#I'm into storytelling but cinematography is its own thing

[herefortheships]

Lydia sleeping on one side of the bed like she's leaving a space open for Betelgeuse at the end there. 😌

No but seriously she totally is? Subconsciously there's a space for him in her life always. I know I keep saying this, but she totally has feelings for him, buried inside her. What those feelings actually are is something she has to figure out. (She started that journey in BJBJ; she even got to face him and banish him and all. Did that manage whatever feelings she has for him though? Nope).

She's sleeping alone and yet she's leaving all that space next to her like she's sleeping with a spouse. The visual storytelling here implies she's longing for someone to take that space.

And who else is she longing for if not Betelgeuse? It's not Richard, hello. Ok it's past midnight and I'm exhausted so maybe I'm reaching. But this makes sense to me rn so I'm posting.

[cluzi]

Watching La Chimera by Alice Rohrwacher felt like waking up from a nap in the spring afternoon of my Italian countryside when the sky is pink and calm, the trees are still, and I'm eating my favourite Italian dish followed by my favourite Italian dessert and all I'm thinking is this is so ridiculously worth living for.

I'm not that familiar with Rohrwacher's cinematography, this is the second thing that I watch from her, and I feel like a stupid for not catching up before on this italian excellency. She has such a delicate, honest way as a storyteller and as a director. I got to experience my own country like I've never did before, it felt like discovering hidden things in plain sight. Her way is exactly how you tell about Italy to the rest of the world.

La Chimera is such a heartfelt, funny, sweet -so well written/performed/executed- story, i laughed at the legendary Italian attempts to dishonestly climb the social ladder, then proceed to party and drink wine with your buddies. It's a stereotype but it's true. Every character is taking advantage of the other, but this is my dumb country and I'm allowed to laugh at it.

The scene when like six people try to enter in a tiny car that already has two people in it, is such an Italian way to be, I laughed so hard. It was also no surprise that is the portuguese Italia the one teaching Arthur Italian's gestures. It was so funny, it was culturally multilayered, I found it meaningful.

But this is also a sweet portrait of grief and love after death. I almost cried when the storytellers were singing about how the Englishman decided to forget about the pain in order to really start living. It was a brief moment, but I felt such a remarkable hope in my heart. I'll never forget this movie, it's silences, it's loud magic and the scene where Arthur unveils Cibele's sun bathed decapitated head, he stroke its forehead and he smiles before throwing it in the sea, away from human eyes.

Everyone involved in it did such a great job, and I feel proud.

I'm also giving Josh O'Connor Italian residence for being able to say a fully perfect 'che cazzo' every time. He can now also pick a fight like Italians do, at every minimum inconvenience. I'm sure he had the time of his life on this set.

[that-ari-blogger]

Reflections? (Yesterday's Lie)

The term “holding up a mirror” usually applies to confronting someone with their own actions and pointing out their flaws. Stories like to do this through foils that share enough characteristics to annoy each other, or villains and heroes that are either the best or worst version of each other. It’s a really neat piece of storytelling.

Yesterday’s Lie is this idea in its most blatant form. Luz literally looks into a mirror and argues with her reflection. Its straightforward and simple.

Except this is The Owl House, it’s not capable of playing anything straight.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD: (The Owl House, Dead Poet Society, Billy Elliot, Gravity Falls)

One of The Owl House’s core thematic is individuality and the joy of complexity. It is a story about taking life as it is and not putting unfair constraints on it.

This is why the show is so tropey and so averse to tropes at the same time. It makes a beeline for the closest stock structure and then thoroughly dissects and subverts it. It’s a satire, a hunter of cliches.

As a way of hammering that home, everything in the series is introduced twice. Whenever any plot beat or location is revealed, you get a first pass and a shallow look at that thing, and you get an obvious trope that this first appearance fits into, then you spend time with the thing, and you start to understand just how much that first impression was deceiving. This happens to everything, even the show itself.

The series opens with the famous “eat this sucka!” line and a fantasy witch story, priming you to expect generic fantasy, but you are then met with The Owl House, which is anything but.

Hey look, a conspicuously hidden character from a family photo. This is foreshadowing for a later episode. But if you think about it, this filmmaking technique is weird, right? Telling you something is important by now showing you it at all. I don't have anywhere I'm going with this, it's just something quirky about cinematography.

This also happens to the characters, and I go into more detail about it in my post about the first episode, so take a look at that if it interests you. But there was one notable exception to the rule. Camila Noceda.

When we first see Camila, she is the distant parent, the stock character in a million coming of age stories. She doesn’t really get her child and is sending them off to a place to make them more “normal”. It's going to be a difficult relationship, and the parent won’t get more depth beyond this.

She fits in with Niel’s parents in Dead Poet Society and Jackie from Billy Elliot. Stern, and antagonistic as a result of the theming. Like I said, the story is about how people can’t be defined, and here is a character who wants to box in the protagonist.

Notably, Dead Poet Society ends with the death of Niel as a direct result of the parental strictness, which isn’t a good sign for how this might turn out.

Then Luz runs away, and we don’t get to see anything beyond the stereotype for a season and a half. We instead get Luz feeling guilty and confronting her fears of betraying her mother through a monster that pretends to be that fear. We still don’t meet Camila.

Until we do, and things are immediately different.

The Camila Noceda from season one was refined and busy. She had a uniform on, and her hair up in a tight bun. It’s a refined image that looks down on you with distain. Now, however, she has let her hair down and wears more casual clothes over that uniform, she’s practical but laid back. She’s had things added to her instead of taken away.

It's also notable that the first thing she does in this episode is help a wounded creature. Camila’s second introduction is one of fundamental kindness.

Meanwhile, Vee is Luz’s reflection, except no she isn’t at all. She is the polar opposite of Luz. She wants mundanity rather than adventure, she wants a new life rather than both lives at once, she actively disguises herself rather than seeking to be understood. Vee is only Luz in appearance. Case and point:

Luz - "Cool, talking rats. Maybe they know something." Vee - "(Screams and runs away)"

Camila is aware that something is up, but she’s not used to the magical world that we are, so she assumes that Luz has changed, and she is concerned that the summer camp thing has worked too well.

Vee also gets the multiple introductions. A few episodes ago, she was shown as a shadowy figure who had replaced Luz like a changeling and the filmmaking heavily implied a Machiavellian air to the character. The musical sting, the shot composition and build up, this was a villain.

Then we meet her and she’s a wus. She’s cowardly, and meek, and I love her so much. Except once again, not exactly.

But that leads into the plot of this episode, because this isn’t about Luz, it's about the world she left behind. Luz is secondary in this story, filling the role of a mentour until the very end. It’s another mention of how Luz operates as a character, inspiring people as a light for them to follow, (Light, do not faulter) but it's also not the point.

Vee needs to learn to be herself and that she has found people who will love her not just in spite of it, but because of it, and Camila needs… well she needs to show off her compassion, but she also needs to confront the fact that she directly caused this entire adventure.

“You and I are not the same. You had a mom who loved you, a home, a life, you had it good! And you still wanted to run away, I didn't have a choice. My real name is Number Five. I'm a Basilisk, and technically, I shouldn't exist.”

Something that blew my mind more than it probably should have here is that Vee’s name comes from the Roman numeral for five, that being V. This might be obvious or obscure, but it is something my brain fixated on, and y’all must know.

This is worldbuilding for Belos as well, and we’re really dropping the subtlety with this episode. Belos is a man who desires to eradicate an entire people because they are not like him, a man who experiments on people because they have something he doesn’t and it doesn’t occur to him that their lives have value, a man who assigns numbers instead of names to people whom he plans to exterminate.

Compare Belos to Bill Cypher. Bill was otherworldly and eldritch, an unknowable evil. Belos is the type of villain whom real world history has known, and people who are still alive today will recognise.

Belos is his own person, sure, but he’s also fascistic eugenicist who thinks he’s G-d because of something he was born with and decided entitled him to everything. Belos is Evil.

The fact that Belos is experimenting on the Basilisks with the hope of learning to drain magic seems like an throw away detail. It doesn't come up again in this episode, but if you've seen the series in full, you know why this is important.

