#*as long as the music is non-diegetic and is just part of the score

[thismoleculeisacomedian]

Two things I really, really, really wish happened in TMMM: (1) Midge telling Lenny that she'd seen him on stage before they actually met, and (2) that "That's No Way to Say Goodbye" and/or "Chelsea Hotel" had been in the soundtrack.

(Even though those songs wouldn't have been quite contemporary to the show. Personally I have no issue with using noncontemporary music* in a period drama, as long as it thematically fits.)

[brainrotallthewaydown1312]

my app refreshed causing me to lose this post between voting and reblogging with my propaganda, but let it be known that in order to write said propaganda I watched both of these episodes back to back, which was an EXPERIENCE

since it's too late for my full conclusion to actually matter I'll just say my big point and my favorite observation. because I CANT have done that for nothing. I also really like the thing I noticed both episodes did.

I didn't grow up watching Buffy and while I know some fans I don't know the show very well. but the way The Body grabbed my emotions and accurately showed the range of reactions every one had was some of the most effective TV writing I've ever seen. for most of the episode I forgot I was watching a fantasy action show. as someone who suddenly lost a close family member about a year ago, all of the emotions on screen were very real and very well performed.

as for the MASH finale, I am a fan of mash. I grew up watching reruns and I have always liked it. it was my bias towards MASH that made me watch both to vote. I also felt like there was a historical bias because of how mash had the highest viewership of any episode of TV for so long. and this episode was also one that goes for your emotions. it had a much wider range though. it showed fear, despair, joy, relief, love, and hate, often back to back with little warning in a very real way. and all of the emotions were so strong and so real. as someone with non combat PTSD, the depiction of trauma with Pierce and the chicken on the bus is one of my favorites. I regularly forget that that is from the finale and remember it as it's own episode because of how strong it is and how tightly written it is. the whole episode is very well written and true to life with its portrayal of emotions both in how it's written and in the performances by the cast.

I did end up voting for MASH, although it was much closer than I had thought it would have been

my main observation though was really interesting. both episodes used a lack of music to reinforce the weight of the emotions. the vast majority of shows and movies include a score that plays under the episode, a nondiegetic background to draw the audience in. but both episodes didn't have this. in The Body, there were short scenes that did have nondiegetic music but they were all memories or fantasies. even the scene showing Dawn when she was at school and hadn't been told and was just having a teenage day didn't have music. and in the MASH finale, all music was diegetic. it was playing over the camp speakers during an announcement or being played by the band Charles found. there was no score until the very end when pierce was flying away, giving the audience an extra boost for relief upon the last person leaving the 4077 for good. and most of the show used the score to reinforce emotions very effectively. but the lack of music really pulls you into the episode, builds tension in a very specific way. and in both episodes the strength of the writing and acting around the emotions was reinforced by the lack of nondiegetic music because all of my emotional responses to the events on screen were totally my own. there was no guide underneath, which is a big part of what nondiegetic scores are there to do. I found it interesting that both of these very famous episodes exploring the depth of emotion used this same trick of not using their score

Round 5 of 8

propaganda and summaries are under the cut (May include spoilers)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: 5.16 The Body

tw Death of a major character, grief, dealing with the death of a parent

Buffy, Dawn, and their friends deal with the aftermath of Joyce's death.

The purposeful removal of music for the whole episode, the grief portrayed, the portrayals of people with varying amounts of interaction with death. It hits so hard.

This episode killed me. I have never watched anything that has fully encompassed the feeling of loss and what it's like to experience death close to you than The Body. It is an absolute gut punch in the best way. I actually had to take a week off of watching Buffy to recover because I was so destroyed. 12/10 I don't think I will ever be able to watch this episode of TV ever again

One of the greatest depictions of grief and bereavement of all time. Both formally inventive and unique in its cinematography, sound design, editing etc. while also being an incredible personally affecting emotional experience.

There’s another buffy episode that probably deserves the title more, but I did have to give this one some recognition. For a whacky silly show about vampires, this episode is maybe the realest portrayal of death and grief I’ve ever seen. It’s not just a sad episode that makes audiences cry - I mean it is that - but it’s also this incredible examination of what it’s like to lose someone, and how the world shifts on its axis when that happens. The lack of any non diegetic music is an amazing touch to give this episode a sense of distance from all others. It’s real in a way that’s hard to watch but also unforgettable. Certain scenes and lines will always stay with me and will forever shape my feelings on life and loss.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Body_(Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer)

M*A*S*H: 11.16 Goodbye, Farewell and Amen

In the closing days of the Korean War, the staff of the 4077 M*A*S*H Unit find themselves facing irrevocable changes in their lives.

LITERALLY the most episode ever. For American television broadcasts it remains the most-watched primetime television episode ever, beaten only by a number of Super Bowls, the moon landing, and the Nixon resignation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodbye,_Farewell_and_Amen

[blockmen-obsessed]

Devil Town soundtrack

If Devil Town was a TV show what would it's soundtrack be like? explanation under the cut for @rebelpeas

warning : it's long and also SPOILERS

The soundtrack for any show is meant to be an extension of the story itself; Because it's one of the main senses we rely on if it doesn't fit the immersiveness is significantly impacted.

So i tried to compile a list of songs i felt were most suited to Devil Town's central themes. First thing to keep in mind was that Devil Town is a small town horror AU but it also doubles as a sort of family drama where a clean break reveals all the other fault lines running across the bone.

So i divided the playlist into two parts-one is reserved for the human v/s human interaction whereas the other is reserved for human v/s inhuman interaction

All the Sinister OST tracks are for human v/s inhuman interaction (the forest mainly). A friend once told me that it's score was the most terrifying they ever heard in a horror movie and yk what? they were right

After i heard it i couldn't really use any other OST to represent the corruption that had spread through the town. It's just so distinctly unnerving and hey if it fits it sits! Of course life is never that easy (if you got my ask yk) and so halfway through the track Mr. Boogie we suddenly go from something's-crawling-up-my-spine to a weird EDM jam that you could probably dance to.

it ruins the vibe so just pretend the tracks end before that part of the song comes on.

All the Shiva baby OSTs are for human v/s human interaction-mainly the sbi. You have relationships that hit the brakes abruptly so everyone is tense around each other. They don't know how to react now that they're all back together minus one and so their conversations in the beginning are clipped and filled with resentment. Shiva baby really fits that. Shiva baby was actually made for that! (you should check out amanda the jedi's video to get a better understanding of what i mean) The Chernobyl OSTs are for the church and the mine, Ludor for the former and 'The bridge of death' and 'waiting for the engineer' being for the latter. They're creepy as hell and fit pretty well because they aren't very on the nose. There's something wrong with these places, something rotten below the surface. And with the ones for the mine it just...gives the feel of being all alone in this giant empty space. Except you're not alone :)

The DARK OSTs are meant for the search for tommy; Anthracite also falls under this category. DARK actually shares a lot of key thematic elements with Devil Town but it being sci-fi makes most of it's soundtrack unusable

This is because sci-fi horror and supernatural horror are distinctly different in their scores. Sci-fi horror is distortion heavy-Annihilation's main theme being a very very good example of this while Supernatural horror is dominated by string instruments-cellos and violins and the like.

The songs with lyrics are meant for exposition and montages and such, some diegetic (can be heard by the characters) and others not. You know how shows do this thing where they use a song that starts in universe but slowly turns non-diegetic or the opposite where you think it's in the background but it's actually diegetic? That's pretty cool imo

i imagine wilbur and quackity sitting in the diner while 'My body is a cage plays over the speakers'. Or when sapnap makes hot chocolate for karl and big Q after their stint in the woods; i imagine him turning on the radio to lighten up the mood and 'It's happening again' plays (rip sapnap the radio doesn't seem to like him very much)

(a fave of mine is when they use music as a memory gateway. Imagine that scene where sapnap and quackity go to get ice cream and he turns the radio on and that music transitions to a flashback with the feral boys when they were younger like ohhhh that's the good shit bro)

Devil town is a fic that i think i'll cherish forever. It's just so wonderfully written. I wish you all the best in your future endeavours and i hope writing always makes you happy

[literature-andstuff]

A scene from Edward Scissorhands: identity vs social norms

The scene can be found here.

How is identity portrayed?

The movie ‘Edward Scissorhands’ tells a story of a boy with scissors in place of his hands, a feature that makes him very different from others. He struggles to find his place in the world and fit in with the society. He gradually learns how to form relationships and even make use of his special abilities. In the analyzed scene we can see that he still doesn’t quite know who he is. During the interview, he responds with enthusiasm to the woman proposing him a surgery which would give him normal, human hands. Then some other women from the audience notice that the scissors he would get rid of are what make him special, if it wasn’t for them he would be just like everybody else. His caretaker then suggests that it’s not his scissorhands that make him so special, but his good nature. This dialogue shows how complex identity is, and how many dilemmas we face when we’re trying to understand what makes us who we are. 

Other elements of video analysis

Sound:

The sound of clapping people and dialogues between them are the first most important sounds in this scene, because of them we can understand the situation in which characters are. When the protagonist is asked a question about his beloved one there is the first non-diegetic sound which is a quiet song in the background that shows us the importance of this moment and emotions of the protagonist towards the girl in front of TV.

Camera Shot: 

The distance between the camera and the subjects of the scene changes, subtly illustrating the emotional significance the events have from their perspective. The members of the audience are usually shown in long and medium shots, sometimes indirectly, through a TV screen.  Even if kind, they are merely distant strangers. On the other hand, Edward’s reactions are captured more closely. When a question about his relationships is posed, the camera zooms in on both Winona Ryder’s and Johnny Depp’s faces, evoking a feeling of intimacy between them, further emphasized by the music score. 

Montage:

The cuts between close ups of Edward and the audience which gradually speed up make the scene more suspenseful. It also builds a more personal relationship with the protagonist. The fact that the viewer can hear the claps and awws even when the audience isn't visible on screen paints a more united and life like scene.  

Camera Angle: 

There are a lot of eye-level shots of Edward, it mimics how we would perceive him in real life to feel more connected to the character. There are a few lower-angle shots, which in this case, mimic how Edward would see the audience as he is sitting in a chair and the audience sees him from the rows that surround the sitting area, placed in the lowermost part of the room. The shot seems almost overwhelming as it towers over the camera shot, we can anticipate that it is also overwhelming to Edward, who throughout the scene has a range of emotions going on on his face. The camera shots usually levels with whoever is on the screen, usually to show emotions more clearly or to mimic a character’s perspective and perception of their surroundings like in case of the kids in front of the tv. We can also see some higher-level angles, almost a bird’s-eye view at the beginning of the scene, which shows the whole room where the televised interview is being conducted. There are some eye-level shots of Kim, so that the viewers can feel more connected to the character as she watches Edward on tv and waits for him to answer the question on-air, one that is related to their bond. Thanks to this shot we can see the anticipation and many other emotions visible on her face.

Mise en scene:

The action of the video takes place mostly in a TV studio, but also in a house. Edward Scissorhands is invited to appear in a show where an audience asks him questions. The studio is bright and colourful, so are the people there. In contrast, Edward is pale and dressed in black, which shows that he isn’t like them and doesn’t fit in. Despite the seemingly welcoming atmosphere, Edward is uncomfortable with attention and the questions aren’t tactful and at times, even mocking. Also, next to him are placed a hedge cut into the shape of a giraffe and a poodle with its hair cut. That obviously references Edward having scissors instead of hands and implies that he himself did that. The place of the action changes when Edward is asked about his love life. Then it takes place in the house of his love interest, Kim, where she watches the show with two boys. She is attentive and waits for his answer, the boys tease her about her feelings. After the host repeats his question, there’s a shot of Kim and Edward looking straight forward as if they were looking at each other despite not being in the same room. It’s cut short when Edward incidentally destroys the microphone, implying that they still haven’t admitted their feelings.

[creativityobsessed]

A continuation of this post, and part of an ongoing series on music meta in The Untamed.

Episode 2: First Meetings pt. 1

The plot here is pretty simple. WWX needs a way to defend himself (and his children), and so he cuts himself a bamboo flute on the fly and starts playing, summoning Wen Ning - real skills on display here, because I was a flute player for more of my life than I haven’t been at this point and I Could Not Do This and get anything remotely flute-like to come out. But hey, he does a pretty good job and manages enough of a flute-like sound to do what he needs it to do, which is summon up something, that something being Wen Ning.

The music he plays to summon Wen Ning is not in a style that I am trained to analyze, so I can’t really comment on it, and besides we’re all here for WuJi at the moment. WWX eventually realizes he has whipped up too much of a frenzy in Wen Ning and needs to calm him. He chooses WuJi, playing, walking backwards, and encouraging Wen Ning to follow him. The music we hear here is solidly something that every character can hear: the hastily made flute is so out of tune that some notes are nearly a half-step flat, the highest notes especially so. The sound also has a particularly airy, diffuse quality that comes from forcing air through a flute that provides a lot more air resistance than the player is used to. Once again we have on-screen reasons that these kinds of alterations are happening, but at the same time, we recognize that this is a version of WuJi that is just off. It’s off in ways that make us itch - we want so badly for WWX to make those top notes in the B-section, but we already know he won’t after the badly flat high E that is only just barely the right note on the end of the A-section.* In fact, most of the notes are so flat that when the underscoring version comes in a few seconds later it sounds like it’s in a completely different key. This version of WuJi is doing what it’s supposed to in calming Wen Ning, and at the same time we can tell that it is not quite the thing it is supposed to be yet.**

And then, WWX backs up into LWJ. The drum rumble moves the score into the non-diegetic (or audience ears only) realm, the harp begins the underscoring, and for the first time we hear the piano version of WuJi, starting back at the beginning of the A section (this’ll matter later). Now here’s where I don’t know if I can rely on my Western ears, so forgive me if I’m wrong, but I’m reading this as a hesitant but lush version - there’s reverb on the piano, and some arpeggiated chords to fill in between notes, which I read as WWX being cautiously excited to see LWJ. We are missing the distinct Guqin line, particularly the octaves at phrase breaks, but if you listen carefully the whole melody line is missing.^ I like to think this is because WWX doesn’t know that LWJ knows who he is yet. He still feels incomplete, because he thinks he must hide who he is, and that doesn’t count as a true return to what this song meant/means to him. WWX then returns to playing, moving the entire cue into the *shruggy emoji* area of diegesis - the flute is clearly being played on screen (but is suddenly in tune and has a far more focused sound quality), but the rest of it is definitely not there. On the other hand, WWX enters the music in exactly the right spot for where the piano line is. You know, the piano line that restarted the whole song when WWX sees LWJ, like the way I used to restart my favorite songs when I noticed I got distracted and forgot to appreciate them properly? NO I DON’T HAVE FEELINGS WHY DO YOU ASK. 

