#Icarus reviews: films

[icarusreading]

La Chimera (Alice Rohrwacher)-4.5/5 stars

!!Spoilers Ahead!!

Cast-5/5

I’ve loved Josh O’conner since Challengers-I mean, he’s just so endearing and a phenomenal actor all around. I loved the array of emotions he was able to display in this movie with only his eyes. I think that’s one of the best features an actor can have. He was able to display sadness, anger, love, happiness, without a word.

Yile Vianelli as Beniamenia is another actress who stood out to me. Even with her extremely limited dialogue and screen time, she made playing a dead character feel so alive. She felt so captivating in Arthur’s dream sequences and i don’t know, her presence in the movie was prevalent even though she was barely there.

Overall the casting was beautiful. I’m a sucker for actors who don’t OVERact which is exactly what this movie did. Everyone felt so real, like they were really the characters they were playing. Arthur’s little posse felt real and familial, just in the way that they all interacted. As dysfunctional as they were. I don’t know how else to put it other than everyone in this movie played their characters, whether major or minor, phenomenally. I have not felt this enraptured by a film since call me by your name.

Plot-4/5

For the first solid half an hour of this movie, I was confused. I didn’t really follow. But once the pieces started clicking, i couldn’t tear my eyes away. I still don’t fully understand Arthur’s ‘gift’ or how it worked but maybe that’s just a piece i’m missing. Overall I think this was a love story, in the most haunting way it could be. While Arthur is being used for his gift for his friends to make money, what he’s searching for isn’t pots or statues. As said in the synopsis-‘Everyone has their own Chimera, something they try to achieve but can never find. For Arthur, the Chimera is the woman he lost, Beniamina’. In a way, Italia almost filled that void. What stands out most to me is Arthur’s ghostliness. He was never really there, he was always on the search for Beniamenia. Even as the main character, he faded into the background (often times literally) and I think that does more storytelling than any amount of dialogue.

Score-5/5

Not super knowledgeable in this topic, but i thought the music fit super well so i have no complaints. The violins gave it both a wistful and dreamlike atmosphere while also an eerie one at times.

Cinematography-5/5

Right off the bat I have to talk about Arthur’s dreams. The movie was literally at its most vibrant when he was dreaming of Beniamenia. When awake, he was a walking ghost while Beniamenia was a literal one. His life was most vibrant when she was alive and I think it’s so beautiful how his yearning is represented through color. Also the way the width of the shot (i don’t know how else to put it??) is smaller. To me that represented the small portion of his life he was still clinging onto, or the tunnel vision he has in searching for the feeling she gave him. Even subconsciously, he searches for her in everything.

Overall I think the way this movie was filmed was gorgeous. It felt easy to follow, which I think with a movie like this is needed. What made me give it such a high score was the stark contrast between his dreams and real life, and the changes in color/shadow to give the viewer a physical representation of Arthur’s emotions.

Another note-when we find out the people sitting with Arthur in the beginning are ghosts of the people whose tombs he’s stolen from…art. that’s all i have to say. it really stuck with me, the way the ghosts of his past play such a unique role in his life.

Ending-5/5

Oh. My. God. One of the best endings to a movie i’ve ever seen. In a way I expected it to be a different one. I thought he beat the odds against him and would live a happy life with Italia-which of course would go against everything the movie is about.

I clocked the fact that he was going to get buried the second they were pressuring him in. But when i tell you the second i saw that red string…i lost it. I’m such a sucker for red string theory. And again, as i’ve probably made it clear, im a huge fan of lighting. the way he was pulling down, like he was pulling her down to him, but she was pulling up, like they’ve always had a pull on each other even in death. The light casting upon him in the darkness of the tunnel was literally the light at the end of the tunnel. Whether that be the end of his life or the end of his journey of searching for his Chimera (or both) it tugs at you. The final scene where they’re finally reunited made me cry. Because it was his dream sequence but wider (again, i don’t know how to word this?? full screen??). Finally he was at the end of his search. It felt magical and wistful. The way I felt once the credits rolled was weirdly serene. Although, I think that was the point. Because there was this sense of acceptance to the whole thing. It was sad, not devastating. it just was. I’m just yapping at this point, but truly the ending of this movie has to be up in my top 10 favorites of all time.

Favorite quote/scene-

‘non sei fatta per gli occhi degli uomini’ - You are not made for human eyes.

I could go on and on and on, but this was the moment i realized how much this movie was going to stick with me. Because it was clear he saw a glimpse of Beniamenia in the statue, but he knows that’s the closest he’s going to be to finding her in this life. Throwing it in the water to be was him letting go. Water often represents freedom, purification, and healing. Arthur so deeply struggles to embrace what his life is like now without her and in a way this felt like his way of acceptance.

Final thoughts-

Looking at this from an artistic standpoint, it was stunning. I watched it with a friend who, i’ll admit, doesn’t analyze every second of a movie like i do, and she loved it just as much. I think the only thing i’ll say is that it was a little bit slow, but then again that’s not really an issue in my book. I might just be easily entertained. Another thing i’ll note is that I am not versed in the history of Etruscan art, so there may be some things i’m missing that this movie was trying to say. But overall i think the acting was off the hook, and i can’t believe this got 4th place at Cannes. I’m a little biased because Josh O’conner holds a special place in my heart, but i would recommend this movie to anyone who has the patience to really sit down and take in this movie for what it is. I’ve watched a few interview clips with Josh and Alice, and it sounds like it was a very hands on film in terms of researching and connecting with where they were filming. It has left me with a lot of lingering thoughts on love and yearning and what it means to live without living in the past.

divider credits: @strangergraphics-archive <3

[ligbi]

So there was a french animated film about the friendship between Icarus and the Minotaur last year and I was supposed to hear about it on the bird app?

I mean it’s literally not streaming anywhere yet nor does it have a home media release at this time but I would like to get hyped in hopes of one of those things happening eventually.

It has a good style! I would like to see the tragedy! 

[oneofusnet]

Digital Noise Episode 337: Digital Warriors Have Come Out To Play DIGITAL NOISE EPISODE 337: DIGITAL WARRIORS HAVE COME OUT TO PLAY John and Chris take on their stack with aplomb and yet don’t see eye to eye on everything this week. From a stack of very different Hong Kong films that range from Police Academy variants to the HK version of Dead Heat, to a gathering of British horror legends that doesn’t quite work out. From a French take on the failures of the Warren Report, to an upgrade to a legendary Warrior cult classic. We got a lot to tell you about this week. All titles were sent to… Read More »Digital Noise Episode 337: Digital Warriors Have Come Out To Play read more on One of Us

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

About Me: Favorite Video Games

So you may not know this, but I’m a gamer. Shocking, right? Who’d ever have guessed it? But to be totally fair here, I rarely talk about video games on Tumblr. I talk about movies, and there have been a handful of times where I reviewed video games, but I focused more on the story, characters, and all that then I did on whether or not the gameplay was good. In my earliest days, before I found my niche, I talked about games a fair deal, but that fell by the wayside so I could focus on films (my true passion).

So hey, look at this! You’re all going to get to see what my favorite video games are now! Remember, everything here is just my personal opinions; I'm not trying to give actual reviews of each of these games in a couple of sentences or trying to sell you on them, I'm talking about the stuff in them that makes me love them. All of this is my subjective opinion, and I'm not asking you to agree with me here, I'm just trying to talk about stuff that I love.

Oh, and here are some honorable mentions: Super Mario Bros. 3, Banjo-Kazooie (I still haven’t finished it and I don’t want to include games I haven’t played through), Kid Icarus: Uprising, Bayonetta 2, Injustice 2, BioShock, Doom Eternal, Super Metroid, Dragon Age II, God of War II, Castlevania: Aria/Dawn of Sorrow, The Wolf Among Us, The Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando/Up Your Arsenal, and Heritage for the Future. Also a shout out to Tell Me Why and Life is Strange, games I watched my wife play and loved the story of but that I didn’t actually play myself; the former in particular has all sorts of elements I love in my stories.

Now, without further ado, here’s my top 50! Oh, and only the top 30 have pictures because there's image limits on posts! What a load of BS!

50. Animal Crossing: New Horizons

Ok, maybe this game is lacking in a few areas at the expense of its massive customization system… but boy howdy what a system it is! I cannot tell you how much time I’ve sunk into decorating my island, reorganizing my villagers, and just making all sorts of weird themed areas. It’s a lot of fun, and I get to do all this work while hanging with a bunch of weird, cute animals.

49. JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure All-Star Battle R

The original game was a lot of fun, but even I’ll admit it felt like it was missing something. That something was probably Foo Fighter, but guess what? She’s in the updated rerelease, along with aslew of other new characters like my favorite minor antagonist Mariah and the bane of Heritage for the Future players, Pet Shop! Add onto that a much better campaign mode with some fun little AU shenanigan matches and you have the most loving fighting game tribute to JJBA imaginable! Now if only they’d give Part 8 a little more love...

48. Batman: Arkham Origins

This is the redheaded stepchild of the Arkham series, and on some level I get why. It is very much aping City, right down to the map despite their being some expansions here and there, and the combat is much more of the same with little in the way of evolution, and don’t get me started on the fucking Joker showing up again. But this game also features some of the best bosses in the series such as Firefly and especially Deathstroke, a Bane who isn’t just a mindless mass of muscles like in the other games, and some interesting sidequests that make this early look at Batman’s superheroics a worthwhile entry in my eyes.

47. Miitopia

This is one of the easiest games out there, what with the autopilot combat and minimal difficulty (though there is a big spike late in the game). But the sheer vastness of the facial customization means that literally anyone from all of art or history can take part in a wacky, cliché RPG adventure. Hank Hill can fight the evil overlord Seth MacFarlane with a crew consisting of Chowder, Thor, and Japanese comedian/director/actor Beat Takeshi. If that’s not worth the price of admission, I don’t know what is.

46. Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin

The DS is where Castlevania truly shined, and my favorite of all the handheld entries is this portrait-hopping journey to defeat a mad artist and his evil vampire children. The locations are pretty great, there’s tons of sidequests and alternate game modes (my favorite is the one where you play as the Old Axe Armor), and there’s an awesome brutal bonus dungeon where you get to fight the bosses from Dawn of Sorrow without the stupid drawing bullshit!

45. Maximo vs. Army of Zin

The original game was a fun, yet very flawed action platformer. This game veers more into the hack-and-slash genre to great effect; it’s not the deepest combat ever, but it’s a lot of fun, with much better platform, bosses, and story than the first game. There’s just something cool about a world that mixes Gothic horror, steampunk, and other fantasy elements together all in one place.

44. God Hand

This is one of the most deceptive games you’ll ever come across. On the surface, it might seem like an ugly beat-em-up, but it’s so much more than that. The bosses are brutal yet fantastic, the music is fucking incredible, and the humor is just the right level of absurd to be incredibly charming. It’s ball-bustingly difficult, but let me tell you, when you finally overcome a fight or a boss battle that’s been giving you trouble? It is literally the best feeling in the world.

43. South Park: The Stick of Truth

‘Member when South Park was funny? I ‘member. And The Stick of Truth really brings back all those memories because this is a hilarious and loving tribute to the series made with the help of Trey Parker and Matt Stone to deliver the playable South Park experience of your dreams. It’s gross, immature, raunchy, and funny, and best of all it doesn’t get too preachy or up its own ass with messages—no, it gets up Mr. Slave’s ass to defuse a bomb. Peak South Park right here, though the gameplay is kind of basic. It’s all carried by that stellar writing.

42. Crash Bandicoot: Twinsanity

This game mainly scores a spot on my list for being fucking hilarious. This is the funniest Crash Bandicoot ever got, with all sorts of wacky gags and clever dialogue. Cortex really is the MVP here, with the constant slapstick that befalls him combined with his snarky dialogue making him a standout. It’s a bummer so much was cut from the game, and it does feel a bit incomplete in some areas, but for what it is it’s a damn fun time.

41. Pokemon White/White 2

It was genuinely hard to pick a single game from the series to go on here considering how much I loved Gens III – V. Emerald perfected the generation I first got into the series, LeafGreen is the definitive Kanto experience to me, Platinum polished up Gen IV’s uneven debut and made it incredible, and SoulSilver is a fantastic remake of the first Pokemon game I ever played (Crystal). But I think I have to go with the Gen V games I played as my favorites. They’re fun and challenging, and while the first game has a ridiculously restrictive regional dex and the second has an overreliance on defunct wi-fi features, the fantastic story and fun new Pokemon make up for it. Can’t be too mad at the games that let me make trashy cult classic B-movies with my boy Garbodor, can I?

40. Batman: Arkham Knight

I put off playing this for years, because I wasn’t happy with some of the things I heard about it, such as a lack of traditional boss battles and an overreliance on the Batmobile. These are still problems, but not near as bad as I feared (obviously, since it’s on this list); everything about the gameplay is the series at its peak. The main story is a bit lacking and ends up being a tad too predictable for me to love it as much as the other entries in the series, but the fact it has Professor Pyg and Man-Bat really helps make up for its shortcomings.

39. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

This game is just as silly and clunky as I imagined an older Bethesda game would be, but to my surprise I think it holds up incredibly well even compared to Skyrim. It’s a bit more complex in a lot of areas, but it’s not too daunting. What really strikes me is how this game actually has a really good story; it’s nothing groundbreaking, but when you look at how bad the Civil War plot in Skyrim was it feels like Shakespeare in comparison. Throw in a ton of unique sidequests with interesting plotlines, a gruesome Dark Brotherhood plot, an interesting villain, and Patrick Stewart for all of about five minutes, and I’d almost say I like this more than Skyrim. Almost.

38. Wolfenstein: The New Order

Sure, it doesn’t exactly reinvent the wheel when it comes to FPS games, but does it need to? All I want from a Wolfenstein game is a horde of Nazi motherfuckers to mow down, and guess what this game gives me? What really surprised me was how genuinely cool and likable BJ was. He might be one of my favorite heroes ever after this game. It’s a shame they couldn’t keep this level of polish up in the sequel.

37. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

In a lot of ways, this game is objectively worse than its predecessor. Like the story is ass for sure; I could not give less of a fuck about the Stormcloaks and the Imperials and their stupid civil war if I tried. But the vast world filled with things to do is so much fun to explore, and there’s all sorts of sidequests and shenanigans to get into. This game is pure, stupid fun, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve restarted it just to play as a different race or class. Maybe someday I’ll make it to the final boss. Maybe.

36. Psychonauts

The original Psychonauts is one of the last great platformers, and among them it’s a lot more unique than many of its peers as you’re platforming through the minds of all sorts of wacky characters to help them overcome their issues. Bouncing through the conspiracy theory-addled brain of a disturbed milkman or decimating a city kaiju style inside the mind of a hyper-intelligent mutant lungfish are the kind of off-the-wall ideas this game throws at you, and in my opinion the only thing that could hold it back is if it had a really janky final level that combines meat, circuses, escort missions, and an underwhelming final boss… Oops. Still a great game in my eyes, one that’s 95% perfect.

35. Final Fantasy VI

For a lot of people, this is the best Final Fantasy game, and I definitely see why. It has a truly massive playable roster of unique characters with their own special gimmicks (of which only a handful are actually useful, mind you) and one of the greatest video game villains ever conceived in the mad clown Kefka, plus it is so focused and tightly plotted for the first half of the game. I think that after Kefka takes over the story becomes a lot more aimless and unfocused, but that’s also where the game becomes a lot more fun and challenging too. It’s a bit uneven, but after how hard the opera house scene goes I think it’s allowed to trip a little bit.

34. Dragon Age: Origins

A lot more praise is thrown at this series’ sci-fi sibling Mass Effect, probably because that series is a lot more consistent with how good it is across the board (Andromeda notwithstanding), but I’m much more fond of fantasy settings myself and this game delivers a fantastic one in ways its sequels couldn’t quite manage. This is the only game in the series where I genuinely loved every single party member (especially Leliana) and actively tried to get them the happiest endings possible—yes, even the douchebag anti-villain who joins you if you play your cards right), and the plot is just the right level of epic fantasy cheese seasoned with some delicious side quests. If the dwarf plotline wasn’t such a slog and if Varric was in the game, this would be a lot higher on the list, but this game still holds a special place in my heart.

33. Batman: Arkham Asylum

Our first trip into the Asylum really did kill the notion that licensed games had to be the most obnoxious shovelware schlock imaginable by making a Batman game that actually makes you feel like Batman. Sure, the detective part is a bit minimal here compared to the sequels, but the combat is so fun and refreshing that I’m not too bothered by the lack of crime scene investigations. There’s a clear love for the entire mythos here, and best of all a clear love for the animated series—Hamill and Conroy reprise their roles as Joker and Batman respectively, and Arleen Sorkin gives Harley one last ride before her retirement. It’s a real love letter to the Dark Knight, and it spawned one of the most consistently good video game series around, so I’ll forgive it for having the lamest final boss I’ve ever fought just this once.

