTANCE! HOW TO RESERVE A “TO BE KILLED” DOG ONLINE (only for those who can get to the shelter IN PERSON to complete the adoption process, and only for the dogs on the list NOT marked New Hope Rescue Only). Follow our Step by Step directions below! *PLEASE NOTE – YOU MUST USE A PC OR TABLET – PHONE RESERVES WILL NOT WORK! ** STEP 1: CLICK ON THIS RESERVE LINK: http://bit.ly/2ynocEZ Step 2: Go to the red menu button on the top right corner, click register and fill in your info. Step 3: Go to your email and verify account \ Step 4: Go back to the website, click the menu button and view available dogs Step 5: Scroll to the animal you are interested and click reserve STEP 6 ( MOST IMPORTANT STEP ): GO TO THE MENU AGAIN AND VIEW YOUR CART. THE ANIMAL SHOULD NOW BE IN YOUR CART! Step 7: Fill in your credit card info and complete transaction HOW TO FOSTER OR ADOPT IF YOU *CANNOT* GET TO THE SHELTER IN PERSON, OR IF THE DOG IS NEW HOPE RESCUE ONLY! You must live within 3 – 4 hours of NY, NJ, PA, CT, RI, DE, MD, MA, NH, VT, ME or Norther VA. Please PM our page for assistance. You will need to fill out applications with a New Hope Rescue Partner to foster or adopt a dog on the To Be Killed list, including those labelled Rescue Only. Hurry please, time is short, and the Rescues need time to process the applications. Shelter contact information Phone number (212) 788-4000 Email [email protected] Shelter Addresses: Brooklyn Shelter: 2336 Linden Boulevard Brooklyn, NY 11208 Manhattan Shelter: 326 East 110 St. New York, NY 10029 Staten Island Shelter: 3139 Veterans Road West Staten Island, NY 10309 CALI IS RESCUE ONLY. You must fill out applications with New Hope Rescues to foster or adopt her. She cannot be reserved online at the ACC ARL, nor can she be direct adopted at the shelter. PLEASE HURRY AND MESSAGE OUR PAGE FOR ASSISTANCE! CALI IS RESCUE ONLY. You must fill out applications with New Hope Rescues to foster or adopt her. She cannot be reserved online at the ACC ARL, nor can she be direct adopted at the shelter. PLEASE HURRY AND MESSAGE OUR PAGE FOR ASSISTANCE!

#funny #lol #humor #memes #meme #memehumor #dank memes #funny pics #rolf #lmao #Being Alone #Andrew B

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ryusxnka · 8 years ago

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[ @circumspects ]

H orses, one had been profusely bleeding, leaving a consistent trace of crimson ‘neath his tracks, galloped passed him in a frenetic pace. Eyes peer behind him for a split of an elapsing second ‘fore they attentively once more to the warfare at his forefront; Titans had overtaken an enormous verdant established territory which had been, to his visual hypothesis, attended by a plethora of militaristic soldiers who were in the midst of a pressing excursion. He leaps, accuracy never oscillating from his ongoing feet as they increase in velocity, above what appears to be a partially devoured cadaver of a once man whose luck had not endorsed his strength and capacities on the battlefield and instantly withdraws his dormant armament from its sheath. --- In spite of the actuality that he carried little to no familiarity, nor beneficial information, on these abnormal humanoid monstrosities, he could not simply idle behind and enable them to slaughter others, as though they were naught but a spread atop a buffet table to greedily take, any further.

