#NOT DONE YET BUT THIS REVIEW ENCAPSULATES HOW I FEEL ABOUT THIS DRAMA

[holdingpeaceindust]

(via Our Blooming Youth: When the bloom fades)

[makeste]

my long boring post about chapter 293 and Kacchan’s hero name

lmao I think that’s all of them. anyways, so I said I was gonna do a post on this, and so here goes.

first off, I just want to say that people are allowed to not like the name! it’s a completely subjective thing, there’s no right or wrong “it’s good” or “it’s bad.” or rather, there is a right or wrong, and it’s whichever one you think it is. if you think it’s good, you’re right. if you think it’s bad, you’re also right. it’s an opinion, it doesn’t need to be backed up by peer review lol.

that said, here is my own completely subjective opinion: I think “Dynamight” (though please not with the capital “m”, I beg you lol) is a terrific name for him honestly. it’s clever wordplay, it’s a subtle callback/tribute to his favorite hero who is also his inspiration for becoming a hero, and it’s a perfect fit for his chosen aesthetic. it’s honestly great.

and what makes it even better is that at the same time, it is also stupid as fuck lmao. this is a name that encapsulates the duality of man. it’s the perfect metaphor for this boy who think he’s the hottest shit god ever invented, and has no idea that the number of people who take him seriously after interacting with him for more than ten seconds is actually in the single digits. this hero name is the equivalent of an excited puppy ferociously bounding towards a squirrel only to trip over its own feet and fall flat on its face. it thinks it is scary as fuck, and has no idea that 30,000 people on TikTok think it’s the most adorable thing they’ve ever seen. I unabashedly love it, and will also ceaselessly roast the everloving shit out of it without the slightest remorse, just like I roast the beloved boy attached to it. that’s just how it is lol.

so that’s how I feel about the name! however, this next part I need to emphasize: my opinion of the name, and my opinion of whether or not I actually think this will be his name, are two different things. I like the name Dynamight. I really do. and I also think there is next to no chance that this will actually be his hero name.

here’s the thing. this would have been a perfect name for him if it had been his chosen name back in chapter 45 when everyone else picked their aliases. it would have fit in seamlessly with the rest of his class. Red Riot, Chargebolt, Earphone Jack, Sugarman, Uravity; those are all names that stick in your mind and look great on official merch. those are names that sell action figures, but they also do a great job of representing the individuals behind the names. they have personality. and so does “Dynamight”, for sure.

but the thing is, for whatever reason, Horikoshi didn’t have him pick this name back in chapter 45. he went with a running gag instead. “King Explosion Murder”, “Lord Explosion Murder”, and so forth. and in the end, we never got a hero name at all. he could have had him pick Dynamight after we’d had our laughs. hell, he could have used it as an early easter egg hinting at Kacchan’s admiration for All Might, which wouldn’t be officially revealed until the final exam arc about twenty chapters later. “Dynamight” in Japanese is written out in katakana -- ダイナマイト (“dainamaito”). this is the word that’s used in Japan for actual dynamite. there is no inherent indicator that it’s a pun; it just so happens that the “mite” in dynamite is spelled out phonetically in Japanese the exact same way that “might” is. so the pun isn’t obvious unless you know to look for it. Horikoshi could have left us all thinking that “Dynamite” was his name until chapter 62 or thereabouts when he revealed that Katsuki looked up to All Might, at which point Horikoshi could finally reveal the official English spelling and it would be like a second name reveal. which would have been pretty sweet, actually.

but my point being, for some reason he instead chose not to do this. instead he chose to drag it all out for 250 chapters, content to let us all languish. this man had not a shred of mercy for the thousands of Bakugou fans who were all “please, sir, the fic,” before eventually giving up and adopting Ground Zero as the official-unofficial name until we either got a real reveal or died of old age. he dragged it out, and kept it as a gag, and eventually it was just like, fine, whatever.

and then this happened.

and it changed everything.

because you see, all of a sudden “Bakugou’s Hero Name” wasn’t just a running joke gag plot anymore. in the span of three sentences, Horikoshi changed the entire meaning of it. “your hero name represents your desires. the embodiment of how you wish to be. your ideal self.”