32. Kingdom Hearts

What I like about the original game is how it struck such a nice balance in its absurd premise, with it never feeling like the Final Fantasy or Disney elements are really overpowering each other. We have the grandiose, convoluted plots of the former and the magic, whimsy, and awesome villains of the latter combining together into one impressive package. Yeah, a lot of the level designs are dogshit (looking at you, Deep Jungle and Monstro), and some of the stunt casting is really bizarre (Lance Bass as Sephiroth?!) but overall this is a game way better than you’d think by hearing that it’s a game where Mickey Mouse and Cloud Strife exist side by side.

31. Super Mario 64

Mamma mia! It is genuinely impossible for me to not feel nostalgic for this game. So many 3D platformers that came out in its wake took what it did and polished it to absurd degrees, but there’s still something so special about diving back into one of the portraits in Peach’s castle and going through those levels again and again. The music and atmosphere of the game add onto it; every time I play it, I feel like a kid again. It’s just such a charming game.

30. MediEvil

If Tim Burton made a Gothic horror fantasy movie, I imagine it would be something like this game. It really uses the limitations of the PS1’s graphics to the fullest extent, with the jagged polygonal looks of the characters enhancing the experience, and it has such a crazy variety of levels and enemies, from a phantom pirate ship to a crystal cave with a dragon to a village of posessed villagers to an ant hill. Sir Daniel Fortesque is one of my favorite video game protagonists around because of his posthumous journey to live up to the legend fabricated around him.

29. God of War III

Every single one of these games just escalates from the previous one. Oh, you fight the hydra in the opening of the first game? How about you fight through Rhodes and then battle the animated colossus that once stood in its port in the second? And how do you top that for the third game? Beat the ever-loving shit out of Poseidon and gouge his eyes out from his POV. And this game only gets more brutal from there! Titans and gods all fall to Kratos in epic and gory boss battles, but honestly even without that I’d put the game on this list for the simple reason that you get to fucking murder Kevin Sorbo as Hercules.

28. EarthBound

Nintendo’s quirkiest RPG makes the cut, mostly on the basis of how weird and charming it is. At this point I’ve essentially memorized everything you need to do in this game, which is good because if it’s your first time you desperately need a guide or you’ll be fucked. There are points where things get a little too grindy (mostly for Poo’s weapons) but it’s genuinely a game whose charms outweigh any negatives there are. Plus, that final boss battle is something else entirely.

27. The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth

Rebirth and all of its DLC updates took everything great about the original game and polished it into absolute perfection, with so many different item combos you could potentially get and so many bosses and endgames you could encounter. No two runs ever really feel the same, and it’s so satisfying to become so overpowered you nuke the screen every time you attack. The fact there’s a thriving modding community to continually generate new and crazier content also adds to why I have a ridiculous number of hours dumped into this game.

26. Resident Evil VII: Biohazard

This is the first Resident Evil game I ever played and, wow, I sure was missing out all those years! This is one of the most tense survival horror experiences I’ve played through, with a creepy family of hillbilly horrors to avoid as I creep through their ramshackle domicile. It’s fun, creepy, and even a little campy, and it has raised my interest in the rest of the series. Hopefully the game with the giant vampire mommy will live up to how good this one is when I finally get around to playing it.

25. Portal 2

Yes, the puzzles are great, but this game really soars due to its writing. The first game was fun and all, but it was mostly just GLaDOS insulting you the whole time with Chell being an entirely silent protagonist. In this game, we get the lovable idiot Wheatley and the greatest mad scientist ever conceived Cave Johnson to listen to as well, and the way GLaDOS bounces off the former and reacts to the latter help make this game a fun and engaging puzzle-solving adventure.

24. Doom

The legendary FPS series got revitalized after years on the edge of relevancy, and its return is one of the most metal games imaginable. Slaughtering your way through the forces of Hell while heavy metal blares in the background? It really doesn’t get much better than this. While I do think Eternal improved the formula and gameplay in a lot of ways (particularly with the addition of an awesome hub level), I find the original to be way more fun and balanced in terms of difficulty. The lack of Marauders is really what gives it the slightest of edges.

23. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Nobody got left behind for this one. Everyone across the series came back, and then they went and added even more to give us the most ambitious crossover of all time. Ridley, Simon Belmont, Sora, Sephiroth, Kazuya, and more all get to duke it out on the best stages of the series as well as some fresh new ones, and every character plays even better and more balanced than they ever have before. While the single player campaign isn’t quite as exciting as Subspace Emissary from Brawl, it still manages to be a pretty epic quest with fun boss battles. This is just the definitive Smash experience in my opinion.

22. Red Dead Redemption

My daughter has affectionately labeled this game “Horse Movie,” and she’s not wrong. This is a true cowboy experience right here, with lots of gunfights and horse wrangling, and it’s all a blast. The story in particular is really well done, and there’s plenty of fun side quests too. Maybe the gunfights get a bit samey after a while, but it’s an enjoyable open world to explore and is filled with oddities and mysteries galore.

21. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

The first Metal Gear game to make the list, and easily the most underrated of the bunch. It gets a lot of flak for the missing final episode that would have had Venom fight the young Liquid Snake, and while it does suck that that moment isn’t in the game, the story still feels plenty complete and well-done without it. Venom might be one of the most fascinating characters in the series, and the game has some of the most brutal gutpunches and tearjerking moments in the franchise. Maybe it’s just because I’m predisposed to love Metal Gear, but I loved this game even though I was well aware of what it didn’t have.

20. Final Fantasy VII

Not to be a basic bitch, but this is my favorite Final Fantasy. I mean, the cast is all so cool and fun, the story is great, Sephiroth is an amazing villain, and there’s plenty of obscure and obtuse ways of finding secrets that make a strategy guide practically mandatory if you want the most out of the game. What’s not to love? I think I was mostly surprised by how good the game actually was; it’s always high on lists of the best games ever, and it definitely earns that. The fact that Aerith’s death still made me tear up despite being common knowledge is a testament to just how amazing this Fantasy is.

19. Mother 3

EarthBound coasts by on its fun, lighthearted quirkiness… but what if you took that and applied heaping helpings of darkness and a more solid story? That’s Mother 3, a beautiful tale filled with the same out there humor as its predecessor as well as a lot of more mature and deeper themes than even the original tackled (mind you, Earthbound wasn’t devoid of deeper themes to begin with, so this is saying something). The ending is one of the few times I have openly sobbed while playing a video game. They need to officially release this in the West, because I will buy it day one. Fuck, I’ll pre-order it!

18. Yoshi’s Island

If this game was only one of the most charmingly animated games ever made, that would be enough to earn it at least some respect. But it’s also one of the best platformers in a series that invented the genre, centered around a truly inspired baby-carrying gimmick and featuring all manner of creative boss battles and one of the most earwormy soundtracks ever made. That’s enough to get it a spot on this list, but the fact it solidified Shy Guys as a Mario mainstay and not just a one-shot enemy? That gets it into my top 20.

17. Spyro Reignited Trilogy

It’s kind of cheating since it’s all three games in one package, but it’s my list, I make the rules. I view this as the definitive way to play Spyro; the redesigns are all fantastic (especially Elora) and the fact Tom Kenny is now the lovable purple scamp across all three games is wonderful. They even made the first game more enjoyable and even visually interesting, even though it’s still the weakest link in the series! And as much of a Crash Bandicoot stan as I am, the fact this game allows you to switch between the newly composed arrangements of the songs and the original Copeland tracks is a big W over the Bandicoot remakes only having the new versions of the songs.

16. Metal Gear Rising

This is perhaps the most badass game ever made. The first level has Raiden battling through a war zone and then fighting a RAY singlehandedly, leaping across missiles and slicing it in half while the most fucking awesome metal music blares in the background. The game just decides to get even more insane from there. People have argued against it being canon for years, but these people are stupid. This game is just as insane and politically-charged as the rest of the series, so in my book, it’s fucking canon.

15. Undertale

This game’s time in the spotlight has faded a bit, but that only makes it easier for me to look back on it and say, “Damn, that’s one of the finest games ever made.” It has all the quirkiness of the Mother series with unique combat and a stellar story, a cast of likable characters, and some of the best boss fights I’ve ever been through. Best of all, it’s a game that practically encourages and even rewards you for being nice! I still love it, even after all the discourse and skyrocketing popularity, and nothing will make me budge on that love.