Aloft his plane of sight resided a young Soldat, an adolescent to be more explicit, standing perturbed, unbeknownst on how to proceed. Arrived several meters adjacent to the boy’s insignia donned posterior, Hitsugaya arches earthward and unmindfully jumps onto and over their unprotected shoulder as a means to gain additional leverage. Brows connect their points into a fervent constituent whilst the clutch of his hand ‘pon Hyorinmaru’s frigid grip-hold tightened in a unified compound of tension and adrenaline coursing through his fingers. The vivid hue of his compelling Reiatsu ( energy ) had hastily engrossed the weapon’s entirety the instant the sovereign Reaper, the epitome of a winter tempest, inaugurated a vigorous linear swing to his targeted Titan’s torso “ ---- T’ch!! “ teeth are clenched as Hitsugaya is promptly propelled skyward and afterward lands, deftly so, onto the terrain nearby. He’s certain that he struck it, he felt the impact of his steel meeting flesh, and yet there was no inkling of such an assault. Could they possibly have an identical type of skin as the Espadas? Or perhaps they preserved the ability of self - regeneration? How infuriating of an outcome this was.

#;Starter #circumspects #Here you go!!!!#Idek what this is #But have it #If there's anything off #please don;t hesitate to message me!!

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mightyjoefilms-blog · 8 years ago

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Time to Reflect.

Retro

vimeo

During this, my final year at university, I produced two short films, both varying in duration, style and technical skill. The module itself gave me the freedom to explore my own interests and provided me with the knowledge and skills required to produce a film of my own aspiration from conception to production and marketing to the best of my ability.

My first-semester film idea began as an elderly man recounting his life through photos and then re-enacting them in live action. But I believed this to be too time-consuming and it would be rather difficult to find older actors and younger actors to play the younger version of the older characters. This somewhat formed the foundation for my film Retro which was meant to be a prologue for my first idea which is still possible but is not currently scheduled for production in the near future.

Retro, similar to the first idea revolves around vintage items, specifically record players; an HMV Gramophone and Bluetooth compatible player in an attempt to contrast the difference in the look and the technology. After I finalised the idea, I decided to film the gramophone scenes in a vintage location, with a background that would suit the gramophone which would prove useful if I ever used a wide shot, which I did but those shots never made it into the final cut. After shooting the scenes with the more modern player (in my own home with more time to play with) I realised that it would be best to focus on shooting macro shots. Since the detail and contrast could perhaps make the piece more tactile whilst providing an alternate perspective. I also thought that this would allow the film to stand out during screenings since shorts shot entirely with macro shots is usually rare.

Thankfully this film made allot more sense in post-production where I pieced together the shots making the film as upbeat and as fast paced as possibly could. After I graded the piece I sent a rough edit to a composer (Stuart Read) who created a composition out of a sample taken from Tony Bennet’s ‘Rags to Riches’ and composed a ‘Retro’ piece like the original version of the song as if it were being played as originally intended on a gramophone and a separate piece that continues from the aforementioned piece which plays as a more upbeat and modern version of the song as if it were being played on a modern Bluetooth speaker.

Overall, this film was short and sweet, it was produced, filmed and edited almost solely by myself (with the help of Matt and Stuart) meaning I had a lot more time to focus on the quality of my shots, for instance if you watch the film you notice that there is allot of movement in the frame, if the camera isn’t moving the record player is, in my attempt to keep the film fluid and consistent in motion like a record player. I hope to make more films like this in the future continuing these themes surrounding music genres both vintage and modern and the attitudes that individuals of varying ages have towards them. I hope to produce these films on a similar scale, I also hope to conduct interviews with individuals such as record player ‘aficionados’ in the form of a short documentary since this is a subject area of great interest to me.

*Retro also won me a ‘Progress’ award for best cinematography given by lectures. So spending time meticulously filming those macro shots paid off! So thanks to Mat and, Stuart for the help, as well as Tom and Ash for the award. Much love.

Darren’s Den

vimeo

After a short break, I and Matt got to talking about our own film ideas and we realised we had a similar idea, one that revolved around drugs. Then we sought to expand this idea by giving some examples that we could base this idea upon. The main example we expanded upon was Don’t Hug Me I’m Scarred (2011 - ) a puppet based dark comedy which although does not necessarily revolve around drugs, it revolves around adult situations in a surrealist and often horrifying way yet it is placed in the context of a children’s puppet television show.