Are there practical reasons for doing this? Sure, I suppose, but a good musician can join mid-phrase, so they’re not real strong practical reasons. Symbolically, though? WWX gets another take at that horribly botched, painfully out of tune high E (every flute player wishes they were him at this point, amirite?) and he gets it right this time.

We get a single, very unresolved[+] phrase of the flute line before Wen Ning flies off and Jiang Cheng enters, leaving the WuJi piano to fade into the background under the following lines. Again, there are practical reasons here; allowing the longing glances to go on much longer would get boring and/or uncomfortable. But there’s more symbolism here too. WuJi is almost complete, if one-sided without the guqin line, but ends super unresolved, in part because WWX is not sure what LWJ is thinking. He doesn’t know that he’s been outed as himself, he doesn’t know why LWJ is suddenly here, and he doesn’t know if LWJ is going to be upset with him if he somehow does know who he is.

So the major take-away points here:

WuJi can sometimes be heard by the characters as well as the audience, and that will sometimes tell us something about the mental states of the characters.

WuJi can be broken into component lines and still (mostly) make sense to the ear. This allows deeper symbolism with each reuse, because the things that change become more noticeable the more you hear it.

In the next post in this series, we’re going to see some real practical applications of these principles: we’re going back to the first time they met, before any of their relationship began, and that’s really going to show in their music.

*For non-musician readers, the actual pitch doesn’t matter too much, though any flutists out there will tell you that we feel WWX’s pain, E’s are a regular PITA to get in tune, no matter what octave, and they get worse the higher you go.

**Do I have feelings about LWJ hearing this horribly out of tune version of a song that only one other person in the world knows from across the mountain and losing his shit (internally, of course, he’s LWJ)? Hell yes. This is what fanfiction is for (I swear I’ll write it someday).

^IMPORTANT NOTE! We haven’t actually heard the Guqin line in the drama yet! The only place we’ve heard it so far is in the end credits, a thing most people will probably not be paying THAT close attention to, so I think it’s safe to count this as not knowing that it’s even supposed to be there yet. The nuance is in the rewatch!

+For anybody who’s keeping track and wants the technical terms here, we’re temporarily modulated to G major, from the majority of the A section which is in E minor, and the phrase ends on D, which puts us at V of III, basically hella unresolved tension, we have bought the ice cream and need to go home to I, do not pass go, do not collect $200.

[jacereviews]

Review: Spider-Man: Into the Spider-verse

Theatrical Showing

Spider-Man has had a good year. While I can’t speak from a comic perspective, as a multimedia star he’s had quite the run. Many people are in love with Tom Holland’s portrayal of him in the MCU and his starring role in Avengers: Infinity War. Marvel’s Spider-Man for the PS4 is (allegedly) fantastic and even got a game of the year nomination. So here we are, last month of 2018 with one more Spider-Man. I’ve heard many people complain about Spider-Man movie fatigue, so is yet another new Spider-Man worth it? Let’s Rock. STORY: Peter Parker’s career as Spider-Man is at its peak. You know the stories, we all do. This isn’t Peter Parker’s story however. Miles Morales is moving to a new elite high school, the son of a cop and a nurse, he lives in a New York where Spider-Man is swinging up and down the roads. However an incident with a mysterious spider bite pulls him into the world of heroes, a world shaken up by the Kingpin trying to break down the walls between dimensions. Thrown into chaos, Miles must work with those brought in from other dimensions to try to restore order and figure out what it means to be Spider-Man. This shouldn’t and probably won’t be your first Spider-Man movie. It references a lot of Spider-Man culture and is a fanservice romp for long time fans, yet is still a refreshing tale. The plot isn’t particularly deep or complex, but it doesn’t have to be. It’s simple, yet effective. Going through the logical order of a superhero story, yet packing some surprises along the way. I want to give bonus points for the story being told in a way that’s aware of the trailers and intentionally tries to subvert some preconceptions established by the trailers. While I may not be able to give this much credit on originality or freshness, I can compliment the ability of the story to deliver the emotional payoffs it needs. Some of the harder hitting moments are done fantastically and work within the simplicity of the tale. Story-wise I think my only real complaint was the climax being a bit too straightforward. The way the story is told shines brightly though, especially in its use of spider-man tropes and parallels. Since my format doesn’t have a spot for it, I’ll go ahead and discuss the humor and comedy here. The movie can be damn funny when it wants to be, not only in simple jokes, but in twisting expectations, pop culture comedy, and a lot of inside jokes for spider-man fans. The gag character of Spider-Ham manages to stay amusing throughout the whole film and never gets grating.

8/10. Simple yet effectively told. Also funi movie make me laugh.

CHARACTERS: Let’s start with Miles himself. He’s discontent with his new high school, trying to flunk out so he can move back in with the people. He’s got some issues with his family, mostly looking up to his Uncle Aaron, who’s not always on the good side of the law. While like Peter Parker he’s got a good brain and some social troubles, he’s less of a nerd wish fulfillment type. His dynamic with his Dad and Uncle is unique from Parker and is a strong point throughout the movie. While not shockingly new or interesting, Miles is a strong central character. The other spiders are also strong. Peter B. Parker is a late career Spider-Man, one movies never show us. He’s arguably washed up and the constant life toll of Spider-Man has clearly gotten to him. I found this take to be rather unique, and also relatable as we see the youths around him reminding him of what he once was. While some people may not like his negativity, I found him to be rather engaging as the group senior. Gwen Stacy brings the main cast into an effective trio. Being slightly older than Miles, she’s got a good dynamic of banter with him despite her claim to not keeping friends. She’s pretty prominent in action scenes and in general has a strong energy that puts her in the movie spotlight. While I can’t claim she has too much interesting going on, I think in large part that’s simply because it isn’t her movie. As for the other 3 spiders, they feel like a lower tier in prominence. While there, they don’t have much individual bits outside of their backstories (which get told together.) Peni and Noir were quite interesting, and I honestly felt like we really just didn’t get enough of them. If I can claim any problem here, it’s a utilization issue, but that’s something to be expected out of a one off movie. You can’t give every character the full spotlight they could use. As far as villains go the only one I can really discuss is the Kingpin. While maybe not needed, the movie did go the extra mile to give him a borderline sympathetic backstory. I was a fan of how his story kind of paralleled miles with his downfall being his inability to learn from his mistakes. All in all a pretty strong cape movie villain even if he’s not my favorite Kingpin. I also want to give a shout-out to this movie’s Aunt May. Being a spider-veteran she’s just freaking awesome in this film.

7/10. Some nice ideas and strong characters. Any real complaints are kinda inherent to the medium.

VISUALS: Oh boy is this a treat. I feel like the real appeal of the movie is the frankly amazing art direction. Pretty much every aspect is spot-on. The framing, design, movement, colors, etc. I can just keep singing the praises of this film. Miles’ street art is taken full advantage of. The use of the dimension clashing is rendered in some gorgeous design. The City at Night is rendered in some gorgeous neon colors and the costumes pop. I love how some of the characters from other timelines come in their own distinct art styles. The visual storytelling here is also amazingly done. The scene where Miles leaps from the skyscraper as a full Spider-Man, yet glass sticking to his fingers is an amazing scene. The comic book aesthetic of displaying internal thoughts and backstories is also super nice. I could keep going on but basically it all boils down to YES! YES! YES! The only real complaint I can muster is I noticed when the frame rate would change and that was kind of jarring. 

10/10, Why would you do something in animation when live action is more accessible? Because you can get art design like this!

SOUND: I went in expecting the movie to look as good as it did, I didn’t expect it to sound this good. The music track is full of bops, and not just the non-diegetic tracks but the diegetic ones too. This movie makes near perfect use of both diegetic and non-diegetic music for some absolutely amazing effect. I want this soundtrack! The voice acting was also on point. Everyone sounded great and it all came together nicely. Specific shout-out to John Mulaney as Spider-Ham for sounding the Loony Tunes part. The sound effects flowed perfectly, this isn’t a movie to just see, but to listen to.

9/10, the only faults I could really come up with are things that I’d have to set aside for an album review of the OST, and that’s one hell of a compliment.

FINAL SCORE: 9/10

This isn’t just another Spider-Man movie. It’s a Spider-Man movie for those who���ve seen too many Spider-Man movies. It’s one of the best comic book movies in a world too full of them. Not only that it’s a case study in aesthetic utilization, the art and sound design are beyond on point. It takes full advantage of the animated medium to be as visually unique as it can be in the best of ways. It’s a full recommendation not only for superhero and animation fans, but for any fan of film. While this could be your first spider-man film, I’d definitely recommend watching it with more familiarity of the character and his lore. All in all one of the best animated films in the west, and one hell of an entry in the repertoire of a character dominating the media world. PS: This movie wishes you a Merry Christmas! 

[rainelot]

GCF in Saipan- A Rant as of August 2018 (Posted December)

(Out in December since I wanted to get a more objective view on things and to edit it slightly. This is just as a memory record anyways so)

When I made this blog, it was meant to be a blog to rant about anything Bangtan that interested me. However, I recently encountered one of the most frustrating, interesting, and baffling two days of my life and I needed to address the cause of this with a rant (that I doubt people will read). The cause: Jungkook’s GCF in Saipan.

WARNING: THIS IS ALL IN GOOD FUN. I claim no rights to what is true or not. Don’t take this too seriously please. Will have Koomin/Jikook references.

To start it off, I don’t like real people shipping. I don’t really care if others do it (as long as they remain sane and logical) but I personally didn’t enjoy doing it for one reason: I don’t know them personally, so it isn’t any of my business. I enjoyed their interactions with each other platonically, using what they gave us upfront as fuel, and whatever else that might be happening to purely up to them. For BTS, I never before cared much for shipping, and just enjoyed every interaction as it is.

Then I watched GCF in Saipan, the catalyst to my descent into a brief insanity. What I can say about Saipan is that it is a theorist haven, perhaps why I’ve become so interested now. By “theorist”, I mean NOT REAL, and my opinions should not be taken as fact. These are all just observations that I personally took from the GCFs.

Perhaps what I should say before going into Saipan specifics is that I watched Tokyo in my early days as a fan. I did not know the context of the song, I did not know Jungkook or Jimin well, so I didn’t think much of it. Of course, I acknowledged it was fairly romantic in setting, but I took it to be interpreted either platonically or romantically, and even now I don’t think too much of it. The video itself has a personal meaning to me: reciprocal love, any shape of it available, with little accents and layers that can be tilted and shifted for the viewer’s own interpretation (as all art). I don’t have too much to say about Tokyo itself, because of how straight forward it is. Saipan is the one that makes no sense if I tried to take it in upfront. I’m not very good at reading behaviors, hence my inability to see what others see as “moments”, but I have done some (very unprofessional) editing before and I absolutely love art analyzing, which the GCFs very clearly are to me.

For this, I will be isolating Saipan in a fairly tight bubble, with little unrelated topics. I won’t be including much outside Jungkook’s art (except in the skeptic area). Some previous GCF mentions/comparisons, some outside views strictly on the films as well will be referenced in the rant itself. Not going to include any deep reading into their overall relationship, mostly an analysis of the GCF.

I watched Saipan (at this point after being a fan for long enough to care) first thinking that something was off. Something wasn’t harmonious with each other. The second time I watched it, I realized the dissonance was between the film and the music. Together, it wasn’t coherent, which is different than all of his work so far. Tokyo, Osaka, even USA though being equally promo-related, they all had more to build upon meaning-wise, the perspectives matched within the film. Saipan’s song both in mood and in subject clashed with the film from beginning to end. Of course, all in my opinion.

Here is the song:

Now, before I go any further, I had an intensive discussion with a mutual on twitter, who is a multi-kpop non-BTS stan. She doesn’t keep up with Bangtan, but she likes some of their songs and is a casual listener. She is also somewhat experienced and knowledgeable in video editing and had very interesting input for the factor of “film sound”, the information from a document which she paraphrased. This was her input through the DMs:

“The Pacific Cinematheque has stated that there two types of sound in film, Diegetic and Non-Diegetic. Diegetic is the sound that we would also experience in real life. Non-Diegetic is any sound we don’t experience in real life like dramatic orchestrated songs or musical score or sound effects like the screeches in the shower scene Psycho.”

“So why do directors use sound? Well (and here it comes) it is to do any of the following 1. add mood 2. add atmosphere to a film. How? By adding these soundscapes that Accent or add another Layer of meaning to the film. The filmmaker wants the audience to perceive the scenes in a specific way, and sound/music leg scenes be seen in the specific way that the director intended. Silence in a film can represent something very important or a turning point. Music, specifically in film, has various uses, but most commonly it is used to “guide the emotional response of the audience”. Music is the clue in scenes, it’s like a huge signpost directing (pun cause the filmmaker is a director anyways off track sorry) the audience on how to react to a scene.”

“So basically what I am saying is that of course Jungkook is aware of the music he’s using in his gcfs, and he’s also aware of the reaction he wants from the films. He used that song because he wanted a specific reaction from the audience, he wanted us viewers to see what his intentions are and at this point I’m insane too cause all I’m thinking is that he wants us to react to Jimin and to focus on that.”

(I may or may not have told her multiple times through out my discussion with her that I feel like I’m going insane. I calmed down before writing this though, for the sake of making any sense and neutrality.)

These are just the basics. If you still aren’t convinced how important a song is in context to a film, then remember: before Jungkook even began making the GCFs, he was doing mainly covers of songs. And he said, specifically to the fans, that the lyrics of his chosen songs are important. He usually chooses them for a reason (what that reason could be, up to the viewer, since he doesn’t outright explain the choices).

So we established that first, Jungkook most likely chose this song with actual thought and intention put into it (again, take that intention with what you may).

Of course, what interested me was Jimin’s parts. Mainly because he is my son (even though I am fairly younger than him), and also because of the teaser Jungkook released shortly before dropping Saipan. Truth be told, I wasn’t really expecting the silly dance nor the punches to be included, as I thought that Jungkook only posted that to show Namjoon and the fans what was going on in the “behind the scenes” video Namjoon posted the day before. Perhaps a little blooper insight. So yes, I was surprised that the scene was included at all, much less becoming a gap-clip repeating between alternating clips of the group and other members. I was also surprised at the amount of time Jimin was shown, as after USA being a very equalized group video, I was expecting the same from Saipan. Similarly to USA, it was very work-oriented and promotional, and also both (definitely USA as from Namjoon’s Vlive) were most likely commissioned by Bighit.

