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theredherb · 4 years ago

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The Red Herb’s Top 10 Games of 2020

Hey, fuck 2020. You might notice that many of the “Best Of” lists you read this year and last can’t help but mention how terrible 2020 was. That’s because every day was like hitting a new, splinter riddled branch on our 365 day plummet off a shit-coated tree. The year brought with it a viral pandemic that served as a pressure cooker for the societal and systemic issues boiling beneath the surface of our every day life. And we’re not out of it.

At least one positive holds true of 2020: the games were pretty darn good. One has to wonder, though, if 2020 was the last year of what can be called “normalcy” for the video game industry. Now that the remainder of titles brewed in pre-Covid times are out in the wild, what will the future of gaming look like as studios shift to work-from-home and distribution models migrate to digital as the primary bread winner? What will games look like going forward?

I have no fucking clue. We’ll get there when we get there. But looking back, I’m glad to have had such solid distractions from the stress and strife. If 2020 is any indicator for the industry going forward, then my takeaway is that games will continue to grow in prominence because of their ability to help us cope and, more importantly, stay connected.

Anyway, here’s video games:

10. MARVEL’S AVENGERS

Oh, Marvel’s Avengers. I know you expected to be on more prestigious Top 10 lists than mine. Truthfully, I debated whether or not you should be here. But I had to search my soul (stone) on this one. Really assemble my feelings. Tony Stark my thoughts (?). Here’s the short of it: Marvel’s Avengers has a great story campaign with a surprising amount of emotional weight thanks largely to Kamala Khan’s quest to reassemble the heroes of her youth. Once the final cutscene ends, though, players were expected to take their play box of Marvel heroes, jump online, and duke it out against hordes of villains for the privilege of precious loot and level gains. It would be impossible to get bored because Crystal Dynamics was going to continually Bifrost in new quests, cosmetics, and heroes -- for free!

Except, after fans blasted through the campaign (took me a solid weekend), they found a multiplayer mode filled with repetitive fights against non-descript A.I.M Bots, a handful of dull, un-Marvelous environments (the PNW?! In a video game?! Wowwee!), and a grind for gear that became useless minutes after it was equipped. Oh, and bugs. Tons of bugs. It must be hard for A.I.M. to take earth’s mightiest heroes seriously when they’re falling through the fucking earth every other mission.

So why the Kevin Accolade™? Of all the mistakes and underbaked ideas, Crystal Dynamics got the most important thing right: they made me feel like I was a part of the Avengers. Cutting through the sky as Iron Man; dive bombing, fists-first as the Hulk; firing gadgets at cronies as Black Widow; cracking a row of skulls with Cap’s shield… Avengers is a brawler on super soldier serum.

The combat is crunchy and addictive, and surprisingly deep once you unlock your character’s full suite of skills and buffs. The gear matters little. But choosing a loadout that works for you -- like ensuring enemy takedowns grant you a health orb every time or turning area clearing attacks to focused beams of hurt -- does matter. When it comes to games with disastrous launches, Avengers is the most deserving of a triumphant comeback story because, if you clear the wreckage, I think there’s a solid game here. If I was able to spend hours playing it in its roughshod state, I can see myself digging in for the long-term once it’s polished up and given a healthy dose of content. You know...if Square Enix doesn’t outright abandon it.

9. STREETS OF RAGE 4

Here’s a fact about me: I love beat ‘em ups. From Final Fight to X-Men to The Simpsons, I prioritized my quarters for the beat ‘em up machines (and House of the Dead simply because House of the Dead fuckin’ owns). Unfortunately, Streets of Rage wasn’t in arcades, and I didn’t own a Genesis growing up, so I didn’t get around to the series until Sega re-released as part of a collection. Though my history with the 29 year old brawler is shorter than some, the basics stand out out right away: it’s an awesome side-scrolling brawler filled with zany character designs and high octane boss fights.

SoR4 nails that simple spirit while adding an electric soundtrack, buttery smooth animations, and an art style that looks like a comic book in motion. You can button-mash your way through the game or master your timing to combo stun the shit out of bad guys. Same screen co-op is a requisite for the beat ‘em up genre but I have to call it out nonetheless given that it's next to obsolete these days. The story campaign is, of course, finite but a stream of unlockables and a Boss Rush Mode pad out the package nicely.

I really don’t have to go on and on. I’m on board with any game that captures the arcadey high of classic beat ‘em ups, and Streets of Rage 4 does it with flare.

8. RESIDENT EVIL 3 REMAKE

Resident Evil 2’s remake was my game of the year in 2019. It’s a pitch perfect revision that captures the pulse-pounding fear of the original while beautifully updating its graphics and gameplay for modern audiences. The most striking aspect of RE2’s remake is how it expands and reconfigures the classic game’s environments and set pieces. Capcom managed to recontextualize, and even improve on, the original’s design while staying faithful to its tone and atmosphere.

Resident Evil 3’s remake is less successful in modifying and improving on its source material. If the game feels like it was handled by a different team than RE2R, your gamer hands have good eyes (roll with it). It was developed by a separate internal team (three different teams, in fact), but that’s actually one of many choices mirroring its 1999 forebear. Just like the original, RE3R is a tighter (i.e. shorter) experience that launched less than a year after its predecessor. And just like the original, the game skirts away from survival horror in favor of action horror.

Unlike last year’s remake, however, RE3R paints in broad strokes with the original material much in the same way that 2004’s Dawn of the Dead remake shared a vague resemblance with Romero’s ‘79 classic. Capcom at least nails down what matters: you play as Jill Valentine, beaten and discredited after the Arklay Mountains incident, during her last escape from the zombie besieged Raccoon City. Her exit is complicated by Nemesis, a humanoid missile that relentlessly pursues her from minute two of the game. Her only chance of making it out alive is by teaming up with a gaggle of Umbrella dispatched mercenaries, including an overly handsome fellow named Carlos Oliveras that you control for a spell. But fans struggled to get over what Capcom didn’t remake. Several enemies, boss fights, and a “divergent path” mechanic that had you choose how best to escape the Nemesis in a pinch were omitted from the remake. Even an entire section set in a clock tower was cut. But, let’s be honest, the biggest omission is a secret ending where Barry Burton saves the day using only his beard. For real, YouTube that shit.

If you look at what the remake does instead of what it doesn’t, you’ll find a lightning paced action game highlighted by tense, one-on-one fights against the constantly mutating Nemesis. The tyrant’s grotesque transformations evoke the mind-rending, gut turning creature designs found in John Carpenter's The Thing. It’s sad that Nemesis doesn’t pursue you through the levels as diligently as he did in the original, or as Mr. X had in last year’s remake, but these “arena fights” end up being harrowing and fun, culminating in a memorable final encounter. The remake also treats us to the best incarnation of Jill to date. She’s a cynical badass, exasperated at how Umbrella upended her life, and can take a plunge off of a building yet still muster enough energy to call Nemesis a bitch. RE3R also shines thanks to its snappy combat, including a contextual dodge that feels rewarding to pull off, less bullet-sponge enemies than RE2, and an assortment of weapons to get you through Jill’s Very Bad Night(s). It makes for a necessary, though shorter, companion to last year’s stellar remake.

7. HADES

I’m experiencing a new type of shame including a title that I haven’t beaten on my Top 10 list, but I can assure you that I’ve dumped hours into its addictive death loop. It’s probably because of my resistance to looking up any tips, but given the skill-check nature of the difficult boss fights, I’m almost afraid the top shelf advice will amount to “die less, idiot.”

My failings aside, Hades is brilliant. It’s the perfect merger of gameplay and storytelling. You play as Zagreus, son of Hades, and your entire goal is to escape your father’s underworld domain. You pick from a selection of weapons, like a huge broadsword or spear, and attempt your “run,” seeing how far you can make it before an undead denizen cuts you down. It’s familiar roguelike territory, but where Supergiant separates their game from the pack is in the unique feeling of constant progression, even as you fail. With each run, not only is Zagreus earning a currency (gems or keys) that unlock new skills that make the next go a little easier, you’re also consistently treated to new lore. The fallen gods and heroes that line your father’s hall greet you after each death and provide a new insight into their world. The writing is bouncy and hilarious, the voice acting ethereal and alluring, and the character designs could make a lake thirsty.

Supergiant’s stylistic leanings are at their peak here. They’ve managed the impossible feat of making failure feel like advancement. Sure, it totally fucks up other roguelikes for me, but that’s okay. None of those games have Meg.

6. DEMON’S SOULS

Whereas Capcom takes liberties with their remakes, Bluepoint took the Gus Van Sant approach and made a 1:1 recreation of the 2009 title that launched the “Soulslike” genre. The dividing difference is a 2020 facelift brought to us by way of the PlayStation 5’s next-gen horsepower. There’s been online arguments (surprise) regarding the loss of Fromsoftware’s visual aesthetic in translating the PS3 original in order to achieve a newfound photorealism. It’s true, some beasties lose their surreal weirdness -- a consequence of revisiting designs without the worry of graphical or time constraints -- but the game’s world is still engrossing, morbid, and bleakly gorgeous.

That’s not to say all Bluepoint did was overhaul the graphics and shove this remake out the door. No, their improvements are nuanced, under-the-hood changes that gently push the genre into the next-generation. For one, the loading times are incredible. You could hop between all five archstones in under a minute if you wanted. And this game is a best DualSense controller showcase outside of Astro’s Playroom. You can feel a demonstrable difference between hitting your sword against a wall compared to connecting it with an attacking creature. Likewise, the controller rumbles menacingly as to let you know enemies are stomping across a catwalk above you. “Better rumbles” was not on my wish list of next-gen features, but the tactile feedback goes great lengths to make you feel like you’re there.

Granted, sticking so closely to the original means its pratfalls are also carried over to the next-gen. The trek between bonfire checkpoints is an eternity compared to the game’s successors, and Fromsoftware hadn’t quite mastered the sword ballet of boss fights prevalent in Dark Souls. Instead, a handful of bosses feel more like set pieces where you’re searching for the “trick” to end it versus having to learn attack patterns and counters. Still, it’s easy to see the design blueprint that bore a whole new genre. From having to memorize enemy placements to hunting down the world’s arcane secrets in the hopes of finding a new item that pushes the odds in your favor. Bluepoint’s quality of life improvements only make it kinder (not easier) to plunge into the game, obsess over its idiosyncrasies, and begin to master every inch of it. That is until you roll into New Game+ and the game shoves a Moonlight Greatsword up your ass.

5. YAKUZA: LIKE A DRAGON

Here’s a fact about me I’m sure you don’t know: I love beat ‘em ups. Streets of Rage 4 had an easy time making it on this list because it can be classified as both a “beat ‘em up” and “good.” Here’s another fact about me: I’m not the biggest fan of JRPGs. I’m told this is not because of any personal preferences I harbor, but rather due to a distinct lack of culture. I’ve made peace with that. At least my uncultured ways are distinctive.