This formed the basis of our next film idea which we both decided to work on together, in order to divide our time and resources including a budget to make the best film we could possibly make. In reflection, it was arguably the most insightful and realistic filmmaking process we have undertaken during our time at university, this is because:

· We worked with a ‘micro’ budget with our own money

· We (unsuccessfully) attempted to create a crowdfunding page for the film (via Indiegogo: https://igg.me/at/DarrensDen/x)

·We had to secure a location suitable for a set build

· We built a set

·Sourced and purchased materials and instructions for said set build

·Reached out to cast and crew (Runners) and got allot of interest.

·We worked with the largest group of people to date.

·Required actors to send a clip of them as ‘Darren’ in order to get the person most suitable.

·Used the most equipment to date (although I would have preferred a better camera ;)

·Ultimately, it was a fantastic learning curve and an invaluable experience into producing short/ independent films.

Due to the word count, I can’t explain every issue we had. But, as the last point stated, every issue may have not led to the best possible outcome, but it amounted to an invaluable learning experience which is that no matter how much you prepare and calculate there will be issues that cannot be helped and you must tackle them as they come. For example; we spent more money than we would have liked to, but we accounted for that. Another issue was after we finished the shoot, and the footage was taken over to post we realised that we forgot to shoot certain shots which I am sure is because we were caught up in the heat of the moment and lingered on certain shots than we should have. Fortunately, we accounted for a few more shoot dates the following week, but we did not inform the cast and crew prior, and they were not available which was our fault as producers for not being as organised as we thought. There were some additional issues during postproduction that included the film being too long. Possibly a result of our over ambitiousness. But after a lot of time editing, grading and consulting with a sound designer I realised that there were many things we could do to keep the narrative close to our original idea whilst keeping it somewhat linear, which is not especially easy with the vast amounts of cuts we had to use to reduce the duration of the piece.

During the last two semesters, I worked on three other film projects. I worked on both Joe’s first and second-semester project the most recent film being Inked Up where I acted as a cinematographer/ camera person my job was to help to set up the equipment and capture most of the cutaway shots excluding the shots of a man being tattooed and a few others. I also acted as a DoP on Matts first semester project which was a choreographed dance of a Frank Sinatra song.

To conclude, I believe that my films have progressed a lot throughout my time at university, especially since I had never made a film prior to our second-year. I realise that my films are not technically brilliant nor are they driven by great stories. But, they are of my own creation, ambition and drive. I hope that I continue to improve even after my time as an undergraduate comes to an end as I venture into the world and continue to learn from my mistakes and get better and better.

Papa bless.

#FTVRS #staffordshireuniversity #filmmaking #retro #darrensden

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nicolawritesnovels · 8 years ago

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Day 81, 3/22

Starting Word Count: 93,845

Ending Word Count: 95,561

New Words: 1,717

Progress:

They’re finally fucking in California

Hunter is adorable

I did it from Lyric’s POV, which is an nice change of pace

Lyric seems interesting

Holt is black. I was unaware of that. But he is.

Lyric and Katie are like sisters, it’s cute

Angela has decided Hunter is her grandchild, and therefore Noah is too. I am not surprised. Nor is anyone else, except maybe Holt who had never met her before.

Angela has absolutely no patience for dramatic moments of tension, and is very vocal about interrupting them

I also spent several hours doing Camp NaNo prep today, looking back on when I was actually working on Emily’s Book of Memories in the past, and what issues I had with it and I think I’ve come to the conclusion that I can’t just pick one style for it, it’s all of it, all at once and nothing is coherent

my most consistent problem with it, from 2012 to 2016, is that I can’t just pick one POV, one narrative voice, one style. it ends up not working. no matter how far I get into it. so each time, I’ve abandoned it until I was ready to venture out of 2nd person more. But even once I was... it wasn’t working right. but I think it’s time to listen to the story and what it’s trying to tell me. Emily’s brain is not coherent and neither are her scattered memories. it’s not a linear story. it can’t be. parts of it are, sometimes for longer stretches than others. there will be parts missing. but all the stories will be told, one way or another. things will jump and that will be okay.