14. Hades

I’m a big fan of Greek mythology, so this is yet another game that would have had to try really hard to make me hate it. Thankfully, all its efforts were put into areas that made me love it instead. While the roguelike gameplay is well done, the writing and story are really the stars here, with fantastic character interactions between desperate god Zagreus, the gods of Olympus, and the various denizens of the underworld really making this game something truly special.

13. Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time

Sometimes this game feels like the designers saw all those articles and reviews comparing the first game to Dark Souls and took it to heart, because some of the levels in this game are absolutely brutal—especially if you’re going for 100% completion. But that same difficulty makes playing through the levels a lot of fun as well; it’s probably the most challenging Crash outing to date. It really polishes and updates the Crash formula for the modern age, and hopefully they expand on this in a future game. If nothing else, it finally lets you play as Dingodile, which is a dream come true.

12. Grand Theft Auto V

It’s wacky. It’s cartoonish. It has a surprisingly good story about three criminals from different walks of life becoming fire-forged friends as they violently work out their emotional issues. There’s just so much to do and so much to see, all sorts of collectibles and side missions, and more black comedy than you can shake a stick at, and all of it is made all the more enjoyable because the main villain protagonists are a likable bunch of nutjobs. Hell, sometimes I just like to hop into a car, put on some tunes, and cruise around until I can cause some mayhem, and the fact that’s just as valid as doing a bunch of story missions really makes me love the game.

11. Silent Hill 2

While the first and third games are good in their own rights, I vastly prefer the psychological horror and the monsters manifesting as living allegories for trauma with heavy and dark symbolism as opposed to the evil cult narrative. Plus, you know, this one has Pyramid Head in it, and his presence makes sense instead of simply being there cuz he’s cool.

10. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Trials & Tribulations

The Ace Attorney series is one of my favorites, and I love just about all the games in it and even the ones I don’t love always have one or two solid cases that keep me coming back. But pound for pound my favorite game in the series is the third one, the one that lets you play as Mia Fey, introduces the callous murderer Dahlia Hawthorne, and has you match wits with the coffee-guzzling prosecutor Godot. Even the filler cases are entertaining, with the one where Phoenix has to get to the bottom of a murder involving his evil doppleganger being wildly amusing (which is more than can be said for that circus case in the second game or cases two through three in the fourth).

9. Live A Live

Few games can boast the sheer variety this game has on display, with levels changing up their style to give everything from standard RPG fair to a prolonged timed puzzle to a fighting game pastiche to an incredibly tense survival horror experience. We also have the precursor to Undertale here in a ninja-themed level where you can spare everyone you come across or otherwise brutally murder them. And while the stories remain relatively simple in every time period you visit, it doesn’t stop them from hitting hard when they need to, like with the fantasy RPG deconstruction that is Oersted’s chapter. This game would easily have switched places with the next game if the final level played a bit more to the game’s strengths, but hey, it’s still good enough to be in the top 10.

8. Chrono Trigger

Square’s other time travel story is definitely the superior one even if it’s a traditional JRPG through and through. Of course, that is because it completely and fully takes advantage of its premise, with actions you take in one time period affecting others in turn, not to mention the vast amount of bonus bosses and sidequests there are to keep the multiple playthroughs to acquire all the endings fresh and fun. I’ve sunk so much time into getting all the endings on the DS version, and I’ve never once been bored even after visiting the Middle Ages or the ruined future world a dozen times.

7. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

There are few games that I love revisiting more than this one. This is Metroidvania at its peak, a perfect blend of action, platforming, and RPG elements into one glorious Gothic horror monster mash package. What’s truly fun with this one is the myriad ways there are to bust the game right open. I’m not ashamed to admit I’ve grinded for hours so that I could dual-wield Crissaegrims and trivialize the Dracula and Galamoth battles.

6. Psychonauts 2

The original Psychonauts is fun and quirky, and is only really held back by a pretty sloppy final level. This game, though? This game is damn near perfect. Nearly every level here is fun and memorable, and the ways Raz has to help each person deal with their mental trauma is a lot more nuanced and tasteful than the original game’s fair-for-its-time takes on dealing with mental illness. The minds of Ford’s old crew as well as Ford himself provide some of the best Psychonauts content to date, and really, who can hate a level that ends with Jack Black as a gay psychic rock star viking performing a musical number to obliterate his own insecurities?

5. Kingdom Hearts II

This is where the Kingdom Hearts franchise peaked, and it’s a high note they’ve yet to reach again. Sure, the tutorial prologue level drags on for quite a long while, but once you get to play as Sora again, ooh boy is this basically the perfect meeting of the worlds of Disney and Square. The Disney worlds are a lot more fleshed out and have twice the plot due to midgame return visits, the combat is more exciting with fun little reaction commands to let you pull off crazy maneuvers, and you get to hang out with Tron and the most based of all Disney heroes, Chicken Little. Best of all, the story manages to strike the perfect balance between being complex and silly without disappearing all the way up its own ass like later entries would.

4. Jak & Daxter: The Precursor Legacy

In my house, there was a legend that I had beaten this game to completion one hundred times. I’m not entirely sure how accurate that is, but considering how often I replayed this growing up it can’t be too far off. This is one of the most gorgeous platformers around, and Naughty Dog’s final shot at a genre they’d perfected with their Crash Bandicoot games. Even all these years later the visuals are breathtaking; I still am in awe at how you can see the entire world from atop Snowy Mountain. Every day I cry because they decided to turn the series into GTA clones instead of continuing to explore the gorgeous fantasy world they created in this game.

3. Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy

The original Crash Bandicoot was the first game I ever played, and the rest of the series were cornerstones of my childhood. Imagine how elated I was when they not only remade the games, but they created the single definitive way to play them! Sure, the soundtrack being redone can be a little hit or miss, but they completely unfucked the brutal difficulty of the first game (and this is even with adding back the ball-bustingly hard “Stormy Ascent” level) and for the most part left the latter two games entirely untouched save a graphical boost and the ability to play as my girl Coco. Playable Coco alone makes this a dream come true.

2. Batman: Arkham City

The Arkham series is one of the most consistently great series, and this is its greatest entry. The titular city is massive, with so many things to do, and the combat and puzzles are polished to perfection. Add in some actual detective work, some truly epic boss battles against iconic Batman villains like Clayface and Mr. Freeze (and also Solomon Grundy, because why the fuck not?), the ability to play as Catwoman, and one of the most shocking and tragic tales the Dark Knight has ever been in, and I’m more than happy to call it my second favorite game ever.

1. Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater

Of course, there was no hope Arkham City had at overcoming this game. This is Kojima’s magnum opus, not least because the entire rest of the Metal Gear series revolves around the events that transpire in this story. After the mindfuck that was the second game, it’s nice to return to a more coherent story, one detailing how Big Boss came to be the man that Snake fought in Zanzibar Land. Everything in the series sprang forth because of the actions the characters take here, and each subsequent game just makes this one better and better. Every single boss battle is unique and engaging, and the final battle is one of the most heartbreaking moments in all of gaming. I still cry every single time I get to the ending. It's such an amazing game, with a relatively simple yet still strong and convoluted story populated with a Russian madman with inexplicable lightning powers, a spirit medium's ghost, and a man who controls bees. God bless Hideo Kojima, that absolute madman.

[tarnia2]

I just watched Icarus and the Minotaur (2022). I loved it, the animation was gorgeous and the story was, well, enjoyable at least.

Now I just read reviews and people are saying it's for "the whole family"? And the movie itself was advertised for kids? I'm not going to enter into detail, but this is something I would NOT show to anyone under thirteen. The violence and sexual tones only gets bigger as the film progresses. I think this is a case of the "animation is for kids" syndrome.

[jacquelinemerritt]

Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug Abridged Review

Originally posted December 1st, 2015

Excellent comedy combined with new insights into characters.

Lord Slug Abridged is a great example of how strong Team Four Star’s comedy and storytelling can be when they aren’t limited by the scope necessary for the long form. This abridged film is a riot, with great jokes coming at a rapid pace, and its pacing is just as strong, moving through the story deftly and quickly without ever losing its stride. The voice-work is also as good as ever, with MasakoX and Lanipator especially standing out as Goku and Piccolo. All this and the fact that Team Four Star manages to show us new sides to their characters make Lord Slug an excellent film.