But he’s also mundane, and pointedly so. The thing that caused Belos to get this bad was such a simple thing, wilful ignorance. I’ll get into it more specifically when I cover Elsewhere and Elsewhen and Hollow Mind, but suffice to say this:

Belos ignored so many obvious things in his life because he didn’t want to contradict a worldview that put him on top, and he kept doing it and kept going and going and going until he doesn’t have to try. People aren’t people to Belos.

Which leads me back to what I was saying about character introductions, funnily enough. This is a story about teaching Luz and the audience to look past tropes and preconceptions to see people as complex. Belos cannot do this, and that is directly what causes his villainy.

Belos ain’t even directly in this episode and he’s got me livid.

Still think Warden Wrath is just a quirky little goober? Also, the Basilisks were brought back from extinction. Like in Jurassic Park. Belos is playing G-d.

This does kind of reframe Michaela Dietz’s performance as Vee though, doesn’t it. She goes from jumpy to traumatized. She’s a survivor and a child at the same time. Of course she’s like this, who wouldn’t be?

This is a character whose voice acting and line writing come across as dissonantly weighty. Like this character has seen more shit than she should have at her age, because she has.

I seriously cannot praise Michaela Dietz enough here.

Also, the point at Luz is a point well made. Luz ran away without thinking things through and without the consequences occurring to her. She took what she had for granted, and Vee rightfully calls her out for it.

Jacob is Belos wanna be. He’s a conspiracy theorist but in a really interesting way.

He gets introduced twice, but in reverse order. His traps and cameras are shown first, then he is introduced and he’s just a normal guy, then it is revealed who he really is. Like I said, this happens to everyone in the series.

However, there are a few ways you can run a conspiracy theorist in a story. Maybe he’s wrong and the magical world doesn’t exist and he’s just seeing patterns where there are none. But this is The Owl House, that doesn’t apply here.

Alternatively, Jacob could be right about everything and find his way into the Boiling Isles. Needless to say, this doesn’t happen.

This shot bounces between Vee's and Jacob's perspective, but always with the cage in front of them. As if they are both trapped by their own minds.

Instead, Jacob is actually wilfully ignorant. He’s the “we have Belos at home” of this story and is just what Vee needs to confront. He’s got something in his mind that he believes beyond all evidence, and when something is shown that would challenge his worldview, instead of adapting, incorporates it on a surface level without taking the time to understand what it actually is.

Jacob believes in aliens from Mars, and he is so fixated on his discovery that he doesn’t stop to ask if it actually proves him correct. Instead, he assumes mal intent because the creature isn’t like him, and therefore the creature must surrender all privileges. Most notably freedom.

Jacob is small, and petty, and definitely not as megalomaniacal as Belos. But I ask you this, if he got into the Demon Realm, what would he do?

Enter Camila, who is a direct contrast to Jacob specifically. She is shown information that rocks her worldview, and what does she do? She changes her worldview. Mostly.

There is magic. Ok. This is not Luz. Ok. This creature must die. Hold up.

Camila actually keeps most of her ethics identical. She will not witness injustice and she will never be unkind. She’s a vet, she treats everything with compassion no matter what species.

She gets two lines in short succession to really exemplify this.

“Hello, this is all so confusing, but who knew I had such a strong girl living under my roof this whole time”

It’s affirming and reassuring. Compassion first and foremost.

“I’m the good guy here!” “Yeah. A lot of bad guys say that.”

Essentially, screw your god complex, I will not be told what to think. I have learned, and I reject the wilful ignorance you stand for. It’s also just a killer one liner and it sounds cool.

Even the lighting knows what's up. Camilla is lit from above, like an avenging angel looking down on Jacob's small minded ignorance.

On the other hand, I said “most” in reference to Camila’s changing ethics, and I meant it. Camila starts the story trying to box Luz in, because she thinks it will make her life easier and safer. But she gets shown here that she was wrong in at least half of that. Luz cannot stop being herself, nobody can, so Camila needs to stop expecting people to fit with society’s preconceptions.

Camila gets more background later on in the series, and I will talk about it when I get there, but she learns, and she is willing to change. That’s the important thing.

Speaking of which, I drew comparison to Jackie from Billy Elliot and I know at least one person will get really upset by that. And let's explain why.

Jackie isn't the trope I mentioned either. One main theme of Billy Elliot is the price of freedom, and Jackie spends the first part of the film seeking personal freedom because he thinks that will trickle down to his son. But he doesn't realise that doing that is directly causing his child to be miserable.

I studied this film in high school and I have it drilled into my brain that the sartorial design of this scene reflects Jackie's sacrifice. Usually, he contrasts with his environment. But now, as he breaks down and returns to the mine, he is one with it in colour scheme resigned to be nothing more than a cog in the machine.

So, in the best scene in the movie, Jackie breaks down and sacrifices his own freedom to pay for his son's dream. Its heart wrenching, and its similar to Camila. Both of them start off disapproving and boxing their children in and learn to be better.

These people are similar, that's why the series introduced Camila using the trope, but they both split from it, and they are both their own person. Everyone is an individual.

That final scene is painfully well written. You know exactly why Camila and Luz would say what they say, why they would miscommunicate, and what is holding them back. Who is right here? I would argue both of them.

Camila looks at a place called “the demon realm” and, as a mother, assumes the worst. She wants nothing but the safety of her children, and she hasn’t been shown anything that dissuades that. Instead, you get Luz saying this:

“Staying here was the best decision I ever made.”

Of course Camila would take this the wrong way, of course this would go so badly for Luz. But it also goes badly for Camila, who now has to reconcile the fact that, despite everything else, Luz made the decision to stay in a more dangerous place because it understood her better than her home. That’s a difficult thing to hear for a mother, but it's something to reflect on.

Meanwhile, Luz now has tried her best to be understood by the person she wants to connect with the most, and she has failed due to her own inability to communicate. The series is creating a conflict and creating a duality, Luz must choose at the end whether to stay in the Demon Realm or go to the Human World. Its an impossible decision planted really well, and in my opinion, it will pay off incredibly.

I think there's some symbolism here, but I just can't quite figure it out.

Final Thoughts

I feel the need to remind y’all that this was on Disney, apparently aimed at kids seven years and older. Don’t get me wrong, kids are more intelligent than people give them credit for and can understand complex themes really well, even if they don’t have the skills to articulate that. But there are some things in this episode alone that feel aimed at an older audience.

Maybe that’s why Tumblr likes this series so much. It’s the type of story that appeals to people of any age, but can be understood by someone very young, and can act as role models for kids growing up.

The reason I say this, is that when I looked up the age rating of The Owl House, I did find a review that made me laugh:

One star, 18+ “There’s kissing which is ew”

Next week, I’ll be covering Follies at the Coven Day Parade, which explores the theme of duality, but also gives Kikimora complexity, something I was not prepared for at all. So, stick around if that interests you.

Previous - Next

[spaceorphan18]

The Lady Whistledown Papers: 1x06 Swish (Part 4)

Welcome back, Gentle Readers, to The Lady Whistledown Papers, where I’m taking an in-depth look at Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton’s character arcs and romance within the show Bridgerton!

For previous issues, follow tag : The Lady Whistledown Papers

No pity remarks for this one, let's dig into it...

After Dinner

Prudence's singing. I'm crying. It's so hilariously bad. And I appreciate that it's actually bad. I'm tired of people singing in things trying to be 'bad' but they just sound weirdly off but still on pitch or something. No, this is truly awful singing and I love it. Everyone's reaction shots are truly amazing. I love that Colin is like - yup, not sure what I expected but this seems about right.

The cinematography of this shot! This is a masterful little moment, omg. The way Penelope is framed by the silhouettes of Colin and Marina -- and that Colin is leaning into Marina in what feels like an intimate push in. And the sadness on Penelope's face... the way she's ignoring the comedy of Prudence's singing because she's so fixated on Colin and Marina and wrestling with herself on what to do... This is an amazing shot. Visual storytelling at its finest.

Colin is telling Marina he'll be right back, but I want to know where he's going. They're in the Featherington Home, not the Bridgerton place. Does he need to use a chamber pot? Do the next two scene really happen while he needs to pee?? He clearly needs to just get out of the room for the next scene to happen and I don't think anyone ever really notices until you're doing analysis like this, because then it's like, huh, wait... why?