Music: Newsies soundtrack, Moana soundtrack. my iPod died and I had to use the spare one I have around with mostly kids music :(

#365k365day #37: And Then We Danced #Emily's Book of Memories

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iowemysolitudetootherpeople · 4 years ago

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On Envy, Want & Gratitude

Before drifting into subjectivity one had better set down some anchors; those being our definitions in order that we can, at the very least, disagree accurately.

First envy; the feeling of discontent or resentment based upon the possessions of others. I think this the most concise definition, since one can include less tangible things such as knowledge and skills under the umbrella of ‘possessions’.

Envy differs from want, since it is stirred by others; by their relative abundance compared to one’s relative lack. Whilst some of the points can be also applied to wanting this is not universally the case and the terms are not interchangeable here. ‘Want’ will be investigated later.

Secondly gratitude, whilst the definition is one which will be contested over the course of this piece I will nonetheless state that which is generally accepted here and avoid tearing apart the foe before he has even set foot in the ring. So yes, gratitude, a strong feeling of appreciation for what someone or something has done for the recipient. Often this is expressed as a debt of gratitude; an obligation towards reciprocity.

Just as how regret and anticipation can lead one to error by shifting the eyes from appreciating or experiencing the present to other tenses in which power is diminished and details unknown, so too can envy and gratitude, particularly since the latter appears to be misapplied.

One of the great errors in envy is that of separating the object of desire from the possessor; separating it from their story, their struggle, their wins and their losses. In many cases to separate the object or quality from the story which gave it life is to leave an empty shell; the depth and the meaning give way to a superficiality which brings forth the question of why it was desired. If the above is accepted, and yet the envy remains, then we have a case in which perceived value of a life is based solely on appearance; a very sad state of affairs. Life here is most commonly externally validated, and value determined solely by others often leading to a kind of hungry ghost phenomenon where more and more is sought to fan the flames of positive public opinion. Not only is there never an end to this exhausting pursuit, but the value of any one possession is incredibly volatile; the changing seas of societal trends can render a thing once valuable entirely worthless, if not an offence worthy of lynching.

Since the value of personality, characteristics, knowledge, possessions or achievements is not self determined but given worth by others there is little allegiance to self; a lack of any firm foundation. In the opposite of ‘knowing thyself’ one constructs a kind of patchwork quilt of seemingly admirable traits and sought after possessions that not only fail to fit together to form a coherent and consistent pattern, but are tossed to and fro by the company held, and the trends of the times.

To treat knowledge, skills or achievements as superficial is not only to devalue them in the life of the seeker but also in the life of the holder. Rarely is consideration given to the pain that created a great writer, the injustice that began a career of political reform, the physical abuse that drove the victim to obtain great physical strength, or the bankruptcy that necessitated hard work and smart investments. The product of these difficult experiences leaves a trail through the life of the possessor, one often scored into flesh, or burned into memory. The reality of a desirable trait can be quite the opposite; costs that few would choose to pay, destructive thoughts that few could bear, and sacrifices inconceivable to most.

In relation to time (and let us adopt the rather boring assumption here of a linear timeline with beginning and end) the desire for something more leaves the present incomplete. In a perfect moment there would be no place for envy, since any addition would be superfluous. By establishing this extreme, a continuum is formed with perfection or completeness at one end and lack at the other. Envy places the present at somewhere other than the most appealing extreme; the exact location dictated by the degree of the emotion felt.

Want does the same; it exposes a hole in the present that makes true peace and contentment impossible. Unlike envy it does not require a possessor nor is it necessarily stirred by others, however whilst it may not carry with it the problems discussed prior, it has a burden of its own that is equally cumbersome and weighty.

A definition of our third term would be an excellent idea here, and I congratulate myself on this recognition. There are three relevant details; firstly the verb form of desiring something, secondly the noun form which expresses a deficiency of something, and thirdly its Old Norse origins in the word ‘vanr’ meaning ‘lack’.