Piccolo is the best example of how Team Four Star shows us new sides to their characters, as Lord Slug is the first time we get to see Piccolo being a pure, unadulterated badass. Piccolo, of course, has had his moments of badassery in the series so far, but here he’s allowed to really let loose, defeating Lord Slug’s minions with sheer brutality and snappy one-liners. Lanipator does an excellent job selling this new side of Piccolo, bringing out an intensity we haven’t seen in his character until now. What makes this more impressive though is the fact that Team Four Star never abandons their previous characterization of Piccolo for this badassery; Piccolo still takes a bullet for Gohan, and he also gives all his energy to Goku, ensuring Lord Slug’s defeat.

We also get to see new sides to both Chi Chi and Super Kami Guru. Chi Chi’s is only momentary, but it’s still incredibly satisfying to see her charge into battle and take down a couple goons (the joke about her having the fighting style of twelve menstrual kicks is pretty funny too, despite being a little sexist). Super Kami Guru’s other side is shown to us literally through Lord Slug, as he is meant to be his polar opposite. Team Four Star’s clever twist here though is in making Super Kami Guru the evil half, which begs the question, if the good half of this Namekian invaded earth and froze the planet, what worse could the evil half have done?

The last thing I want to mention about Lord Slug is its excellent music selection. Like “Bardock: Father of Goku,” Lord Slug incorporates music from a number of different sources, and while it lacks the clear theme of “Bardock,” its incorporation of John William’s Superman Theme, “What a Wonderful World,” and Disturbed all work together beautifully, either setting the mood for the scene or serving as clever punchlines. They even let the final blow to Lord Slug be dealt by the Andy Griffith Theme, and if that isn’t great music selection, then I don’t know what is.

Rating: 4.5/5

If you liked this review, please consider supporting me on Patreon.

Stray Observations

Yes, I know I called it a film, despite Team Four Star and the title calling it a movie. Get over it.

Icarus is so cute, and Gohan is so happy with him!

As the meteor approaches, Dr. Briefs is listening to “Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing” by Aerosmith. Clever gag, Team Four Star, clever gag.

“Look everyone, it’s Jesus’ death army! Something about what I said doesn’t sound right.”

The spokesman for Lord Slug’s army is WeeklyTubeShow doing an excellent Zap Brannigan impression.

Henchman: “Well, Lord Slug, it is my humble opinion, Lord Slug, that it will take three days, Lord Slug. Go Team Slug.”

Chi Chi: “Gohan, it’s Dragon-Icarus stew!” But… But… WHY?!?!

“Oh my god, are you Batman?” Nope. It’s Mr. Goddamn Piccolo.

Piccolo: “Hey, hey Gohan. You wanna do that thing where you get really mad and start beating the guy up? Gohan? Gohan? Don’t you f***ing ignore me.”

Goku: “Hey King Kai. My nipples are rigid right now.” King Kai: “That’s… Anyway…”

*squeak* Goku: “Why does everyone laugh when they do that? That’s my ribs crushing my lungs.” *squeaky*

Goku: “Sun, sun! Mr. Golden Sun, kill my enemies!”

Super Kami Guru: “Nail! Come and mail this for me.” Nail: “Sir, we don’t have a mail system.” Super Kami Guru: “Nail, gather the Dragonballs.”

[sunnydaleherald]

The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Tuesday, October 31

Willow: Buffy, are you all right? Buffy: What? Xander: Are you hurt? Willow: Buffy, are you hurt? Buffy: Buffy? Willow: She's not Buffy. Xander: Who's Buffy? Willow: Oh, this is fun. What year is this? Buffy: 1775, I believe. I-I don't understand. Who are you? Willow: We're friends. Buffy: F-friends of whom? Y-your dress... Everything is strange! How did I come to be here? Willow: Breathe, okay, breathe. You're gonna faint again. How are we supposed to get through this without the Slayer? Xander: What's a Slayer?

~~Buffy Episode #18: "Halloween" ~~

[Drabbles & Short Fiction]

Man Wonder (Xander/Giles, T) by drsquidlove

I Want Candy (Spike/Xander, T) by forsaken2003

Part of the Family (Buffy/Spike, Dawn, T) by Anonymous

Somthing Old, New Borrowed and Blue (Ensemble, T, SPN xover) by DreamingInColor

Curious Little Thing (Drusilla/Reader, T) by FiveBiFiveMind

With You (Jenny/Giles, T) by Bobbie23

Candy Corn Mischief (Buffy/Spike, E) by honeygirl51885

[Chaptered Fiction]

So Very Ch. 1-2/? (Buffy/Angel, M, multiple xovers) by AnyaChristinaJenkins

Kinktober 2023 Ch. 31/? (Buffy/Giles, E) by DancingAngel0013

hit rewind Ch. 14 (Buffy/Spike, M) by untiljanuary

Goodbye to Everything That I Knew Ch. 5 (Buffy/Spike, M) by My_Barbaric_Yawp

New York Ch. 1-3/43 (Giles/Xander, M) by drsquidlove

Kinktober 2023 Ch 31 (COMPLETE) (Buffy/GIles) by Skyson

Shadow Over Hellmouth Ch 96/264 (Ensemble, E) by Tuxedo_Mark

1632 Revello Drive CH. 1/? (Buffy/Willow, T) by A_Most_Sovereign_Lady

The Poet At The Door (or: Not Writ In The Stars) Ch. 8 (Spike/Drusilla, M) by Eyeballs_to_Entrails

What the Drabble?, Chapter 34 (Buffy/Spike, M) by VeroNyxK84

Once More With Feelings, Chapter 2 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Spikelover4ever

something wretched, something precious, Chapter 27-30 (Buffy/Spike, M) by LittleTayy

Icarus, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, E) by HappyWhenItRains

In the Depths of October, Chapter 13 (Buffy/Spike, E) by acekoomboom, violettathepiratequeen

Forgiveness Doesn't Come Easy, Chapter 2 (Buffy/Spike, E) by slaymesoftly

Can We Keep Him?, Chapter 2 (Buffy/Spike, E) by Desicat

The Whole Point of Halloween , Chapter 1-2 (Buffy/Spike, M) by Dynamite

Startlingly Moral, Chapter 1 (Buffy/Spike, T) by acekoomboom

Autumnal Shorts, Chapter 30 (Buffy/Spike, M) by VeroNyxK84

[Images, Audio & Video]

Artwork:Happy Halloween!!! (Dark Willow) by jasonriv37

Cosplay:Slayer Halloween costume () by vouloir

Artwork:Buffy and Spike () by lialivingart

Video: JibJab video: Halloween Rap () by Double Dutchess

Artwork:Spike () by vampyrwaltz

Video: Honest Trailer for Buffy The Vampire Slayer () by Infamous-Lab-8136

[Reviews & Recaps]

PODCAST: Episode 1 - Chatter in the Caf by The Sunnydale Diaries

[Fandom Discussions]

Slayers Audio book by Multiple Authors

fun notice for patriotic fan while rewatching Beer Bad by Thin-Sleep-9524

Thoughts on Joyce by Quick_Surprise_1911

What does indirect sunlight actually do? by AnyNeck1885

Enjoying the scene by LGonthego

[Articles, Interviews, and Other News]

PUBLICATION: Spike & Dru Reunite in Slayers: A Buffyverse Story by Popverse

PUBLICATION: NYCC Interview: James Marsters & James Leary Talk 'Slayers: A Buffyverse Story' by The Cosmic Circus

PUBLICATION: NYCC Interview: Juliet Landau & Laya DeLeon Hayes Talk 'Slayers' by The Cosmic Circus

PUBLICATION: The Only Episode Of Buffy Where Joss Whedon Told Anthony Head To Do More, Not Less by Slash Film

Submit a link to be included in the newsletter!

Join the editor team :)

[albertonykus]

Doraemon Movie Review: Nobita and the Winged Braves (2001)

What is Doraemon? The title character of the Doraemon manga and anime is a blue robotic cat from the 22nd Century who keeps an array of high-tech gadgets in a portable pocket dimension on his belly, and has traveled from the future to improve the fortunes of a hapless schoolboy named Nobita. Although relatively obscure in the English-speaking world, Doraemon is a Mickey-Mouse-level cultural icon in East Asia (and some other regions, too). The Doraemon franchise was a big part of my childhood, and there are still elements of it that I enjoy now.