Jimin’s dominates the bridge. By dominate, I mean he is the only one with a completely exclusive part in this particular GCF. Verse 1 was Taehyung, verse 2 was Hoseok, and the choruses are a mix. Jimin appears the most not only through adding up all the small clips, but because he takes up two solid blocks of the song, both with the same context and lyrics. The reason why the it’s hard for me to link the others with their individual parts is because of the way they were shot, the clips that were chosen, all very aesthetically pleasing but difficult to find depth or flow in. Jimin’s parts almost had a story line. This is important to me because of the lyrics, which we shall visit now.

First the meaning of the song. John K. in an interview: He describes the bouncy track’s meaning as “[about] evolving through young love, admitting to past mistakes and committing to giving someone the best possible version of yourself.”

To be honest, this song is not as ambiguous to me as There For You, Troye Sivan, Tokyo GCF. Sure, Troye Sivan is a gay artist, and the song lyrics are directed at a boy. But the lyrics themselves I do think can be taken in any shape of love. For Best of Me, this is not the case. I think Verse 2 is the clearest reason for this:

Waking up next to you

Got you back in my arms

Don't it feel like it use to

Like we were never apart

Never thought I would see you

Now we're loving in the dark

We can't fight this feeling

While I’m a staunch believer in lyrics being universally interpreted and available to all versions of personal view (take Osaka as an example, which is another fairly straightforward GCF), to make it simpler for myself right now and with the tinfoil hat on, I’ll stick with what the song can be most basically understood: lovers who are loving in secret, but wants to be let free.

Here comes a bit tinfoil (not really shippy, but more reading into what it could mean artistically. Purely subjective interpretation):

Now, without going into the ship or anything at all first, here is my artistic interpretation of Jungkook’s editing: the lyrics may be directed at Jimin, but I personally can also intemperate that Jimin in the video embodies the lyrics, or the lyrics embody Jimin in the video. Either way works for me. This is interpretation in the same way people interpret the smile of Mona Lisa (purely individualistic), and it doesn’t rely too much on Jungkook’s true intentions here. Again, I don’t claim any of this as the true meaning, as to me there is no true meaning needed for me.

In the video, Jimin shows the rawest actions. He barely pays attention to the camera half of the time, and when he does, it’s for the sake of the cameraman (Jungkook). This can be seen when in the second bridge part, he shows Jungkook his own camera just off screen, and during the second chorus, he high-fives Jungkook, just off screen once more. I believe Jungkook also chose these parts intentionally, especially the sneeze during the second bridge that he zoomed in on. No matter if the purpose was just to clown Jimin (also possible), it still leads an interesting narrative for me (I know I repeated this multiple times, but no, this may not be the intentions of Jungkook, and it is my own view on it as an art form). The lyrics “I don’t wanna hide no more” building up to “Imma let you get the best of me” was in sync with the way how Jimin bursts from a serious expression into a silly dance, with the silliness continuing later after the chorus and verse 2 into the second bridge. He is true to his actions, letting go of inhibition, essentially not hiding, lying, nor acting anymore. All genuine, silly, honest moments, such as the sneezing, the off camera action, etc.

The editing for the dance part is interesting too. As I said before, I wasn’t expecting it, so it was interesting when it seemed Jungkook added a separate track and layered other clips on top of the silly dancing. This one might be a bit of a stretch, but I can see it like the clips of the groups randomly were “hiding” the silly dancing. No particular meaning needed really, just a technique used in editing that, to me, matches the lyrics in an unintended way. Those were just my thoughts when considering the possibilities of the lyrics, and the visual is pretty cool in the narration. I know from experience that it’s much easier to layer clips (BTS eating) over a longer clip (Jimin dancing) rather than cut them individually to fit around each other. So that’s just a neat observation lol. 

Artistically speaking, Jimin is the only solid narrative and character within the video because there seems to be an actual correlation between the actions he does chronologically with the lyrics given for him. I find it interesting how he and the lyrics embody each other as the video went on. Again, my personal take on a work of art.

Now here’s the ultimate tinfoil-kinda-shippy part of my post. ALL PURE SPECULATION.

This video can be conceptually all about the “hidden”. Looking at this as a GCF, in comparison to his two earliest works, it is a lot more promotional, like USA (I actually have some thoughts on USA and Bangtan as well, and may think about writing a post for it. It’s not gonna be as bad as this one though).

Perspective of GCFs before Saipan:

Onto the subject of music perspectives, Jungkook so far as established a trend of using the perspective within the songs to be directed at the people starring in it, most noticeably in Osaka, with the way the lyrics were directed/about either Jimin or Taehyung’s roles/characters in the film from a first person perspective speaking. Tokyo as well with the last few lines of “running running just to keep my hands upon you”, showing the camera in the perspective of being behind Jimin as he got farther away with the first person pronoun. USA with the “we” point of view, which is then including the film’s perspective as part of the “we”, especially noticed when Jungkook goes to shake Zedd’s hand. I assume then that Jungkook uses the music choices as a way to direct to the people or to include himself in it at some points, rather than being a passive outside third person view. Now that GCF in Newark is out, that is even more obvious, though I also find Newark to be a diverging path in his medium exploration, so the perspective is more centered around himself rather than those around him. GCF in Saipan was made with the same format as those before it so my thoughts on its techniques are the same (I will be ignoring Newark for now since it’s format is so radically different, as well as the fact that its creation doesn’t affect his previous works).

This is important in the case of Saipan being very dissonant with the the perspectives of the film and of the song. Beyond my personal artistic perspective above (which, in my interpretation, I believe is another layer to the narrative, as multiple meanings within art is always the best). Say that the lyrics are from the point of view of the camera as a character in the film (Jungkook), which so far it has been for most of the GCFs. USA’s perspective made sense in that it was a group song, and it’s about a "we”, including Jungkook, reminiscing the old days. Generally equalized screen-time for each member, first person plural perspective, you get it. Sure, the tone and mood of it was off, but at least the perspective made sense. Saipan’s perspective and mood both don’t make sense. As a whole, Best of Me as a song choice doesn’t make much sense, given the perspective of it. Very different to USA, which I previously thought Saipan was going to emulate for reasons already stated.

Saipan is biased to Jimin based on the film and lyric placement, as previously stated, and so narrative-wise, it is also Jimin-biased. The song choice itself is also strange in that Saipan’s song is very clearly not a group song. It is a song with a “me” and a “you”. During the bridges, it’s even more clear how the “me” and “you” works. With the camera being the perspective, the “me” is the singer speaking, and the “you” (if we base this off of how Jungkook’s use of perspective works thus far) is directed at whoever is on screen. The same way Tokyo was directed at Jimin, and in Osaka, Jimin and Taehyung appeared whenever the lyrics were directed at them (Taehyung appearing at “he’s taking your side of the bed” so he is the subject of the “you” in that set of lyrics, similar to how “running running just to keep my hands upon you” in Tokyo, the “you” was Jimin. Again, Jungkook uses the camera as part of the narrative, hence the use of communication between camera and “actor”).

Well, you may ask, why isn’t anyone else’s part in the going to be the same? Especially Hoseok’s part, which to be honest, I’m surprised no one mentioned much? They mentioned how the song had questionably romantic lyrics, and everyone freaked out about how beautiful Hobi was in the video (same though) but his part coincided with those questionable lyrics I mentioned earlier. Why doesn’t that indicate Jungkook proclaiming his undying love for Hobi? Well, the main reason is most likely “selective context”. That part by itself could allude to that, but as a whole, the film focused on someone else. So this is an example of taking parts of something to make a different whole. That’s why the structure of Saipan felt different than those before it. Tokyo was linear, Osaka was alternating between two, USA was group, and Saipan is... weird.

So, during the bridges, the “me” is the “I don’t wanna hide no more, I don’t wanna lie no more” and the “you” is “’cause what I found in you is so real”. Depending on who the camera’s perspective is, this can be taken in many different ways. However, USA makes me believe that the camera itself is really Jungkook (as I always assumed so) and not the fans, a third person, etc. If the “me” is Jungkook, and the “you” is Jimin -  well, I did sort of lose my sanity for two whole days.

In short, for an entire two days I was convinced Jungkook was in love with Jimin or at least had some sort of romantic connection with him in some way. Not that they were in a relationship, I was feeling something much too sudden for me to give it labels, and much too isolated to consider any “big picture”. And I felt like I was going insane because of how out of the blue my own reaction was. As I said before, I’m no shipper. So it was shocking and a little terrifying when I was so convinced. (I am calmer now, and have a relatively more neutral stance on the pairing once more, thankfully).

The main reason why I was so convinced previously was because of one reason: with input from my perspective analysis, I believe the GCFs are from Jungkook’s point of view (as we all believe). With the song choice and the clips chosen, it was a surprise to me when I thought about the film more carefully. I don’t ship BTS because to me, those are outside opinions on what’s happening, behavioral analysis videos, coincidence theories, etc. Sure, they can be interesting, sometimes cute, but I don’t see any need to support or pay too much mind to it. With GCFs, it was different because this was not outside perspective. This was Jungkook. This was his video, that he filmed and edited and spent time on. Like with his covers, as he had told us before, they (could) have meaning. They (could) tell a story, that may change the way you view his work. So what exactly could he be trying to tell us has been interesting for me to interpret. Of course, I still don’t think it matters much to have an absolute “True Meaning��� unless he gives out one, and even then, art is appreciated in many ways, with so many facets and personal subjective connections. I don’t think I’m right, just that it’s what I perceived. And for me, it took me off guard how disconnected from the rest of the film the bridges were. They were so different in mood, in style, the bias, the commutative narrative going on. I couldn’t understand what Jungkook was saying, unlike all GCFs previous where it felt more coherent and I could at least somewhat figure out his message. And while perhaps Saipan simply doesn’t have a message, that’s hard to believe with this ongoing narrative.

This basically comes down to the opposing ideals in my mind. On one hand, I would hate to assume anything about someone I don’t actually know, especially when it’s something so personal and not-my-business. On the other hand, I would hate to dismiss anything that could be meaningful from an artist who put a lot of thought and handwork into a project of their’s. Something my art teacher of four years told me before “don’t be scared of being wrong about reading into an artwork, because they want you to see the things you are seeing”. Perhaps it’s all on purpose without any personal meaning? Maybe. I’ll stick with the “meaningful narrative but not necessarily romantic” for my own safety.

Who knows? Here’s some counterclaims to cheer you up and help me regain sanity.

Speculative counterarguments with responses and more doubt and speculation (my irl friend helped to come up with some of them, just in case):

Counterclaim:The song is meant to be taken platonically, with more focus on literal meaning on the chorus parts “Imma let you get the best of me”, aimed at either the members or at the fans. The song may also be promotional due to it having the same name as one of their own song. This means the entire video was focused more on promo (like the end “Summer Package” text).

Response: Jungkook does care about lyrics, and even with promo possibly being the main focus (which I do think it is a big part of it), I don’t think he will choose a song with the same name at random. However, it is possible he wanted to choose a song with the same name (promo, personal reason, who knows) and also thought the lyrics applied minimally (and liked it musically). As I said before, I am a big “lyrics can mean anything” person, so taking romantic lyrics and using them for platonic or other situations is something I can see happening. So yeah. This is definitely possible.

Counterclaim: Jimin is focused on for the bridge part because of the lyrics “I don’t wanna lie no more” tying to his “Lie” solo from Wings (my friend is the one who came up with this one)

Response: This one I find there is a low possibility of. Mostly because even if that was the case, why would Jimin dominate the entire bridge, including the other lyrics? Jungkook could have easily edited in other members, like the mixture he does for the verses and especially the choruses. Just put in a little shot of Jimin at the lie part and move on. So, this is unlikely (along with the fact that I really doubt Jungkook chooses songs and clips based on that) Which leads to the next counter:

Counterclaim: Jungkook very simply enjoys filming Jimin most, due to familiarity and Jimin being more comfortable with it. He’s at the bridges for content symmetry and also because there were simply more footage of him because of ease and accumulation. He sees Jimin as a very fun and goofy person, so he used the funny clips. There is no deeper meaning behind Jimin’s shots.

Response: Sure, I guess. This comes down to “how personal are the GCFs for Jungkook?”, which I would personally say very much so but I digress. They’ve already proven that Jungkook enjoys pointing the camera Jimin a lot in recent interviews (5th army mainly). I still think the most questionable parts of the video was how Jimin was singled out at the bridge parts and what the lyrics could possibly mean along with that, but I won’t rule this one out for the sake of accumulating other possibilities, no matter how much I believe in Jungkook’s artistic vision and my innate enjoyment in getting random meanings out of everything for fun. Again, platonic intention is possible to me. You may disagree, and that’s completely fine. I’m still neutral about this, because hey, anything is possible. So don’t get too carried away.

Counterclaim: So what about Osaka, if you consider the lyrics literally? Does that mean Taehyung, Jimin, and Junkook are in a love triangle?

Response: Honestly, I would like to do a personal analysis of Osaka in a separate post in the future (if I have time). Here’s a taste of what I think of it in a shorter answer to Osaka in general: it is actually possibly my favorite GCF, reasons being that I adore the the little no-music cuts Jungkook did, and also because Vmin is one of my favorite relationships in Bangtan. Due to sentimental reasons, Vmin has a very special place to my heart. Osaka feeds that part of my soul I suppose. Now, about the lyrics and the supposed love training happening, the thing is that Osaka is very different from Saipan in terms of use of perspective, use of cuts, screen time, etc. Personally, I see Osaka as a film about the maknae-line as a whole, with a smidgen of Jimin-bias. I don’t see the film about a love triangle, especially not a romantic one. Hope I can make a separate post detailing this.

Now that I’m done, I want people to not overthink it too much (unlike me). Of course, Saipan for me personally was just incredibly interesting because of how off and strange it felt to me in comparison to the other GCFs, but in regards to shipping, don’t invest too much emotionally. Enjoy what you get from all members, get attached to a pair maybe. But don’t let it completely take over your life. I like the speculative agnostic approach best (similar to my favorite blogger in regards to KM). Sure, Saipan had me go insane for two days straight out of the blue, but coming down from the insanity was a learning experience, especially returning to my neutral stance, which I enjoy greatly.