Where want and envy exist there can be no perfection, since the implied lack is at odds with its perfection’s completeness. Want exposes the belief that if things were different, then they would be better. Of course we can never truly know that this would be the case, and we may spoil the present with thoughts of different conditions under which it may have been of greater value. Here, as with many other places, I must admit that I assume an ability to treat reasonably and rationally emotions that are often anything but. I cannot dismiss these desires, which probably hint at a common hope for perfection, when they can provide a thread of hope for a brighter day amidst days of darkness; days when gratitude can be incredibly difficult.

Conveniently this sees a confluence of envy, want and gratitude.

That the three should flow together is a shame, since the latter should be wholly separated from the rest. No blame can be placed at the feet of gratitude here, more so at its use, or misuse.

In the perfect idea, gratitude closes a loop, likely in a nice coloured bow. It is a genuine response to a favourable outcome, and has incredible value and purity, vibrating at the highest of frequencies.

Unfortunately, when twisted, gratitude becomes something other than pure; it becomes one of either transactional, obligational, or expectant.

Firstly transactional; the debt of gratitude. Depending upon one’s biases about human nature it may be easily accepted or abhorrent to think that all acts have a selfish motive at their core. If an act is performed in order to receive in return then it has immediately lost much of its value; whilst it may have a benefit to the recipient this is, to some degree, incidental.

If the debt is not forced upon the recipient by the benefactor then it is assumed by the former due to social conditioning, which brings us to the second form. The problem in this situation comes down once again to motive; gratitude is expressed out of obligation or an assumed debt, rather than from a pure feeling of appreciation. This feeling, properly and sincerely expressed has great value, but is overlooked in a society that values material reciprocity.

Finally the expectant form which is arguably the most troubling of all. I had better define this, since at face value one would think it already covered by the above. When I use the term ‘expectant gratitude’ I refer to the kind of secret formula that uses 'gratitude' as the key to greater wealth, possessions, success and fame. An expression of 'gratitude' opens up the hands of a benevolent universe happy to pour out all manner of rewards upon the holder of the secret. ‘Gratitude’ is entirely worthy of inverted commas in this scenario, since it is just ‘want’ dressed up as virtue. To be truly grateful in a moment is to state that no addition could increase its worth. If in expressing my gratitude I have in mind a future moment that exceeds the present in its value then I commit the double error of anticipating and wanting. If I express my gratitude with the motive of forcing the hand of God or the universe to provide more, then I devalue that which is within my possession, and continue further down a path of acquisition that has no end.

True gratitude appears to be rare, which raises the question as to exactly why this would be. If I may, I would first suggest that it is due to anticipation. The idea of the thing can often exceed the reality, leaving the moment lacking when it is finally reached. This provokes feelings of wanting and desiring for that which was imagined, as opposed to appreciation for what is.

Of course, the answer isn’t that simple and a word count never acts as a strong enough deterrent to acknowledging the fact.

How can we differentiate anticipation from hope? If one dismisses anticipation as foolish must one do the same for hope? It would be a sad conclusion if it were the case, and whilst the inhuman or completely enlightened may be able to exist in that place I highly doubt that others could tolerate.

Perhaps we need not be extreme in our dismissal; there are times at which hope is more or less important, and it can be turned to as needed. One of the times that it should be superfluous is within the perfect moment, where true gratitude is expressed. If anticipation is taking something into hand before the fact, claiming it as already in existence as an anchor pulling the subject into the time at which it is made manifest, then hope is an idea not fixed in time or space. Hope involves trust, unlike anticipation this is not hope in ourselves, but in the arc of the greatest good, and that our dreams are at some point plotted on this arc.

The second I think has to do with sensitivity. The noise and pace of the modern world drown out the simple pleasures which can bring forth gratitude. Expose anything to a stimulus for too great a period of time and there is a natural down regulation in receptor sensitivity which drives much of the addictive behaviours that are common in society. The answer to feeling less pleasure for many is to increase the stimulus; more noise, more drugs, more relationships, more food and an escalation in the activities pursued. I think it helpful to look East for help here. As the west continued and continues to add, the East expressed the need to subtract; the answer not being greater complexity but actually incredible simplicity.