Doesn't really matter... We're focused on Pen and she's watching and she is nervous. She's visibly gearing herself up, making the decision on whether or not she's going to approach him and she sees her moment and takes it.

[Seriously, where was he going? He was about to head up the stairs. Also, can we discuss Portia's obsession with yellow? The Featherington's house is all yellows. Btw, in the book she likes yellow because it's a 'happy' color.]

Pen heads out after Colin, and asks if he's got a moment. His first reaction is completely -- yes, of course, (I don't need to pee that bad, I just wanted to get out of that room and away from your sister's singing, lol). No, but seriously, he calls her Pen again, and has such a note of concern in his voice. And I can't reiterate this enough -- for the time period, for the society that they're in, the ease in which this conversation starts is kind of remarkable. There are no formalities here. Just an established relationship and familiarity.

Everything about that dinner had been formal and by the book. Everyone was playing a part, downplaying their own thoughts and feelings because they are in an era where there are proper ways of doing things. But these two don't play by any of those rules. They don't need to - because the bond has been there since childhood.

Anyway... can I take a second and say how much I love how this shot is set up? I love the candles lit in the room that's between them. It almost feels like a romantic moment.

Penelope states she has a delicate matter she doesn't really want to bring up, but feels like she must.

Colin can very much sense the seriousness in Pen, and tries to ease the situation with a bit of (self-deprecating, fwiw) humor. It's no doubt that there probably have been little jokes like this before -- where Pen (and probably Eloise) have teased him about such a thing like food on his face. But he knows that's not what this really is -- he's trying to ease the situation, and make her feel okay for telling him, whatever it is. I don't think he has a clue as to what it is and it's genuinely confusing, but it's Pen, and she's clearly upset about something.

Penelope is very nervous about this confrontation. Her voice is a little shaky and she rushes through an explanation about how she hasn't had a chance to talk to him since the engagement was announced. And for a moment -- you may think Pen might spill the beans on the pregnancy. But she doesn't. She doesn't land that blow, because that'll be the most devastating thing she can do, so she's trying another approach. Something that might be a tad more palatable to swallow (and be less scandal than a pregnancy and entrapment).

Penelope tells him that Marina is in love with someone else. And at first there's a look of utter shock on his face - as his eyes flicker to the drawing room, where Marina is. Penelope continues her explanation, stating that she knows because she's seen the letters between them, and spills all the info on George Crane. And she's still so nervous as she says all of this -- talking fast, rambling a bit, she just needs to get it out. She's also apologetic, because she doesn't want him to be hurt by this info.

And while, yes, she's doing this out of her own feelings for him, she does truly care about him and his well being. She doesn't want to see him unhappy -- which will be what ultimately happens if he does marry Marina.

And here's the thing THE THING about this moment. He's so gone in his own delusions and fantasies her words aren't really landing BUT the first thing he does is sense how frantic she's being and makes it a point to calm her down. Before he talks about how he's feeling -- he makes it about her. He gives her an easy smile, TAKES HER HAND and tells her how good she is to him.

I can't get over that -- he's recognizing (even if in his mind it's friendship) that she has his best interest at heart. And appreciates that she's had the courage to tell him all of that. He doesn't outright dismiss her warning and ignore how she feels about it -- he recognizes it and makes her more comfortable, even if what she just told him could be life altering.

And, again, I have to state they went for the wide shot here, even though we don't see them holding hands, you can tell that he reaches for hand (which, again, big deal for this time period). But also we have that beautiful framing with the lights in between them. It's subtly a romantic(-esque) moment between the two of them.

And... then we get into Colin being so caught up with his own fantasy land that her words just don't matter. At first he claims it's trivial -- he's flirted countless times with other girls, and it's never been serious. There's no reason Marina couldn't have flirted with other guys. To Colin, flirting is just that -- flirting, and should never be taken that seriously.

But Pen doubles down (look, I love Colin to pieces, but she is by far the smarter one out of the two of them) and says that they're in LOVE. It's not a harmless flirtation. It's also not in the past. What she's trying to say -- but won't do it outright because she wants him to come to this conclusion on his own -- is that Marina doesn't love him.

And I mean, there's the crux of it, too. She knows what it's like to be deeply in love with Colin. She's standing right there and expressing it by trying to protect him. Marina isn't doing that at all. But for so many reasons she just can't be straight with her words. She's being as cautious as she can be, trying to help him without giving up the whole big plan or her own feelings.

And then Colin doubles down, because he really doesn't want to be wrong about this. He reiterates that Marina has agreed to marry him, not some other guy. That means something to him in a way that it might not for other people. He stated with Anthony, earlier, something that is true in his heart -- you marry for love. So in his love addled brain, the only reason Marina agreed to his proposal is because she loves him back. He almost can't comprehend anything else.

He also tells Penelope to not worry about it, he's sure of himself and of Marina. Which really is his downfall. It's not a lack of trust with Penelope at all -- he does trust that she has his best interests at heart with the information. But he is too trusting of Marina. He's now ignored his brother, his mother, and his good friend's advice, because he can't be wrong about this.

It's at this point that Marina shows up, and 'catches' Pen and Colin. They both kind of break apart -- because if anyone else caught them, it'd be almost scandalous. (Should we start taking shots for how many times they're alone together without a chaperone?) But it's Marina because she saw Colin leave, and then saw Penelope leave, and Marina is smart. She's very smart. And she's purposely interrupting because she knows Penelope is upset with her about the situation, and while Penelope claimed earlier that she wouldn't do anything to hurt anyone, the two of them have been out in the hallway a long time, and she isn't going to let anyone stand in her way of what she's trying to accomplish...

Colin, of course, brings it back to wit and charm, claiming the party is now better without Prudence's terrible singing (which now can be heard again, as a bit of levity in this heavier moment). Marina says that Portia is asking for Penelope. Is she? Possibly. But idk, she may have wondered out loud where did Penelope go, but I don't think Portia gives all that much thought to Penelope and her sneaking out of social situations.

The non-verbal things you can actually read in Penelope... it's a masterclass, really. She knows what Marina is doing. She doesn't want to leave the two of them alone together. But she can't deny a request from her mother. And, oh, does she stare Marina down in this moment. She failed in her attempt to get through to Colin, and she's running out of options...

Penelope and Colin share a final look, and she's unsure about leaving, but Colin kind of nods reassurance to her, it'll be fine. He's completely misunderstanding her, but, well, he kind of does want to be alone with Marina, so she shuffles off, frustrated.

Marina, meanwhile, has her own agenda.

As I'll probably end up saying a thousand times, Colin is a pretty empathetic soul, who really wants to help people. He thinks his worth is brought about by how much service he can provide for others. But where he trips up is that he isn't always understanding of authenticity. Because Marina is completely playing to understanding this during this scene.

Colin notes her unhappiness, and the first thing he does is apologize -- for his family not being 100% supportive of her or of them.

And here's my thing about Marina. I think here are some grains of truth buried in some of this. I do think it does hurt her that her family doesn't want her, and that the Featheringtons have been a general pain in the ass, and she seems to have lost her one ally (Penelope) during all of this. But she lays it on thick, because she knows it'll lock Colin in even more. She knows he needs to save her, and what she does need is saving. So, she's going to play it up the best she can.

The big kicker is when she says that she doesn't feel like she's accepted by his family. Because that's going to kickstart something in his brain. Now they're Romeo and Juliet. Now they're stilted lovers that are pushing against the world to make their love survive. Now it's just them in a world that doesn't want them to be.

And this TOTALLY plays on Colin's sense of romanticism. He's ready to be the romantic hero and say fuck the rest of them, you and I are family, you and I can be on our own, and start our own family, and we don't need anyone or anything else in the world.

And this is where Marina goes from half truths to deceiving him. She does say that all she wants is to be married to him, that isn't a lie, not really. But it's to save herself from her situation. Not at all out of love. She's glad that Colin is a kind soul, it'll make the marriage easier, but she has no real feelings for him. And she's manipulating his to get what she wants.