Making this more clear once again: this is not a post exposing Jungkook or anything. I do not claim any of this as his real thoughts. In fact, I don’t even believe any of what I’ve interpreted entirely. Those to me are “possibilities” to be thought, but not to be declared as truth. I think I’m probably wrong about a lot of this. Since again, why else do people still question what exactly Mona Lisa was smiling so mysteriously about? (she knows something we don’t, as the critics say).

If you want a more impartial opinion on GCF in Saipan, I recommend this director's outlook. I recommend using a non-biased mind to read this non-biased outlook. It is very interesting by itself as a professional's opinion. Please do not take the post as fodder for ships nor the definitive meaning of Saipan (if there even was one, who knows). We will never know for sure unless Jungkook ever decided to explain it if he wishes to. And if he never does, that’s fine too. Distinguishing what is reality, what is our reality, and what is someone else’s reality is extremely important.

Thanks for reading if you did! Hope it wasn’t the most awful thing ever. Tell me what you think about my interpretation, my opinions, counterarguments and counter-counterarguments. I do like KM as a ship now in some way, but again, all in good fun, and I don’t really want to give the relationship any labels. I don’t really want to take any of this too far other than a long rant to let out some parallel universe thoughts.

This was made also before I really got into any KM speculation, and it’s all very interesting. But I currently don’t really want to form a solid opinion on anything, or read too deeply. Maybe I will, one day. Or not. Since like I said, I’m not good at reading people.

It’s very likely no one will even see this, but as a personal record of my thoughts, it feels good to put them down.

💦 ☔💦

[theinquisitivej]

Review Variety Pack: Singers, Vampires, and Autopsies

When you write reviews, there are some weeks where there’s simply nothing on the schedule that grabs your interest or sparks any ideas that you feel compelled to write down. Then there are the times where you have the opposite problem, and you end up watching more than enough content to fill two or three articles, and you just don’t know what to pick. When this happens, I’m often torn between my desire to cover everything I see to produce more content and talk about as many different things with my readers as physically possible, and the practical limitation of only having so much time each week to properly go into extensive detail of what I’ve seen. Well, on this occasion, I thought I would try something a little different and take a quick look at a couple films and a TV series rather than dedicate an entire article to just one of them. Don’t worry, I’ll be back to the more in-depth format for my reviews soon enough. For now, this approach just allows me to catch up on some of the content I’ve been meaning to talk about, as well as point you all in the direction of a couple of items. There may even be one or two which have flown under the radar for you.

 ‘A Star is Born’

         Okay, so maybe not ALL of these are smaller projects that haven’t received a lot of media attention. But whatever – the deal with this movie is that Bradley Cooper decided to direct the latest in what has apparently been a long line of remakes and adaptations of the 1937 movie A Star is Born. Cooper plays a popular male singer who discovers a young woman with a talent for singing, played by Lady Gaga, who he wants to introduce to the world and drama ensues as they start a relationship and her fame keeps growing. I have no familiarity with the original or any of the other three remakes listed on Wikipedia, so take that for whatever it’s worth when I say I’m glad I saw this film.

         The 2018 A Star is Born seems to be made with the knowledge that the audience has likely heard this song before. Even if you’re like me and you haven’t seen any of the four previous versions of this film, the rise-to-stardom story is so well-established that it’s a safe bet that you’ll recognise many of the typical story beats of this kind of film. You see the future star’s humble origins, their soaring debut, their optimism for their bright future, them getting signed on for a record label and a soulless manager character entering the picture, their image having to be changed as they get pushed further into the public eye, someone close to them criticising them because they believe the star has lost their way, one of the characters taking a bad turn as it starts to feel like the star has lost all control of their life, and so on. It’s a story we know, but A Star is Born appears to be conscious of this fact. Towards the end of the film, there’s a conversation where a character reflects on how the same notes are repeated over and over between different songs. The character remarks that it’s in the different ways that people see those notes and interpret them through their music that new experiences are created.

         And I think that’s what this film does. The story may be similar to half a dozen other examples, but the execution is what engages. There’s a naturalistic direction to the film that you can see through the way characters talk over each other as they conduct their conversations, or the slight documentary-style to the cinematography, or the minimal use of non-diegetic music which makes the soundtrack seem as if it’s coming from the characters themselves as they sing and play throughout the story. This increases the sense of impact to some of the events within the story because the film is selling you on the impression that what you’re seeing is really happening. On top of that, Lady Gaga’s experience as a professional singer not only enables her to sing well throughout the film, but it also helps her to convey the emotions and thought processes being experienced by her character as she sings. She’s able to deliver a dramatic performance alongside her musical performance, and that’s compelling to watch.

         The 2018 version of A Star is Born is not telling a new story, but it manages to tell a familiar narrative in a way that manages to be distinctive and emotionally affecting. If any of the people involved make the film of interest to you, or if the mood takes you and you want to experience a decent version of this sort of rising-star story, then this version of A Star is Born is a decent pick. Now I just have to watch Bohemian Rhapsody and see if the other film about musical celebrities currently out in cinemas does as good a job at hitting its marks.

Final Score: Bronze / Silver

 ‘Castlevania’ Season 2

         Castlevania is one of those franchises that, on first inspection, appears to have a complicated history with dozens of instalments all coming together to form this grand tapestry telling the story of the war between Dracula, destined to reincarnate every 100 years, and the Belmonts, a family of vampire hunters that have dedicated their entire lineage to keeping Dracula and his forces of darkness at bay. And for fans who want to read into it, that expansive timeline is absolutely there, but on a very simple level, every Castlevania game more or less tells the same story. Dracula shows up along with his huge labyrinthine castle, and someone with a whip and a bunch of vampire-hunting equipment rocks up to kick him back into his coffin. Sometimes there are other characters along for the ride to make it slightly more complicated, but that’s the general gist. Also, there’s always some excellent music accompanying the proceedings.

         The first season of the Netflix animated series Castlevania adapted the story of the third game in the series. As it was only four 20-minute episodes, the first season is barely longer than a feature-length movie, and just as it finds its purpose and you feel like you’re getting into it, it ends. It wasn’t anything more than a semi-decent series, but I felt like there was potential when I watched it last year. The animation during the scenes where characters are simply talking to one another was stiff and you’d only see characters shift in place after a sentence or two, rather than exhibit more natural, flowing movement from moment-to-moment. But the action scenes were clearly where the animation budget went, as fights were creative and choreographed with a satisfying flair which showcased the animator’s passion for the source material. Performances were suitably brooding and at the right level between genuine human levels of emotion and melodramatic excessiveness, which is fitting for something Gothic and cheesy like this. At times the excessive gore and general revelling in shock-factor violence grated on me, and none of the characters really captured my interest or felt like I could get behind them until the second half of the last episode.

         Now Season 2 of Castlevania doesn’t fix all of my issues with the previous season, but I am very happy with some of the progress I’ve seen so far. I haven’t finished the season yet, as I’m six episodes in and have two left before I’m done, but I’ve seen enough to say that the extra time has benefitted the writers, allowing them to take the time to further explore characters and focus on conversations and interactions between the different members of the cast. The result is a more satisfying and complete-feeling season.

         Apart from that, my thoughts are more or less the same as the first season. I like their presentation of the series’ established Gothic aesthetic through the impressive backgrounds and character design. I enjoy seeing characters and references from the games and think the showrunners are doing a great job at translating the tone of the games to an ongoing TV series. The excessive gore is a little much at times, and not because I can’t handle it, but because it feels inelegant and unnecessary when they’re already doing such a good job at establishing a Gothic atmosphere. I am enjoying the characters more, even though the attempts at humour feel a little awkward (though I think that’s part of the intentional style of the series, so take that for what it’s worth). All in all, a solid series that has gotten better since last year, but still has several areas in which it could improve. If you enjoy the original games or are a fan of cheesy Gothic fantasy, then give it a watch.

Final Score: Copper / Bronze

 ‘The Autopsy of Jane Doe’

         Watching this 2016 horror movie from André Øvredal, the director of Trollhunter, was how I spent Halloween this year, and it was a night well spent. A father-son pair of coroners are given an unidentified body of a woman that was found on a crime scene and are tasked with finding a cause-of-death by morning so that the local sheriff can give a full statement on the matter. As they proceed with the autopsy, they find more and more things which don’t add up. There are signs of things happening to the body which don’t make scientific sense when you consider the body’s appearance, and to top it off, there’s an uneasy atmosphere around the office as things just don’t feel right. And from there, I’ll keep you in the dark, as one of the most enjoyable elements to watching this film for the first time is trying to work out what’s going on alongside the two main characters as they dig further into this mystery.

         The Autopsy of Jane Doe got under my skin because it taps into the uneasiness you often feel when you’re stuck in an office or medical building late at night and you’re one of the only people remaining. It makes effective use of space to create a suffocating feeling to the autopsy room and the one or two other spaces our characters find themselves in as the film goes on. The use of the right-angled corridor to create suspense as you fear what might come around the corner is commendable. Both of the two main actors, Brian Cox as the father and Emile Hirsch as the son, work well in their roles, selling you on their close, familial relationship as well as the fact that they are professional coroners, so they know what to do and how to handle their nerves around a dead body, but they’re also human enough to get a little uneasy when things start looking weird.

         As I touched on earlier, I was really drawn in by the set-up to The Autopsy of Jane Doe, fascinated to learn more as conflicting pieces of information are revealed to both the characters and the audience. It’s an exciting sensation that I think is unique to horror; it’s the human urge to find out more even when all signs are telling you that you should stop delving into this unsettling area. You have to know the truth and understand what’s going on, even when it takes you to deadly territory. It’s such a recurring feeling that I experience when watching horror, as well as see in the motivations of the characters within horror narratives, that I consider the horror and mystery genres to be close relatives. The Autopsy of Jane Doe is dripping with that sense of horrific mystery as it centres on an autopsy, a procedure that is done when you want to find out the truth behind something but is also inherently unsettling as you are staring face-to-face at death, in all its detail.

         This horror movie has a great premise which is executed with impressive technical ability by its actors, cinematographer, and director (even if it leans on the jump-scare tactic a little too much). For those who like their horror with an air of mystery, then this is a hard recommend.

Final Score: Silver

[bishreview]

A Quiet Place (2018) Review

Who are we if we can't protect them?

There have been many horror films in recent years which try and wear you down, through atmospheric settings and music. They utilise the unknown and usually have a metaphorical meaning, the movie being an analogy for a social or political statement (such as Get Out’s focus on modern racism and The VVitch’s analysis on the negative treatment of strong women). It’s as if we are moving into a new era of horror, something which I’m excited for, as we turn away from the slasher/torture porn genre which overfilled the 00s. John Krasinski’s  A Quiet Place definitely fits into this region. Unfortunately though, its inconsistencies and inability to ground itself in a theme causes it to fail to reach the heights of other films in the sub-genre.

The film is set in a post-apocalyptic world, where a strange, alien monster (origin isn’t explained in the film) has wiped out most of humanity. It’s an ultra-fast, ultra-strong, humanoid creature which is both bulletproof and blind. It’s biggest asset though is its hearing, being able to hear noise from (assumed) miles away, hunting the sound immediately. It makes for a great setting, as we follow a family who have learned to adapt to the climate, especially after the death of their youngest child, Beau Abbott (Cade Woodward) to the monsters. They have devised sand (I think) pathways between important locations as they have built a country home fort to protect themselves from the monsters. Wife and mother, Evelyn Abbott (performed brilliantly by Emily Blunt), is also nine months pregnant. 

This is where the movie falls apart. The movie creates its major second act conflict by having the father, Lee Abbott (John Krasinski), decides to take his young, paranoid son Marcus Abbott (Noah Jupe) on a day trip into the forest, to try and make him braver (I think, it isn’t really explained why this trip is needed). Marcus’ older sister, Regan Abbott (Millicent Simmonds), who is a lot braver and eager to explore than her brother, as well as being deaf, is upset that she can’t go. Regan’s relationship with her father is actually one of the stronger plot points in the film, with Lee blaming Regan for the death of Beau, and how their fractured relationship is to blame for a lot of what happens between the two characters is engaging. What isn’t engaging though is that Lee, who has been able to create this brilliantly well-thought out home to protect them, will leave his nine month pregnant wife in a world in which sound attracts killer monsters. There are many of these decisions, especially later on which I don’t want to get into because spoilers, which break the character’s intelligence. The film sets up this family’s ability to stay alive as an example of how smart they are, their ability to adaptation to the world based on them learning how to survive through being smart. There are all sorts of examples of this, with a nursery built for the unborn child being fully sound-proof. When characters do stupid things in horror films, it’s expected, but when they do something stupid that doesn’t fit their character it becomes disappointing and really drags the plot down. 

The second major weakness of this film is how the film treats its audience. There is a solution to how to fight the monsters and part of the plot is the characters trying to figure it out. We get hints throughout, and that should be enough for us to follow the characters as they work it out. Instead the film insists on spelling it out for us, getting to the point where I was expecting a character to turn towards the camera and wink comically before doing something. In a horror movie which is supposed to be smart and subtle, obviously spelling out the answer is just insulting the audience, expecting them not to be intelligent enough to work it out themselves.

The movie isn’t all bad though. The setting of the film is beautiful, utilising a very silent score and having the dialogue mainly done through sign language. This silence creates suspense throughout and makes viewing it a tense experience, although they sometimes use non-diegetic music which doesn’t seem to add to the film and takes the viewer out of the experience. When there is talking though, it’s often used as a sense of relief, connecting speech to safety.

The isolation of sound is backed up by the choreography. Long shots of the environment, highlighting the emptiness of the environment and how alone the family are. As they live on the farm there are some brilliant camera techniques used that utilise the environment to its fullest potential (especially a cornfield scene which leaves the viewer guessing what will happen but never being fully sure). 

The biggest strength for this movie though is the monster itself. To describe it, it’s a humanoid creature with a bat-like face and large, sharp, long teeth. It’s arms and legs are long, lanky and move like a spiders. The CGI used for it is stunning. It looks so real and so terrifying. Often in horror films we get a monster which is seen too much and feels too cartoonish, but here every time it appears the movie benefits. Ironically, it rarely ever appears in a jumpscare (most jumpscares are fake outs in this film unfortunately), meaning that the design of the creature and how it is implemented into the environment is where the fear comes from. It’s a brilliant move, and makes the film standout from other horrors.