just like that, the whole mystery of “what will Bakugou’s hero name be” goes from being a funny little ongoing thing to an existential question, with the implication being that the choice he finally makes, whatever it may be, will in essence reveal the very core of his character. “your ideal self.” in other words this will really be almost the pinnacle of his entire character arc. his hero name, when he finally picks it, will show us just how far he’s come. it will show us his answer to “what kind of person do you want to be.”

that is an insane amount of meaning to suddenly dump onto something that up until this point had just been a funny little running gag. “lol Bakugou loves murder and death.” “lol at this rate Bakugou will graduate while still not having an actual hero name.” from that, to suddenly out of the blue, “Bakugou’s hero name will show us who he is as a person.” like, holy shit though. and mind you, this isn’t something that’s been done for any other character. this is very Bakugou-specific. all this build-up and significance has been ascribed to his hero name specifically. at this point his name is basically its own fucking plot. it’s literally its own individual little arc. all of that build-up. all of that meaning and importance given to it.

and then Horikoshi goes and gives us this.

so. like... okay, I guess??

like, just some quick things of note here though:

he is still doing the whole “explosive destruction murder” thing on top of the “Dynamight” part. indicating that there has not been the slightest bit of thoughtful consideration actually given on his part. literally the one thing that everyone and their mom was trying to explain to him not to do, and all of it went in one ear and out the other. which is fine!! he is adorable here and I want to ruffle his hair, honestly. but it’s clear to me that he still hasn’t grasped what Jeanist was trying to explain to him before, if this is really his answer to “what would you consider to be your ideal self” lol.

the name is INSTANTLY panned by every single person in the surrounding vicinity, villains included. hell, Mirio might as well have stabbed him all over again. obviously this is intentionally being used as a lighthearted moment to briefly give the audience a breather before we wade back into the Todoroki drama; but at the same time it indicates that this name isn’t exactly going to be taken seriously by anyone who hears it in-universe. they are literally wincing upon hearing it skjlklhkgf.

lastly, none of the people closest to him -- Deku, All Might, Kirishima, or Shouto -- are even there to hear it. all of that build-up, all of that “Kacchan’s hero name will show us how far he’s come in his character development”, and then when it finally happens, the people who have had the most impact aren’t even there to partake in the moment. Shouto and Deku are busy dealing with an entirely separate plot and trying very hard not to be set on fire while Kacchan is out here providing comic relief.

because that’s really what this is, though. this is a joke. like, I don’t mean that in a pejorative sense; I mean that it is literally a joke. and so what you’re telling me is, if this really is his hero name, we waited 250 chapters and Horikoshi built up an entire character arc around it, only to have the end result be a joke panel that in the end was arguably not even the biggest thing that happened in the chapter.

like, idk, maybe there’ll be a flashback about it later after all’s said and done which will imbue it with more meaning as some have suggested. maybe Horikoshi will explain how it’s a childhood throwback name that Deku once picked for him, like that theory that’s been making the rounds. I’m not saying it won’t be possible to build on this after the fact. but it will be after the fact, all the same. as far as the initial reveal goes... this is it. the epitome of anticlimactic. a brief joke reveal mid-fight where everyone immediately goes “are you fucking serious” and he’s all “I WAS FUCKING SERIOUS” and falls down out of comedy lmao.

and so, to wrap this post up finally, basically the way I see it is that there are two possibilities here. either (1) I have been way overthinking this from day one and it was never really that deep and Horikoshi thought this would be an appropriate and funny conclusion to a plotline which in his mind was always meant to be mostly lighthearted, with the Jeanist stuff mostly just thrown in there to push Bakugou into picking an at least halfway-decent name in spite of himself.

or, (2) this isn’t going to be his final hero name either. this is instead the last hurrah of the “Lord Explosion Murder” part of that plotline, and after he’s laughed out of the room yet again he will mope and cross out this one as well, and Horikoshi will sit on it for another 500 chapters until he finally reveals it at the very fucking end of the series. like at this point I wouldn’t put it past him to wait until the very last page. I s2g, this man. but the flipside of it is that when that moment finally does happen, I fully believe it will be a moment that actually feels earned. it will feel right. it will feel like the moment we spent all that time waiting for. or at least that’s what I hope.

so anyway, those are my thoughts on it! tl;dr, while I like Dynamight as a hero name in and of itself, I don’t think it’s going to be endgame, mostly because nothing about that reveal moment actually felt right to me. and of course, it’s very possible that I’m completely wrong about this; it wouldn’t be the first time (Kacchan’s quirk says hello). but on the other hand fandom isn’t totally batting a thousand either (Ground Zero says what up), so hey. we’ll see!