She then goes into complete lies -- claiming that she wants to be married this minute so that they could be alone and hold each other in their arms. Again, she's being calculated to play up his emotions, and that deep seeded romanticism. But it's all so that she can hurry the marriage along, and so that she can get to seducing him. Because that's an added element here. She has to get him into bed rather quickly, and if he won't until marriage, well then, they better get on that, too.

Oh man, is she playing him...

Because what does he do next? Well, what did Romeo and Juliet do? They eloped... So he and Marina could elope and they could be together away from the world and its rules and expectations and families and friends who have their doubts... He suggests running off to Scotland where (I guess?) it's possible to get married without having to do all the things necessary back in Mayfair.

I kind of wonder if she knew about the Scotland option? I wonder if it was an idea she had with George? Whether she knew or not, she was pushing him to get to this point -- to where elopement seems like not only the best but the only option they have.

And he's so excited to have thought of it. And ideas start rushing to him, and he starts spitting out how they could runaway and even though they'll get push back upon return, it'll be fine. They'll be married. What is better than that?

(Btw, I kind of love that you can see his entire thought process on his face, how he's trying to rationalize, for just a moment, as he thinks of what Anthony's reaction could be, and then his fantasies just take over again as he comes to the conclusion that any actions ending with a marriage to Marina would be the best actions.)

I really love the staging of this next beat. The more excited he gets, the closer he pulls in towards her, as if he's coming closer and closer to realizing what (he thinks) he wants. But Marina is kind of processing, and when she isn't visibly as caught up in this whirlwind as he is, he pulls away. Immediately. And apologizes. There is that kernel of doubt that is in the back of his mind -- the one that Anthony, Violet, and Penelope have put there.

Marina sense this immediately, though, and quickly pulls him back into the haze. She was just momentarily caught off guard (that this plan is working so well). She says it's exactly what she wants -- and again, she's not lying. but she's not being truthful about her own feelings, either.

And then Marina gives her biggest lie. She says she loves the idea. But then she also straight up says 'I love you'. Which is the epitome of what he wants to hear. And his mind is made up. Done. He'll put his affairs in order in the next day, and they'll be off.

Close the book on that one, it's over...

The hug at the end is interesting. We don't need to see what Colin is thinking/feeling we really know. But Marina's reaction is not one of love or ecstasy. It's one of relief.

Everything is coming together, just how she wants it, even at the expense of Colin and his feelings. The thing I find the most interesting is that Marina is a very calculated person. Everything she does in this scene is very carefully done so she can get Colin to the place she wants. But there's one variable she can't control and won't ever see coming... Lady Whistledown.

But more on that in the next one ;)

[djevelbl]

Also just finished watching a video that made me ACTUALLY ANNOYED at the guy who made it and like. ok if you don't want a story told through Minecraft that is made through the lens of content creation in ANY capacity then don't??? watch stories told through Minecraft????? Cuz like. they're mostly like that; even parkciv which is still good IS done through a content creation viewpoint — either as a parody on the medium it was being told through (scripted Minecraft content/Minecraft storytelling) or just as a result of telling the story and like. needing to pay the bills or whatever is a bit up in the air I guess BUT STILL. don't sing praises to a series that's GREAT in all cinematography aspects that JUST SO HAPPENS to be told through Minecraft all the while you're saying "oooh Minecraft storytelling shouldn't be scared of being called cringe just bc it's embracing roleplay to tell it's narrative, it shouldn't pretend to be non-scripted when it so clearly is" which true, JUST TO THEN critique parkciv for...

*checks notes*

... Embracing its medium AND its limitations to tell its story, JUST bc it didn't necessarily strive to be groundbreaking??? What??????

From what I understand, the series the guy was singing praises to like it was his own child at the local school's dance recital, Whitepine (which I'm currently watching so I'll just come back to this once I've finished — let's see if I'll eat my words [doubt it]) is GREAT in terms of visuals, audio and the likes — it obviously takes great care in forming its atmosphere and from the little I've seen the youtubers are genuinely being actors, not just their normal selves masquerading as characters (something that, admittedly, happens A LOT in scripted Minecraft content/Minecraft storytelling like SMPs or solo series [I'm looking at you, later half of the DSMP]). But it isn't Minecraft storytelling — in my opinion, at least.

Minecraft storytelling implies that it includes Minecraft and its mechanics in some way, shape or form that becomes impactful to the story that is being told — it isn't just a REALLY good story that just so happens to use Minecraft as its movie set. This, ultimately, is why I think the guy was wrong — not necessarily in the idea that the stories he critiqued had more room to grow (which parkciv at least does. I haven't watched ParrotX2's Unstable Universe videos and I don't really plan to; they're not my thing) but in what "Minecraft storytelling" should strive to be.

I have a vivid memory — trust me, this is related — of when I was younger (they say, like she's an octogenarian instead of not even being halfway through his lifetime. anyway) having played Minecraft Murder Mystery with my friends in the playground bc I really REALLY liked Gona89's video series on it. This is like, not really the same storytelling but they did have a sort of story — the chemistry between the youtubers felt like watching a series of characters interact with one another, and certain jokes from one video would seamlessly move into the next as well.

And y'know what? IT DIDN'T FUCKING WORK — playing the thing in the playground, that is. Because the thing wasn't made for that; stories have their medium of expression because they're tailored to it, or the medium is tailored to that story — if your Minecraft story can be told perfectly fine when divorced from its primary medium of expression (Minecraft), then it's LITERALLY not a Minecraft story: it just happens to use the game as the backdrop

... Kinda like The Lego Movie: a lot of the mechanics within the movie CANNOT be divorced from lego that easily BECAUSE it's a fucking LEGO MOVIE — partially related but not really the point of this rant: this is why A Minecraft Movie's trailer fucking FLOPPED. It showed absolutely NO POINT in being made bc it's NOT a Minecraft movie (pun accidentally stumbled upon but I shall confidently roll with it, actually), instead it JUST SO HAPPEN to use the videogame as its set.

TLDR: IF YOUR STORY DOESN'T INCLUDE MECHANICAL ELEMENTS THAT ARE INTRINSICAL TO THE GAME YOU USE TO TELL IT, THEN SAID GAME IS JUST THE FUCKING SET. IT'S NOT A MINECRAFT MOVIE JUST BC IT HAPPENS TO BE RECORDED IN MINECRAFT FOR FUCK'S SAKE

[skywerse]

very random question but making the whole recent animatic you did (which was AMAZING btw) how do you feel about it in terms of progress you've made on your art skill? because like I've also very recently started getting into making animatics and it seems like a constant flow of working on the art and personally I've felt a shift in how I approach making normal pieces of art, so I was just wondering how much of that feeling would be there for you after finishing such a big project? I'm sorry if that didn't make sense lskdjfal i just kinda want you to talk and ramble about your thoughts and all during making the animatic sjskla

-🍪

no one's ever asked me about this stuff before, so buckle up because this might turn into a lengthy fucking ramble

to start, if we were to talk about progress, I'd have to talk about it more in retrospective than just my latest animatic. it's been three years since I started animating, and this particular animatic was more of a silly and short side project, I didn't put much thought into it really.

before diving into animation, I had a foundation in graphic design, four years at a tech school. this gave me a strong grasp of the basics and by that I mean visuals, colours, composition, and more. but yeah, when you transition to animation your view on art definitely shifts, at least mine did. because animation, at its core, is storytelling through visuals. so you're basically delving into film, and now you're not just thinking about static elements, you're considering movement, pacing, cinematography, even sound design. and as an animator, you're the director, the cinematographer, the storyboard artist, and the editor. each role requires specific skills. you need an understanding of visual storytelling, character design, motion graphics, timing, and so on and so on! and you're learning them along the way as you work on your projects. I'm learning all that still, and if you take a look at how my animatics looked in 2020 and now it's so much progress. HELL, both in my animation AND my drawings.

if you really think about this riptide animatic in retrospection you're basically seeing 10 years of my hard work on perfecting those skills combined into one silly video lol BUT without it, for me it's just silly thing that I did and I'm just glad people seem to like it, I'm not dwelling on progress here

now, when it comes to how I feel after finishing a project? in general? it's a mix. there's a sense of achievement, sure. like here I have to mention my short film again. I spent a whole year on it, mostly working on my own but with some guidance from my thesis supervisor. the film is 7 minutes long, and I worked on animating it from march to august. and when I compare the start to the finish, I can SO clearly see the improvement, both in terms of skill and artistic vision. BUT I also tend to look back and think about what I could've done better or differently. and while I see areas for improvement, this self-critique pushes me to get better with each project. eeeh it's a bit of a love-hate relationship with my work really. that's how it always been for me lol

[georayn]

my perspective around the crippling yet warm loneliness of fallen angels (no spoilers)

一 Fallen Angels (1995), dir. Wong Kar-Wai

defining this movie is a challenging task. but, if I was to sum it up in one sentence, I guess it would be "corny and depressing romance so corny it becomes refreshing".