Overall, it isn’t a bad movie. It’s beautiful to look at, has a brilliantly used concept and I can’t praise the monster enough. It simply fails to stay consistent with its characters. The more I think about it, the more holes that begin to form. It’s unfortunate because it has all the pieces to be a brilliant horror film, but just falls short. To be honest, I’ve been a lot harder on this film than usual, but only because the flaws in it aren’t being brought up by other reviews I’ve read. Regardless of the flaws though, it’s still an enjoyable movie. It’s ambitious but doesn’t reach the heights that it sets for itself.

A Quiet Place get a C+

[comm2890researchblog]

Post 10 - Critical Analysis

The submitted film was around a five minute sequence exploring different techniques I learnt during my academic and practical research.

Scene 1

The film opens in darkness with a quiet non-diegetic soundtrack in the background. The emotional backdrop is then accompanied with the diegetic rings of a cell phone before a voicemail is delivered. Audiences are then met with the first shot of the film - a focus pull showcases a leaflet (‘In Loving Memory of Jack Fincher’) before drawing away to some sympathy cards. The shot is presented as Jack asserts that the voicemail belongs to him. 

This was an idea I envisioned at the very first reading of Hannah’s script - initially I wanted a slow build up (with possible shots of Jack and Jenny together in an idyllic setting; laughing or dancing together under the bright warm tones of a sunny Summer’s day). This ambiguous start would then be juxtaposed with the visually jolting shot of Jenny stood alone, listening to the sound of Jack’s voice on her phone. For this I voiced that I would rely on the cinematography and colour grading to aid in presenting the unity before the isolation. However, I like what I have done with the opening, as it settles the audience into the narrative and works well with the shots we had collated.

Additionally, Saminda had kindly provided me with various shots for the beginning scene. However, I personally enjoyed the focus pull as it allowed time for the audience to grasp the audio-visual narrative that Jack had passed away and that someone was listening to the voicemail. 

I employed a subtle dissolve from this shot to a shot of Jenny alone in the kitchen. She appears distressed. Whilst initially this shot was designed for a later scene, it felt appropriate to move this to the start. We believed that a lack of music worked well here, we found that there was power in her words and that no music was really necessary. I tried to make this shot visually dense by using a close up before a medium-shot. Whilst this isn’t conventional to film, I found that it worked well for the opening, especially in order to establish the protagonist. 

Scene 2

The next scene begins on a dissolve. I used the Quick Transition tool in order to accomplish this.  DiZazzo (2000) contends that 'a dissolve is two fades...it is meant to suggest a passage of time or a major change of location'. This is exactly the reason that I employed this. Whilst scene 1 was to present the protagonist in an earlier stage of denial, this next scene showcased her morning through aggression and isolation. 

This was my favourite scene to edit with the sheer variety of shots I felt as though I could really build up the pace and showcase the detrimental effects that Jack’s death has had on Jenny. The phone vibrating was especially important to show both visually and through audio. This was to build up the narrative to the next scene - where she apologises to Lilith (Jack’s mum) for ignoring her. This was also to showcase her decline into depression. In the earlier scene she tells Jack how his mum recommended voicemail communication as a form of therapy/ moving on. She vocalises, quite clearly, that she is still interacting with others, she is still seeking the comfort of her friends and family. 

However, I believe the editing and cinematography display a drastic change in mannerisms since then and possibly render her longing in the space of a few weeks later. 

Personally, I didn’t like the screaming and felt as though this was too direct (as if to spoon-feed the audience). However, I think it works with the next scene where she apologises for her anger.

Scene 3

This scene was initially part of (what is now) scene 1. Therefore, it was hard to cut and make sense of the shots. The producer was keen on this shot as it builds the narrative and introduces another character into the mix. I think visually showcasing a new character would have been (visually) interesting - though, with a lack of actors available, I had to substitute it with a shot and audio match the two shots together. 

I wanted the voice of Jenny in scene 3 to begin earlier in scene 2 as I believed this would help merge the two shots together better. However, my teammates weren’t too keen on the idea and found that it worked well as it is shown in the submitted version. 

Scene 4

On the other hand, Fiske (2010) argued that ‘motivated editing...tries to make the work of the editor and director as invisible as possible’. I believe for the most part this was true. I attempted to use the ‘on-action’ cutting style or overlay inserts during shot cuts. However, what I noticed during the screening is that I used many fades and dissolves to embed a movement in location, but especially a movement over time. 

I really enjoyed editing this scene also. Hannah did a phenomenal job with the direction of the actress here and Saminda did a great job with the cutaways. This allowed me to intensify the diegetic voice-over of Jenny as she claims that her life has changed since Jack’s death (which is now a year ago in the narrative). In the earlier versions, I had added a piano and violin score that builds as the emotions heighten within the final voicemail. However, the producer and director were not keen on this as they found the music to be cliche and felt as though it distracted from the voice over itself. Ella kindly found an uplifting track which Hannah was happy with and I overlaid this at a point in which felt appropriate to the contemporary styled music. 

Whilst I am not so keen on the revised score, I am happy that it meets Hannah’s vision and feels more suitable for the up-beat ending she was aiming for. 

I was also keen on overlaying some quick shots of Jenny getting ready to leave her house. Whilst it isn’t clear where she is going, we are able to notice her smiling at herself in the mirror for the first time within the entire sequence. Therefore, it is visually clear that she has ‘moved on’. 

Colour grading

Mitchell and Mitchell (2004) suggest that 'digital colour grading is incredibly flexible. The whole image, or just individual tones or colours, can be varied'. This was true in the edit of Leave Your Message (2019). 

Whilst no drastic edit was made to the colour, I did correct the shadows/highlights and contrasts which helped to make the washed out shots appear more vibrant and filmic. I corrected the tones using the shadows and highlights histograms, following the rule to spread the colour range whenever possible. Additionally, I used the RGB visuals to aid my grading. 

Overall, the colour grading went well and if I was to have more time perhaps a more drastic edit could have been attempted to further enhance the visuals. 

REFERENCES: 

1/ DiZazzo, R. 2000. Corporate Media Production. Massachusetts: Focal Press

2/ Fiske, J. 2010. Television Culture. Oxford: Routledge

3/ Mitchell, A. J. and Mitchell, M. 2004. Visual Effects for Film and Television. Massachusetts: Focal Press

[latenightcinephile]

#803: ‘The Kid with a Bike’, dir. Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, 2011.

On the face of it, The Kid with a Bike is not an accomplished film. The plot, in which a boy is abandoned by his father and taken under the wing of both a kindly woman and, temporarily, a young gang, seems to be paper-thin, and while the performances are great and evocative, there’s a lot of psychological travel that isn’t accounted for in the film’s actual story. In order for the film’s events to transpire in the way they do, the characters need to make decisions that just aren’t shown on the screen. Perhaps the most significant example of this is where Samantha (Cécile de France) opts to take in the young boy, Cyril (Thomas Doret). It’s a big decision, and one that is completely glossed over in the film. However, while the film is, generally speaking, rather mundane, it shows moments of ‘puncture’ that lead me to believe it’s got more entrance points for analysis than your standard Hollywood production.

When teaching, I had to repeatedly counsel students about what we termed ‘bullshit colour theory’ - the assumption that a colour has static, finite symbolic interpretations. Colour in films typically has meaning only insofar as it is repeated within a film to form a motif. Sometimes these motifs draw on existing cultural symbolism, but that doesn’t mean that these interpretations are easily transportable to audiences from other cultures. White is not always a colour of purity (for emphasis of this, see its treatment in horror films such as Ringu). In The Kid with a Bike, Cyril is constantly wearing red. The constancy of this colour choice was so pronounced I had to check to make sure we didn’t only see Cyril when he was wearing the same clothing (which would be an interesting approach to take to narrative). But no, he owns at least four red shirts, and he is seen only in one sequence not wearing red - when he’s asleep. The standard symbolism of red, according to bullshit colour theory? Love, anger, passion. Of these, only ‘anger’ really fits the bill for Cyril, so let’s go wider. In a film in which everyone else consistently wears blue, grey and white, Cyril’s red shirts draw the attention of the viewer. By placing Cyril visually apart from the rest of the cast, the Dardenne brothers remind the viewer that this story is Cyril’s. It’s only in the final sequences of the film, after Cyril has accepted Samantha’s love and care, that she’s shown in pink, connecting her and Cyril together in the frame.

Cinematic traits also only gain significance in conjunction with other traits, so always putting Cyril in red has further effects. Cyril is commonly shown in motion - on his bike for shots with long duration; running; fighting. Not only does this further draw our attention to him, it also connects red with Cyril’s energetic nature. Here, red doesn’t symbolise energy, it coexists consistently alongside it. Looking at another trait, we can see how use of traits can undercut intended meaning. Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne don’t use music in their films often - in fact, The Kid with a Bike is their first film to use a consistent non-diegetic score. Luc Dardenne describes the purpose of this as providing “emotions and new beginnings”. However, the most common piece of music is a rising verse by Beethoven which, in its repetition across the film, acts against the feeling of ‘new beginnings’. Although it could be argued that the music plays at moments of progression for Cyril (learning that his father doesn’t want to see him, learning that he has been rejected by Wesker (Egon di Mateo), the gang leader, rather than providing a feeling of progression, it seems to drag Cyril’s character backwards. The Dardenne brothers’ lack of application of music means they’re not well-practiced in employing it.

Moving on from textual analysis, most film criticism relies on narrative examination. Even in this framework, The Kid with a Bike has a few surprises. What is mostly a coming-of-age film with a troubled young male protagonist, like Truffaut’s The 400 Blows or Loach’s Kes, has an interesting diversion in its final few scenes. Cyril’s biggest turn away from Samantha is when, at Wesker’s insistence, he robs a newsagent and his son, hitting them both with a baseball bat. Neither is killed, fortunately for Cyril, but while the newsagent accepts an apology, the son doesn’t. Later, the son corners Cyril and injures him, to the point that both he and his father think Cyril might be dead. After Wesker’s insistence on taking all the evidence from the scene of the crime, which we think is unique to Wesker’s twisted world, we suddenly have this turned upside down. The first thing the newsagent does when his son fetches him is come up with an alibi. Shortly afterwards, he throws the evidence of the attack into the woods. In these moments, we see that self-interest is the rule of this film, not the exception. And the only character who doesn’t display self-interest to this extent is Samantha. Entirely by chance, she is the best character in this film, and thus the only one to care for Cyril. Her character development comes even when she’s not on-screen.

The Kid with a Bike is not a perfect film. It’s frail in parts, repetitive in others. But it is an intriguing film, in how it invites us to engage with it on a deeper level. It’s the kind of film you use to teach others about how film language works, and it does this through its failings as much as through its successes. That makes it a worthwhile endeavour.

[johnnymundano]

A Blade in the Dark (1983) (AKA La casa con la scala nel buio)

Directed by Lamberto Bava

Screenplay by Elisa Briganti and Dardano Sacchetti

Music by Guido & Maurizio De Angelis

Country: Italy

Running Time: 101 minutes

CAST

Andrea Occhipinti as Bruno

Lara Lamberti as Julia (as Lara Naszinski)

Fabiola Toledo as Angela

Anny Papa as Sandra

Stanko Molnar as Giovanni

Valeria Cavalli as Katia

Michele Soavi as Tony Rendina

Giovanni Frezza as young boy in film clip

Lamberto Bava (cameo in editing room)

(Apology: the pics aren’t too hot because the print wasn’t too hot. Probably something to do with A Blade in the Dark being shot on 35mm (for TV) then blown up for 70mm (cinema). Or just the usual pot luck of Blu-Ray transfers.)

A Blade in the Dark is a 1983 giallo by Lamberto Bava which doesn’t exactly disgrace itself, but nor is it as flamboyantly trashy as you might expect from the director of the nonsense classic Delirium (1987). It’s like Delirium’s better behaved but far duller cousin. While A Blade in the Dark doesn’t make you want to run around without your trousers on, nor does it make you want to take up golf. It’s…okay. Much like the house most  of the movie is set in, A Blade in the Dark possesses too many vacant stretches for comfort, but every now and again there’s an item of interest that makes you glad you bothered. Sometimes it’s a gruesome kill, sometimes it’s something agreeably ridiculous like a small kid in a bad wig, sometimes it’s something heart swellingly surreal like an indoor rain of tennis balls, sometimes it’s just the hope that Bruno will change his jumper, but there’s usually something to keep you awake before too long. True, the movie title does fib about the dark; it’s not actually very dark, even at night; but there is definitely a blade or two, and that’s’ what matters in a giallo. Well, it’s hardly nut-tight plotting and believable characters that matters, is it now? C’mon.

So, in case you were wondering what the set-up is…Bruno (Andrea Occhipinti), a somewhat dull witted composer with bad taste in jumpers, rents a large house from twitchy Tony Rendina (Michele Soavi) in order to work on the score to a giallo, but soon finds his work rate impaired by a series of bizarre occurrences. Occurrences which strongly suggest someone is bumping off young women in the house whenever his back is turned. With a singular lack of bodies and only a slashed up spank mag and a bunch of suggestive blood stains to back him up, Bruno decides not to contact the police but instead raises his concerns with the two people he knows and the gardener, who all basically tell him he’s soft in the head. Bruno might not be a very exciting person but he could have a point. Why do female visitors mysteriously disappear? Why is there blood on the bushes and in the bathroom? Who is the mysterious Linda? What’s that stink coming out of the pool filter? Why would anyone keep a suitcase full of tennis balls? Who rents out a house this badly furnished? Is Bruno just a morbid bugger or is there (da-da-DA!!) really a killer in the house? [Spoiler: there’s really a killer in the house.]

In my defence, it’s not much of a spoiler as we see the murders in all their gory glory. Bruno is a singularly unimaginative man so it’s never in doubt that this is really happening; this isn’t one of those tricksy movies where it’s all going on in someone’s mad head. No, A Blade in the Dark is not exactly unpredictable plot-wise. You will probably guess who the killer is, but you will fail to guess why, as the explanation is as rewardingly “say what now?!?” as in any giallo worth its ketchup. A Blade in the Dark might have a noticeable tension deficiency, but it sure has some murders in it. Without wishing to sound like a thoroughly reprehensible individual, they are quite good murders too; even if the build ups are a bit too long-winded. There’s only so much panicked running away you can watch without starting to suspect the victim’s heart really isn’t in this getting away lark. Eventually, though, the killer corners them and gets stuck in, usually with a craft-knife. This is the killer’s preferred weapon, mainly because it’s available; like many composers Bruno has one lying about along with his spank mags on his work desk. (Oscar® winning movie score composer John Williams never starts a score without a copy of Juggly Wugglies and a craft-knife to hand.) But the killer isn’t too fussy and if a massive kitchen knife, a wrench or a spool of film is at hand then that’ll do. A good giallo killer should always be adaptable.