[back-and-totheleft]

Romantic, freewheeling, containing fathoms

IT'S early in the piece but maybe the best way to explain the allure of Oliver Stone’s romantic, freewheeling autobiography is to tell you how one of my best friends took on the experience.

My mate, a self-confessed Stone nut, downloaded the audio version of Chasing the Light - as read by the author - and then proceeded to drive around Cork city with the Oscar-winning director and screenwriter for company. “Love how he paints a picture of post-war optimism in New York circa 1945-46,” he messaged me. “Take me there...” Throughout his storied but turbulent career, Stone has certainly taken us places - the steaming jungles of Vietnam, the (serial) killing fields of the American heartland, the fervid political theatre of El Salvador, the grassy knoll. Even if we didn’t always like the destination, more often than not it was worth the journey.

Reading Stone's words in Chasing the Light, it’s impossible not to hear that coffee and cognac voice. The words roll from the page, sentences topped off with little rejoinders, just about maintaining an elegant flow. Drugs are mentioned early and often, while the word “sexy” features half a dozen times in the opening chapters alone. As in his best movies, Stone displays a positively moreish lust for life, at one point referring to how the two parts of the filmmaking process, if working well, are "copulating".

The book tells the story of the first half of his life, up to the acclaim and gongs of Platoon, and it’s clear that his own sense of drama was underscored by his family background, which is part torrid European art flick, part US blockbuster. His mother, Jacqueline - French, unerringly singleminded - grew to womanhood during the Nazi occupation of Paris. She downplayed her striking appearance as the jackboots stomped the streets but quickly scaled the social ladder, becoming engaged to a pony club sort. Enter Louis Stone.

Considerably older than Jacqueline, Louis quickly zoned in after spotting her cycling on a Paris street. In no time Jacqueline has jilted her fiancée (who, remarkably, appears to have turned up as a guest at the wedding), Oliver is conceived and one ocean crossing later, William Oliver Stone is born.

This family contains fathoms, Stone's father straight-laced and Commie-hating on the surface, yet a serial adulterer (even threesomes are mentioned) and positively uxorious towards his own mother. "It was sex, not money, that derailed my father," he writes. Louis's infidelities nixed Jacqueline's American dream, and Oliver’s with it. Jacqueline ultimately cheats on Louis, not simply via a fling but a whole new relationship, and with a family friend to boot.

What’s even more interesting is Stone’s reflections on *how* it was dealt with. Already dispatched to a boarding school, he learns of the disintegration of his family down the phone line. It has the coldness of some of the best scenes from Mad Men, children of the era parceled off to the side even as momentous events in their home life detonate in front of them. As things veer ever more into daytime soap territory, Louis then tells his son he's "broke", echoing the impact of the Great Depression on his own father's business interests.

By now, Stone is unmoored. He has secured a place in Yale but blows it off for a year and heads to Saigon to teach English: "I grew a beard and got as far away from the person I'd been as I could." On his return he decides he is done with academia; he'll be a novelist in New York, much to the distaste of his father. "That's why I went back to Vietnam in the US Infantry - to take part in this war of my generation," he writes. "Let God decide."

And here we are at the pivotal moment in Stone's adult life. Plunged into the strange days of 1968 in the jungle, he recalls a scene in which his patrol group comes under attack, imagining itself surrounded. Time elides and a metre may as well be a mile, explosions going off everywhere and bullets flying amid paranoia and uncertainty that borders on the hallucinogenic. "Full daylight reveals charred bodies, dusty napalm, and gray trees."

Tellingly, Stone focuses on this arguably cinematic episode while other incidents in which he is actually wounded don't receive the same treatment. By the time he leaves Vietnam he has served in three different combat units and has been awarded a bronze star for heroism. So many of his peers were drafted, yet he had decided to go. You never get a direct sense that his subsequent career is in any way a type of atonement, yet it is never fully explained. "Why on earth did you go?" he is asked. "It was a question I couldn't answer glibly."