I remember Fallen Angels as the first movie I've watched when I decided to take the ritual of watching movies more seriously, and it was basically the first film I'd ever seen that doesn't follow the cookie-cutter hollywood format of the hero's journey (I believe that was around 2 years ago). that's why I have such an affection for this movie.

to this day (and maybe until the day I die) I am not a good movie critic, that's why this is not a well-formulated critique in any way lol. so yes, I may be very biased in the way I percieve this film, so because of this I will not get into much detail of its technical aspects or its issues, I will just try to convince you to watch it if you haven't yet :D

˖ ࣪⊹ ִ┈┈┈┈ ♰ ┈┈┈┈ ⊹ ִֶָ𓂅

firstly, I'd like to address an elephant in the room: this is a Wong Kar-Wai film, so it strongly follows his signature style; the surreal and dreamy coloring, jittery camerawork, mind boggling action sequences including the step-frame takes and so much more. but I'm sure you've noticed most of these aspects through other blogs, pinterest boards and tiktok edits, so I want to put more emphasis into his abilities of storytelling and his producing process.

I am not the biggest fan of saying things in the sort of "omg only this director/person could ever create this!", but it is undeniable that WKW's way of thinking is very unconventional. Cristopher Doyle, responsible for a lot of the movie's cinematography (and who is someone that worked with him in many other projects until 2004) says that WKW always tried to look for what the movie had to say, even if discarding parts of the script was necessary. what I admire the most about his work is the way his characters feel alive considering that the flesh of his films are the struggles and "boring" aspects of life. I reeaaally love the way he and his crew are able to make the "disposable" parts of life so interesting. of course, the action and story shifting segments are part of what gives meaning to everything, but the connections between them are what makes all of it worth watching and feeling the characters' emotions.

so, how does the story go? this is actually a tricky question haha. in case you are not familiar, Fallen Angels is directly attached to Chungking Express, another film by Kar-Wai released one year earlier (1994). WKW himself reveals that Chungking Express and Fallen Angels should have been published as one merged movie, but he ended up losing track of the project's length (also, in my opinion, you can watch FA before CE if you want to, it doesn't follow any particular order to me). Here is where his instinct-leading creative process really shines; it may seem impractical, however this project might be the pinacle of his love for cinema, considering it was a project made for "making himself comfortable with making movies again" after a prior not so self-fulfilling project.

"You try to cope with the mass audience, but in fact you are not doing something for them—I would be fighting with myself. I thought, I don’t have to make big films, I can make small films that I can be happy with. I can find my own audience. So I made Chungking Express with a very low budget, and we made the film very quickly, only six weeks from the idea to the edit" 一 Wong Kar-Wai for BOMB magazine, Winter 1998 issue.

considering the whole project, he explains that Chungking Express and Fallen Angels both revolve around the city of Hong Kong, yet in its different sides: the brightly lit and uneventful hustle of the daytime with CE, and the freezing, dark and crippling loneliness of the nighttime through FA.

with that said, in my opinion, neither is "more impactful" or "to be more considered" than the other; as WKW himself said, both are complementary to each other, and even the characters are interchangeable. however, I am here to talk about the rispid and desolating feeling of the "type of loneliness" depicted in Fallen Angels specifically, since it resonates more deeply with me and it might do the same to you if you're looking for big-neon-city anxiety.

一 Fallen Angels (1995), dir. Wong Kar-Wai

now onto the actual story. both movies are divided in 2 "main storylines", contributing to the perspective of interchangeable characters. in Fallen Angels, one of the sides has a more intense dynamic that follows a hitman and his agent, whilst the other follows the wobbly story of a mute man who ends up meeting a heartbroken woman who asks for his help on getting her revenge. this all may seem kind of non-sensical, but I believe that one of the film's most charming features is its ways of making people so unrelated as these characters become so connected and dependant of each other just because of life's randomness yet without making it feel forced.

also, I haven't even mentioned side characters and I think i'd be too dense and maybe annoying to get into the details of their importance (especially if you haven't seen the movie yet), but I guess I could say they are the ones who provoke and question the main ones' morals. here, WKW's characters are the most alive when they feel confused, uncomfortable, alarmed and tired because of the harsh metropolitan life (just like real people). with that, they find themselves in a constant fight with other people's morals and even their own.

this sense of desolation may be depressing at its core, but it also defines the familiar matter between all of these people, bringing a comfort-like yet melancholic sentiment to the situations that unravel; no one is truly right-minded but you always try to consider where they are coming from. they may do fucked up things but they pay the price to life itself.

this melancholy carries the story's events until its very end, and I just love it. of course I'd rather choose that we live in a world where everything is perfect and this comfort found in sadness is unrealistic, but considering the societies we live in, specially in big and poorly planned cities, I find this movie to be a memorable portrait of this misterious feeling of loving desolation.

I wish I was able to get into the details of each character more deeply, but I think that would break the purpose of the "no spoilers" promise I made & I think it's more fun for you to discover them by yourself when watching the film. however, I'd like to say that, even though I feel like everyone in the narrative is able to connect to one another, each one has their singularities, flaws and quirks, which makes the familiarities shared by all the more precious.

therefore, the events and personalities present in this film are incredibly rich and capable of conveying this specific feeling of constant fighting for survival and sanity in such a complex and harsh environment. sometimes the narrative follows the actual outbursts of these causes, but I believe that the true beauty of this movie lies in the moments of hopelessness and fatigue.

˖ ࣪⊹ ִ┈┈┈┈ ♰ ┈┈┈┈ ⊹ ִֶָ𓂅

I wish I was able to spark your interest in watching Fallen Angels! this movie is very meaningful to me and I've been interested in writing about it for some time now! the thing is, this is my very first blog post ever so it might end up being shitty and I just don't know it yet hah... it's okay though, I've been struggling with being able to talk about the things I like just because my brain thinks I can't do it, so I think this is a step forward on fixing this! :)

in case you watch the movie, please leave your thoughts here so you can share your perspective! I really want to know other people's opinions about the things I love, even if you don't like it as much!

thank you for reading, see you!!! <3

References:

Wong Kar-Wai for BOMB magazine, Winter 1998 issue: https://bombmagazine.org/articles/1998/01/01/wong-kar-wai-1/

Cristopher Doyle for IstoÉ, 19/03/2021 (in portuguese): https://istoe.com.br/cinema-pelo-olhar-de-christopher-doyle/

P.S: sorry for any English mistakes! you can correct me if you want, I appreciate the feedback!

[darkshrimpemotions]

I'm still not over losing out on more seasons of The Winchesters. It was SUCH a good show and it had such a clear purpose and message.

It also actually accomplished what seemed like an impossible task: to create a spinoff of Supernatural that felt like part of that fictional universe while still being its own thing, a fully realized narrative with a distinctive style, voice, and aesthetic (because like it or not, aesthetics are a huge part of what made especially early SPN so great, so much of the storytelling was done LITERALLY through show not tell, through the scenery and sets and cinematography and acting choices rather than strictly the script).

The Winchesters had ALL of that, distinct to itself but still clearly connected to Supernatural in integral ways. It drew so skillfully from that text and made Supernatural a richer text in turn. It added new dimensions to the story we got from SPN, it repaired some of the damage of the ending to SPN without strictly changing anything about it, and it dug out new facets of characters we thought we knew everything about already.