In appreciating the most simple things in life one’s sensitivity is maintained.

I detest this short but accurate statement, so please read it, know it to be true, and then throw it into the wind.

To pursue anything according to a formula is to destroy all of the beauty of the thing. Never sit and watch the sunrise because in doing so one will optimise the circadian rhythm and likely improve sleep onset that evening. Never swim in the sea because the cold is beneficial for the mitochondria and the immune system. Never, as another person touches your hand, think that there is a transfer of electrons that will reduce inflammation likely improving mental and physical health.

This kind of right-angled, science-bound, algebra-laced world would be a nightmare. I know that despite the warnings I would most certainly want and hope for a world where the romance and magic were restored.

This bears some relevance to gratitude since despite expressing thoughts on the subject it is not a thinking thing. To think about an emotion is like trying to catch a butterfly; firstly incredibly difficult, but secondly, if successful, leads to so much damage that it will never fly again. Whilst it cannot coexist in a moment with want and envy this is not a mental exercise in trying to abolish these damaging thoughts from the mind in order to better appreciate the present. It is better thought of as a check and balance against whether the moment can be wrapped up in perfection, and given the bow of true gratitude.

Conclusions can be a problem; the writer, having provided many points for consideration, then stomps all over them with the muddy feet of bias and either alienates the reader entirely or preaches to the choir already joining in on the chorus. For this reason the final section is written without any intent to convince; the answers left entirely down to anyone that has made it through an already lengthy exploration.

My current feelings lead me to a place where anticipation forks into two paths; the first is the destructive route of want which has no end, robs the present of true value, and invalidates any attempt at gratitude. Envy is not dissimilar in this respect, however it robs value not only from one’s own present but also others’ pasts. The second leads to hope, which can act as a light ahead at an unknown distance. This can be important during periods of darkness and provide enough illumination to see a way out, and a reason for doing so.

Gratitude is often attempted and for this reason seldom expressed. Firstly it often seeks to settle a debt or to elicit a response for personal gain. Gratitude neither seeks nor should be sought.

Gratitude, in its truest and purest form is stumbled upon in a moment when any addition would be redundant, when a deep emotional need is met, and I think, often when words fail to fully express that this moment would suffice for eternity.

When that sound; when that sight; when that touch is perfect; when there is nothing on earth greater, and when you feel it in heart, that is gratitude.

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Probate Lawyer Lindon Utah

If you have been wrongly disinherited by your close relative or you strongly believe that your deceased relative’s will was made under undue influence, speak to an experienced Lindon Utah probate lawyer. Probate Law has provisions to challenge a will. All wills must go through probate. When an application for probate is made, it is open for interested parties to challenge the will. It’s at this time that you should challenge the will. There is no point in challenging the will when your relative is alive. In fact you cannot challenge the will at that stage. A will becomes operative only on the death of the testator – the person making the will. If your relative is still alive, you are better off talking to the relative rather than challenging the will in court. There is a time for everything and the time to challenge a will is when it goes through probate. If there is a probate dispute in Lindon, the court will generally order the parties to try and resolve the dispute thorough probate mediation. Speak to an experienced Lindon Utah probate lawyer to know more about the mediation process.

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If you are selecting a mediator for your probate dispute, speak to an experienced Lindon Utah attorney. In general, because the very nature of the work is dealing with interpersonal disputes, the mediator first of all must be comfortable with conflict. This is not to say that he or she must enjoy conflict, since it is commonly known that mediators are often conflict-avoidant in their own lives. However, they must enjoy the challenges inherent in managing and helping to resolve the conflicts of others. Whether mediating is motivated by a subconscious attempt to overcome one’s own aversion to conflict by managing the conflict of others, or by an attraction to interpersonal intensity, or simply by the joy of achieving resolution and helping people, the fact remains that effective mediators must comfortably embrace conflict.