But my disinterest in JRPGs is notable here because it illustrates how very good Like A Dragon is. Transitioning the Yakuza series from a reactive brawler (entrenched in an open-world SIM) to a full-blown turned-based RPG was risky -- especially 8 entries into the mainline series -- but it pays off explosively for Like A Dragon. Not only does the goofiness, melodrama, and kinetic energy translate to an RPG -- it’s improved by it. Beyond a new protagonist -- the instantly likable and infinitely affable Ichiban Kasuga -- we’re finally treated to an ensemble cast that travels with you, interacts with you, and grows with you. Their independent stories weave into Ichi’s wonderfully and end up mattering just as much as his.

The combat doesn’t lose any of its punch now that you’re taking turns. In fact, it feels wilder than ever and still demands situational awareness as your enemies shift around the environment, forcing you to quickly pick which move will do the most damage and turn the fight in your favor. RGG purposefully made Ichi obsessed with Dragon Quest (yes, specifically Dragon Quest) as an excuse to go ham and morph enemies into outlandish fiends that would populate Ichi’s favorite series. It’s a fun meta that never loses its charm.

This is the best first step into a new genre I’ve ever seen an established franchise make and I hope like hell they keep with it for future outings -- and that Ichi returns to keep playing hero. There’s plenty of callbacks and treats for longtime fans, but RGG did a masterful job rolling out the virtual carpet for a whole new generation of Yakuza fanatics.

4. GHOST OF TSUSHIMA

Sucker Punch’s dive into 13th century Japan doesn’t redefine the open-world genre. But like Horizon: Zero Dawn before it, Ghost of Tsushima takes familiar components of the genre and uses them exceptionally well, creating an airtight experience that can’t help but stand out. I can tell Sucker Punch mused on games like Assassin’s Creed and Breath of the Wild, tried to figure out what makes those games tick, and then brought their own spin to those concepts. You can feel it in their obsession to make traversal through the environment as unobtrusive as possible, letting the wind literally guide you to your destinations instead of forcing the player to glue their eyes to a mini-map. You can feel it in how seamless it is to scale a rooftop before silently dropping on a patrol, blade first. You can feel it in the smoothness behind the combat as your sword clashes against the enemy’s. Every discrete part is fine-tuned yet perfectly complements the whole. The game is silk in your hands.

The mainline story can be humdrum, though. It mirrors the beats of a superhero origin story, which isn’t surprising when you account for the three Infamous titles and satellite spinoffs under Sucker Punch’s belt. But Jin Sakai’s personal journey outshines the cookie-cutter plot. His gradual turn from the strict samurai code to a morally ambiguous vigilante lifestyle (to becoming, eventually, a myth) is a fascinating exploration in shifting worldviews. This is bolstered by the well-written side-missions dotting your quest, some of which play out in chains. It’s these diversions about melancholy warriors and villagers adjusting to life under invasion that end up being the essential storytelling within the game. Whatever you do, don’t skip a single one.

Before GoT can overstay its welcome with collectible hunting and stat-tree building, the ride is over. If you find exhaustive open-world titles, well, exhausting, Sucker Punch coded enough of a campaign to sticking the landing and not more. But if you were looking for more, the game’s co-op Legends mode is the surprise encore of the year. It strikes its own tone, with vibrant, trippy designs, and a progression system that embarrasses other AAA titles in the space (I mean Avengers. I’m talking about Avengers).

3. THE LAST OF US PART II

The Last of Us is widely regarded as a masterpiece. It’s a melancholic trek through a realistic post-apocalypse, driven by the budding bond between a world-weary survivor and a would-be teenage savior. The fungal zombies and violent shootouts with scavengers were scary and exciting, but ultimately just window-dressing compared to the level of complicated, and honest, human emotion on display throughout the tale. While a segment of detractors helpfully pointed out that The Last of Us’ story isn’t unique when compared to years of post-apocalyptic books, comics, and movies, that argument seems to forget that a narrative more concerned with the human protagonists’ connections to one another instead of saving the world or feeding into a hero complex is pretty unique for games -- especially a high profile, AAA budgeted game.

Still, fans made heroes out of Joel and Ellie because of their own connection to their journey. And that connection is almost instantly challenged in the opening hours of The Last of Us Part II to heartbreaking effect. But I’m here to tell you that any other sequel would have been dishonest to the legacy of the original game. To be given a hero’s quest as a continuation, an imagined sequel where Joel and Ellie do battle against the viral infection that’s swept the earth, would have been a despicable cash-in. It would have been a mistake to follow-up the original’s careful examination of human nature just to placate an audience that seems to have missed the point Naughty Dog made. The Last of Us Part II hurts. But it has to or else it wouldn’t have been worth making. It’s a slow-burn meditation on the harmful ripples revenge creates, how suffering begets suffering, and how, if we don’t break the cycles of violence we commit to, suffering will come for us.

To drive this point, we’re given two distinct perspectives during the meaty (and somewhat overlong) campaign, split between Ellie Williams, the wronged party seeking revenge, and Abby Anderson, an ex-Firefly whose actions set the sequel into motion. The greatest trick Naughty Dog pulls off isn’t forcing us to play as a character we hate, it’s giving us reasons to emphasize with them. It was gradual, and despite some heavy-handed moments meant to squeeze sympathy out of the player (how many times do I have to see that fuckin’ aquarium?!), I eventually came to love Abby’s side of the story. The obvious irony being that she unwittingly walks the same path Joel did in the original.

My love for the narrative shouldn’t distract from how well designed the world is. Being a King County local, the vision of a ruined Seattle strikes an uncomfortable note -- it was eerie seeing recognizable buildings overgrown with vegetation but otherwise devoid of life. Maybe the heart-wrenching story also distracts from the fact this game is, by definition, survival horror. Exploring toppled buildings in the dark, hearing the animalistic chittering of the infected, defending yourself with limited resources… It manages to be a scarier entry into the genre in 2020 than even RE3R. There’s a particular fight in a fungus covered hospital basement that easily goes down as my Boss Fight of the Year. Human enemies make for clench-worthy encounters, too, with incredibly adept AI that forces you to keep moving around the environment and set traps to avoid getting overwhelmed.

Admittedly, the subject matter -- or more to the point, the grim tone -- was tough to stomach during an actual pandemic which has happily treated us to the worst of human nature. Still, The Last of Us Part II is absolutely worth playing for its balance of mature themes and expertly crafted world, and the way it juxtaposes beauty and awfulness in the same breath.

2. SPIDER-MAN: MILES MORALES

The most impressive thing about Miles Morales is that, despite being a truncated midquel rather than a full-blown sequel, it’s a better game than 2018’s Spider-Man. It’s not because of the instantaneous loading times or the fancy ray-tracing techniques used on the PS5 version of the game. Rather, it’s how it takes the joyride of the original game and hones it into a laser focused experience filled to the brim exclusively with highs. Like Batman: Arkham Asylum going into Arkham City, Miles starts the game off with his mentor’s best abilities and tools. From there, he discovers his own powers, his bioelectric venom strike, which ends up feeling like the missing ingredient from the first game’s combat.

Your open-world playground -- a locale in the Marvel universe called “New York City” -- is exactly the same size as the previous installment, which helps avoid making the game feel “lesser.” But Insomniac wisely consolidated the random crimes Peter faced into a phone app that Miles can check and choose which activity to help out with. Choices like this really trim the fat from the main game and help alleviate “the open-world problem” where the story’s pacing suffers because players are spending hours on end collecting feathers. This is great because Miles’ story is also great. The narrative kicks Peter out pretty early on, focusing on how Miles assumes the role of city protector, primarily focused on his new home in Harlem. Insomniac avoids retreading the same path paved by Into the Spider-Verse by telling a relatable tale where Miles defines his identity as Spider-Man. With a strong cast led by Nadji Jeter as Miles, the game lands an impactful story that weaves its own new additions to Miles’ mythos (light spoiler: I loved their take on The Prowler).

Miles Morales was pure virtualized joy from start to finish. A requirement of the platinum trophy is to replay the entirety of the game on New Game+. I didn’t hesitate to restart my adventure the minute the credits were over. Everything I loved about 2018’s Spider-Man is here: the swinging, the fighting, the gadgets, the bevy of costumes. But it gave me a new element I adore and can’t see Insomniac’s franchise proceeding without: being Miles Morales.

1. FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE

I love subversive media, I do. And Square Enix’s “remake” of one the most beloved video games ever made subverts expectations by openly acknowledging that, yes, the original story you love exists and is consistently referenced in this game. But this is not that story. This is something..else. Because the truth is, SE could never have recreated FFVII and delivered a title that matched the Sacred Game fans created in their heads. That impossible standard is like an imagined deity, given power by feeding on raw nostalgia reinforced by years of word-of-mouth and appearances on Top 100 lists. I’m not saying FFVII is a bad game or that fans give it too much credit. Not at all. There’s a reason it’s so influential -- it’s good! But memory works in a funny way over time. We have a tendency to codify our perception of a thing over the reality of it. The connection we make to certain media, especially when introduced at a young age as FFVII had been to a whole generation of fans so long ago, creates a legend in our heads. Unfortunately, it’s a legend no developer could achieve when tasked with remaking it.

So Square...didn’t. Final Fantasy VII Remake has the same characters, setting, and plot beats as the first third of the original game but it’s not the same game, nor is it a remake of it in the traditional sense. It’s something new. And I fucking love that about it.

Everything is reconfigured, including the combat. After years of trying to merge RPG mechanics with more approachable (and marketable) real-time action (see FFXV and the Kingdom Hearts games for examples), Square Enix finally landed on the perfect balance. You fully control Cloud on the battlefield, from swinging your impossibly huge buster sword to dodging attacks. The ATB gauge (no one knows what the acronym stands for -- that information has been lost to time) gradually fills up, letting unleash powerful moves. But best of all, you fight in a party, and you can switch who to control on the fly.

That may not sound revolutionary, let alone for a Final Fantasy, but each character has a completely unique feel and suite of moves. At times, it feels like playing a Devil May Cry game where you can switch between Dante, Vergil, and Nero on the fly (that’s a free idea, Capcom. Hire me, you cowards). You can soften up an enemy with Cloud’s buster to increase their stagger meter, switch to Barret for a quick gatling barrage, and finally switch to Tifa to crush them with her Omnistrike. You can accomplish this in real-time or slow down the action to plan this out. It’s a great mix of tactics and action that prevents the game from feeling like a mindless hack n’ slash.

What really, really works here is the character work. Each lead walks in tropes first, but the longer you spend with the members of your party, the more their motivations and fears are laid out. You end up having touching interactions with just about the whole main cast. There’s a small segment, after Cloud saves Aerith from invading Shinra guards, that the two make an escape via rooftop.They make light conversation -- small talk really -- but it’s exchanges like this that feel genuine, perfectly framing their characters (stoic versus heartfelt), and grounding an otherwise larger-than-life adventure.

Many bemoaned the fact that FFVIIR only revisits a small portion of the original game, but I think it was a brilliant choice -- to massively expand on areas we only got to see a little of in the original. I honestly didn’t want to leave Midgar. It’s a world rife with conflict and corporate oppression, sure, but Midgar is beautifully realized, from the slums below the plates, populated with normal people trying to make the best of life, to the crime controlled Wall Market, adorned with gaudy lights and echoing honky tonk tunes. It very well may be years before FFVII’s remake saga comes to a close, but if each entry is paved with as much love and consideration and, yes, storytelling subversion as this introductory chapter… It’ll be worth the wait.