It was just such a damn GOOD show, even in just its first season, and it's a fucking shame it didn't get more seasons to evolve and grow.

[spinteresting]

After watching Band of Brothers for the 4th time (I first saw it in 2011), I decided to start watching Master of the Air. I've seen The Pacific a couple of times as well.

Band of Brothers is such a fantastic series. Everything about it is incredible. One of the best shows I've ever seen. So of course, expectations for Master of the Air were really high.

To be honest, I felt unsure about it after the first episode. It has a really different feel to it. That's not a bad thing. I think it's just hard to go straight from BoB to MotA.

But, I kept watching. I'm now caught up and I can't stop thinking about episodes 4 & 5. This show really is incredible in its own right.

Band of Brothers was grounded, realistic, and gritty in storytelling, cinematography, color grading, and sound.

Masters of the Air has a sweeping score, beautiful skies filling so many scenes, and devastating fight sequences that are filmed beautifully.

I can't wait to keep watching. If you loved Band of Brothers and have been on the fence about Masters of the Air, give it a chance! It's different but feels right thematically and visually for the story they are telling.

[anjumbai]

3 Movies

Movies to me have always been a magnificent medium for storytelling. While animation can cross boundaries that don't sit right with movies all the time, actors/actresses add a new dimension with their dialogue, body language, and expressions.

So I've watched around 20 movies since the past few months and wanted to talk about some of them. Not all of them are worth writing about but still worth sharing. Just my thoughts and not a critical review or anything of that sort.

(1) Fight Club

"STOP TRYING TO CONTROL EVERYTHING AND JUST LET GO"

I live by this quote. I don't actually let go of things but at least I practice not trying to control everything. It has helped me throughout my daily life for a while, and the movie helped me in a strange part of my life too.

To this day, I do not understand Fight Club fully. But I've watched it only once and too many in-depth videos on it. Perhaps I should try and interpret it in my way after a few re-watches. The twist was something I did not see coming and I have no idea how I've lived 18 years without somebody spoiling me the ending. But hey, I've learned something about our demons and how we will project them or express them in ways that even we do not understand sometimes.

(2) La La Land

"People love what other people are passionate about."

This is something I'll always remember. I remembered how a spark of passion in someone made me try out journaling. I was no way near as good, nor was I as passionate as her. But I loved that about her, and it made me appreciate passionate people.

I'm glad I watched this movie. It has one of the most astounding cinematography I've seen in film. The choreographies to the absolutely beautiful locations they chose to film in- I was in awe. You could even tell the director was passionate about making this movie. And of course, I starred in this movie with Emma Stone- huge credits to me.

The bittersweet ending sparked a ray of hope in me. How did they make that ending work, you'll only know once you watch it. That ending was a message to carry on life- you'll need to sacrifice important things. Life won't hand you anything.

Thank you.

(3) Fallen Angels

"He was a film director before he opened this place. So he always communicates with his family by making a video tape.... Sometimes I want to try the same thing. But I don't know who I'd send my tapes to. I don't wanna end up sending them to myself."

This movie is the reason I'm writing this post. I finished this today, and I fell in love with its style, its aesthetics and camerawork. I absolutely fell in love with the feels. But even more with the short-lasting characters. How beautifully have they portrayed the simplicity of the people around us. Our obsessions, failed loves, heartbreaks, existential crisis- all of it portrayed in such an awe-inspiring way.

With absolute minimal dialogue and a great amount of meaningful and thought provoking monologue, the show rings to your heart. It has so many things you can relate to, even though you might not expect that when you read the description.

This movie deserves its own post.

Anyways, what I've learnt from this story is that: I really need a motorcycle to ride off into a tunnel with my wife holding me like that in the picture. (wink wink)

[flurrin]

RE6 Deep Lore Analysis: Prologue

Welcome to my series where I pick apart a 10+ years old game frame by frame to analyze the storytelling, cinematography, characters and of course additional Lore to fill in the gaps that either don't exist or are poorly conveyed. I'm doing this because the game is often dismissed for being convoluted and too far removed from the Resident Evil series in terms of mechanics. These things are true and it's very much an imperfect game! But the story has a lot of brilliance that goes unrecognized and I want to dive in how the whole thing works, both to new players and to those already enmeshed in the universe. To read the series in order, go here!

Great shot to open the story on, a regular chrysalis thriving in an abandoned car, transforming into something new. We don't get to see anything beautiful like a moth or butterfly unfurling its wings for the first time, we see the insect, and then we cut away as disaster strikes. This obviously foreshadows the use of cocoons as enemy mechanics, and for Leon's campaign in particular, the lack of signs of surviving human life (including over the preceding establishing shots of a fiery city block filmed through the windows of the car) really set the mood.

I don't know if this was the shot that spawned RE's love of 1st person intros later seen in RE3R (not counting 7 because the entire game is 1st person) but it's an impressive bit of camera work, paring down the controls of the game so the player doesn't even have a body per se to control yet, just eyes and interaction commands (the interaction commands + QTEs themselves are...a little bit of a mess gameplay-wise for sure). We don't know this is Ada or that she's actually shooting at the zombies around Leon and not at him and Helena, so there's an active threat without having to push the player into combat right away.

RE6 is excellent at transition shots, here the gun is highlighted by the helicopter and thrown into the foreground of the next shot so your brain has realigned to recognize this is the POV character seamlessly. This is like a really basic shot, I'm going to show you some CRAZY animated camera tricks later, but it's good to keep in mind that the director knows what he's doing and is doing it well. This shot, this sequence, is also a perfect encapsulation of Leon's character as described in the very first game file. Leon protects the innocent, no matter the risk. He frames Helena, big and square and determined.

Helena being injured in this sequence also aids the tutorial's method of paring down the controls into something simpler, carrying her encumbers Leon, multiplayer doesn't exist yet. It also gives the player immediate stakes to worry about--someone is relying on Leon, and he cares, so the player cares too. We also first learn Helena is self-sacrificial through these extra interactions that don't get a chance to show up in the final game.

The purpose of this kind of hair in character design is to make a character's eyes, and therefore emotions, harder to read (this will be significant again when we talk about Jake later btw). Leon has a lot of baggage from RC and he feels it a lot, but he plays things close to the chest and hides behind his hair. In this way, even though he's a familiar protagonist, he feels almost as mysterious as Helena at the start, giving them an instant reason to connect.

RE6's answer to fixed camera angles is to still frame things cinematically rather than just for the benefit of the player. It's not a great approach to gameplay but thankfully in this one, Leon course corrects on his own and you just have to hold the buttons.

The camera is alive and active through these shots as they fall onto the glass, Leon's body framing the zombies below until they're clear to see beyond the edge of the cracks, a moment of peace before they look up, and the eye follows the path that the ornate light fixture is about to follow and crush them. They're trapped in by the circle of glass and the edges of the lantern.

I will say I hate the last shot of this prologue because the one that opens the game proper is essentially the same exact shot and it always throws me off, the first time I played I was like "Wait, what happened to the giant spire thing we were just standing next to, how are we in a college now". But it was an intentional choice at least to make the transition into the first chapter a lot smoother, I get that.

That's all for the prologue, I didn't want to cover this entire post in "the cinematography is so good here", but as we go through the cutscenes, be sure to keep your eyes on how the lines of the scene (such as Leon's gun and the tiles in the background of that last screencap) line up with the character's eyes to bring your attention there. Everything in the prologue is meant to build up intrigue so there's very little story and I'll talk less about cinematography going forward, but if you want a really good breakdown on what makes a good shot, I can't recommend this case study on Brad Bird's Incredibles enough. See you next time!

[psalmsofpsychosis]

Pennyworth (2019-2022): A Review

*messages temple* so anyway, i'm dropping the show at second episode.

Pennyworth is a good competent execution of a forced, subpar story really. The aesthetics, the visual storytelling, the narrative transitions are very clean and pleasing and wonderful, pains me to say it truly— but it's far better editing than the majority of Gotham TV.

And that execution still doesn't save it. The story feels cliche, vaguely vapid and inconsequential. really, good directing and good OST wasted on a lukewarm story. it's nonthreatening, "occasionally weird and flirty" is the best it gets, and it tries so hard for plot, but there's none, and what little there is to look for, it just can't make you care about it. The whole story is trite and unsure of itself, flimsy at the edges. And none of it matter at all to the characters or to you as an audience.