In addition to being able to manage interpersonal conflict, an effective mediator style requires that the mediator have the personal capacity to tolerate and contain ambiguity and unpredictability. Because most probate mediations have much emotionality, both in the origins of the disputes and in the negotiations leading to resolution, the process, as it unfolds, is neither clear nor linear in its progress. At any time, it can suddenly flare with hostilities, escalate to the point of impasse, or resolve peacefully. As such, the mediator must personally serve as a container for the parties unpredictable emotions and actions. As with the ability to comfortably manage conflict, this ability to tolerate and contain ambiguity for the parties is very important for a mediator. Those who tend to become too anxious with ambiguity do not fare well as a family mediator.

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Frequently, the position or utterances of one or both of the parties can trigger emotional responses on the part of the mediator. Issues arise in family disputes that touch every person on some level. The mediator is confronted with a broad range of emotional triggers, from the pain of children and parents going through probate to neglectful, destructive parental beliefs and practices. To maintain effectiveness, the mediator must have the capacity to keep such reactions in check and remain nonjudgmental regarding such content. This requires the mediator to be aware of, and reasonably resolved about, his or her own familial issues and personal values, which can readily be aroused during the course of family mediation.

Because of the often intense, emotionally driven, compelling stories that each party typically tells the mediator, it is quite easy to get swallowed up in the perspective of only one side of the dispute. Those whose style allows them to resist such pull have the capacity to consistently maintain a systems view of the dispute (that there are no right or wrong perspectives, no good or bad people, only functional balances of multiple and conflicting realities). They also have the capacity to remain calm and poised amid flying allegations, and the ability to empathize with and fully appreciate the point of view of each person involved in the dispute. Successful mediators need to “maintain professional detachment.” Again, it is important for a mediator to “look for the good in people,” which allows the parties to feel validated, regardless of their particular points of view on a given matter.

Mediators must also be able to rigorously maintain balance between the parties. Although some suggest that this means maintaining neutrality, others clarify that, because the mediator must lean on one party at some times and then on the other at another time during the mediation process, it is balance, rather than neutrality, that is the more accurate organizing principle. So, over some unit of time the mediator must equalize, or balance, the emphasis of the interventions between the parties.

The importance of empathy and good listening skills as a mediator cannot be overemphasized. This capacity for being able to understand and connect with the feelings of others is a skill that, according to research, lies on a continuum.

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understand and feel what other people are feeling and to read the emotions of others, by both verbal and nonverbal cues, is crucial for an effective mediator. It cannot easily be taught but is invaluable in facilitating helpful communications in mediation.

An important coquality to empathy and good listening skills is patience. It is very important that the mediator be comfortable with letting clients proceed at the pace of the one needing most time to process. Mediators who are impatient with clients tend to hurry things along, often missing important opportunities for empathy and listening, and creating tension in one or both clients—tension that can build into resentment toward the mediator. Mediation clients (or more often just one of them) may negotiate in a tortuously slow way, or else make demands for quick results when they don’t know what to do, both of which put pressure on the mediator. If a mediator cannot remain patient and proceed in a responsive but optimal pace, mediation is bound to fail. An effective mediator must have the ability to wait, and even to sit with silence, if the clients need to process the content slowly.

Although it may seem obvious, being trustworthy is also an important quality for a mediator to have. Trustworthiness includes being organized, responsible, responsive, following through on promises and commitments, being truthful and accurate in reporting information, and admitting ignorance when that is the truth. Being trustworthy allows clients to reveal essential information, knowing that such revelations will not be used against them nor used to make them feel badly about themselves. It gives implicit permission for clients to count on the mediator to help resolve their disputes in as honest, effective, and efficient a manner as possible. It establishes confidence in the mediator’s effectiveness and fosters full and safe participation in the mediation process.

Effective mediators must also have the skill of refraining well practiced and on automatic pilot. Being able to relabel and reconceptualize a point uttered by one party so that it is palatable to the other party is basic to mediation work. Such a skill is not only inherent within the empathy necessary to simultaneously address the needs of both parties, but it even goes beyond. When the parties are stuck in their perspectives, it is essential for the mediator to be able to spontaneously generate a new point of view that both parties may be able to embrace. Such new and alternative realities frequently lead to the resolution of an impasse.