From this point on, Chasing the Light mainly becomes a love letter to the redemptive power of the cinema, pockmarked with acerbic commentary on Hollywood powerplays. Stone's firsthand experience of jungle combat gives him a sense of perspective that no amount of cocaine or downers can ever truly neutralise, and it also imbues him with a sense of derring-do. At NYU School of Arts, his lecturer is Martin Scorcese, an educational home run. Watching movies is a place a refuge, writing them a cathartic outlet. It leads to visceral filmmaking, beginning with his short film Last Year in Vietnam. That burgeoning sense of career before anything else brings an end to his first marriage - "'comfortable' was the killer word". The seeds are sown for the plot that would germinate into Platoon.

As he moves past the relative disappointment of his first feature, Seizure, the big break of writing Midnight Express, and then onto the speedbump of The Hand, his second movie, Chasing the Light becomes a little more knockabout, though no less enjoyable. Conan the Barbarian, for which he wrote the screenplay, became someone else's substandard vision, Scarface a not entirely pleasant experience as his writing efforts move to the frosty embrace of director Brian de Palma. Hollywood relationships rise and fall like scenes from Robert Altman's The Player. His second marriage, the birth of his son, the slow-motion passing of his father, and all the time Stone is chasing glory on the silver screen.

By his late thirties it feels like he's placing all his chips on Salvador, a brutal depiction of central American civil war based on the scattered recollections of journalist Richard Boyle and starring the combustible talents of James Woods and John Belushi. His own high-wire lifestyle is perhaps best encapsulated in his reference to Elpidia Carrillo, cast as Maria in Salvador: "Elia Kazan once argued against any restrictions for a director exploring personal limits with his actresses, and I wanted badly to get down with her," he writes with delightful candour. Yet ultimately "I convinced myself that repression, in this case, would make a better film." Note: in this case.

Salvador was a slow burner, not an immediate critical or commercial success, but then in the style of a rollover jackpot, it started climbing the charts just as Platoon is about to announce itself to the world. Despite some loopy goings-on, that shoot in the Philippines had never gone down the Apocolypse Now route of near-madness, the drama mainly confined to warring factions within the production team. Ultimately, Platoon was the movie mid-Eighties America wanted to see about Vietnam. The book finishes in triumph, Stone clutching Oscars for Best Director and Best Picture.

There are piercing insights and inconsistencies dotted throughout. Stone lusts after good reviews but rails against the influence wielded by certain writers, such as Pauline Kael. He makes frequent reference to his yearning for truth and factual accuracy, yet hardly raises a quibble with The Deerhunter, the brilliant but flawed movie by sometime ally Michael Cimino which - particularly in the infamous Russian Roulette scenes - delivers an entirely concocted depiction of North Vietnamese forces. But then again, Stone revels in what he says is the ability to "not to have a fixed identity, to be free as a dramatist, elusive, unknown."

We've come to know him more in the decades since - through the menacing Natural Born Killers, the riveting but wonky conspiracy of JFK, the all-star lost classic U-Turn, even the missed opportunity that was The Putin Interviews. As my friend, who is the real authority, correctly observes, Chasing the Light is also weighted with nostalgia for a time when political dramas and anti-war films were smashing the box office, something hard to imagine today.

The second volume, if and when it arrives, will surely make for good reading - or listening. Buckle up your seat belt and take a spin.

-Noel Baker, “Oliver Stone’s freewheeling autobiography tells the story of the first half of his life,” Irish Examiner, Jan 17 2021 [x]

[romanticsuspense]

Man of Worth

By the time the end credits started rolling on ‘Man of Worth’ I had the biggest, most idiotic grin on my face.  Then I shut the TV off, turned to my dog, who was the only one in the room at the time, and said to him “People are going to hate this episode. But, I loved it.”  Which kind of perfectly encapsulates my entire Outlander viewing experience this season.  

I didn’t intend to write a separate review for this episode; my original plan was to mention it briefly in my Season 4 review.  But, as I started writing, I had a couple of revelations, and it became too long to not be a separate post.  So, here it is, my thoughts on ‘Man of Worth.’

“I’ve chosen this.”

Ian giving himself up to the Mohawk was one of my favorite scenes of this episode.  I loved seeing the look of triumph and excitement on his face when he makes it through the gauntlet.  I’m proud of him for making this choice.  I don’t have much else to say about that scene, except it was really wonderful and emotional and I’m going to miss John Bell’s Young Ian, and of course Rollo.