A Blade in the Dark was originally made for Italian TV so I was a bit taken aback by the levels of violence on show. Nowadays, sure, anything goes. “Won’t anyone think of the children!”; it’s the end of decency and humanity, blah, blah,  and all that. But back in 1983 I’m not sure television was ready for a scene where a woman’s hair washing is interrupted by a knife through the hand, a bag over her face and a repeated and very determined face-sink interaction. Turns out, television wasn’t ready for that, so I win that one. Originally filmed as four half-hour parts of a TV mystery series (Brutal Lady Murder Mystery Half Hour?), with each part ending with a murder, A Blade in the Dark logistically requires a minimum of 4 murders. But Bruno only knows 2 women - his scatty actress girlfriend Julia (Lara Lamberti) and the oddball director of the giallo he’s working on, Angela (Fabiola Toledo).

Julia likes to show up unannounced, sex Bruno up and tell lies, while Angela, like many movie directors no doubt, thinks ringing Bruno up and threatening to kill him in a creepy voice is a real thighslapper of a joke. Obviously both these ladies are a bit freak-ay and thus squarely in the frame as the craft-knife wielding killer, so to maintain the suspense someone else has to get slaughtered upfront. Luckily the house has a swimming pool. As we all know swimming pools attract young women like inappropriate internet content attracts men. And you never know when a young woman might fall out of  a cupboard, for reasons even she seems unsure of. By hook or by crook A Blade in the Dark gets its murders in. Basically, it’s the kills that lift A Blade in the Dark out of mediocrity. Well, the kills and one other thing. Surprisingly this thing turns out to be a lively, self-deprecating intelligence.

While A Blade in the Dark’s TV origins might lead you to expect an approach as dull as Bruno’s jumper, that’s misleading. It certainly caught me quite off guard with the first trick it plays (no spoilers), but that isn’t the only trick this cheeky monkey plays; which is even more surprising. Because, for reasons known only to itself, A Blade in the Dark gets a bit meta, which is fun; it’s even more fun because it just can’t quite manage to pull it off. That’s okay, when meta works it always feels a bit smug; wonky meta is way better. I like my meta a bit rough round the edges, but that could just be me. The crux of the meta is the movie within the movie. Crucially, the movie Bruno is scoring and Angela is directing may contain the key to the mystery. It definitely contains Giovanni Frezza, who has now appeared in so many movies I’ve watched recently (Demons, The House by the Cemetery and this one) I fear he may be haunting me, like that guy in Wes Craven’s Shocker (1986).

But I digress, the line between that in-movie movie and the movie you are watching is blurred occasionally to enjoyably disquieting effect.  Mostly A Blade in the Dark does this by having a bit of fun via Bruno’s music, with that diegetic and non-diegetic business people like to go on about to look smart, and then they wonder why no one invites them to parties. There’s no consistency or real point to A Blade in the Dark’s metatastic boondogglery, but it is fun. Basically, its reach exceeds its grasp, but, hey, points for trying. (NB: If you want to watch a meta-(neo) giallo where the meta actually works (and without any smuggery) then see Berberian Sound Studio (2012)). As TV shows rejigged into movies go, A Blade in the Dark is no Mullholland Drive (2001) but it is just luridly nonsensical enough to be a decent giallo. And there ain’t no harm in that.

[reactingtosomething]

Reacting to Grey’s Anatomy (Part 1 of ?)

“Why Do We _____, Dr. ____?”

The Setup: Kris’s writing teacher doesn’t watch more than one season of most TV shows in real-time, so that she can keep up with the big picture of the industry, but she does stay current on Grey’s Anatomy. She was annoyed with the structure of the season 13 finale, so it was homework for Kris’s class. Marchae and Miri have wanted Kris to react to Grey’s for a long time -- this was actually, indirectly, part of the origin story for Reacting to Something -- and Kris didn’t want to jump in TOTALLY blind so he figured he could just watch a handful of earlier episodes to ease in. Silly boy.

KRIS: So I have now seen the nine episodes of season 1, plus episodes 1-5 and the “code black” two-parter of season 2

And the most recent season finale, because [Writing Teacher] told us to watch it

MARCHAE: You nailed the rewatch! 

KRIS: And in freshman year of college I saw a few scattered episodes of whatever season fall 2005 was

or maybe sophomore year?

MARCHAE: And to be transparent I am two-ish seasons behind 

KRIS: Did you watch the last finale?

MARCHAE: No but I knew most of the players in this episode 

Of the recent season I watched more episode from where I was in season 12

But am committed to finishing and being caught up after this season 

KRIS: OK I guess we shouldn’t talk about that one then

But I do have some Opinions about the earlier stuff I’ve watched

MARCHAE: Oh I will watch as we text!! 

So I do want to know what you think of the show in general 

I've wanted your opinion for a long time now

KRIS: It’s hard for me not to compare it to early ER, which was one of my first major TV obsessions (I watched those seasons in syndication when I was in high school)

I low-key refused to watch House or Grey’s when I first learned about them after moving back to the US after high school in Europe, because I was like “why do these need to exist if ER is still on the air?”

(And if anyone does want to seek out those early ER seasons I think they probably hold up surprisingly well)

It has Young George Clooney!

And when I did eventually watch House I loved the first 3 - 5ish seasons

MIRI: Moment to remind us all that Lin-Manuel Miranda had a significant arc on a late season of House. I have nothing substantial to say about it right now, but I think we all collectively forget about that fact most of the time and we should be reminded.

MARCHAE: Yeah I think she talks about ER in one the master class episodes

She=Shonda Rhimes, whose online Master Class Marchae is taking

And house is awesome 

KRIS: But all that said, I do like what I’ve seen and will probably very slowly make my way through 12 more years worth of it

MIRI: VICTORY!!!!

MARCHAE: Yessss

KRIS: VERY slowly

Like that’s a lot of TV

MARCHAE: Ohhhhhh come onnnn

It's only taken me four years to get where I am you can do it!!!

KRIS: I feel like it might be a little hard for me to binge because there are some stylistic things that annoy me

MARCHAE: Tell me!!!!

KRIS: Four needle drops an episode

is a lot

I’m also not sure the voiceover is really doing enough to justify itself?

MARCHAE: That's often my critique is how are these people doctors 

KRIS: I feel like you can have all those needle drops OR you can have heavy-handed VO but both is too much

Do we need to define needle drop for our readers, you think?

MARCHAE: Perhaps I was looking for a good link

That explains to put here but can't find one 

KRIS: So a needle drop is when a show plays non-diegetic (usually) pop music that they have to license, as opposed to an instrumental score composed for the show

And diegetic means sound that comes from the action that’s happening onscreen, or off-screen but still in the world of the scene/story--dialogue, sounds from the environment, anything that the characters are hearing too.

And it’s not an unusual thing at all

But I feel like Grey’s does SO MANY songs

And I’m vaguely aware that a fair number of singer-songwriter type artists were first “discovered” by a lot of fans through Grey’s, like maybe Ingrid Michaelson

MARCHAE: They do and they even have an album, I think there have even been interviews with Shonda Rhimes (SR) 

She says she wanted music to be just as much a character as the people 

Which I find interesting thematically 

KRIS: I get that theoretically, but it’s one of those things that’s the hard opposite of Show, Don’t Tell

when it’s lyrics

And especially for a show with bookend voiceover to tell you exactly What An Episode Is About, it’s just... it’s a lot

MIRI: I CANNOT WAIT for Kris to get to the musical episode, which is both amazing and so on the nose it hurts at multiple points.

MARCHAE: That's so interesting considering your like of shows like CEG which is quite musical 

KRIS: I actually do like voiceover when it’s used well throughout a thing (thinking Burn Notice, or Dead Like Me)

MARCHAE: Did you watch sex and the city 

KRIS: But in Crazy Ex the music is dialogue, it’s written by the writers and it’s spoken by the characters, it’s not a third party thing

I’ve seen a little

I guess I’m also just curious about the choice only to use voiceover at the beginning and end

although I think maybe it was there throughout the pilot episode

MARCHAE: Yeah I was about to say there may have been a few where it's through out

KRIS: In the pilot there was this conceit that at least some of the VO was addressed to Meredith’s mom

But other times (most times?) Meredith is clearly addressing the viewer

MARCHAE: I think it's to keep reminding us that this is Merediths world 

KRIS: Meredith is interesting

Which I realize is super vague

MARCHAE: That's my theory or has been at least since the beginning 

KRIS: But I’m having trouble landing on really clear descriptors for her

I like her

I think Ellen Pompeo is good

MARCHAE: I have a few but I'll wait 

KRIS: But she’s harder for me to pin down than Izzy or Cristina or George

MARCHAE: Ellen Pompeo is AMAZING

KRIS: And I think maybe this is deliberate?

But again the VO would make that a strange choice

MARCHAE: I Honestly think she's supposed to be

KRIS: But I do sort of like the idea that she keeps a lot to herself

I think she’s a pretty good example of a lead who has to ground the more eccentric performances of the rest of the ensemble

MARCHAE: She does-ish it's weird I love and hate her simultaneously and that's what I love about her 

KRIS: At least in these earlier seasons

MARCHAE: I think she does also as the show progresses you're right on 

KRIS: Then again I did just watch the Pick Me Choose Me Love Me speech

Which is as demonstrative as anything the others do

But still there’s a restraint in how she generally presents herself to the rest of the world that I identify with

I guess what I’m having trouble figuring out with her is what her fundamental drive is

MIRI: I would argue that this is because Meredith’s fundamental drive is a quest to understand and accept herself, which is a tough main character to pull off and it works better in some stretches than others. But overall I am really pleased with Grey’s willingness to let her flounder and be wrong sometimes.

Also I would not have called Kris identifying with Mer but it makes SO MUCH SENSE.

MARCHAE: That is really eloquently stated 

She has a tremendous amount to prove 

And she has a tremendous amount of hurt and she is guarded because of those things - I think as the show progresses (I'm trying not to spoil too much for you) 

But we learn it's a lot more than mom and dad 

It's Webber and her own crap too 

Meredith's drive is summed up in that choose me, pick me statement 

And it gets the best of her often 

KRIS: (Of the few original characters still around in season 13 I’m most surprised Webber is still there)

MARCHAE: (Really!!!!! I'm surprised by Alex)

KRIS: I guess just because it seems like he would’ve retired

MARCHAE: Ha! 

I suppose that makes sense 

KRIS: Do you think Meredith is a little bit of a cipher at first because she’s supposed to be sort of an audience surrogate? Or is it just that she’s stuffing a lot down where no one can get to it yet?

I guess I could look at the bible to figure this out

MIRI: The show bible, not the Christian one. A show bible is a big ass document explaining the world of the show--a deep dive on who the characters are, the setting, the vibe, etc. It also usually contains some episode and season plots.

MARCHAE: I can send it to you (maybe I already did) 

KRIS: You did

MARCHAE: I think it could be a by of both to answer your question 

Bit*

I think we learn the most about her as the show progresses that justifies somemof the things I find most annoying about her 

However, she is kind of our guide into this world 

I read the Bible and it's a bit different than what's on screen not much 

I'm most impressed by how developed she is and and that SRs intention is that her characters (when she writes) have no end they are infinite in terms of story because they have to be (except in the case of scandal which had an end from the beginning)

KRIS: Sure, and that also makes sense for a setting that has continuing education built into the characters’ lives

MARCHAE: Which is kind of brilliant on her part 

KRIS: It was part of why I liked ER

MARCHAE: I know you said you liked Bailey but I was curious about why and also your thoughts on Christina Yang 

KRIS: Which was specifically at a teaching hospital

MARCHAE: (Did you ever watch St. Elsewere)

KRIS: no

Part of why I like Bailey is that in these earlier episodes when I haven’t really found my way into all of the central intern characters yet is just that she thoroughly has her shit together

MARCHAE: (Such an amazing show- set in the 80s) 

YESssss

KRIS: As someone who has never disagreed with a character yelling at George, I just appreciate that there’s a blunt authority figure with a really dry sense of humor

MARCHAE: (Oh Kris promise you'll keep watching!!!!!!!)

KRIS: And that she also has basically that same comportment toward the attendings

MARCHAE: Ummm excuse me!!!! George is awesome and it infuriates me he gets yelled at!

KRIS: I will, I think it’s one of those things that’ll be easy to return to between other shorter things

Oh man

I mean I don’t dislike George

If I’m being honest there’s more of George in me than I’d like

Which is on some level probably a reason I like when people take him to task

MIRI: Wait guys this is actually enormous progress for Kris to “not dislike” a character he thinks he partially embodies.

MARCHAE: He just so freaking kind that I feel like they poo on him because they can

MIRI: Just because he’s kind doesn’t mean he’s without flaws. Also he is not always kind! Which is good because no one is, but let’s not pretend he’s a saint.

KRIS: I have trouble with Designated Kind Characters though

MARCHAE: And that bothered me a tremendous amount as a person who rarely yells at people even when I'm mad 

Kris what is happening 

KRIS: Because those characters are also often very squishy

And I’m impatient

MARCHAE: So you weren't an Izz fan either?

Squishy 

?

KRIS: And I think you can have Very Kind characters who aren’t pushovers

Hmm

I like Izzie fine

K: I didn’t want to do much annotation here, but on this point I want to be clearer. Obviously George has stories and an arc about becoming a stronger, more assertive person. What bothers me not necessarily about George specifically, but about how Nice characters are often written, is a conflation of kindness with weakness or timidity, and this seems to me how we’re supposed to read George’s default setting, or at least his starting point. Not that kind characters should never be weak or timid! To address Marchae’s question a little further, I think there’s an interesting distinction between how Izzie’s kindness or “softness” makes her seem less of a doctor (to someone like Cristina) and how George’s seems to be more a reflection of his overall character.

MARCHAE: *insert Marchae DYING GIF*

MIRI: Marchae has what has been described as an “unhealthy attachment to Katherine Heigl”

KRIS: So okay, yes, if I had to pick an intern I most identify with it’s Cristina

There are just a lot of feelings flying all over the place

MARCHAE: I KNEW IT!!!!