Lastly, it is essential for a mediator to have well-developed skills for thinking and intervening strategically. A mediator must read people quickly and be able to influence them directly and indirectly by his or her own words, intonations, and body language.

Probate mediation begins with an initial informational meeting held the mediator and the parties to discuss mediation and how it works. If the parties agree to go on with mediation, the mediator supplies them with the information necessary to start the mediation. The parties are given certain forms to complete along with other information on how to be best prepared for the first working session. Although different mediation settlements require more time than others to achieve, generally 4 to 10 sessions (each session lasting a couple of hours) is the average range of time needed to mediate most probates. When mediation process ends, the mediator gives the parties a memorandum of the decisions and other documents necessary for the probate to be concluded. They take the memorandum to their attorneys to have it converted into the probate document for their signatures. The terms of the probate papers prepared by the attorney will follow agreements memorialized in the mediator’s memorandum of agreement.

The initial consultation is a face-to-face meeting between the parties and the mediator that usually lasts about an hour. Prior to beginning the consultation, the husband and wife each completes an intake questionnaire. The questionnaire contains some background questions about them, their addresses, phone numbers, work status and position, marriage date, separation date, names and ages of children, whether or not they have been in counseling, names of attorneys, and each person’s area of greatest concern about the probate. The intake questionnaire includes a self-report, about the level of domestic abuse present in the marriage relationship, which is completed separately by each spouse to be shown only to the mediator and never shared with the other spouse. This information is reviewed by the mediator before seeing the clients. If the information raises questions for the mediator about violence or abusive dynamics in their relationship, the mediator may choose to meet with them separately to discuss past abuse and safety issues. If the information does not indicate a history of physical or verbal abuse, the mediator will begin by seeing them together after reading their intake forms.

It is standard practice for mediators to talk about their credentials, experience, and personal approach to probate mediation at this first meeting and to invite any questions about the mediator’s background, competence, or potential conflicts of interest. The mediator will provide a general explanation of mediation and describe how it works in probate. The mediator also explains the difference between mediation and the adversarial process as applied to the three major areas of decision making in the probate: parenting children, financial support, and division of marital assets and liabilities. By emphasizing the clients’ connectedness and mutual needs, the mediator demonstrates that the parties are not limited to the adversarial approach. Because mediation is conducted in private between the mediator and the parties, it is governed by a contract between the three of them. The contract governing mediation will likely spell out:

• Confidentiality rules regarding communications made during the sessions,

• Exceptions to confidentiality for child abuse and threats to do harm to self or others,

• Agreement to fully disclose all information necessary to making informed decisions,

• The role of the mediator as administrator of the process, use of experts, and role of attorneys,

• Expectations of each client,

• Steps to be taken in the mediation process.

The mediator’s goal in the initial consultation is to have an interactive discussion with them so they have the opportunity to have all of their questions answered and have sufficient information to make a choice about whether they will litigate, negotiate through their lawyers, or mediate their probate dispute.

Probate is the process by which legal title of property is transferred from the decedent’s estate to the beneficiaries. If there is a Will, the probate court will determine if the Will is valid. In the absence of a Will, the probate court appoints a person to receive all claims against the estate, pay creditors and then distribute all remaining property in accordance with the provincial laws. This process of obtaining court certification is known as probate. The cost of probate is set by provincial law. It is generally a percentage of the value of the estate. There ways you can legally avoid or minimize the cost of probate. To know how you can ensure that your estate passes on to the ones you really want and without having to probate your will, speak to an experienced Lindon Utah probate lawyer.

Lindon Utah Probate Lawyer Free Consultation

When you need legal help with probate in Lindon Utah, please call Ascent Law for your free consultation (801) 676-5506. We want to help you.

Ascent Law LLC 8833 S. Redwood Road, Suite C West Jordan, Utah 84088 United States Telephone: (801) 676-5506

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