I am currently reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes, and it’s making me really curious about how they’re going to write Ian into future episodes.  I think it would be really cool to do an Ian-centric episode as the penultimate episode of Season 5.  The episode could cover his entire time with the Mohawk, and end with him walking up to Fraser’s Ridge.  Then the finale opener would be a big Ian reunion.  I don’t remember enough about the timeline of The Fiery Cross to know if that would even work, but I’m pretty sure he returns very close to the end of the book?  Anyway, that’ just a thought I had.  I would definitely watch an entire hour of television starring John Bell.

“You’ve a fine, braw lad.”

In case you haven’t read the book, in Drums of Autumn, Jamie and Claire make it back to North Carolina in time for the birth.  The chapter is told in Claire’s point of view.  As such, the focus of the scene is on Jamie and Claire becoming grandparents.  Gabaldon also uses the birth as a way for Jamie and Brianna to reconnect after the Rogergate debacle.  Brianna demands that Jamie stay in the room with her, and they bond through this shared experience.  The birth is great the way it’s written in the book.  But I, personally, didn’t care much if this was a scene that got changed.  So, going into the episode, I didn’t have very strong feelings about who I believed should be there or not.  I was curious about it, and I hoped that Roger would be there, but I wasn’t going to be disappointed if he wasn’t.  

Once word got out that there was going to be a change to the birth (it was hinted that it was timing related), speculation began as to who, exactly, would be present while Brianna gave birth to her boy.  Would Roger be there?  Or maybe Claire rides ahead and Jamie misses the birth?  Then we all picked apart the 30 second teaser trying to figure out who an un-pregnant Brianna was running to, and whether or not you could tell if Brianna was still pregnant in the short clip of her talking to Claire on the bed.  How would it all play out?  What changes would they make?

When the close-up of Brianna’s pained face showed up on screen, all that speculation just flew out the window for me.  I wasn’t thinking about Jamie or Claire, or even Roger.  I was thinking, “Holy crap, this woman is giving birth without any pain meds!”  and then “Aw, how sweet for Phaedre, Lizzie and Jocasta to all be in the room with her!”  and then “Holy crap, Brianna is a mother...a MOTHER!”  I wasn’t distracted by thoughts of who should or shouldn’t be there.  I was caught up in Sophie Skelton’s beautiful acting, and enjoying seeing this woman who has already been through so much, go through yet another life-changing moment.  I saw a young woman become a mother.  I saw the three women who have supported her and shown her great kindness during her pregnancy, by her side.  I saw a mother’s joy holding her son for the first time.  Yes, the way Gabaldon wrote the birth in the book is beautiful.  But, the show writers have done something beautiful as well by shifting the focus back onto Brianna and her newborn son.

Part of Brianna’s journey this season has been learning that she can be independent, strong and capable, while still leaning on and opening up to those around her.  Brianna has spent the majority of her pregnancy in a strange place, in a strange time, surrounded by strange people.  But, she eventually opens up to a relationship with Jocasta.  She forgives Lizzie.  And she grows close to Phaedre, Murtagh and Lord John.  I really loved seeing Brianna go through this mostly by herself, with the help of her new friends and family.  It’s just another example of Brianna adapting to her circumstances and soldiering on.  I’m not mourning the fact that Jamie and Claire weren’t there.  There will be plenty of Fraser Family bonding in Season 5.

[Side Note: While I didn’t mind Jamie not being there for the birth, I will acknowledge that I found it very strange that Jamie hasn’t held a baby at all this season.  He didn’t hold Germain.  He didn’t hold Brianna’s boy.  I wonder if that was directors’ choices that in the moment didn’t feel very significant?  I don’t know.  I’m not mad about it.  But I do think it’s weird.]

Another great example of Brianna’s character growth is the scene where Jamie, Claire, Murtagh and Jocasta are waiting for her to come down to dinner, and she finally arrives, giving them a small smile as she sits down, in between her father and mother.  That’s not Brianna “getting over” Roger.  She’s still heartbroken.  That’s Brianna soldiering on.  That’s Brianna reaching out to her family in a time of need.  That’s Brianna knowing that she can handle whatever life throws at her next.  She may be heartbroken, but there’s dinner to be had with her family.  

"I need time.”