KRIS: And Cristina has no time for that

And Cristina doesn’t like babies

MARCHAE: She is my favorite!!! 

(She does....ish)

These people are incredibly emotional which sometimes makes me uncomfortable so she is often the voice of reaso 

Reason*

KRIS: Right, me too

And I realize there’s some masculinity/patriarchy baggage here too that I’m always in the process of dealing with myself

But yeah, I feel like a lot of the characters are not just emotional but very NEEDY

Which brings me to Shepherd

MARCHAE: I will also give you that 

They are needy 

KRIS: That man is super needy, specifically in how he wants to be liked

MARCHAE: I often feel like they don't listen very well to one another 

KRIS: Oh for sure

Which is also often used effectively for laughs

Like in the episode I just watched, Izzie has just gotten home from her first date with Alex and Meredith has just dumped Derek

and they go into George’s room and are just having their own “Seriously?” monologues

MIRI: This kind of moment on Grey’s is usually done SO well and I really want to go watch some season 2 Grey’s right now and avoid all of my responsibilities, ok? Ok.

What did you think of Derek’s initial courtship of Meredith?

MARCHAE: I don't love it to be honest 

KRIS: Even setting aside the professional inappropriateness, which I think we can just grant a TV drama

I don’t either

MARCHAE: I couldn't understand why she was smitten with him to begin with to be honest

MIRI: It does work better for me once they’re established and have a weight of history to cite re: their mutual obsession and problems. I think that’s the dynamic SR was always interested in for them.

It reminded me of a more 

Or I guess less childish Carrie and Big relationship 

KRIS: I didn’t find the Can’t Take No for an Answer thing charming, and I feel like the show really wants us to find him Needy-BUT-Charming

MARCHAE: I don't find him likable in later seasons 

KRIS: I’ll grant that the performance is less grating than the equivalent character in a lot of rom-coms

Patrick Dempsey does Quiet Charm and Quiet Intensity really well

oh interesting

MARCHAE: He forgets Merediths needs often 

KRIS: I’ll keep that in mind

In the code black/bomb squad two-parter, that runner where he keeps nagging Burke about why they can’t use first names for each other eventually pays off, but in the first couple scenes of it I was like “Ugh, classic Derek”

MARCHAE: LOL

KRIS: I actually really like Burke, most of the time

MIRI: Ugh, you would

MARCHAE: Derek, I will say this, has a long stretch where I don't mind him 

Burke I forget about him sometimes 

I like him as he relates to Christina 

KRIS: Isaiah Washington was written out for unpleasant interpersonal reasons, right?

MARCHAE: Yes he was! 

He and yang have an interesting dynamic and she owes her success (in small- very small-part) to him 

But he also softens her a bit but not in an icky way

MIRI: Um I would say some of it is very icky, when he is steam rolling over what she actually wants because he’s too busy seeing the version of her he wants. I’m glad for her to have the chance to grow personally, but not for her to be forced to do so in any particular direction.

In a way I think that gives her a bit more depth 

KRIS: I really liked the B-story where they tried to go on a date and it was just super awkward until someone else at the restaurant collapsed

MARCHAE: Because it's them LOL

KRIS: What I like about Burke is that his vibe is what I guess we would stereotypically call “Zen”

I always like the Zen guy

And one of the things I generally really like about the show is how it portrays teaching and mentorship

MARCHAE: I never thought about that really until you just said it 

Hmmmm 

It is kind of interesting 

I always appreciate the friendship aspect- I think that's what I note 

Like how much these people love each other so so much

And would do anything

MIRI: Any time they dance it out is an amazing time

But that teacher /mentor relationship is also a really neat dynamic 

Thanks 

KRIS: I mean the teaching is often couched in very technical things (“Why do we _____, Dr. ____?”), partly for audience benefit, but they also use those moments to show how that bonding happens

MARCHAE: Yes!! 

KRIS: And I think Burke’s personality lends itself particularly well to those beats, but I like it with everyone

It’s when they show that they can put aside all their relationship stuff and be professionals, and I think that’s really important for a show like this

MARCHAE: YES! Again while you don't love the music I don't love how unprofessional they are sometimes 

KRIS: Like in front of patients, or just how they fight a lot?

MARCHAE: The patients, each other, all of it 

Discussing other patients with patients 

I'm like REALLY GET IT TOGETHER -FICTIONAL LIVES ARE COUNTING ON YOU 

it's my biggest critique

MIRI: Marchae really does not approve of her fictional hero people being people--see our Captain America: Civil War reactions.

Though I guess I would be watching some other show if it was all about being professional and not the bonus stuff 

KRIS: Yeah, I guess I just assume a certain amount of Hot Mess in almost any TV, but especially network

(I guess NCIS is a show with less of that, I don’t really know it)

MARCHAE: Criminal minds too 

Any cbs show really

MIRI: Hard disagree--those people are all Hot Messes. Gibbs does nothing but Emote Grumpily and have discolored flashbacks of his dead wife and daughter, and the whole Criminal Minds team is full of emotions and PTSD.

KRIS: I guess most crime procedurals will tend to be more [self-]serious

But ER definitely had lots of friendship and romance stuff

Oh, there is one little thing where I compare Grey’s unfavorably to ER

And it’s that even though there are nurses we see fairly often, no one ever addresses nurses by name

And look, I STILL remember the names of some of those early ER nurses

Haleh

Chuny

Malik

Lydia

MARCHAE: Now that is impressive 

Derek dates one nurse 

KRIS: Olivia got to be a person for a bit because of the syphillis thing

But just like, give them names

MIRI: Bokhee and Daniel Sunjata have names. I’m not sure about anyone else, and Daniel Sunjata isn’t for a few seasons.

MARCHAE: Yeah 

Ha! 

You could start a campaign 

Lolol

KRIS: I feel like it’s also a thing that could be used to show character

Cristina and Burke might not bother to learn names

But Meredith would

MARCHAE: So would Izzie and George 

KRIS: George and Izzie definitely would

MARCHAE: Alex not so much 

KRIS: Derek would

Yeah not Alex, unless he was trying to hook up with them

MARCHAE: Derek might I think unless he's flustered 

KRIS: Webber would have at least absorbed everyone’s names through osmosis at this point

MARCHAE: HAHAHAHAHAHHAAH

LOL

KRIS: Okay I can end this rant

MARCHAE: That is hilarious 

So were you completely lost with the finale you watched 

KRIS: Not as much as I was worried I’d be

But for sure the character turnover was like, oh, maybe I should’ve just jumped right into this season

MARCHAE: Yeah she kills or lets go of lots of people (it's usually where I have to take a break out of frustration with the show) 

KRIS: I mean I totally get it, it’s a long time to be on the air

MARCHAE: I don't they should do this for the rest of their lives 

Long live #teamgeoizzie

MIRI: ANY PORTMANTEAU THAT INCLUDES “JIZZ” IS NOT OK, MARCHAE. WE’VE HAD THIS CONVERSATION

KRIS: Marchae

MARCHAE: *sorry*

MIRI: SHE’S NOT SORRY. SHE’S LYING, READERS.

KRIS: You know Miri will have to annotate that

MARCHAE: I know but I feel like since we're here and it came up-she'll be fine 

KRIS: Do you know if those four leads who are still around have done much other high profile stuff while it’s been on the air?

Even Noah Wyle was in and out of ER for the last few seasons

MARCHAE: Ummmm hmmm I know that Owen was involved in an indie film 

But he's the only one I know of 

KRIS: But like Meredith, Alex, Bailey, and Webber

MARCHAE: I forget he came later my bad 

KRIS: Oh wow, looking at Ellen Pompeo’s IMDB page, not a lot at all besides Grey’s post-2005

MARCHAE: No I just check Chandra Wilson because I thought she'd done broadway 

But nope

KRIS: Pompeo’s in a Taylor Swift video and she did a little bit of voice work for a cartoon

and that’s it

I wonder what that’s like

MARCHAE: Oh yeah she was in bad blood for six seconds 

KRIS: You become an actor to be different people and then you end up just being this one other person

MARCHAE: You know Sandra Oh said she went to therapy when she decided to leave 

KRIS: I believe it

MARCHAE: I have thought about that too 

It becomes legitimately a different part of you I'd suspect 

Because it's been forever for some of these people

KRIS: Yeah. I wonder if it’s just too exhausting to like go do a feature or something in between seasons when you’re the lead on a 22-24 episode show

MARCHAE: That does seem like a lot 

KRIS: Although I would also believe if Ellen Pompeo has trouble getting cast just being a woman over 40

MARCHAE: Which is mind boggling - because she's dynamic 

KRIS: She is great, but again it’s not a very showy part

Most of the time

(I mean I don’t want to speculate, I obviously don’t know her life)

MARCHAE: Yeah 

So you mentioned that your instructor had some things about the finale 

KRIS: Yes

MARCHAE: I'm curious what they were 

(By things I mean opinions) 

KRIS: She said that the thing the episode is supposed to be about doesn’t really get the act breaks

And that the story that does get the act breaks isn’t really substantial enough to justify it

The most obvious candidate for what the episode is About is Meredith’s VO thing about your world “exploding”

But Stephanie also has a little speech about clenching your fist through necessary pain that seems like it could be a thematic statement

I agree with her that most of the act breaks are not very strong

There’s not much real suspense in whether Stephanie and Erin are going to get through the fire or whatever

And most of those beats just come back right where we left off, and the beat gets resolved without any twist or new information

MARCHAE: I could see that 

KRIS: Just, yep, Stephanie made it into the stairwell

Yep, Stephanie got her keycard

MARCHAE: I think my notes even say this isn't their strongest finale 

KRIS: Not knowing most of these new characters, it seems like it would have been stronger for Nathan and Owen to get the act breaks?

MARCHAE: I thought there was tension because she's notorious for killing people in the end - so I didn't know if she was going to die 

KRIS: But I’m not sure what those would have been either, because they’re mostly just reacting to information they can’t do much with

I thought it was possible Erin would die on the roof

But not before

MARCHAE: But she couldn't die At all because she was keeping Stephanie alive 

And Stephanie had to have a reason to live thus leave 

So ultimately I can agree with your teacher on all accounts my note says the episode seems weird 

I think you may have articulated what I couldn't put my finger on 

KRIS: Yeah, and I do think that from what I’ve seen Grey’s is usually really good about tying its storylines together with the theme of the episode

MARCHAE: (I also thought the dialogue was odd - stating something we'd already seen) 

KRIS: Heavy-handed but effective

And here there was no real emotional link between the fire story and the Megan story

K: Now that my class has met I do want to clarify what Writing Teacher meant. Writing Teacher is usually a big proponent of Grey’s; along with The West Wing and Friends it’s one of her most frequent touchstones for story structure and theme, and how those things work best when they’re in concert. She talks about having a “tree” when you write anything, the thematic and emotional core that can and must stay intact no matter what else you change in the course of writing and rewriting. And the tree here was, or should have been, that story about Megan and how her homecoming affects the relationships of Meredith, Owen, et al. To her guess, the problems of poor/no suspense were not the real problem, but symptoms of “draft drift” as the writers lost sight of the Megan tree and tried to manufacture artificial drama out of a Finale! gimmick that was doomed to fail precisely because they didn’t relate it to the theme they started with. (Except literally, I guess, in terms of your world exploding.) 

MARCHAE: I may have to watch the episode before to see what was happening 

KRIS: And whatever was going on with Jackson trying to be a hero

MARCHAE: I thought it was a call back to an episode before he saved a kid from a bus and scared Kepp to death 

(Also the perpetual beeping almost made me shut the episode off)

(Complete aside) 

KRIS: This isn’t totally related but it’s a great piece about writing suspense/action that everyone should read

By one of my favorite showrunners

The gist of it is that you need to have multiple live possibilities for how an action scene should end if it’s not going to just be taking up time

“Don't write action sequences. Write suspense sequences that require action to resolve. ... every action sequence has its own internal three act structure. Objective, complication, resolution. And not only that, but the complication needs to be something which forces a choice on the character, not just a complication in physical circumstances.”

And this was generally not the case in those Stephanie scenes

MARCHAE: Ahhhhh 

So my argument for her is that we just needed an event/thing to get her off 

KRIS: You could sort of see how it could’ve been, with the stuff you said about Erin keeping her alive

MARCHAE: The show and make her realize she needs to be away from the hospital 

KRIS: But it didn’t feel like the emphasis

What’s her story?

MARCHAE: Stephanie? She comes as an intern in season 9

Her group loses several interns by way of death 

KRIS: Geez

MARCHAE: She and Avery were kind of a thing 

I never thought it was as serious as she did 

KRIS: HA

MARCHAE: But he breaks up with her after at Kepps wedding 

When He decides hey I want Kepp 

Embarrassing her and making her feel like an idiot 

She's not, in my opinion, liked much by all of her peers at first but they end up getting to be better friends 

I stopped there because I'm in the middle of that season 

(And yang leaves and I'm not ready for that nonsense) 

I like her but from 9-11 I don't feel like she's terribly well developed and the relationship with Avery isn't either 

KRIS: It seems like the cast also just got a lot bigger

It didn’t seem like all the regulars were even in this

MARCHAE: They revolve really we lose interns and doctors go 

KRIS: But also it felt like there were characters currently there and in the credits who weren’t part of the story. I think Alex is only in that one scene where Meredith tells him to help look for Erin?

MARCHAE: I think in this episode you saw most everyone except a few

Yeah jo also wasn't there 

She's in Stephanie's class

KRIS: And Jo is one of the few people whose (actor) names I recognized so I was weirdly disappointed

MARCHAE: I need to watch the episode before the finale I bet they were in that one

KRIS: I do like Kevin McKidd; Rome on HBO was great

I don’t think I have any other season 1-2 notes, but I can take questions

Man we didn’t even cover Ellis, but I feel like there’s more stuff Meredith is about to learn in season 2

MARCHAE: So much 

And Merediths half sister and her other half sister

KRIS: Right, Miri wants to do one of these after I meet Lexie

MARCHAE: YES!!!!

MIRI: For the first few episodes of Supergirl I called Alex ALexie because I couldn’t let go of my Chyler Leigh associations, despite how different the roles are. And I’m excited for Kris to see those differences!  But also come on--both are the sister of the blonde lead/title character, both named some variant on Alexandra/ria. It’s a lot.