#gaming

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that-shamrock-vibe · 5 years ago

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D23 Dissect: Emma Stone Is Cruella De Vil

First of all I want to make something quite clear, this is going to be a slightly biased post for the pure and simple reason that Cruella de Vil is not only my favourite Disney Villain but in many regards I feel my spiritual mother.

That being said, I am still going to try and present a balanced view as to why I feel this is a bad idea not just in terms of casting and creative choices over the character, but also just the movie in general.

Background:

I made a post way back when in January 2016 when the announcement that a live-action origin movie based on Cruella de Vil first surfaced, however in the three and a half year time span between that announcement and this first look, nothing has been mentioned so I genuinely believed the idea had been scrapped.

Turns out it was either just shelved in favour of their big live-action remakes, because this at least can’t be a remake due to being a prequel to The Hundred and One Dalmatians, but I desperately wanted this to just be a scrapped idea, yet this is the reality we are now in.

Also to date the character of Cruella de Vil has had three live-action incarnations with Glenn Close, Victoria Smufit and Wendy Raquel Robinson all giving their own unique interpretations to the fur-loving socialite who was first introduced in the original 1958 novel by Dodie Smith and then made famous by Betty Lou Gerson in the 1961 One Hundred and One Dalmatians animated movie.

Cruella is also one of the most well known Disney Villains, she is up there in the top tier along with Maleficent, Jafar, Ursula, Captain Hook and the Evil Queen. So any re-imagining of these beloved characters will always be under a microscope to ensure that whoever is handling them is honouring the legacy of the character, just look at the reactions to the latest trailer for Maleficent: Mistress of Evil.

Disney Live-Action Renaissance:

Well it has finally happened, I strongly feel that everyone has a cut off point when it comes to franchise and brand loyalty and for me the Disney Live-Action Movies have finally reached saturation point for me.

Now again, I know that the remakes are technically a different category to the original movies, but when the movie is drawing inspiration from original material then you have to always compare because you can’t help not to.

Just to clarify, I love the live-action Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Maleficent and I enjoyed Dumbo, Cinderella, The Lion King and the first Alice in Wonderland. But 101 Dalmatians is the first movie to be remade for live-action back in 1996 and it was, for me, a fantastic version of the story.

Cruella:

As I said before, Cruella de Vil as a character holds a special place in my heart and has done since I can remember. So for me, this is a character that when portrayed differently to how they were when I first saw them, I just critically.

Glenn Close is the exception for me because for me she is on the same level as the original animated version and I can almost compare the two enough to see them both as the same character in the same universe.

Victoria Smurfit on Once Upon a Time was another good interpretation. I will admit when she was first introduced the fact she was an alcoholic magic-user who looked more like a drag-version of Patsy Stone than Cruella de Vil was an adjustment but I fell in love with the sadistic and cynical whit she had and her origin episode was brilliant.

Wendy Raquel Robinson is probably my least favourite interpretation to date and I understand she was not meant for a substantional role in Descendants but they turn her from the mad Devil Woman into simply the crazy dog lady. I loved Carlos and he was my favourite character possibly because I wanted to be him but Cruella herself wasn’t great.

In terms of the animated version of the character, because she was the first version I saw I guess I kind of imprinted on her but in both the animated movies and the animated series she’s simply brilliant.

Emma Stone:

Alright so Emma Stone is a marmite actress for me, but in her defence she is in a lot of either niche or marmite movies.

My favourite role of hers is still probably Gwen Stacy in The Amazing Spider-Man movies and the prospect of at the time seeing her as Spider-Gwen would have been interesting.

Her most recent movie The Favourite was a great role for her, but the movie itself isn’t too memorable. Similarly La La Land was overhyped and Zombieland I haven’t seen.

But from a completely biased judgement, Emma Stone is not the type of actress to portray Cruella de Vil.

Prominently, Emma Stone is American while Cruella is from London. now yes both Glenn Close and Betty Lou Gerson are American but put on the British sophisticate persona, but Emma Stone to me does not have that.

She tried in The Favourite, but she never made me think “Oh yes she’s perfect for Cruella”.

Cruella Origin Movie:

Now in terms of the movie, the main things we know about it firstly are what we see in the released image from D23, where first and foremost I have to say that this looks like a drag version of Cruella de Vil...but a very bad interpreted drag styling.

Why is she wearing leather? Leather may be from a cow, but Cruella de Vil is primarily known for wearing furs rather than leathers yet here she looks like a punk goth with that really heavy eye-shadow

She doesn’t even look like Emma Stone here, genuinely she looks like Helena Bonham Carter. The only thing about this that says Cruella is the two-tone hair because nothing else from the makeup to the outfits says Cruella to me.

Also why the dalmatians, I mean obviously this could be her having captured three dalmatians to turn into a coat but you can’t tell from this photo.

Again going back to Once Upon a Time and Cruella’s origin episode “Sympathy for the De Vil” showed Cruella as a child supposedly at the mercy of her mother who was a dalmatian dog trainer, but when she’s an adult and reveals that she is in fact a villain she turns her mother’s two dalmatians into a coat.

Emma Thompson has been cast in an undisclosed role, but if she’s playing her mother or not we don’t know.

As for Jasper and Horace, aside from the dalmatians, they are my favourite thing about this image. That’s Joel Fry on the right as Jasper and Paul Walter Hauser as Horace on the left, the latter of whom looks authentic as hell aside from the moped.

This is listed as a comedy crime drama fantasy movie, I have to say I find the fact they have comedy as a listed genre for the movie rather offensive. You’re talking about the origin of a woman who hordes furs by having innocent animals like dalmatians skinned. Jasper and Horace can provide comedy fine, but the movie should not be a comedy.

Overall I have to say I am not impressed or confident with this project at all, it is possibly the first time I can safely say I am not looking forward to a Disney movie. I will still see it to judge fairly for myself rather than not seeing it and judging without evidence, but I am not happy.

So those are my thoughts of the upcoming Cruella origin movie starring Emma Stone, what do you guys think? Post your comments and check out more D23 Dissects as well as other posts.

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skriak · 5 years ago

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TOP 10 NINTENDO SWITCH GAMES 2019 - my arbitrary list!

Sometimes it's good to be proven wrong. I was pretty sceptical when the Switch was first announced, as it didn't seem too different from the Wii U's gamepad. Then I spent two years watching Nintendo enjoy a complete reversal of fortune, to the point of potentially amassing a more compelling library than Sony's or Microsoft's consoles. So that's how I quite suddenly found myself buying a Switch in October 2019, after having resisted the PS4 and Xbone for five whole years, and my free time has since been dominated by this little machine that defied the odds.

Some of Nintendo's business decisions can still seem inexplicable, but releasing a powerful handheld console that can also be docked with a TV at a moment's notice has proved to be an inspired idea, rather than the gimmick the Wii U's gamepad mostly turned out to be. And along with Nintendo's dependable series of top-notch exclusives, the Switch has enjoyed much better third-party support, which is how I ended up buying Dark Souls for the fourth bloody time just because the option to play it portably was too tempting to resist.

The Switch is the first console I've bought since the PS3 and for all Nintendo's quirks, there's a reason the Switch has dominated Christmas wishlists for three years running. Games like Super Mario Odyssey feel like full-size adventures that just happen to have a portable option, as opposed to handheld games you can also play on the big screen. This is the first year in a long while that I've actually played enough topical titles to justify a "games of the year" list, even if my recent Nintendo bias is pretty blatant.

So with that caveat in mind, and in no particular order, here's my entirely subjective list of the best Nintendo Switch games of 2019.

Luigi's Mansion 3

This is a franchise I'd always been curious about and can finally have an opinion on. The process of going from floor to floor of the hotel hoovering up ghosts and solving puzzles is pretty straightforward, but Luigi's Mansion 3 has so much polish and personality crammed into the cartridge. Luigi is immediately lovable as a determined coward, and each level has a wildly different theme that's realised with extravagant audio and visual flair, so progress always feels rewarding. Though this isn't true horror by any means, there can be an unsettling atmosphere and some of the bosses are pretty freaky. I officially love this oddball franchise and am desperate for a chance to play the story again in co-op. Unquestionably a first-class exclusive.

Doom (Switch port)

Not to be confused with the impressive Switch version of Doom 2016, this is the iconic Doom made cheap and accessible. While purists may take issue with some minor technical deviations, this is the first time I've got most of the way through Doom because the portability and *glorious* true dual-stick control makes this easily my favourite version. There's even a cheat menu for when I just want to mindlessly punch hell beasts. The main thing that ages Doom is its maze-like structure, but playing it casually experience alleviates that frustration somewhat. At a grand total of four pounds, this is a BFB (big fucking bargain).

Untitled Goose Game

You know a game is good when the only asterisk I put on my recommendation is that it *may* be overpriced. Untitled Goose Game took the internet by storm this year because it's the quintessential indie game: cute, simple and with anti-authoritarian undertones. As a horrible goose, it's your mission to cause havoc in an unsuspecting English village, interacting with people and objects to cause chain reactions of chaos. Some of the puzzle solutions are maybe a bit obscure, but 90% of the time just messing around with everything in the area will lead to a solution. Untitled Goose Game makes up for its brevity with sheer comedic charm, feeling much better-designed than a "lul so random" affair like Goat Simulator. A honking good time.

Terraria (Switch port)

I have spent literally hundreds of hours on the PC version of Terraria, so when I was broke after buying my Switch the new Terraria port was an obvious cost-effective choice. While the controls aren't as precise, the amount of time spent mining and sorting through loot makes this a great handheld experience. I can't comment on the multiplayer options but few games represent such a sheer value for money, as there's always a new cave to explore or a new boss to overcome. Time has been kind to this 2011 classic, grind notwithstanding.

Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair

While I personally enjoyed the original Yooka-Laylee, it was definitely flawed and I never seriously expected to see a sequel. But Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair launched quite abruptly and did a pretty spectacular job of upstaging its predecessor. All the previous game's half-baked feel has been replaced with clever design touches, like the equippable tonics which grant helpful abilities at the cost of a currency penalty. The titular Lair is actually the final level and available to throw yourself at right from the beginning, but beating it without first obtaining more hitpoints by completing other stages is incredibly hard, which is a great way to incentivize progress without denying more confident players the option of beating the game earlier if they can meet the challenge. Impossible Lair might be this year's biggest surprise, and despite a modest budget I think it's worthy of comparison to excellent 2D platformers like Rayman Legends. Just don't expect to defeat Capital B on your first attempt.

A Hat In Time (Switch port)

I recently reviewed A Hat In Time but at the risk of repeating myself, it's one of the most charming games of the last few years and an incredibly impressive crowdfunded achievement. Mario's offerings may be a grander technical feat, but A Hat In Time is a fast and fabulous journey through a series of weird and wonderful worlds that all feel distinct in content and tone. It's very openly inspired by GameCube-era platformers like Mario Sunshine and Psychonauts and it easily scratches that itch. Simply one of the best original platformers of this generation, and I defy you not to love Hat Kid's cheeky antics.