Doraemon has released theatrical films almost annually since 1980, most of which involve Nobita and his friends (kind Shizuka, brash Gian, and crafty Suneo) getting swept into adventures thanks to Doraemon's gadgets. Despite being of potentially broad appeal to fans of science fiction and animated films, there are very few English reviews of the Doraemon movies, so I'm embarking on a project to write about all the films that have come out so far. Good luck to me…

Movie premise: Nobita and his friends stumble across a portal leading to a land inhabited by bird people.

My spoiler-free take: A fun movie that unfortunately has an unpolished feel to its plot.

POTENTIAL SPOILERS AFTER THIS POINT

Review: This is unquestionably an exciting film to watch, with the race sequence partway through and the final struggle against the main threat being particular highlights. The concept of a bird civilization is also of special interest to me, of course. However, I’ve long thought that the story lacks a sense of coherence in following the plot threads that it introduces.

One of the most obvious examples of this is that the primary villain becomes a non-entity as soon as his plan goes sideways and a greater threat appears. He is not even given a cameo appearance or a passing mention when all is said and done. Does he still retain his leadership position in the bird military? Has his perspective changed at all as a result of this incident? The movie does not say.

Then there’s the character of Icarus the eagle-man, who is built up as a legendary figure in bird society. When he finally enters the story in the flesh, he proceeds to spend his screentime accomplishing... not very much. Nearly all of his contributions probably could have been written out of the film with little difficulty. Even the reveal that he’s the biological father of the protagonists’ new friend, Gusuke, amounts to almost no narrative importance (and is never disclosed to the main characters or to Gusuke himself).

I also felt that there were many missed opportunities with the portrayal of the bird civilization. To be fair, it’s more fleshed out than the animal society from Nobita and the Animal Planet, but not by a whole lot. Even a few more relatively basic references to real-world bird biology could have enhanced the worldbuilding—why not have the owl professor be nocturnal? (One scene shows him working at night, but in an “academic doing late-night research” kind of way.) There’s no shortage of interesting elements in bird physiology and behavior to draw from that could have made the bird people much more than simply “flying humans that hatch from eggs”. (Why yes, I am a degreed bird biologist overthinking a children’s anime...)

In addition, it would have been nice to see the main characters display quirks and abilities based on the Bird Hats that they wear to blend into bird society. At one point, Gian is shown to require a running take-off because he is wearing an albatross hat. I would have liked to see more moments like that. (Ironically, this is something that Nobita and the Animal Planet did better.)

(The movie poster is actually non-indicative on this front—in the film proper, the protagonists gain traits of specific types of birds depending on the hats they wear. They don’t all just grow generic “angel wings”.)

As a final observation: the main threat ends up getting sent to the beginning of time, which has to be one of the most horrifying fates for any antagonist in a Doraemon movie. Perhaps only the ultimate defeat of the villain in Nobita Drifts in the Universe could compete in that regard.

Star rating: ★★★☆☆

[castingcall]

  CASTINGCALL  ,   he smiled understandingly ⸺  much more than   understandingly.    it was one of those   rare smiles    with a quality of eternal reassurance in it ,  that you may come across four or five times in life.   now starring ,  lincoln becker.

                     𝐈.   filmography.    𝐈𝐈.   pinterest.    𝐈𝐈𝐈.   connections.

critic review :   icarus flew too close to the sun ,  believing is seeing ,  hit it until it breaks ,  hawthorne effect ,  mortification of the flesh ,  are you in a film or in reality?

𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐈. 𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐈. ( tw: undiagnosed illness )

born in chicago, illinois with a past as questionable as his acting abilities according to some film critics who will not be named as they do not deserve further attention. the moral framework of his family was shattered from the time he could recall a first memory. irene, his mother, a waitress and immigrant from greece ( and a contestant on the 1979 miss greece beauty contest ) had whisked him away before he knew his father — a man she would paint as someone of questionable principles and moral rot. the monster under the bed. a man who didn’t want to be a father.    the mythical man.

irene’s accounts of her marriage were based on delusions, figments of her imagination, that had ranged from a cheating husband to wildly outlandish beliefs, paranoia and unsettled emotions. instability not only with her past marriage, but with every relationship formed in her life; subsequently lincoln’s as well — the lingering symptom and the very reason he spent years in search of the man who he knew only by way of an unreliable narrator.

a troubled youth acting out against every relocation, reinvented identity, and new ‘ father figure ’ brought home, and there were many, lincoln managed to have himself thrown out of every school in which he was enrolled in. characteristically, to everything done in spite of irene, he was met with various comments about how he was, “ just like his father, ” which built up that fantasy of his father in his head, an idealistic version of the man.

england would be claimed as irene’s utopia. packed bags and an uprooted life for another man, another life and new career, this time lincoln was almost eleven and irene’s utopia lasted six months. at the age of fifteen, he picked up boxing to earn some money; this money making idea however, ended up getting him a broken nose, a scarred lip, and several broken knuckle.

to the dismay of lincoln, and bright idea of irene’s newest boyfriend, he was sent back to the states and enrolled into the military academy at seventeen but later, as was expected, was expelled for insubordination.

𝐀𝐂𝐓 𝐈𝐈. 𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄 𝐈.

after which, at nineteen, he’d moved to california, where he’d started the search for his father, someone who’d allegedly had some connection to the hollywood scene years ago. to make ends meet, he and his roommate at the time, someone who was trying to build a career in the show business as an actor, used to hold bare-knuckle boxing matches in their apartment. the fights wouldn’t end until someone passed out.

and thus, his exposure to the hollywood scene. a stunt coordinator happened to stumble upon one and within a few months time lincoln was on a film set. stunts eventually turned into the additional extra or small speaking part when needed . . . and eventually acting roles. always action films. his stunt work on a series of action heavy films with the same director as the previous 2008 bond film, quantum of solace, gave him a foot in the door. the rest was fate.

an ill-timed contract error with the previous 007 actor and a studio about to lose millions made way for a controversial pick for the 2012 bond film, skyfall. lincoln’s age at the time rivaled george lazenby in what the studio assumed would follow timothy dalton’s bond timeline, two films, maybe three to finish off the story before another recast. he was polarizing, loved or hated and not just due to his time in england chalked up to age eleven to seventeen but his age and some would say acting abilities.

wasn’t he just a glorified stuntman? his recognition grew and as far as acting goes, he stuck to the suspense and action films, but of course his biggest credit has been bond ( only having done three instead of six because he hadn’t been under contract at the time ) . but despite all of the success found in the film industry, the reason he came hadn’t been fulfilled and he still hasn’t found peace in that. recently, there has been talk that he might return to stunt work alone if no contract is finalized for the role of bond.

inspo : buster keaton , icarus , driver ( 2011 ) , marlon brando , jay gatsby , cliff booth

𝐁𝐄𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐒

he has a book collection despite never reading much, all gifted from various people and he’s never one rejected such a gift.

his imdb has more stunt work compared to acting, the early 2000′s comprised of stunts and a stunt double for a notable actor at the time.

accent wise it leans muddled english or not quite standard american depending on who is asked, but he has a presser accent for anything press related

refused to pick a more marketable name to go by in case his father ever found him

filmography to be edited but most notably from the end of 2003 - 2009 he was primarily credited for stunt work / stunt doubles and minor acting roles. 

examples : public enemies ( 2009 ) as pretty boy floyd + stunts , inception ( 2010 ) as eames , warrior ( 2011 ) as tommy conlon , skyfall ( 2012 ) as james bond , gangster squad ( 2013 ) ,  sin city: a dame to kill for ( 2014 ) as johnny , spectre ( 2015 ) as james bond , no time to die ( 2021 ) as james bond , death on the nile ( 2022 ) simon doyle

[icarusreading]

The Virgin Suicides (Sofia Coppola)-5/5 Stars

!!Spoilers Ahead!! (this is much less formal than La Chimera because this is my favorite movie ever and i have many thoughts)

Cast-5/5

Kirsten Dunst and AJ Cook my loves. My angels. They are so good. I think something that stood out to me that i’m not 100% sure was intentional was that all do the Lisbon sisters looked old/mature for their age while the majority of the boys (besides Trip…asshole…) looked young for their age. I just find that and interesting detail, intentional or not.

Also Trip was far too well casted. He is SO someone that i would’ve crushed on and been heartbroken by. I’m biased though because the longest crush i ever had was a Trip Fontaine lookalike and that did not work out for me.