And another thing is— the story feels so uncomfortably detached and standalone-ish for a narrative that cannot stand on its own two feet. It tries to individuate from the common Batman [and more particularly GothamTV's] interpretations while establishing such willy nilly relationship with its preceding narrative and ultimately Alfred's characterization falls flat on its face somewhere inbetween Gotham's and Pennyworth(2019)'s story. "Pennyworth" miraculously leaves out everything that made the Gotham!Alfred interpretation distinct and captivating —It leaves out the uncomfortable weirdness. Pennyworth!Alfred feels too hip, too trendy, too effortlessly sly, too acceptably proper, too sanded and smoothed all around the edges. Which is such shame really, because the cinematography, the atmosphere, the music, it's all done so tastefully, so well executed, but the narrative pace and the story is so forced and too fast and too insincere and cliche.

[qloverreviewsfilm]

"nah. i'm gonna do my own thing."

spider-man: across the spider-verse (2023) - 97%

when i first saw spider-man: into the spider-verse (2018) in theaters with a dear friend of mine, it was an amazing experience. i had been a lifelong fan of spider-man noir, and seeing him on screen made me so happy. that was my expectation going into it: "i hope noir is good." little did i know i was in for one of the most innovative movies of all time. not even most innovative animated movie (which it was) or superhero movie (which it was), just one of the most innovative movies i'd ever seen.

that being said, when they announced a sequel, i wasn't surprised at all. i wasn't surprised that it kept being delayed (animation at that level, yeah, it'll take a while). i was surprised, however, when they announced it was going to be in two parts- as opposed to just a second movie and a third movie. trilogies seem commonplace enough in modern film, but a trilogy where two of them are part of the same story... it was interesting! (godfather being the exception because part one and two really do feel like two whole stories on their own).

so, i saw spider-man: across the spider-verse (2023) in an empty theater at noon. i wished i could've gone to a packed showing, but i'm glad i got to have the one on one with the story. it allowed me to feel more immersed. immediately i was astounded at the movie, with gwen's world's colors and style, with the familiarity of her story as a spider-person without it feeling trite at all. i was immediately engaged, and it didn't ever stop.

i think, structurally (anyone who knows me knows i'm in love with the study of story structure), the movie takes a few blows. no scene feels out of place, but some feel they overstay their welcome. some of the overlapping dialogue didn't hit as well as i feel like the movie wanted, to me.

but those being my only critiques, i think that this movie (and its predecessor) are two of the most important movies in the meta-modern era. not only are they built on the expectation of referential storytelling, but they don't take themselves too seriously- they know what they are, 50% fun superhero rollercoaster, 50% serious storytelling. and they balance that so, so well.

and i don't even know what to say about the animation- it surpasses the first one tenfold. it's the most beautifully animated movie i've ever seen. i think this movie and the netflix show arcane are quite literally changing the animation industry for the better. i think animation in media can tell stories that lend themselves to the abstract, to the existential, to the philosophical in ways that live action may have trouble with. not that live action can't do those things, but it takes more skill and intention, in my opinion. i think it's easier for animation to tap into visuals that evoke emotions that aren't as familiar, and therefore more memorable.

maybe i don't know what i'm talking about. but what i do know is that i wish spider-man unlimited got some speaking lines, or more screen time at least. here's hoping he gets a good scene in beyond.

love, q <3

entertainment - 22/24

writing/characters - 17/20

acting/direction - 18/20

cinematography/aesthetic - 24/24

music/sound - 16/16

[devitalise]

now i’m curious what ur top 5 of this year are 🤔🤔🤔🫡

hiii this ask is SO long omg tried to be succint but talking about things i like is so.... <3

shows

the bear - easily one of the best shows i've watched this year. episode 7 is a headrush

succession - technically season 3 was both new in general and to me. my sad little baby girl out from under logan's thumb and then spending 9 episodes desperately trying to get his siblings to respect him and realise all that he's suffered for them??? sooo eldest male daughter of him

industry - took me a while to get round to this. so juicy and dramatic and fast paced, and i loved not understanding any of the finance talk!

ugly betty - watched this for the first time as an adult at the beginning of the year and it's just so funny and fun and heartwarming i know it's an older show but i'm counting it

pachinko - tied between this and severance for what would make the top 5. this show is just such a masterpiece in storytelling and cinematography like just genuinely stunning and so moving

movies

i don't know if i've been that much of a film babe this year actually. i liked nope and the batman. i did watch cruel intentions for the first time this year and i liked it but that same weekend my laptop broke so it's a complicated situation

books

open water by caleb azumah nelson - i'm never going to shut up about this book! a Black british photographer meets a dancer one night in london and they become best friends and fall in love. both poetic in its prose, and unflinching in its reckoning of trauma within and outside of the Black body- my favourite book.

a passage north by anuk arudpragasam - one of the most tender books i've read this year. a guy gets a call that his grandmother's carer has died, so he makes the journey to the north of sri lanka. he reckons with the shrinking of his grandmother's world as she succumbs to her illness, the trauma and despair of outliving your own children, the spoils of war, religion, identity, mortality and politics. so beautiful

transcendent kingdom by yaa gyasi - i'm going to read everything yaa gyasi ever publishes. i loved reading homegoing last year, and this book just didn't disappoint. short but so substantial, a med grad prepares for her final project, trying to make sense of what makes an addict, an addict. caring for her depressed mother, she tries to bridge the gap between faith and science, as her family of 4 is now 2. there's just so much heart and care in this book

tell me i'm worthless by alison rumfitt - my horror book of the year. so twisted and malicious, a haunted house exposes the worst parts of a fascist society preying on a trans woman and her ex-girlfriend. this book is genuinely so insane, so menacing, and fucking incredible.

outline by rachel cusk - a writer travels to athens to teach a writing course. a novel in 10 conversations, she meets people who divulge their deepest desires, regrets, hopes and realities of their marriages, parenting, and what they think freedom looks like. i love a good monologue, and i got 10. cusk wields english in such an inspiring way

music

major music year. gonna do top 5 albums :)

AMERICAN GURL by KILO KISH

sexy by coco & clair clair

CRASH (deluxe) by charli xcx

renaissance by beyoncé

three dimensions deep by amber mark

thank you SO much for asking and reading if you've made it this far <3

[lexi-is-legendary]

Killing Eve ~

So, Killing Eve was super popular a few years ago, with the epic fiasco that was the finale. I didn't watch it at the time it was releasing, as I wasn't really involved in these specific fandom circles. I finally decided to watch it after watching Hannibal, as these circles have some overlap.

I will say, outright, that I feel this comparison is misleading in one major way: the storytelling. Yes, these shows both feature a very weird cat and mouse relationship between the leads. However, the focus on imagery and cinematography in Hannibal creates a very different effect on the narrative. I actually think that Killing Eve has an interesting style of simple cinematography, which focuses on the locations and perspectives of the characters more than the inherent symbolism of each character's philosophy. The cat and mouse dynamic are definitely present in both, however. I'm only pointing this out as I was introduced to the show through that comparison, and I don't think it really captures the "vibe" of Killing Eve, so to speak.

Anyway.

The dynamic between Eve and Villanelle really captured my attention in the first and second seasons. The writing focuses on the separation and intrigue between them, allowing it to be visualized by the kills, the investigations, and the gifts, which is both unsettling and romantic. At first, I loved the will they-won't they of each season, but there are a few times where the actions of the characters (or the writers, towards certain portions of season 3 and 4) were annoying. However, I have to admit that I still enjoyed that. I liked seeing the way Eve and Villanelle interacted with the other characters, and how their entanglement disrupted or even destroyed the lives of those close to them. This is particularly noticeable with Eve.

Initially, I thought the sense of humor was a bit gray, but it works very well with what we know of Villanelle, and I like the witty one-liners from Carolyn and Eve at times. The plot with the twelve, however, has been less amusing and more of an annoyance. For a show that introduced itself on the premise of MI6 spies attempting to find the organization, it doesn't do as much to untangle the threads of that storyline. Even by early season 4, we have a lot of unanswered questions and less evidence of who or what this organization functions as than I would've wanted.