Spyro Reignited Trilogy (Switch port)

As someone who thinks the original Spyro trilogy holds up better than most early 3D games, I'd have actually preferred a simple port rather than a full remake, but The Reignited Trilogy is honestly impeccable. The updated visuals are gorgeous while maintaining the general style of those old, jaggy models, and very little of the gameplay or content has changed except for sensible updates like the ability to immediately warp between every level you've visited. Having full dual-analogue control is also an absolute godsend even for a PS1 veteran like me. Though Spyro may seem a bit basic these days when faced with modern platformer marvels, the Reignited Trilogy makes these old favourites accessible again at a generous price point.

Ring Fit Adventure

Yes, I have a Wii kicking around in a box somewhere. No, Wii Fit never held my attention as anything more than a curiosity. Ring Fit Adventure, meanwhile, is limited only by my cholesterol-encrusted heart and dislike of excessive showering. This is an honest-to-goodness attempt at making an RPG out of a workout toy, and the amount of polish put into the game's presentation and hardware implementation is pretty remarkable. Levels involve jogging on the spot and squeezing the ring accessory to collect goodies and overcome obstacles, and periodically you'll engage in turn-based combat where you use a custom selection of exercise moves to deal damage. It's a fantastic idea pulled off much more elegantly than it sounds. The ring accessory unfortunately makes this quite an expensive game, so it'll take a lot of regular use to get your money's worth, but I can honestly (and surprisingly) say that exercise suddenly becomes more compelling when it's presented as a light RPG adventure with anthropomorphic gym equipment encouraging you to take breaks and drink plenty of water.

Pokémon Sword/Shield

Disclaimer: I can only give my impressions from 25 hours of playing Pokémon Shield, so this is DEFINITELY not a full review. That being said, this is still an easy recommendation to existing Pokemaniacs and a good starting point for any new acolytes. While the core formula hasn't evolved (har har) much since the very first Pokemon, Sword and Shield still has a number of modern quality of life improvements that make previous generations show their age. I've had so much fun building a core crew of cute and/or badass 'mons in a weird Nintendo version of Britain, and the online features combine with a VASTLY improved random encounter system to make grinding far less of a concern. The wild area takes some getting used to, but it's satisfying to come back and capture the huge Onyx you had to run away from a few hours before. Even if Pokémon Sword/Shield has some technical blemishes and could have pushed the series further in some regards, it's still easy to see why this franchise has maintained such a beloved status for so long.

Red Faction: Guerrilla Re-mars-tered (Switch port)

Along with Dark Souls, Red Faction was a game I never even knew I needed on the go, but now I've got it I can't imagine ever going back. A cult classic due to its amazing destruction physics, Red Faction sees you leading a proletariat revolution on Mars, literally tearing down corporate monuments to free the working class from systematic oppression. The open world is a bit claustrophobic and the shooting isn't exactly mind-blowing, but there's a reason I've beaten Red Faction every couple of years ever since its original 2009 release. The Switch port does the game justice and if you set the difficulty to easy then this is one of the best rage-venting experiences money can buy. So yes, I recommend getting your ass to Mars.

#gaming #nintendo #goty #2019 #switch #nintendo Switch #game review #review

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plush-anon · 5 years ago

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scooby doo guess who? not much really review

currently taking advantage of boomerang’s scoobiversary freebies to watch scooby doo guess who

my impression so far? the animation is weeeeeeeiiiiird. some scenes i would swear to gods on being straight up traced from older hanna barbera scooby shows, like a la 70s era - some scooby shots have that same perspective, angle, etc that you only saw used in the HB Scoobies, which is just strange to see in a modern production - even the WNSD? crew never had scooby faces this close to past animations

shots of the gang also experience this. A lot of the distance shots of them could honestly be taken from the 70s, given the lack of details in their faces, the strange framing proportions - only with cleaner line work and brighter colors (which oddly enough make it look WORSE)

also some of the facial animations in the close-ups just look... off. like the words don’t quite fit their face? In fact, a lot of the character design feels really, REALLY off, and I have no idea how to articulate it.

actually wait, I think I have it - it’s the linework. Some of the lines are really clearly defined in thick black while the rest is either the same color/sliver off-color as the main drawing or really thin - and it keeps changing from shot to shot. It’s literally like someone keeps tracing different old shots of the gang and the pen used changes with each new picture. on the one hand, it makes it look a LOT more like a cleaned-up Hanna Barbera cartoon. but on the other hand? yikes. At least Be Cool SD had their own designs and were consistent. this is just... awkward to watch, imo.

even the backgrounds feel like they’re trying to recapture the HB designs - the ones which were kinda painted looking in some shots, a little rough? but with the colors (both background and animated pieces) and linework being as vivid and clear as they are in some scenes, the clash is really apparent when the characters are on screen (also the characters are doing the HB thing where they will just... randomly teleport from one action to a different one and different positions).

combined with reused sound effects from the old shows (the Sherlock Holmes one reused the laughing sound effects from the green phantoms) was Warner Bros literally trying to re-make the Hanna Barbera stuff - down to almost traced-looking art and animation? it doesn’t work as well tho, bc the animation is pretty smooth - again, oddly a point against it, bc of how much it clashes.

the Hanna Barbera stuff worked bc everything kinda fit each other - the character animation, the backgrounds, the color pallettes, everything felt like it was part of the same design. here, it feels like a trace and repaint that is jarringly different, as we see on display in the show’s opening. they capture the design elements, ramp up the neon and very bright vivid colors, and clean up the linework to something that mimics HB Scooby, but feels off because of the cleaned up quality.

As far as the humor? It’s honestly very hit and miss. Some stuff lands, some stuff feels like I’ve seen it in other things (monster designs from other shows, primarily WNSD? so far; running gags that were lifted straight from 70s era episodes and not in an homage kinda way, but ‘literally exact same gag but with different monster’, like the Wanda Sykes ep using the werewolf barber gag) - it’s very, VERY mishmash, and I can’t tell if they wanted to straight up remake the New Scooby Doo Movies (they did the guest stars) but with prettier colors and better animation, or if they were just THAT lazy in making this (which is also a possibility - they’re working on the new SCOOB movie, but still want Scooby in the public eye, so producing a quick show like this would not be too far off for WB, if they wanna bring back older ideas of Scooby)

It’s actually pretty jarring at times to see the gang pull out modern tech (ESPECIALLY in the Funky Phantom ep) - bc they rely so much on the HB style and formula for this particular show, it’s exceedingly out of place to see smart phones and tablets. WNSD, SDMI, BCSD, and even PNSD evade this by having their own unique animation style, way of approaching humor, etc, so they can update and still feel relatively smooth about it. this tho? since they do pull so heavily on HB for style and animation and setting, modern stuff really is strange to pull up.

honestly, this all reminds me of that one Bat-Mite driven episode of Batman: Brave & the Bold crossing over with Scooby Doo. That one had more updated animation and smoother backgrounds, but still looked near identical to the original NSDM show, and matched it for tone. Kinda wondering what the game here was, but eh, who knows.

(although I am VERY PEEVED at Daphne’s design - everyone else seems okay proportions-wise, but she sometimes has a waist the samE SIZE AS FRED’S WRIST, and hips twice the size of her head. I just... what even, WB).

Credit where credit is due tho, the gang at least feels like a group of friends, and work well together as expected with the older shows. They also show that they care about each other, and do go to help each other if a plan goes wrong with Shag & Scoob in bait mode, or if someone gets knocked over/hurt. they don’t interact much on a personal level outside of mysteries, but they have the same dynamic from the 70s, so that’s good (again in the Wanda Sykes episode, Scooby affirms how much he loves Shaggy as his human, the gang worry about each other getting hurt or leap after to help each other out - it’s sweet)

The guest stars have also been kinda hit or miss - personal faves so far are Sherlock Holmes and Wanda Sykes. The funky Phantom ep was kind of obnoxious, and the others have been pretty forgettable so far, with the Ricky Gervais one being just... awkward. So very, very... VERY awkward.

Minor fun fact: Shaggy confirmed to have read Sherlock Holmes mysteries enough to know which piece of dialogue Sherlock quotes is from which story. it’s great :D

that episode also remains the best bc it contains the line ‘YES, remember: Sherlock Holmes posted your bail!’ which he actually did. the gang gets arrested, and Sherlock Holmes bails them out.

overall, it’s not a terrible showing for Scooby Doo - in fact some of the classic gags play out pretty well (the running back and forth gag, disguise tricks, etc). it’s just kind of meh bc of how oddly put together it is.

I’m working on watching more before the freebie time limit expires, so I’ll post a little bit more when I do.

#reviews #scooby doo guess who #scooby doo #plush reviews #i'm oddly ambivalent about this show #it's weird for me

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minidog · 5 years ago

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i think the new lion king Really, REALLY highlights the importance of animation. how you utilize it in a film can change it from good to bad. like, its the same plot, same movie, just a remake...yet its so much worse than its original. all the critic reviews range from mediocre to just plain out bad.

whats mind boggling is that no the animation isnt BAD in the new movie. in fact id argue that its pretty incredible! but its so wrong for a disney movie. it sucks the life out of the lion king and makes it boring and ocassionally uncanny at best.

it has all the elements to make a good movie... the original lion king was well loved. technology is so much better than it was back then. the cast is A+. it seems so hard to fuck something up so badly when you have everything right going for it... thats how important good direction and animation that fits the tone and style is and it cant be taken for granted

i think the biggest argument for “stop shitting on the remake its for kids who gives a shit” is just wrong because imagine being a kid. imagine watching it. nothing colorful or fantastical to capture your imagination, no neat shots during musical numbers nothing coming to life, that shits BORING as a kid. id argue adults would get waaay more enjoyment out of it which is rlly funny because again... the critic reviews are no bueno

if into the spiderverse was a champion for animation the lion king remake is pretty much the opposite, but in a way just as important to highlight why this shit Matters.

#.txt

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jh-mus-transcr-and-blog · 5 years ago

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Ktheju tokës and Ethnomusicological Tidbits

Hello Europals and all!

I made a remake for Jonida Maliqi’s song “Ktheju tokës” (words and music by Eriona Rushiti). I’ve loved the song for a long while, though I didn’t hear it until pretty deep into the national final season. In this entry, I wanted to point out a few things that I found to be most interesting about the original song and what I wanted to achieve with this remake!

Calls to Iso-Polyphony Tradition and Heritage

Albanian iso-polyphony has been inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity since 2008. Here is an introductory video giving examples of variations within this art form:

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In this video, two forms of iso-polyphony are discussed, split by Albanian dialect. The Tosk regions (the southern part) is known for a drone - a long held note - that is “always continuous and sung on the syllable ’e’, using staggered breathing”, according to the UNESCO site.