KRIS: Oh I do like Joe the bartender and Joe’s the bar

MARCHAE: Oh kris 

KRIS: But I feel like they probably should’ve introduced Joe before the episode where he was a patient

MARCHAE: You get to know him I think 

KRIS: You know, before watching for this reaction I’d probably seen at least as much of Private Practice as I had of Grey’s

Which is to say five or six episodes

Private Practice had more actors I already recognized

MARCHAE: Oh that's another good one I didn't finish it though

MIRI: I did finish it, because my loyalty to Addison Montgomery runs DEEP

KRIS: Like, almost everyone, really

Tim Daly voiced Superman in the 90s animated series

MARCHAE: I LOVE HIMMMMM 

he's on madam secretary 

It's good 

KRIS: Amy Brenneman, obviously

MARCHAE: I agree watch more and I want another reaction!!! Stat<---see what I did there 

Yeah taye diggs I think is also in that show 

KRIS: Yeah, I knew him from something

Oh I guess that’s it actually

Okay so like half the cast

OK I’ll keep watching Grey’s

And I’ll pick up Private Practice when Addison gets spun off

MARCHAE: YES

YESsssss

I wanna react to that with you also! 

KRIS: I do like Kate Walsh

I feel like that’s actually not a super popular opinion but I’m not sure

MARCHAE: She just had an article out a couple of days ago about watching herself on tv

I like her a lot 

KRIS: I don’t have much interest in 13 Reasons Why but I know she’s in that

MIRI: She is???

I thought the pilot of Bad Judge was fun but didn’t see more of it

MIRI: I loved it SO much

MARCHAE: I haven't seen 13 reason the book was traumatic but I'm confident she's stunning in it 

So let's say we check back in on august for reaction part two!!!! 

KRIS: We’ll see

Maybe if I’ve gotten to season 4 we bring the others into this

MARCHAE: I was just throwing it out there

🤓🤓

KRIS: But if we do a Grey’s check-in we also need to do either a Crazy Ex check-in with you or an Orphan Black check-in with Lemon

And OBVIOUSLY our Sweet/Vicious check-in

MARCHAE: That's very fair! 

I also started the Tina Fey show 

KRIS: I’m not even going to identify it here, that deserves an annotation

MIRI: Does she mean 30 Rock??

K: She 1000 percent means 30 Rock

I feel like we have a lot that’s sort of vaguely on the docket but not a lot of For Sure We’re Going to Talk About This Next

Lemon mentioned something yesterday or the day before

Oh, Hello--2 man Broadway show now on Netflix

Miss Sloane, The Leftovers, possibly Cable Girls

...

Spider-Man

MIRI: YES!!!

MARCHAE: I can't react to spider man so I'll leave you and Miri for that 

And atomic blonde

MIRI: YES!!!!! Y’all, the first trailer for Atomic Blonde is still my favorite movie of the year. I’ve watched it 16 times. One of those times was right now, because I had to pull it up to do the link and then obviously I couldn’t not watch it. I would do a whole reaction on just that first trailer.

KRIS: YES

Okay dear readers

I’m personally a big fan of The AV Club and Vulture and Vox Culture

but if those aren’t your thing

we hope you’ll Pick Us, Choose Us, Love Us for your pop culture reaction needs

(too much?)

(I’ll show myself out)

MARCHAE: YESssssss

MIRI: Amazing

Not enough Kris, not enough!

[popcornblotter]

Baby Driver Review

So this is the lucky time of the year where I’ll get to see something new for the next few weeks without a gap of a week. So to begin with this time of new films we have the latest production from writer/director Edgar Wright, Baby Driver. I’ve been a fan of Wright’s films, particularly the Cornetto Trilogy. For those unfamiliar that is the culmination of the films that Wright made with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Those include Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World’s End.

The film revolves around Baby, a get away driver for a crime boss who constantly listens to music to distract him from a condition that has him hear a droning sound in his eardrums. He falls in love with a waitress and makes plans to leave his life of crime.

While all of the performances are good in this movie, the stars are the music and the editing. What Wright does so cleverly is take conventions that wouldn’t be touched by other filmmakers and shoves them in our faces. In that, I’m meaning with how the music is used throughout the film. In typical filmmaking terms there is what is considered Diegetic sound and Non-Diegetic sound. Diegetic is sound that is heard in the world of the film, cars passing by, dialogue from other characters, etc. Non-diegetic means that the sounds are not being heard and are being made aware to the characters and the world of the movie, things like the score, certain sound effects, or manipulation of sounds. Wright makes a point to make sure that if Baby is hearing the music, we as an audience are hearing it. It’s a technique that James Gunn played with in the first Guardians of the Galaxy as well. And man, does Wright know how to pick the right songs for the mood, the soundtrack is eclectic, ranging from Queen to Young MC, even artists I wasn’t aware of. For the editing, the action is high octane, whether it’s a car chase, or a shootout, what they’ll do is make the cuts or the gunshots sync up to the song that Baby is currently listening to, which as a film nerd, I greatly enjoyed.

I do want to make note of the performance that Ansel Elgort gives one that will get him more work down the line. I wasn’t too aware of this actor, I’d seen him in one of the Divergent movies, and I know he was in The Fault in Our Stars, but that was a movie I was probably never going to see. But right from the word go, he gives a funny, intense, understated performance. This is also an odd thing that I noticed while watching the film, is that the sweater jacket that he wears for most of the film makes him look so much like a young Han Solo, I want him to be in that film instead of Alden Ehrenreich.

While I do enjoy this film, I don’t think its Edgar Wright’s best. I’m just not sure if it has the same irreverent moments or lines like some of his previous movies do. I can always pull a few out of the top of my head from any of the Cornetto films, but I’m writing this only a few hours after leaving the theater, and aside from the car chases, this film isn’t that memorable to me thus far. And this is ostensibly an action film, and not a comedy, but maybe that’s what isn’t making me go all out crazy for this film. I do miss the witty writing that Simon Pegg obviously had a hand in with those films. And I’m not saying I didn’t laugh at all, there just weren’t too many moments I can think of now that were super funny a few hours removed.

The last thing I’ll say is that towards the end, I thought it went on for a bit too long. Now I won’t go into specifics, but there is a character that keeps popping up every couple of minutes when you think their part in the film is done, and I kept on thinking “Okay, enough, let’s move on” and they kept coming back. And when that was resolved I was relieved, but then the film goes on for about another five minutes or so. I think they could’ve done with shaving off a few minutes, but that is my opinion.

Overall, Baby Driver is an enjoyable ride that definitely shows off Edgar Wright’s talent at action, which makes me wonder what would his Ant-Man have looked like had he stayed on? But I think if you know his work, you’ll like it, but it’s one that I most likely won’t be seeing again for a while.

[wknc881]

Music and Sound in Film

You’re heading to the movie theater, the newest movie with your favorite actor is playing. You get to your seats just as the (hour long!!) credits end and the theater grows dark. Suddenly you can hear low music swelling up. Film company logos flash across the screen and the music only gets louder till the opening shot of the movie begins. The music is important. It signifies the genre and style of the movie you are about to watch. If there are loud droning tones it might convey the film is suspenseful or horror. If you hear a pop song, you should expect a rom-com or some kind of happy kids movie. Music sets the tone before we even lay our eyes on the set or characters. 

That sound, during the credits and not the cinematic universe, is called non-diegetic. The music and sound the characters within the film can hear and can interact with are called, you guessed it, diegetic sound. Sometimes music can change from diegetic to non-diegetic and the other way around. For example, we can hear a song as a part of the soundtrack (non-diegetic) while the movie shows us the setting of the film. Then, the film shows the character turn off the radio causing the music, which we now realize is diegetic, to stop. Directors can play with our expectations of diegetic and non-diegetic sounds, which draws interest in the film. 

Horror is an easy genre to hear, how directors can put us in the shoes of the character for an effect. A classic example is heartbeats. If you hear slow heartbeats in a movie while a character is walking, the character is probably calm and the viewer feels the same way. If the heartbeats are speeding up while the character is also speeding up, viewers understand that the character is scared, and running away from something. For my Introduction to Film Class, we watched A Quiet Place and discussed how both diegetic and non-diegetic sound makes meaning throughout the film. In A Quiet Place because one of the main characters is deaf the film plays around with periods of silence as the audience is immersed in her point of view. This movie creates suspense so well when it uses sound to condition the viewer into hair-raising reactions from the dramatic score and sound effects. 

What are your experiences with sound in film?  

 -DJ lil witch xoxo

[artstarstv]

Music for Introverts: An Interview with Shuze Ren

Whenever the Composer and Sound Designer Shuze Ren sees an artwork—moving image, photo or painting—he immediately envisions its soundtrack. It makes sense, as Ren is a film composer who has scored films that have premiered everywhere from Telluride to the Clermont Ferrand Film Festival, and his projects have been featured in Variety.

Ren, who has lived in Japan, New York, China and Switzerland, studied film scoring at Boston’s Berklee College of Music, followed by graduate film studies at Columbia University. He was also invited to the 2018 Globes de Cristal, the French equivalent to the Golden Globes, for his outstanding work in cinema. A powerhouse with equal understanding for image and sound, Ren equally brings moods and landscapes to the cinematic language, which alters the rhythms of film and is a master at creating cinematic illusions. With influences that range from Johnny Greenwood to John Cage, Brian Eno, Bach in Tarkvosky and Zbignew Preisner, his trademark sound—for films and in music—is a kind of aural richness, rich with synth tones.

In his own words, Ren says: “I think what I lean towards is an aural richness, created by something for example, of falling water with a nostalgic synth tone, or a muted piano against the sound of thick whispering dialogue against the creek of footsteps on an old wooden floor. A combination of things that creates an image despite the medium being cinema. Think synesthesia.” 

As Ren gears up for the release of his debut album coming out next year on the Maia record label, and is working on the score for a film directed by Swedish-Costa Rican director Nathalie Alvarez Mesen, he took some time to chat about nostalgic piano sonatas and Squarepusher, as well as composing beyond Hollywood.

Where does the real magic happen when scoring for films?

Shuze Ren: I score films rather untraditionally, I��ve been trained to do it the classic Hollywood thematic way. But for me what feels most natural is to get into the mood of the music that needs to be written. This is something that comes naturally, but the hard part is focusing or fine-tuning the appropriate resonance of emotion needed, once this happens. The real magic I suppose comes, as my compass/center has been realigned to the scene and I essentially select what’s needed whilst I play until the feeling releases, bit similar to finding something that is cathartic to the feeling. I’m not sure sometimes if I’m merely just someone who is sensitive to sounds and music that recognizes what’s needed like a stylist. Except I’m both playing and selecting at the same time.

What is your typical instrument of choice to begin with for scoring?

A synthesizer of some sort, a prophet 08 is good to create digital warmth for a diegetic score of an ‘indie mannered film,’ whilst a prophet 06 is ideal for a non-diegetic score for what I do. I use a synthesizer as a test to see what’s needed, I often tell people I work with, that I have a feeling that the model of a camera dictates the music more than you think or would like to think, and that the instrument is often acting as a color variant to the image. Sometimes I use digital signal processing of diegetic sounds to test this as well, when no keyboard is available.

How do you know what music fits for certain scenes?

Watching a lot of films, from all different genres etc. (4000 films is a good mark) and realizing that some great films have music that unintentionally distort the narrative or vice versa for better and for worse but most importantly knowing why. Having music in your ears at all times during your daily routines and different environments helps you create a gauge of how the same music works differently under different soundscapes and visual stimuli, a soft nostalgic piano piece can

be beautiful with the sound of autumn leaves whistling against the wind but at the same time feel piercingly provocative with the sound of rain and traffic.

How do you approach composition and orchestration?

I am a huge fan of Joni Mitchell, the singer songwriter. She’s also a painter. I approach orchestration as sound, like a paint palette each stroke adds something to the painting. They weave in and out, they clash, they resolve. I suppose you have to an understanding of theory to not think about the technicalities. But Instead of doing this with an orchestra, I create texture with the layering of sounds, effectively by obeying the principles of orchestration but towards all sounds and qualities of the instruments and not just in tonal notes. Another reason why doing post-production audio work as well as music can coincide together to create something unique to the medium of motion pictures.

While most people might not realize, sound is as equally as important as visuals in film and TV. Why is scoring so overlooked?

I read an old school audio book in the Cinémathèque Française, it was written: “You do not go to the cinema to listen to music.” I think this is true for me, as I think the epicenter is in Cinematic language and is what is the most magnetic. For me in the most beautiful instances, film music leaves you a vivid painting of a scene that makes you linger between dream and memory. As what you saw on the screen is what you picture, but the music paints the tone on top of it so well that it fits like a vivid painting that you can’t stop looking at after.

What is your approach to naturally and seamlessly connect audio with film?

Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa said: “For a scene to work with music and visuals, the scene must be shot in a way that depletes 50% of the visuals so that 50% of the music can fit.” Too pretty of a visual with music, and vice versa, will cause imbalance. Knowing this helps tremendously. However, there is a way where this ratio can be changed by incorporating carefully-selected sounds to the tonality, instrumentation, and sonics of the music. This in my opinion is what creates mood and complex emotions, an illusion. Just like in LOST IN TRANSLATION, actress Scarlett Johansson stares outside the hotel window in silence, as the music of Squarepusher comes in, this scene creates a feeling of longing. If the scene had sounds of the streets outside the hotel, or of the cleaning maid outside vacuuming, with the same music, this would create a feeling of sadness or passing, of some sorts; two very different adjectives in the cinematic world. 

What is the focus of your forthcoming album coming out 2018/19? 

My focus on my album will be to see how far this translation of senses from visual to sound and music will go. Some friends have been taking me to gallery’s/exhibitions of photographers and painters, and often when I see an artwork, I hear the music that could fit with it instantly. The focus of my album will be to try and translate accurately what I want to say musically so a specific color is perceived with the music, giving people a clear visual to the different moods/ vivid images I have felt in the recent years. Like the pianist and the book reader in a room. It will be music for introverts.

Image stills from “Shelter” by Natalie Alvarez (Gothenburg Film Festival 2018), Tear Of The Peony by Yuxi Li (Telluride Film Festival 2016), “Kiko” by Jamil Munoz, “Deux Assiettes Pour Trois” by Noe Dosen (Clermont Ferrand Film Festival 2017) and “Tail End Of The Year” by Chieh Yang (Taipei Film

Festival 2018).

Interview by Nadja Sayej.