(and Danny Devito making a brief cameo in this movie made me giggle the first time i watched it)

Plot-5/5

I think what makes this movie so interesting is how the viewer sees the girls. As a viewer, we’re being put into the eyes of the boys who are so heavily infatuated with them. So, we actually barely know a thing about the girls. We don’t know if what they said is how they said it, if there really were signs of their impending doom, because we’re getting all our information from a secondhand source. Had this been written in Lux or Mary’s perspective, i guarantee we would see the characters in a different light. and I think that’s why this has stuck with me.

Overall, I love the plot. I watched this movie at a difficult time in my life and it felt equally as haunting as it did comforting. I think if anything it’s a commentary on the male gaze. These girls weren’t a mystery to be investigated, they were just girls. I know i keep talking about the book when this is a movie review but I feel it’s important to mention how in the book, the girls are rarely ever described as human. Even in the movie, one of the first lines describes them as “creatures”. This whole plot centers around them being these weird, almost god like beings to the world around them. Everyone admired, no one knew them.

Score-1000/5

I think i’m Airs #1 listener on Spotify. Like actually, the soundtrack for this movie is one of my most listened to albums. Again, i’m not super well versed in this topic but I think it matched the movie very well. It gave an almost melancholic air to the film without being typical ‘sad’ music.

Cinematography-5/5

I love Sofia Coppola’s style of filming. I really do feel like she achieved making this movie feel nostalgic, because that’s what the story was to the narrators. I remember there being a lot of color in this movie but at the same time i felt like it was almost dull, like a faded memory. That’s really what it felt like to me, although I don’t even know how to fully describe how that was accomplished. It’s really stunning.

I liked how the girls were almost always filmed in groups, except for Lux. Lux is the girl that the boys most focused on. She was like a sex symbol to them, and I feel like she always stood out even when she was being filmed with the other sisters. She’s the most vibrant part of the memory the boys are trying to piece together.

Ending-4.5/5

The only problem i have with the ending of this movie is that they didn’t stay true to how Mary died!!! That part of the book felt so important because the Lisbons were living with a daughter that they already viewed as a corpse and although it was a more detail, it was what gutted me most at the end. Although i don’t hate that they didn’t add that in the film.

I liked especially how they mentioned that Lux was the last to go because it did feel like more of a full ending. Lux was the girl the boys knew the most about, and even then it was very superficial. They were most infatuated with her and when she was gone it closed that chapter (even if it was reopened later in the boys lives)

Favorite quote/scene-

‘Obviously, Doctor, you’ve never been a thirteen year old girl’

She was right. I was a 13 year old girl once and it sucked. But honestly i think this whole scene just sets the tone for the story. No one listened to any of them. We never know what truly went on in that house.

Final thoughts-

What i find so incredibly haunting about this movie is that we will never know what the Lisbon sisters were like. We saw them through the eyes of boys who knew nothing about them, saw them as a mystery to solve. I watched and read the book when i was in a very dark place myself and i connected to it to a point where it will always stick with me. The Lisbon sisters were never, and will never, be understood by those in their world. And yet i think to people who connect with their hardships and tragic endings are the ones that know them the most intimately.

Also. I have to say. When the girls were communicating through morse code and the boys thought they were saying “help, send bobo” THEY WERE SPELLING POPO. AS IN POLICE. that detail makes me so upset because it was RIGHT THERE.

divider credit: @strangergraphics-archive

[flowerbwrites]

The Red, White, and Royal Blue Movie

Yes this is a movie review, because I was so excited and so disappointed. If you liked the movie, you’re gonna want to skip this review. It’s for my own catharsis, not to start arguments.

If you didn’t like the movie and haven’t read the book - READ THE BOOK. Do not judge this book by its movie!

Keep reading if you want spoilers and my anguished thoughts about all this movie was lacking.

Let me start with: I think there was too much in the book for a movie to cover. Time was the biggest thing missing from the movie, it needed to be a series. If the Summer I Turned Pretty got a series, why was RWRB shoved into a movie? Disgraceful.

The director said he cut “anything that wasn’t about the boys and their love story”. Oh boy is that true! He took this book to a butcher shop and lobbed off 90% of it! If you cut what makes the boys who they are, I think you ruin the love story. A good romance should not JUST be about romance. The characters need to grow, they need to struggle and come to some new understanding of themselves in addition to falling in love.

So let’s start with what he cut, in order of what I was angriest about.

1. June. They cut Alex’s ENTIRE SISTER. She does not appear in the film, Alex is an only child. Gone is June’s struggle with journalism, her mom’s expectations, her mediation of the family drama. All eldest sister relatability. From the first few chapters of the book: Alex pushes them, June steadies them, and Nora keeps them honest. Without June, Alex is off the handle and unsteady. Without the White House Trio, you lose so much of what makes Alex Alex. It also makes this movie fail the Bechtel Test which is wild.

2. Alex coming to terms with his sexuality. Gone is his googling, his running, his trying to understand. Gone is “straight people probably don’t spend this much time convincing themselves they’re straight”. Gone is Alex pinning the iconic photo “if I die of AIDS forget burial just drop my body on the steps of the FDA”. Gone is the pining over magazines and Liam and Luna! No PowerPoint from his mother, no understanding, no learning.

3. Mental illness. There is no touching on Alex’s frenetic energy, habits of running himself ragged, conversations about self care. Gone is Henry’s grief and depression and moods. They cut “On purpose, I love him on purpose”! So much nuance of Henry’s character, all conversations about his dad except a throwaway line. I don’t even remember if they mention he is JAMES BOND’S son. Horrible. All Princess Diana parallels, all the real talk about grief and substance abuse and depression and loving someone with depression.

4. The divorce. That’s right, in the movie, Alex’s parents are still married! All of the content on the family dynamic, Alex trying to be so busy he didn’t care about the divorce, June trying to keep the peace, his mom trying to win re election as a divorced woman. Alex’s parents are really not very involved in the movie. It’s a shame because that was great detail about Alex.

5. Bea’s substance abuse. Also gone. All Henry’s paranoia about press because of that, his need to protect her, the important content about it. Bea gets to be in the movie but appears to be younger than Henry and has maybe three lines.

6. The politics. This is a wild one. But I really felt like they shoved the election in for five minutes at the end. They cut Luna, they cut Richards being a Trump stand in, they cut most of the political commentary in RWRB. In a movie about the presidents son.

7. Alex’s dreams. Without learning about Alex’s deep desire to help people, his tendencies to overwork himself, his dedication to politics, etc etc, he really just comes across as a dumb party boy. So much of Alex was lacking. He was not a boy burning too bright like he is in the books, no Icarus. And when he looks thirty, acting like he’s 21 comes across rough. I hated movie alex.

8. Henry’s mom. She is not in the movie at all. We never learn about her grief and she never gets to come alive to fight for her son. There is no family healing. There is nothing.

9. The slow burn. This movie moved SO FAST. They were making out twenty minutes in while I was waiting on my enemies to lovers content. That’s not the directors fault, again it needed more time. But it depresses me.

Other things the movie cut: Henry’s philanthropical dreams, most of the emails, the “history, huh” shirts, Phillip coming around to stand up for Henry, many of the nights out bonding.

Things they chose to include: the worst sex scene ever where they really make Henry say “I think we should make love” out loud and it’s so awkward. Too many sex scenes, not enough making out, not enough genuine bonding and falling in love.

Crushingly disappointing movie. The book covered so much content, touched on so many issues, and had characters that were so incredibly complex. The book sets us from the first chapter, where Alex wants a Shakespearen love, and delivers on epic romance that deserved to be painted in oil and hung in the White House. Don’t bother with the movie. I’m sorry Casey, but they butchered your boys.

Time for a re-read to remind myself I actually like Alex.

[emisirrelevant]

My MCU Phase 4 MOVIE Ranking 

Since MCU Phase 4 has come to a close, and I just watched Black Panther Wakanda Forever, I am going to give my ranking- did anyone need this? No. But I'm the one voluntarily choosing to state my opinions online.

DISCLAIMERS: not ranking the shows, just the movies- maybe I'll do a separate post for the shows?

I thought about it but I will be mentioning spoilers. I didn't know how else to rank them without using evidence from the films to back up my justifications.

The movies aren't in position of best-worst or anything like that, they are only just listed in the order they were released.

Okay, let's get into it.