The use of this very ethnically salient art form suggests that this song oozes Albanian nationalism even outside the lyrical content, which urges the Albanian diaspora to return to Albania to fix issues within the state that have existed since even before the Hoxha Communist reign. (interview for source)

Changes in each revamp

Besides the final stage version of “Ktheju tokës” (3), two other versions were played in public - the original studio version of the song (1), available here, and the live version with orchestra, performed during the first night of the show as well as during the final, as shown here (2). While the final revamp did not come to be until about 3 months after the show’s end, the framework for the final revamp was already in the making. Among them are:

Strong percussive elements. In the first version, the idea for the opening verse was already established, though the mix was changed in the final mix. The interlude between the verse and chorus also originally had a busy programmed cymbal part that was removed in the final version. The transition back to regular drum patterns in the second half of the verse (after the mid-song instrumental following the chorus) was changed in the final version, but included the first part of the sliding bass and cymbal parts. More bass was added in the final version as well.

The chorus is the biggest change between the first version and each successive version. The first version copies the rhythm from the verses, while the other versions use a common rock rhythm. The biggest difference between these two rhythms is the focus of accents (and claps) on different parts of each repeating pattern. See the video below for a demonstration of the two different rhythms in question:

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Much music of non-black origin - among others, big bands and classical Western music - utilize this 1 and 3 clap rhythm. However, most popular music nowadays has borrowed from black culture (jazz, blues, rock ‘n roll) and does clap on 2 and 4. This is what the new rhythm does, and it drives the chorus more than the original rhythm does, even as Maliqi claps on 1 and 3 in a capella fashion during her press conference here. However, the kind of a cappella she was doing was more in line with classical and (white) folk music, which does focus on said beats.

Mix. From the beginning, there are differences between the two studio versions. (The live version will not be discussed as much due to the numerous differences between live and studio mixes.) Besides the slightly different drum sounds used and the repeated parts removed for time considerations, the revamped version markedly reduced reverb. Reverb is an effect which in conjunction with delay makes an audio signal sound like it is being played from some type of space - cathedrals, studios, halls, etc. Less reverb usage makes a signal sound more focused, which the revamped version does seem to be. The male belt voice in the choruses was not in the first versions of the song but was rather added in, and the chanted Clannad-like “Ktheju tokës” in the ending was mixed higher in the final version as well.

Everything in the previous versions, while still good, were even further refined in the final version, and it added to the overall effect of the song.

Dynamic contrasts

In all three versions, the beat after the lyric “shpresë” in both verses is accented in all instruments. Dynamic contrasts such as those played here play a role in creating drama in any musical contexts. Beyond the music, the dynamic (volume) level in the vocal parts - between head voice and a very throaty belt - also add to this drama, which fits the gravitas of the subject matter.

Articulations such as legato and rhythmic accents also add to this dynamic contrast. For example, the interlude between the full verse and first chorus was sung in a much more connected (legato) fashion, while the live and final versions used much more staccato (sharply detached singing, more or less), which is both harder to do and gives each note more emphasis by design. Similarly, the triplet accent in the bass and drums on the second “shpresë” really emphasizes their rhythms and the vocal rest right after the rhythms turn back to verse 1 rhythms along with the bass. The dynamic contrasts really add feeling in songs when used effectively and even give playback performances a livelier realization.

Polytonality

Ktheju tokës is in D# (D-sharp) minor throughout. However, there are several considerations when addressing minor keys, in particular when it comes to classical music and songs based off of a classical vocabulary. Each minor key has three forms - the natural form and two forms made to compensate for harmonic and melodic tendencies in the Common Practice style (think 18th-19th century classical music for greatest concentration of said style). The note right below the key note - in D# minor, the key note is D#, so the note right below is usually called D (C𝄪)* - leads up more strongly than the normal note C# (which is further away from the key note, also known as the tonic) and is called a leading tone in music theory parlance. The verse melody follows in this melodic minor pattern with the D (C𝄪), but the higher electronic loop that plays throughout the second verse fragment as well as the bass both play the C# found in natural minor. A similar effect is found in Jimi Hendrix’s Purple Haze, and the chord in question - 7#9 - has definite uses (see here for examples). However, this usually implies that the equivalent to the C# is higher in frequency than the equivalent to the D (C𝄪), and in this case, it is not. Therefore, this part in Maliqi’s song sounds far more unsettling and can be argued to be an example of polymodality.

Polytonality, as Adam Neely explains in the video below, is defined by the presence of two different sets of notes playing at the same time, which can be used for comedic or unsettling effect. Polymodality is a related but more specific concept, where the home notes of both sets are the same. In this case, both D# natural and harmonic (or melodic - hard to tell without a B note in the context) minors are used. (This is a slight simplification, as it is not necessary to dive further right now. I’ll talk about that a bit more when I have written another post about “Arcade”.)

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* in this case, the sound associated with the note D actually called C𝄪 (C-double sharp) due to each group of notes in a key having one of every letter A-G in some form. That’s a long discussion for another post, though, so I’ll try to keep it as simple as possible.

About the remake

I transcribed most of the song and was really struck by the pain and yearning for fellow countrymen to come back home, so I wanted to capture that feeling of mourning and some type of motherliness while also keeping to my classical roots. I found it harder to keep the polytonal sections, but instead reharmonized and used the instruments I was most familiar with. I did most of this on the road - working slowly on adding more real(istic) instruments (and vocals, and by golly, they’re difficult to sing) and can post here later.

Overall

This isn’t a typical pop song by any stretch of the imagination, and its very ethnically salient elements may contribute to its divisiveness outside the Albanian community. However, to the numerous Albanian diaspora scattered worldwide and to musicologists alike, it holds a lot of deep and fascinating elements that blend folk culture with modern touches, and a call to come back home.

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lovetheangelshadow · 6 years ago

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N'Pressions: Netflix' Carmen Sandiego

I will admit my past experiences with the Carmen Sandiego franchise is a mix of both enjoyment and frustration. My first encounter with the series was that my grandpa had the original black and white game installed on his Mac II and half the time me and my brother were guessing and constantly losing because who knew you needed the accompanying Almanac to go with it. Also I was like six and my brother four and we didn’t even know what an Almanac was. We did sporadically watch the game show; both the geography and history ones, when our mother let us watch TV and well as the cartoon that came up on the Fox. To memory the only other game we ever owned was the USA specific one that we played to heck out of.

I was not even aware that there was a reboot in the making until I had gotten an email from Netflix about some shows I might like. I glanced at the trailer on YouTube and admittedly was not exactly enthusiastic about the premise. From what it appeared to be, we were following Carmen specifically and that, while she was still a thief, she stole from other thieves. Sly Cooper. They were essentially premiering a Sly Cooper type show. Why didn’t Sly get his own show?! Okay so the Ratchet and Clank movie tanked, but you have a bit more wiggle room with a show guys! Heck technically there is 2D animation in the Sly series, it would not look out of place. Well despite my disappointment, I decided to give this a fair shake.

The theme song is meh. Honestly it just doesn’t stick with me like the previous three version. And yes, as corny as it was, I still like the Where in Time theme. I get what they’re trying to do though; invoking a jazzy tone like in the James Bond series, Pink Panther, or Catch me if you Can-it just feels very generic to me. Which is an honest shame because the animation for the opener is beautiful. The black and white cut out backgrounds with the trademark red coat gliding through and the title character eluding capture is just a treat. Again it works really well with the mood and tone of the show; a spy-action chase theme traversing the world. Like I said it does feel like they’re trying to invoke that classic thief/spy films. It’s just the theme doesn’t stick with me.

And as for the reboot itself, the show decides to elaborate and remake Carmen Sandiego’s origin. Now I don’t know if people were clamoring for this, but I never really came across any howling dissent like with She-Ra or Powerpuff Girls when this news came out. Most of the reactions I’ve seen were either excitement or hesitation. And let’s face it, any time there is a reboot there is reasonable grounds for reluctance. Now with Carmen there is a bit more of a leeway here. After all, at least to my memory, a set personality or origin for her. You knew she was a thief that wanted you to know it was her, someone who enjoyed the chase, and was very crafty and intelligent. Also mysterious.

So the new concept is that Carmen, or Black Sheep as her former name, was an orphan found by one of the V.I.L.E faculty members, Ms. Blunt and raised on V.I.LE Headquarters island where she had a series of various tutors who taught her geography, history, and world culture. She also learned a few other things by osmosis from other members of the organization and was also a bit of a prankster and precocious. Eventually she is allowed to train in the next school year where only 40 thieves graduate per year (clever pun). And it’s here where we meet some of the her schoolmates who will eventually her antagonists for the season. And if I may put in aside her, this show does this SO much better than She-Ra. The show actually does take the time to make them more or less fleshed out characters so you know the kinds of threats they will eventually be later on in the show. With She-Ra they’re more like set pieces then anything else (save for Catra, but whatever). Anyway the school is run by five faculty members each with their own personality and gimmick to their methods of crime. And watching these guys is very enjoyable. The best comparison I can think of is the Kingdom Hearts series where if you compare the organization of Disney Villains and Origination XIII in terms of interaction and entertainment. The former classmates are more like Organization XIII. Sure they have their own gimmicks and personas, but they don’t stand out as much and their interaction with Carmen is more professional and serious. The only exception may be Tigress-but she’s more of a rival. Also I am convinced two of those guys are gay and it actually feels natural because it’s not their most outstanding feature. With the Faculty, it is a lot more personal. Plus their egos often clash with one another and they’ve got no qualms taunting or flaunting others’ failures and their own successes. There is someone of a sixth member, who is the bookkeeper for V.I.L.E. Fun fact, she is voiced by the original Carmen and the reboot Carmen steals her soon to be trademark hat and coat from her. That is one of the cleverest pass the torches EVER.

Anyway, Carmen is flunked from the course and is forced to take it over. However she stows away on the place heading for heist where she learns the true face of V.I.L.E. She doesn’t have a problem with theft, it’s the fact that the organization is willing to kill to get what it wants. There are other atrocities but I won’t spoil them here. So finding this out, she escapes the island with stolen data with the help of a hacker named Player and vows to destroy V.I.L.E by stealing thigs before they do and or steal back from them.

For the rest of the series, it plays itself out a straightforward heist and chase show. At the same time either Carmen or Player will drop factoids about each place they visit either to each other or to Carmen’s two assistants: Zack and Ivy. They are also perused by Interpol agents Chase Devineaux and Julia Argent. Chase is a by the book officer who is persistent in pursuit and isn’t too interested in history and cultural facts. I would not call him stupid but rather he’s focused on the hunt and will do what he has to in order to keep up the chase. Also he has some of the best comedic lines in the show. Julia is more the bookworm and slow burning patient partner. ACME is also part of the chase as well as a shadow organization dedicated to tracking down and stopping VILE. When I first heard the two agents mention Chief I was super excited to see the return of the Chief and…shrugs. And nothing against Dawnn Lewis but she doesn’t strike me with authority the same way Lynne Thigpen did. Also I am kinda sad that they went the more generic men in black look. Sure the old red and yellow coats were cheesy, but they’ve stuck in my mind more than anything. Plus with VILE’s color schemes being mostly green, black, and grey it would have made for the perfect contrast.