Still, I can't deny that most of this series' interest comes from Villaneve itself. I do think the sudden reset at the end of season 3/the first half of season 4 is...annoying to say the least, as we already had this good-terms-gone-bad ending in season 2, however, I like seeing Eve, Villanelle, and yes, Carolyns separate attempts to find their place in this. And I think learning more about Carolyn's history was pretty interesting, especially how she and Konstantin ended up entangled in the same messes.

I'm not super knowledgeable about film history, cinematography, or script writing, as I've only recently begun delving into the topic of trying to analyze these things on my own. It's fun, but also surprisingly difficult. I don't have that much to say about the writing of this show other than perhaps the most common critiques of its strange plot holes, odd mischaracterizations, and...the finale. I have not gotten there yet, so I can't say anything other than: I am NOT looking forward to that.

Well then. I just finished the finale. I can admit that I had already seen spoilers for this show. Unsurprising, considering it finished two years ago, but it both made me dread the finale and took away some of the emotional impact. I was already preparing for the worst.

There's so much to say and I'm sure others have said it. I loved the domestic nature of Villanelle and Eve's stay in the A Bothy and subsequent road trip. I enjoyed the scenes between Carolyn and Pam, and it was nice to see Hugo was still around. The little fight scene between Gunn and Eve at the beginning of the episode was fairly short, but it's another way of showing how Eve has become less concerned with being normal.

I also thought the inclusion of a tarot reading was a really fun narrative device, both in its clear description of Villanelle's life, the relationship issues that were still unresolved between her and Eve, and the hope she had for their future. And its stone-cold foreshadowing of "Death." In tarot, the card is largely metaphorical: it usually represents great change, it represents mystery, it represents new beginnings. That it was all of these things in the most literal, gut-wrenching, and honestly bad faith ways possible is just. such a fucking disappointment. I think the worst part isn't even the bury your gays trope being fulfilled, it's that they were SO close to happiness. The ending is a fundamental misunderstanding (or deliberate rejection) of this shows primary theme: these two were supposed to reunite. For the finales of three seasons, they did. And Eve's speech at the wedding is such an explicit statement of this very thing that I'm baffled. And to learn that Laura Neal believes the ending scene with Eve screaming (in pain and in RAGE) was a "rebirth" where she could move on from Villanelle is contradicted by the song, which sings: "I've been thinking about her / almost every single hour / I can't forget / the sound / of her heartbeat / all around."

There's no way that I can see this loss as something good for Eve. She didn't WANT to lose Villanelle. I can understand why fans, the actresses, and yes even mainstream media were completely shocked. And the fact that it ends with Eve still in the Thames...with Villanelle sinking to the bottom — when their hands couldn't even touch one last time — knowing that Carolyn made that call just blows.

Even so.

The kiss scene was perfect. I loved how the scene starts with them peeing together. It's odd when said out loud but says so much about their comfort around seeing each other in "unsightly" ways. I love how it starts with a cheek kiss. I love how tender and excited they both are to kiss, and to keep kissing. It was romantic. It was sweet. And it was so, so nice to see them smiling into each other's mouths. I love that there's no hiding that its a kiss. I love that they separate and kiss again. And when they slapped each other's butts and just. laughed about it. It was perfect.

And the fact that they kissed again, on the boat, in such an awkward but absolutely intimate angle, as they separated is bittersweet in hindsight.

I really enjoyed this show. With all of its witty one liners, complicated women, failing parent-child relationships, and its intense fight or investigation scenes. I still think the fashion of the earlier seasons are especially great and the choice to follow each of the characters through the various locations they work in makes for an interesting narrative perspective.

I do think that the introduction of new side characters makes the world seem more dynamic and interesting, even if I was less interested in these ones overall. I think that having Konstantin train Pam, who is also under the thumb of Helene, was a fun choice actually. I liked her. The scene where she kills him and just. keeps apologizing...and he comforts her, is both sweet and sad. And when it comes to Helene, I 've come to calling her interactions with Eve "evil flirting" because it's just so tense in the way they threaten each other but also has an intimacy that I liked. I love that even when Eve "has a bath" and kisses Helene, she's using it as a replacement for Villanelle. Helene even acknowledges it when she has Gunn shoot Villanelle in retaliation for her daughter being kidnapped. It's a dynamic that shows how comfortable Eve has become in her own darker desires, but also emphasizes that she feels the happiest, most interested, the least bored, when she can be with Villanelle.

I've heard people say this relationship would never work long-term. In fact, Eve says so herself. But I think "we'd eat each other before we got old" and "they'd get bored, so they won't last" are actually two different statements. Villanelle can' stand boredom. That's absolutely true. But neither can Eve. And the thing is: Villanelle WANTED the boredom. She wanted someone to watch movies with. Someone who didn't see her as a monster. Someone to pee with without shame. She wanted to run away from the Twelve, not entirely because she'd come to hate killing — as we see in her brief stint in a church group, it was largely driven by the misconception that it would make her worthy of Eve's love — but also because they could have done it together. She wanted a partnership, boredom and eating each other and all. And I think that actually brings me to my final thought about the finale: it's a failure in writing. It's a misunderstanding of their relationship and these characters to have killed Villanelle. Not because it was inevitable, but because they didn't go together.

I think if they had both died in the Thames, if they'd been able to reach each other one last time as they did, I wouldn't feel so disappointed and frustrated. Every season finale brought them closer to understanding each other. It also brought them to the same page in what they wanted: each other. They should have been together, even if that was the last time. Eve is reborn here, maybe, but it's not a good thing. She destroyed her life with Niko because it didn't fulfill her, and she tried to find something with Villanelle because she hoped it would. This is nothing but loss and grief.

Yeah. I think that's where I am. It's a loss. Another female character killed for the big screen. Another queer character dead, another queer store unfulfilled. The only good thing that comes from it is an entertaining story, and that it wasn't canceled before a series finale. The bar is so low in the current climate of sapphic shows, it's depressing.

[Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ OR 9.25/10] \ Despite everything, I'd also consider it rewatchable.

[crashingaward]

Review: Poor Things

Emma Stone was spectacular in Poor Things. I'm glad she won the Oscar for Best Actress.

My review of the movie...

Poor Things is a captivating dark comedy directed by the talented filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos. Set in Victorian-era Scotland, the film offers a twisted and whimsical tale of love, identity, and scientific experimentation, based on the novel by Alasdair Gray.

At the heart of Poor Things is a standout performance by Emma Stone, who shines as Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life through a bizarre experiment conducted by the eccentric Dr. Archibald "Archie" McCandless, played with delightful eccentricity by Mark Ruffalo. Stone's portrayal of Bella is both charming and chilling, capturing the character's complex journey from victim to master manipulator with aplomb.

Lanthimos' direction infuses Poor Things with his trademark blend of dark humor and surrealism, creating a uniquely off-kilter atmosphere that keeps viewers on their toes. From the quirky dialogue to the absurd situations Bella finds herself in, every moment is imbued with a sense of absurdity and unpredictability that is as entertaining as it is thought-provoking.

The supporting cast, including Willem Dafoe as the enigmatic Dr. Godwin Baxter and Margaret Qualley as the cunning Lydia, deliver strong performances that complement Stone's central role. Their interactions with Bella add depth and intrigue to the storyline, as alliances shift and secrets are revealed.

What sets Poor Things apart is its biting social commentary and exploration of themes such as power, agency, and the nature of humanity. Through Bella's journey, the film raises provocative questions about autonomy, consent, and the ethics of scientific advancement, challenging viewers to confront their own assumptions and beliefs.

The production design and cinematography in Poor Things are stunning, transporting viewers to the atmospheric streets of Victorian Scotland with immersive detail and authenticity. From opulent mansions to fog-shrouded alleyways, each setting is meticulously crafted to enhance the film's darkly comedic tone and macabre aesthetic.

Overall, Poor Things is a wickedly entertaining and thought-provoking film that pushes the boundaries of genre and storytelling. With its stellar performances, inventive direction, and biting wit, it's a must-watch for fans of dark comedy and unconventional cinema.