One of my three wishes for the final episodes of this season was that Roger would come straight back to Brianna with Jamie and Claire.  When I read Drums of Autumn, I never understood why he didn’t just run back to Brianna as soon as he could.  I felt this was out of character and figured Diana only wrote it this way to prolong their separation for the drama.  Why would he hesitate?  What on earth was he thinking?  I just didn’t get it.  But, one of the great things about this show is that it’s a visual medium, which means I pick up on things that I don’t necessarily catch in the books.  Roger’s motivations finally clicked for me when I noticed parallels between Claire, Roger and Jamie’s conversation in this episode and Brianna and Claire’s abortion conversation in ‘The Deep Heart’s Core.’

Now, to be clear, I’m not saying that Brianna’s abortion decision is equivalently difficult to Roger’s decision.  I’m just saying that they are asking themselves the same question: “Can I raise a baby that may be the child of a rapist?”  And the two conversations which raise that very question definitely had some parallels. 

“I know this is an impossible decision.” || “I know this is a huge decision, Roger.”

In ‘The Deep Heart’s Core,’ Claire “walks Brianna through the surgical steps of ending her pregnancy, never once mentioning herself as a grandmother or her own wishes. Her selflessness and willingness to put Bree’s choice above her own reservations tugged at my heart. […] Claire is just as detailed and careful in her description of her other option: traveling back before the baby is born and still in her body, lest it be torn from her in the passage through. When both options are presented, she expresses sympathy and holds her peace.” (source: TV Kills Time)

Claire approaches the conversation with Roger in much the same way.  Carefully and slowly giving him all the information he needs to ultimately make a decision.  First, she tells him that Brianna was raped.  Then she tells him that Brianna is pregnant.  And then finally that he may not be the father.  Claire remains objective, and doesn’t pass judgement on Roger for what happened with Brianna, even though she obviously feels sympathetic—it’s written all over her face.  Claire could, as Brianna’s mother, demand that Roger come back with them straight away. She could force a decision out of him, much like Jamie is trying to do.  But, Claire remains neutral.  You can see every time Jamie jumps in, that Roger reacts by turning back to Claire.  Claire is the safe zone.  She wants Roger, much like Brianna, to know all of his options and make an informed decision, and she doesn’t want to influence that decision. She knows that if she pushes him to choose before he’s ready, that he wouldn’t be making the decision on his own, and she knows it’s not her decision, or Jamie’s, to make.  While Jamie pushes for Roger to decide quickly: “Make up your mind.”  Claire understands that Roger needs time to think: “Well, if you need time, then you should take it.  Because this is our daughter.  So, you’d better be sure.”  Roger replies, “I know.” 

So, Roger is presented with the same conundrum that Brianna faced: “Can I raise a baby that may be the child of a rapist?”  Where does his hesitancy come from?

We know Roger loves Brianna.  Roger has given us no reason to doubt his love for her.  When Jamie says that he mistook Roger for the man who raped Brianna, Roger replies, “How could you think such a thing?  I love her!” With zero hesitancy, he says he’ll take her home, back to their own time. 

Then Claire tells him that Brianna is pregnant and glee flashes across his face.  When Jamie points out that Brianna has to stay, but Roger doesn’t, Roger says, again with zero hesitancy: “What, you think I’d leave her?  We’re handfast, She’s my wife.  And now she’s carrying my child.”

It’s only when Claire gently reminds him that he may not be the father that Roger begins to unravel.  “Bonnet.”  Bloody fucking Bonnet.  This is when he says “It’s all too much.”  This is when he hesitates.

So, it’s not a question of whether or not Roger loves Brianna or whether or not he wants to be with Brianna, like I originally thought.  In fact, he loves Brianna so much, that he knows he has to do right by her and give this decision due diligence.  It would be unfair to Brianna, if he were to go back to her with any doubts in his mind whatsoever about how he feels about the baby. Brianna understands that this is a decision he will have to make, because she had to make the same choice—that’s why she tells Claire to tell him everything—“Brianna wanted you to know so you would have the choice.”  

Roger and Brianna both wrestled with the question “Can I raise a child that may be Bonnet’s?”  They both took the time they needed to process it, alone.  And they both came to the same resolution—to accept and love the child regardless of its paternity.

Brianna: “I’m keeping it.  [...] If there’s even the slightest chance it’s his, then I’m gonna keep it.  And not just for him, but for me, too.  And if it’s not his, then I’ll love it anyway.  I know I will.”

Roger: “Take me to see my son.”  