The show goes more for of a cutout style along the vein of shows like 6teen and Chaotix season 1 (yeah remember that show?) with coloring resembling more of a painterly style. Basically similar to the style of the opening but a bit more simplified. For the most part I don’t mind it too much; but it tends to be not always as flexible when it comes to the action sequences. This is more noticeable with it comes to sequences that involve impacts, but they’re too brief to really notice unless you’re actively looking for them. Same thing goes for other things like follow through and squash and stretch. But for a first season especially with this kind of animation, I will give them credit that more the most part its consistent and nine times out of then it doesn’t feel stiff and awkward. If I have a minor nitpick it’s more the character designs themselves. I feel like a lot of these designs I’ve seen in other shows and none of them really stand out to me. Sure the old VILE agent designs from the show and games were kooky and sometimes questionable in design choices, but they still felt a bit more individual.

And now on to Carmen herself. Honestly, she’s fine. Sure they changed her to more of a grey hero but they didn’t toss off what made people like her. She’s fast on her feet, able to use what the situation gives her, and she is a skilled thief even when pitted against members of her own class. The only ones who really give her great trouble that she has yet to really outmatch are when she’s going against facility members head on. Which makes sense as they are more experienced than her. Hell, she almost gets hugged to death in one episode. Admittedly the humor in the show is 50/50. I laughed at a few jokes, but most were minor shrugs. At least there was not anything that made me cringe or face palm.

I honestly enjoyed myself and I felt the show was in the spirit of the original series. While focusing on Carmen and making her a Robin Hood-esque character was an odd choice they didn’t forget what the core of the series was. Globetrotting heists, geographical education, and just good old straight forward action. Also thank you so much for just focusing on being good educational entertainment. For actually being something that a broad spectrum can genuinely enjoy and not feel talked down to or pandered. I am very excited for the next season. So good job guys. I’m Noctina Noir and I’m one Nox of a Nobody.

#carmen sandiego #netflix carmen sandiego #noctina noir

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theinquisitivej · 6 years ago

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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

#The Inquisitive J #Film Review #film #movies #film critic #movie critic #critic #reviews #television review #netflix castlevania #castlevania #a star is born #a star is born 2018 #the autopsy of jane doe #netflix castlevania review #a star is born review #the autopsy of jane doe review #the inquisitive j reviews

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thatheathen · 3 years ago

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Not a review of Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop

Welp… Turns out live action anime cash grabs always suck. I couldn’t get through the first episode of Netflix’s Cow Bebop adaptation… It was unwatchable. And I was excited too, hoping this was gonna be at least semi-decent. Within minutes of the shows opening I hated it. It’s the same opening as Knockin On Heavens Door, the Bebop Movie, but instead of a random quick mart, it’s at the casino in space… WHOA!

The sets and props looked extremely fake and poorly put together. Seems rushed. This entire project felt that is was fanmade, expensive YouTube project. It’s really hard to forget the anime when I can easily forget this embarrassing excuse of a faithful rendition of everyone’s favorite anime. The acting in this show is just cringe… So much cringe and not in an endearing way cuz I really don’t mind campy fun but my god this is Cowboy Dull-Bop. The main characters are immediately uninteresting… Jett is just incredibly… Cartoon like and behaves NOTHING like Jet In the anime… He acts like some angry pirate captain or whatever. I’m the anime Jet is calculated and stoic.

I can’t imagine the shock people will get after watching Netflix’s Cowboy Bebop shrugging their shoulders then seeing Shinichiro Watanabe’s Cowboy Bebop for the first time realizing Netflix must stop after this one. No more please. For me the original Cowboy Bebop blew my mind… It was animation I never quit saw before except for Dragon Ball. Look how that trash fire film turned out lol! Some animated stories are difficult and others are pointless.

Imagine some Hollywood jack off decides to remake a Miyazaki film like My Neighbor Totoro into a live action movie… You’d totally let Netflix do it or maybe Disney? Who’s a better choice? I don’t care cuz it can only be shit. Spirited Away’s charm and beautiful imagery loses its magic if poorly adapted to live action… Like why? The Animatrix needs a live action reboot huh? Oh wait, Heavy Metal and Toy Story, why aren’t they live action? Why isn’t loony tunes live action? Live action vs. Animation? One isn’t better than the other, your genre must fit the style and themes and vice versa. The Bebop anime wasn’t half assed at all. Live action anime feels trashy and rushed no actual care went into it at all. It just goofy, in a bad way.

I really am dreading the weebs and hardcore fan reactions who were right in hating the very idea of a live action Cowboy Bebop from the start going back at least 6 to 10 years ago, but I’ll pass on their grievances I can already hear them after barely 20 minutes in the Netflix reboot. I hated the idea too cuz I know it’s not possible to capture what made CB so influential and awe-inspiring to begin with. Netflix just rearranged events for the show and call it good. This project should have been it’s own thing and not take the Bebop name as it probably would do better. Way too much expectations and I didn’t realize how low budget it was gonna be. It made me feel gross… I can’t explain it. Like, what the fuck were they thinking??

The Japanese anime medium is its own style even Japanese video games and their tv show counterparts or live action films don’t always translate well or matter all that much. The hand drawn action sequences still don’t match Bebop’s in a anime series with the exception of Evangelion Neon Genesis. I don’t get the same tone in Netflix’s version as they went for a more silly and honestly more boring vision of an already brilliant show that didn’t overstay it’s welcome. I really didn’t think this would bother me that much. It should annoy anyone.

I don’t wanna be angry and whine too much over a dumb Netflix show, but holy shit. You can’t be a serious person and think they did a good job… Like nothing about it is likable from the start. With the anime I was sucked in just from an adult swim promo premiering the show for the first time and then loving every moment. You can easily watch all 22 episodes and stay glued to the screen as each episode is like a short film with philosophical wisdoms thrown in that meld cleverly with the flow of the show. Flow is the very point and nature of the main character Spike. Him being twice as old was a strange decision I’ll never understand.

#netflix #cowboy bebop #cowboy bebop live action #thatheathen

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nixonsmoviereviews · 7 years ago

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"X2" ("X-Men 2")- Arguably the best of the series. Thoughfull, exciting and exceedingly well-constructed.

With nine films thus far and at least two more on the horizon, all released over a near-twenty year window, 20th Century Fox's "X-Men" film franchise is something of a wonder in today's world of near- constant reboots and remakes. While it has by no means been a smooth ride, the fact remains that the long-running series has been a widely beloved and infinitely important one, especially when placed into historical perspective. Director Bryan Singer's original entry was one of the first major comic-to-film adaptations that convinced studios and audiences alike that comic-book movies could not only be mature and enthralling, but could be certified hits once again after the genre seemed to die-out in the 90's. And thus, a franchise was born and has stuck around ever since, through thick and thin. It's almost a surprise, however, that one of the best entries in the entire saga came so early- 2003's follow-up "X2." With Singer once again at the helm, the film is in every conceivable way an improvement over his excellent first film- it's more thoughtful, more daring, more exciting... I think one could even reasonably say that not only is it arguably the greatest film in the franchise- it just might be one of the best comic-to-film adaptations of all time. Yes, it's that good. Some time after the original film, a brainwashed mutant called Nightcrawler (Alan Cumming) is sent on a mission to try and assassinate the President of the United States under the guise of being a martyr for Mutant Freedom. Despite the mutant being stopped, the troubling event gives Colonel William Stryker (Brian Cox) the political edge and backing needed to get approval for an "investigation" on Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters- but his investigation is actually an invasion, as he storms the school, taking many students hostage and forcing the remaining X-Men to flee. At the same time, Storm (Halle Berry) and Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) are sent on a mission to collect Nightcrawler and learn his motivation for the attack, Cyclops (James Marsden) and Professor Xavier (Patrick Stewart) are captured by Stryker's mysterious bodyguard (Kelly Hu) and the shape-shifting Mystique (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) helps her former leader Magneto (Ian McKellan) escape from his high-tech prison. Soon, the remaining mutants (including Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, Anna Paquin as Rogue and Shawn Ashmore as Iceman) are forced to team up with their former adversary to try and stop Stryker's scheme to use Charles and his powers to wipe out all of the mutants on Earth. Given the film's nature as an ensemble piece, it's near-impossible to discuss the performances of each actor individually. But to keep it brief, everyone returning from the original is great in their respective roles. Special commendation goes to Hugh Jackman and his continued excellence in the role that helped to define him as a superstar and to Famke Jannsen, who gets a lot more attention this time around. They are by far the stand-outs of the returning cast. I also highly enjoyed Stewart and McKellen, who bring a sense of class and elegance to their roles and are incredible as always. The newest additions are also outstanding. Brian Cox is one of the greatest actors of our time, and his turn as Stryker is quite remarkable. He gives the character both an easily- "despiseable" sense of threat and dread, yet also a nice and subtle sense of pain and pathos. He's a cruel man, yet he has a past that might explain why he is the way he is. Alan Cumming is just magical as the frightened yet also amusing Nightcrawler, and there's a lot of great moments in his performance. And Kelly Hu makes for a fun and furious adversary as Styker's second-in-command "Lady Deathstrike." Singer returns to direct from a script by "X-Men" scribe David Hayter and the writing duo of Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris. Singer got his start with hard-hitting thrillers like "The Usual Suspects" and "Apt Pupil", and I think that's part of what gives him an edge with the storytelling. He plays the stories straight and gives them a sense of real and honest threat, while also maintaining an emotional core that feels realistic despite the outlandish nature of the story and heavy Science-Fiction leanings of the material. He's also a very gifted visual artist with a slick and savage sense of composition and flow that lends itself well to the needs of high- concept action. His work on the series has always been nothing less than stunning. The script is very tightly written and juggles the plethora of characters well- everyone has their moment to shine, every major player has a clearly defined role and arc and the pacing is superb. Some wonderful work is done with the writing, and it's an honest shame that neither Hayter nor the writing partners of Dougherty and Harris were involved in the third entry. The rest of the production is just marvelous. (Pardon the bad joke) Composer/co-editor John Ottman shapes some wonderful and memorable musical themes that compliment the tone and style perfectly, and he weaves together shots and sequences with a masterful touch. Cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel's visual palette is cool and visually arresting, and his work is just stunningly gorgeous. Some wonderful visual flair is given thanks to his talent. And production and costume design courtesy Guy Hendrix Dyas and Louise Mingenbach respectively is just fantastic. The film is made with nothing but top-notch work from top-notch artists. As it stands, "X2" is easily one of the best if not the single best entry in the long-running series. Its phenomenal direction, sharp and thoughtful writing, beautiful production and outstanding cast weave an enthralling and thrilling cinematic experience that still stands tall well over a decade later. It's up there with the best of the best in terms of comic-book movies. There's no other way to look at it- "X2" easily earns a perfect 10 out of 10.