Black Widow:

7/10, or maybe even 8/10 for me. Overall, I personally thought it was decent. I know there were a LOT of people who gave it negative reviews. I remember seeing so many bad things about it from people when it came out. But honestly, is it the worst thing Marvel has made? Imo, no. I won't get into the nitty gritty, or the Taskmaster stuff, but I liked getting to see Natasha again- even though we know this was before she died. And Florence Pugh as Yelena stole the show for me. Black Widow is (was?) also one of my favorite Avengers, so I personally have a soft spot in my heart.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings:

8/10 or maybe 8.5/10 for me. I am hesitant to push it toward a 9/10. Here's why and let me explain. I am aware that some people are THIRSTY for Tony Leung. I don't understand that, however it's your life, not mine. BUT I will say he did a damn good job being a complex character. I don't like him for giving Shang Chi trauma, but I think he did good being morally gray. Even though I got frustrated as F sometimes with his character. Shang Chi I actually liked. His dynamic with Katy? Great. I like Awkwafina tbh. Xu Xialing being the badass sister? Iconic. Although I hope she doesn't turn evil based off that post credit scene (another reason why I'm hesitant to give it a 9/10- I just want her to be good okay? Can't have TOO many morally complex people) The cinematography was great. Finally, as someone who is Asian (specifically Chinese0 but I was adopted) the Asian representation was decent. You know, it wasn't anything super mold breaking but for big names like Disney and Marvel, I give a nod.

Eternals:

3/10 or 4/10 at MOST. I honestly don't even remember most of this movie. I didn't even really have many expectations going into it, but.. yeah let's just say it was not my favorite. I didn't really like Sersi and Icarus together. I honestly felt like their characters were boring tbh. Druig and Makkari though? That's the REAL ship. And representation for the deaf! It's a start! Also, I will be crying eternally over Gilgamesh dying. The one thing about the plot that mainly interested me was Dane Whitman. I admit I am interested in seeing how the Black Knight storyline will be explored further. Other than that, Eternals was not really a memorable MCU film for me.

Spiderman No Way Home:

A solid 8/10. I think we can all agree this one was the MOST hyped up movie from Phase 4. Like ever. The hype was so real. I LIVED through it all. What a world to live in. Everyone was avoiding spoilers left and right. Anyway. I DID like the film overall since it continued the storyline of Peter's identity being discovered, and a bit of Dr. Strange's storyline. Obviously, the cameo from Tobey and Andrew was great to see. Although I admit I did not grow up watching Tobey and Andrew's versions of Spiderman, I felt the kind of "magic" experience of seeing the original folks back on screen permeate through me. HOWEVER. The only reason I cannot score this one any higher is because I didn't like the ending. I haven't really seen much and it has been a while, but do others hate the ending? What is the universal opinion? I may just look it up on a Reddit thread later. Anyway, I personally didn't like that ending. Why would you do the memory wipe trope??? I mean, was that actually the ONLY solution to Peter nearly tearing apart the space time continuum and fabric of the universe??? So Ned and MJ are just gonna have to continue on. I can't think about it too much or I may get emo actually. To end it on a good note, it was cool seeing the old villains from the universe as well.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness:

7/10. Yeah. I had to think for a second. But 7/10 feels right for this one. It wasn't really my favorite, but I didn't think it was the worst. And oh god, there seems to be a LOT of controversy around this one. By controversy, I also just mean basically mixed opinions. From what I've seen/heard, people either really hate this one or they're like, alright. It's mid. Also, for a movie that has Doctor Strange in the title, I sure did see the entire world talking mostly about Wanda. I don't know. It feels like this movie was just chaotic? Specifically in terms of the storyline, I mean. Like, I thought it was interesting that this was the movie they decided on to introduce America Chavez into the MCU. I think it could have been easier for people to follow maybe just one major character? So the focus isn't constantly shifting? Maybe that's just me. Also, is Stephen just destined to be alone now? Idk about the comics because I don't really read those, but like, I guess he's never ending up with Christine in any universe. Is the Darkhold like actually destroyed for real? What the fuck is the storyline now?? I've seen/heard rumors of the next movie actually being Dimension of Darkness (hence the post credit scene) but like what would the plot be? Again, I don't read the comics so idk if they touch on that, but yeah Doctor Strange's timeline/story and character arc is just one of the weirdest in the MCU for me I guess.

Thor Love and Thunder:

8/10. Yes, I WILL defend this movie. Despite it being another Phase 4 movie which got crapped on, I liked it. If Thor Love and Thunder has 100 fans, I am one of them. If Thor Love and Thunder has 10 fans, I am one of them. If Thor Love and Thunder has only 1 fan, I am that fan. You get the gist. I think people were just so shocked for once that it wasn't their usual type of superhero movie. First of all, what does that even mean. Just let people enjoy their silly little movies, damn. I will admit, was it the strongest plot? Meh. But I did enjoy the dialogue a lot. I liked seeing Thor, Jane, and Valkyrie again. If you can't even think of Korg without getting offended, then you can just leave. Also, Christian Bale did an amazing job at being a villain. I will give him that. I will say that was one of the highlights of this movie probably tbh. I was so shook. As someone who watched Newsies, I was just like "he was Jack Kelly and now he's this" LOL.

Okay. And I know- most of know by now that Jane died, and some people didn't like that- yeah, I was sad too- but I thought it made sense for her character. Like I said, I'll play the defender. Also, because I thought it was impactful about how it paralleled Gorr and Love's relationship. And it was a metaphor for her going to Valhalla. She died in her OWN battle. But yeah, the storyline now with Thor will be interesting. I wonder what his next adventure will be. And if there's people out there still pressed about this movie, I'll just say I don't think Taiki Waititi cares.

Black Panther Wakanda Forever:

8.5/10. I just recently watched this one and I am still processing it. So I may not have as many fully formed thoughts on this movie compared to the others, but if I were to give keywords, I would say impactful and emotional. I went on Instagram and Twitter and there seems to be a majority of people who liked it. However, the main negatives I saw were issues with Shuri or Riri. Which is a whole discussion within itself. Also the storyline and length. I understand people thinking it dragged on. I went with one of my friends to watch the movie and she told me afterwards it felt a bit long to her. I can get that. But I WOULD argue with you on the cinematography. I thought that visually the film was great. The underwater scenes were fine with me. The costuming as well. I thought it did fine honoring Chadwick Boseman. To those who say it wasn't enough for them though, I just have to ask, ok, what would you have done instead? Like, yeah I saw some people saying Riri shouldn't have been introduced in the movie, and Shuri should have just stayed a scientist. So what would YOU make the storyline? And that's all I have to say on that. Aside from that, the soundtrack was great though. Overall, I think this film was one of the best for me of Phase 4. And it was a beautiful way to end it.

[panosatthemovies]

Icarus is a fascinating documentary about the doping scandal of the Russian Olympic team that has apparently been going on for years, and escalated during the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics, right before becoming public ahead of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. What’s interesting is that the documentary began as an experiment by its creator to see if he’d perform better on illegal substances, and in the process, he discovered that them man coaching him was responsible for the biggest scandal in the world. So the story is a real thriller, with stakes that become bigger and bigger as we move to the dramatic finale. In the end, though, the film ends on a sad note as the international cover-up proves stronger than any investigation. Skype calls, hidden cameras and live footage give the story a real-time feel that at times feels too good to be true. Or actually, too bad that it’s true.

A-

Trailer: https://youtu.be/qXoRdSTrR-4

[silenthillmutual]

Us (2019, dir. Jordan Peele)

don’t feel like bothering with 8tracks anymore so for the mix from now on, i’ll just do this:

thriller  michael jackson  |  americans  janelle monae  |  breezeblocks  alt-j *  |  people are strange  the doors  |  i’ve got no strings  andrews sisters & glenn miller orchestra  |  we are the world

* cw for murder depicted in the music video

all pics found using the ‘free to use / share / modify’ filter on google images sources under the cut:

mirror maze / caged rabbits / beach boardwalk tethered satellite / scissors / michael jackson’s thriller hand holding / ballet shoes / shattered glass

[speewackfilms]

Film Review | Icarus (2017)

Absolutely stunning. A director/cyclist sets out to do some PEDs and see what’s up... ends up being a key player in shedding the light on the Russian doping conspiracy going back 40+ years, including protecting and assisting the director of the lab at the center of everything. This is one of the best examples of how malleable and incredible doc filmmaking is - a master class in reality.

The story itself is heartbreaking for Grigory Rodchenkov - whistleblowing on an entire government and escaping for fear of his life. It’s inspiring, terrifying, and darkly beautiful. Seeing the Olympic committee move forward with allowing Russia to compete in Rio makes the entire story that much harder to watch. it’s crazy, y’all gotta check it out.

8 of 365.

4.5 out of 5.