#imdb #movie #film #review #x-men #x2

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blizziem · 7 years ago

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A lot of my online social sphere was caught talking about new Netflix exclusive show. If you read tittle of this post, you already know which show we are talking about but in case you haven’t caught up on the current discussion, Devilman Crybaby is modernized retelling of Go Nagai’s original 1972 manga which has served as an inspiration for a lot of more recent works like Neon Genesis Evangelion. The show is a story about Akira Fudo, who by the scheming of his childhood friend Ryo becomes the titular Devilman after a demon tries to posses his body. As a devilman he fights against other demons who try to take over the world by taking over people who seemingly revel in their primal urges revolving around sex, drugs and violence. This sounds pretty straight forward premise for a good old superhero show, but, as you propably can guess from the Eva connection, is much more complicated than that. If you are looking for something to watch and don’t mind dark stories, it is a solid watch with good production values and excellent soundtrack. However, I feel personally pretty conflicted after watching it. (Continued after the break, but if you have not seen the show and are interested so see it, I recommend you go watch it first. It is ten episodes long so it’ll take an afternoon).

Before we move on, I should point out that I saw this show only once, and I consider myself to be very casual anime fan. Thus I don’t claim to be a some sort of master thinker with all the knowledge who knows what everything means and all that. That in mind you propably shouldn’t take anything I say as a truth, just as opinions of a guy who spends too much time thinking this stuff and watching some youtube videos about it by guys with much better delivery.

Anyhow, to summarize the plot, basically after a half of a series full of monster of the week style setup Ryo reveals the existence of the demons to whole world. Since these demons can impersonate anyone perfectly, this leads to deepening paranoia in general public and officials, which reaches is full point when Roy reveals that basically anyone who feels alienated form the society some way may become a demon (which isn’t exactly true), using Akira as an example. Akira’s friend and love interest Miki tries to defend him on the internet, but this backfires and while Akira is away, a lynch mob comes and basically kills every single character of the main cast of in the very brutal way, including Miki who’se head is put on a head of a stick. Akira tries to hurry back to save Miki, but he is too late. He sees the mob dancing in very tribalistic manner around a bonfire with her head, which is the last straw on his already strained psyche, and he ends up killing the mob with fire.

Akira confronts Ryo who turns out to be actually Satan who’se subconcious plan all along was to free demons from their imprisonment, which was orchestrated by the God himself. Akira promises to kill Satan himself, and he meets up with other devilmen, whist demons are killing last of the humans. The massive battle ensues and during it everyone else except Satan and Akira dies. They lay on the desolate beach (that looks pretty End of Evaesque) and Satan is reminiscing about his and Akira’s past together whilst hinting he has always loved him. Satan realizes that Akira doesn’t speak only to find out he is dead, and first time in his life he feels sadness which he doesn’t seem to understand, all the while god is wiping earth clean again.

Saying that show is dark would be an understatement. From the get go it is filled with gratuitous sexual imagery and violence. Which given what show is about (or atleast my read on it) makes sense. In it’s core, Devilman Crybaby is about power, and humanity’s relationship to it. Basically, before humanity’s rise, demons roamed the world and basically hunted and dominated each other. When Satan arrived, he fell in love with these creatures, but god wiped them underground, and thus, humanity slowly became to power. But demons were completely gone, and time to time they popped up causing havoc, until they finally took over and destroyed humanity.

The demons are basically stand in for powerful individuals like kings or bankers, who are doing whatever they want with the power they have, as opposed normal powerless humans who only can really achieve anything with co-operation. But instead co-operation, the people are driven to fight each other whilst the demons are gaining more power. Mean while, the devilmen represent those who have the power but instead of their own gain, they are willing to use it for good of others. And it is story about these individuals that the show tells. A very cynical and pessimistic story, since devilmen are unable to stop demon plan, whilst being rejected by humans for being demons. This infighting between this groups and their conflicting desires and views ultimately lead destruction of everything, and those few who are left only realize what was lost too late.

And boy, does this feel topical given the political climate we currently live in. Despite originally being manga from 70’s, this story feels more relevant than ever. It is no wonder that this is the point in time we get a modernized remake of this story, with more modern storytelling techniques and style compared to the original. Which introduces some interesting results when looking this show as a whole. The thigh focus on the characterization really drives home the horror of the situation perfectly, but also makes the show downright painful to watch given that every single character goes couple Game of Thrones seasons worth of suffering before their horrible fates. And none of these people deserve what is happening to them, which is the point of the whole show.

That said, I am not really fan of the point since I also believe humanity can be better than what this show depicts it being. It may take significant work and effort from our part, but I think we can defeat these proverbial demons this show depicts us loosing to. I get the pessimistic cynicism was the intended tone of the makers of the show and this show captures it perfectly, but I am not the one who thinks cynicism is really productive in the end. So, I prefer look this show as a warning of what may happen if we don’t get our shit together.

I’ve spent a lot of words talking about symbolic meaning of the show, because I think that’s how it works best. Since without that layer this show ends up being about bunch of likable people suffering and dying horribly, and that just left me feel really sad and miserable, thinking all the interesting possibilities letting these characters live would have created. Without it’s meta textual layer, Crybaby would just be tragedy that lacks any point, since only surviving character, Ryo, basically gets shafted when it comes to characterization compared to rest of the cast.

So, I think it is easy to see why do I feel conflicted about this show. With all the production values it has, it either ends up being a message I don’t agree with or a hollow tragedy, with former only slightly more satisfying than the latter. I am glad I saw it, but I doubt I will remember it as a similar kind of fond appreciation like I do Eva, which target’s it’s pessimism to a target that truly deserves it’s contempt, rather than whole of the humanity. We as a species might be crappy, but not totally condemnable.

#Devilman #Devilman Crybaby #Analysis #Review #English #vilinder being creative

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kentonwtf · 7 years ago

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( &&. general information )

Full name: Kenton Anthony Jones

Pronunciation: Kent-On An-tha-Nee J-oo-Nes

Nickname(s) or alias: Kent , K , Ant

Preferred name: Kenton

Current age: 19

Astrological sign: Scorpio

Element: Water

Title: Mr

Label: The Polymath

Gender: Transgender Male

Preferred pronouns: he/him

Sexual preference: heterosexual

Romantic preference: heteroromantic

Resides in: zeta lambda epilson , princeton college.

Current occupation: student . looking for part time work.

Language(s) spoken: english , spanish , basic latin.

Native language: english

Current marital status: single

( &&. background )

Reason behind name: Holds the same initials his birth name , K . A . J , and thought it would make it easier for everyone to switch.

Birth order: Oldest son by biological parents , younger brother to a sister from his father’s first marriage.

Ethnicity: Latino, of Mexican descent.

Nationality: American.

Species: Human.

A/B/O: N/A

Religion: Agnostic

Culture: Mexican.

Traditions/customs: Traditional America holidays , Christmas etc.

Political views: Modern liberal Democrat .

Financial status: Moderate income. Bank account is currently at a low balance since he recently had to pay for surgery, hence why he is looking for work.

IQ: 133 - near prodigy level in intellectual feats of mathematics, science, etc.

Hometown: Dover, Delaware, United States.

( &&. physical appearance )

Looks like (or face claim, if applicable): Noah Centineo

Height: 5′11

Weight: 155 pounds

Shoe size: 9.5/10

Figure/build: Tall, Lanky. Broad shoulders , good muscle definition over all of body.

Hair colour, Dyed?: Brunette, natural.

Hair length: Short back and sides. Longer on top. Side burns.

Eye colour: Brown.

Glasses? Colour? / Contacts? Are they coloured?: N/A.

Shape of face: Square forward, jaw starts to even to a point at chin.

Facial hair: Occasional stubble.

Do they shave/wax? Where?: He shaves his face regularly. Other than that, he’s content with his body hair.

Skin tone: Tan.

Tattoos: None.

Piercings: None.

Birthmarks/scars/distinguishing marks: Two scars at the side of both of his pecs. Some sporadic birthmarks on his face, like moles.

Dominant hand: Left.

If painted, what color are their nails/toenails?: N/A

Usual style of clothing: Stereotypically masculine.

Frequently worn jewelry: Analog Timex watch.

Describe their voice, what accent?: A standard American accent, although his voice is low and deep.

What is their speaking style (fast, monotone, loquacious)? Depends on the level of his enthusiasm. Although more often than not loquacious.

Describe their scent: He likes cheap cologne, as he doesn’t really have the money to buy the expensive stuff, and naturally he just smells clean.

Describe their posture: Kenton’s posture is relaxed, although he has a habit of slouching as he sits and works.

( &&. legal information )

Birth Name: Kendra April Jones

Other names they go by: Now Kenton and above nicknames.

Any speeding tickets?: One when rushing his sister to the hospital at 16 when she couldn’t drive. She had broken her ankle.

Have they ever been arrested?: No.

Do they have a criminal record?: No.

Have they committed any violent crimes?: No.

Property crimes?: No.

Traffic crimes?: One speeding ticket.

Other crimes?: No.

( &&. medical information )

Blood type: AB

Date/time of birth: 10th November 1997 at 1:34 am, after 10 hours of labour.

Place of birth: Dover, Delaware. His home town.

Vaginal birth or cesauren section?: Vaginal birth.

Sex: Biologically Female

Diet: Average of that of a college student.

Smoker? / Drinker? / Drug User?, Which?: Occasional drinker partial to a beer.

Addictions: None.

Allergies: Bees and wasabi.

Do they get occasional checkups?: Hormones are monitored by an endocrinologist. Kidney tests are done every four months, due to the damage done by previous medication.

Ever broken a bone?: Broke arm at 6 years old when falling from a tree he was climbing. Broke the same arm subsequently at 18 from falling off his bike.

Hospital visits, what for?: Broken arm casts at 6 and 18, recent surgery, recovery and physiotherapy.

Any physical ailments/illnesses/disabilities: None.

Any medication regularly taken: Testosterone HRT Intramuscular injections weekly. No other medication.

( &&. career information )

Past occupation(s): Waiter, Janitor, clerk at the local cinema, assistant at a business firm, accountancy internship.

Why are they no longer working as it?: All of the jobs appeared to be short lived. They were only to fill the year between high school and college and enable him to start to be financially self sufficient.

Do they enjoy their current occupation?: As a student, Kenton loves his major.

Why do they do it?: In hopes to one day get his masters after his degree and become a professor. He wants to make his students as passionate about the applications of math in the natural world as his father made him. He also just really likes the idea of being Dr. Kenton.

How did they end up in their current occupation?: Applied to Princeton and was taken under deferred entry.

How long have they been in their current occupation?: Currently starting as a freshman.

( &&. personality )

Direct quote from them: “if you eat the same thing for breakfast every day, it’s more than likely that one day you’re going to die eating it. it’s simple probability.”

Positive traits: intellectual, friendly, gentle, witty and protective.

Negative traits: insecure, anxious, pushing those he loves away sometimes without meaning to.

Likes: mathematics, science, old sci-fi movies (the new ones are fine but they don’t capture the mystery and wonder of the originals), taking selfies, going to museums - generally a big nerd.

Dislikes: entitlement, arrogance, the new IT remake, when people who put milk in the bowl before their cereal, individuals picking on the weak target, feeling weak, feeling incapable.

Strengths: a good and loyal friend, will always come to your rescue.

Weaknesses: sometimes overzealous in trying to help people, sometimes rambles for hours.

( &&. skills )

Ability to drive a car? Operate any other vehicles?: Has his learners permit and is getting his license.

Can they ride a bike?: Yes.

Do they play any sports?: Wrestling, always wanted to play football but he was never good at it.

Do they have any combat training? Why?: He knows basic self defence. He also likes wrestling.

( &&. this or that )

Expensive or inexpensive tastes?: Inexpensive.

Hygienic or Unhygienic?: Hygienic.

Open-minded or close-minded?: Open minded.

Introvert or extrovert?: Mid way between introverted and extroverted.

Optimistic or pessimistic?: Previously a pessimist, now an optimist.

Daredevil or cautious?: Depends on the occassion.

Logical or emotional?: Both ( ie. if your boyfriend is being a jerk, he’ll comfort you first, and tell you to break up with him later).

Generous or stingy?: Generous.

Polite or rude?: Polite.

Book smart or street smart?: Both.

Dominant or submissive?: Dominant.

Popular or loner?: Midway.

Leader or follower?: Leader.

Day or night person?: Day.

Cat or dog person?: Dog.

Closest door open or closed while sleeping?: Closed.

( &&. family relationships )

Father: Joaquin Jones

Describe their relationship: Tumultuous.

Mother: Alivia Jones

Describe their relationship: Like walking on egg shells. His mother loves him and he loves her but he never knows if he’s going to say the wrong thing. His father is visibly uncomfortable around him, his mother is less expressive and still tactile towards him.

Brothers: N/A

Sisters: One half sister.

Describe their relationship: Non existent. He texts, she doesn’t reply, he calls, she doesn’t answer. Eventually he stopped trying. But he misses her a lot. He still wants to patch things up.

( &&. social media )

Do they have a Facebook? Twitter? Instagram? Vine? Snapchat? Tinder/Grindr? Tumblr? YouTube? Yes.

If so; Name on Facebook: Kenton Anthony Jones

Twitter handle: Kenton97

Instagram user: Kenton97

Vine user: Kenton97

Snapchat user: KentonAnthonee

Name on Tinder: Kenton Anthony Jones

Tumblr URL: N/A

YouTube channel: N/A

( &&. musical tastes )

Theme song: Imagine Dragons - Believer. ( he wishes )

Can relate to: Doubt - Twenty One Pilots

Makes them happy: Happy - Pharrell Williams. ( yes he knows it’s cheesy )

Makes them sad: Hometown - Twenty One Pilots

Makes them dance: Wolves - Selena Gomez , Marshmello.

Loves the most: Christmas music in the season. Also anything by Drake.

Describes them: Stressed Out - Twenty One Pilots

Never gets tired of: Also anything by Drake.

Would like to play at their funeral: I Lived - One Republic.

( &&. miscellaneous )

Do they have a fake I.D.?: No.

Are they a virgin?: No.

Describe their signature: Scrawled and illegible unless he’s really trying or it’s an occasion that insists the recipient be able to read it.

How long would they survive in a zombie apocalypse?: Maybe 6 months.

Do they travel?: He loves to travel, but hasn’t had the chance to do much yet.

One place they would like to live: Australia. He loves the heat and the adventure.

One place they would like to visit: Japan, he thinks it would be fascinating.

Celebrity crush: Jennifer Lawrence.

What can you find in their pockets/wallet: Normally his headphones, his phone, a couple of dollars here and there for coffee. And a pen with an assorted amount of scrawled notes. His wallet is pretty standard, but he keeps a picture of his family in there.

Place(s) your character can always be found: His dorm, outside on a bench, in the woods and at any coffee shop.

When does your character like to wake up?: No later than 10:30. He hates getting up before 8, but he’s had to sacrifice it in the past.

What’s your character’s morning routine?: He wakes up, stretches and scrolls through his phone for a couple of minutes. He turns off his alarm and makes sure there aren’t any important texts or e-mails he hasn’t replied to. He eats breakfast first, because he’s always too hungry in the morning to shower first, and then he showers, gets dressed and does what he has to do that day.

What does your character wear to bed?: He just wears his boxers or a pair of sweats when it’s warm and a t-shirt if it’s cold. He’s a pretty big advocate of sleeping shirtless.

If your character can’t fall asleep, what are they thinking about?: Anything that’s making him anxious or excited, or his family. Lennox.

On what occasions do they lie?: He lies when he feels like he doesn’t want the other person to know too much about him.

Do they snore?: No.

Do they chew their pens/pencils?: Used to.

Can they curl their tongue?: No.

Can they whistle?: Yes. Well, he likes to think.

Do they believe in the supernatural?: No.

Have they ever cheated on anyone?: No.

Have they ever been cheated on?: No.

Has anyone ever broken their heart?: A good amount of people.

Have they ever broken anyone’s heart?: A few of the people who’ve wanted to date him before he was ready. ( He sometimes thinks he broke his parents hearts too.)

Are they squeamish?: He’s okay with gore in horror movies, and even getting beat up, but broken bones and lots of blood isn’t his jam.

Have they ever killed anyone? Why? How?: No.

Have they ever seen anyone die? What happened?: No.

Are they a lightweight?: He can hold his liquor pretty well, but he doesn’t drink a lot of it.

#task:1 #gogreek:task #I FINALLY DID IT

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tyrantisterror · 8 years ago

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^hey yo! what do you think of Van Helsing (2004)?

I made a whole post a while back about how I’d absolutely fuck up writing a Batman story despite the fact that I love Batman. It was predicated on the idea that a person can love and genuinely understand a story in great depth and still fuck it up because they’re just not the right storyteller for the job - that being a fan of a story doesn’t mean you’re the right person to adapt it.

I mention this because Van Helsing is that idea in action. It is Stephen Sommers’s “How I’d Ruin It” blog post, only in film form.

I was super psyched for that movie before it came out for a somewhat strange reason. Universal released DVD box sets of all the Dracula, Frankenstein, and Wolf Man movies a few months before its release, and they all had promotional videos for Van Helsing in them. The videos weren’t JUST giant ads, though - they were retrospectives about the characters, one for each box set. Those retrospectives just happened to be hosted by Stephen Sommers, and also just happened to talk about how those characters would be appearing again on the silver screen for the first time in years in this new movie called Van Helsing. And while this does mean the retrospectives were kind of there to shill a new blockbuster, well, they still feel remarkably genuine and informative. Stephen Sommers loves those characters, and he loves them in a very deep, analytical way. When he talks about them in the retrospectives, he doesn’t just talk about surface details - he goes into the psychology of the characters, their pathos, their dimensions, the core conflicts at the heart of each of them, etc. A lot of directors handling a remake will say really surface level shit - “Optimus Prime is so cool, he’s an icon, lots of people love him, I’m so proud to bring this character to the big screen.” Stephen Sommers isn’t like that - he actually has insightful thoughts on what makes the Universal Monsters work as characters. And they extend beyond the original movies, too - he references the book versions of Dracula and Frankenstein in a good amount of detail as well, and has some comments that show awareness of the non-Universal film takes on the characters. He’s both done his research, understood it, and clearly loves the property. It’s everything you want the adapter of a property you love to do.

But then you have the end product. And that’s when you come to the realization: no matter how much an artist may love and understand another artist’s work, there is no guarantee they can do it justice. Sometimes, no matter how much thought and admiration is put into the act, the artist is just wrong for the material. This, sadly, is the case for Stephen Sommers.

Don’t get me wrong - he doesn’t completely fuck it up. Van Helsing has some genuinely great ideas mixed into it. Sommers’s idea for werewolf transformations is a particular stand out to me - rather than simply growing hair and claws, his werewolves tear their skin open to reveal the wolf form beneath, and vice versa for their transformations back into humans. Lycanthropy literally involves tearing yourself apart - a visual that is apt for a character who is defined by their violent internal conflict, which is exactly what makes the Wolf Man/Larry Talbot so compelling. And Sommers knew that - he says it explicitly in the Wolf Man retrospective featurette. It was an intentional, intelligent, well thought out artistic choice.

There are other, less “deep” choices that also work too - like making Dracula’s bat form human-sized so it’s more terrifying to modern audiences, while also reinforcing his demonic nature with the whole “giant bat winged humanoid” imagery. That’s a very typical Hollywood style change, but it’s one that works.

However, these good ideas are hampered by the fact that Sommers just isn’t built to tell the kind of story Dracula and the others thrive in. The Universal Monsters are Gothic Horror stars - they belong in a horror story, in a story with dread and tension and atmosphere. Sommers, on the other hand, thrives with big, fast paced action set pieces, quippy dialogue, and an irreverent tone. He’s an action movie guy, not a Gothic Horror guy. He can understand the Gothic Horror, but he can’t replicate it.

He tries - he gives Dracula, Frankenstein, and Van Helsing a lot of philosophic monologues in an attempt to capture their character depth, but he’s clearly not comfortable enough with that to pull it off. What was intended to be “deep” ends up just being a long violation of the “show, don’t tell” rule.

An example: in the Dracula retrospective, Sommers talks about how Dracula, for all his evil and wickedness, is ultimately tragic because he doesn’t enjoy any of it. He is lacking in any feeling and he knows that - he’s hollow and he can feel the gap and it disturbs him how little substance there is to him in his un-ending existence. That’s straight from the book and it’s an accurate reading of Dracula’s character. Unlike the book, however, Sommers doesn’t show us this information - instead, Dracula has a big motive rant that basically feels like he’s reading us Sommers’ college thesis paper analysis of Dracula’s character, rather than, y’know, saying words an actual human would say. It is not the only time this happens.

On the flip side, the scenes where Sommers is in his element - the action scenes with quippy dialogue and big set pieces and all that - are really not well suited to these characters. Vampires and werewolves and frankensteins aren’t necessarily ill suited to action - but Dracula and the Wolf Man and Frankenstein’s Monster are. A werewolf who hurdles over an exploding cart is fine, but the Wolf Man isn’t supposed to, y’know, have fun doing exciting action sequences. The Wolf Man is supposed to be emotionally disturbed by the fact that he keeps killing people against his own will.

And sure, these characters have been placed in other genres before - but those stories have always been parodies, and the good ones still keep the characters themselves in tact. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is funny because you have the juxtaposition of Dracula acting exactly like Dracula despite the fact that his victims are two ridiculous clowns instead of your typical horror protagonists. Putting Dracula in a situation where Dracula normally isn’t present is inherently hilarious - which works fine in a comedy, but not so fine in an action movie, which requires you to be able to take the stakes seriously, but is structured in a way where a character like Dracula feels too out of place to be taken seriously.

It’d be like if Sauron showed up in Die Hard - Sauron is a credible threat in Middle Earth, but he’s a fucking joke when he’s next to John McClane because those two should not be sharing a story together. Unless you’re intending to play this for comedy, it will not work.

And that’s the problem with Van Helsing - it’s an action movie made with characters who don’t belong in an action movie, and no matter how much love and thought the creator poured into it, that recipe was not going to work. And a lot of love and thought was put into it - Sommers wasn’t just trying his best, he was trying his best with an absolute passion project. But passion wasn’t enough - in the end, they just weren’t right for each other.

#bluedaggers-lewis

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