I know there are still going to be many people who don’t like Roger for his hesitancy here and will use it as yet another reason to hate him.  But, I don’t fault him for it, and I’ve made peace with this part of the story.  He takes the time to make a difficult decision.  He doesn’t put the burden or the emotional labor of that choice on Brianna, which he would have done if he hadn’t taken the time to make the decision on his own, before returning to her.  That would be entirely unfair to Brianna, and he knows it.  When he returns, he wants to be able to promise her that he will be, in every way that matters, the baby’s father.  There’s a quote in the book from Brianna that didn’t make it into the show, but when Roger proposes she tells him, “If I make a vow like that, I’ll keep it, no matter what it costs me!”  Both Roger and Brianna hold vows and promises sacred.  When Roger returns and claims the baby as his own son, he is making a vow that he intends to keep, no matter what it costs him.  

Apparently there was debate in the writer’s room about whether to include Roger taking the time to think.  But, ultimately they decided to include it because: “We have story in the future that we have to think about, so when we’re dealing with a moment now, we have to think about what’s going to happen down the road.”

Hearing this gives me hope that the writers will explore the “love or obligation” motif from the end of Drums of Autumn in Season 5. There’s still quite a bit of story from Drums that didn’t make it into the finale.  Including a couple of really great conversations between Roger and Bree, and my all-time favorite Outlander quote, delivered by Roger to Bree.  None of these conversations would have made sense if Roger had come back immediately.  So, keeping Roger’s “thinking time” in this episode sets up the “love or obligation” motif quite nicely for next season.  

I can’t move onto another scene without singing the praises of Sam Heughan, Caitriona Balfe, and Richard Rankin.  This scene was so wonderfully acted by all parties and these were some really interesting character dynamics.  Roger and Claire automatically share a trust, and easily fall back into a familiarity, even though they haven’t seen each other for, what, 2 years?  But, this is the first time we’re seeing Jamie and Roger interacting.  I know Claire wasn’t too impressed by their brawl, but I loved it.  I’m glad Roger finally got a chance to throw a few punches, considering it wasn’t a fair fight the first time.  I can’t wait to see more of them together next season.  

“You’re Here.” “I’m Here.”

In the book, when Roger returns, there isn’t a sweeping romantic reunion between Roger and Brianna.  He simply walks into the cabin, sees the bairn in Brianna’s arms, cuts the palm of his hand to draw blood, and…“Roger knelt in front of her, and reaching out, pushed the shawl aside and smeared a broad red cross upon the downy curve of the baby’s forehead. ‘You are blood of my blood,’ he said softly, ‘and bone of my bone. I claim thee as my son before all men, from this day forever.’” 

It’s a quiet, yet profound moment in the book and I love it.  But, there’s a part of me that always longed for something a little bigger between Brianna and Roger, not just Roger and the baby.  A hug, a kiss.  Something.  I know that it’s important for Roger to make it clear right away that he intends to be the child’s father. I understand that they haven’t seen each other in nearly a year, and there’s going to be some shyness.  But both of them also spent those months apart taking solace in memories of their night together in Wilmington.  I just wanted something more between Roger and Brianna when they were reunited.  

Well, I got more in this episode.  I fucking loved their reunion in the show.  I think I’ve already posted, like, thirty edits from that scene.  It was romantic and lovely and grand.  Yet also intimate, and a great callback to their reunion hug in ‘Wilmington.’  And even though we didn’t get the blood vow in this episode, or even Roger holding the baby, his line “Take me to see my son” succinctly says everything that needs to be said in that moment.  I’m still hoping that they’ll include the blood vow in Season 5.  But, whether they include the blood vow or not, one thing I’m certain of is that we’ll get to see Roger as a father in Season 5.  And that’s something to be excited about.  

This scene was pure perfection, and the perfect ending to the season.  

[dazzlinghaze528-blog]

Lovin’ Lover: A Taylor Swift superfan’s review of Lover

Lover moved me so that I had to write a review of it. Figured it belonged on here just as much as it did on my personal blog. I hope it speaks to some fellow Swifties and maybe even someday Taylor herself. 

I’ve identified as a Taylor Swift super fan for an appropriate 13 years now. I specifically recall being in the seventh grade, checking my hot pink iPod Nano at 11:00 PM sharp to listen to the launch of Fearless single “You Belong With Me”- the first of many times I would come to dance this dance.

As much as I know she has meant to so many of the young women who have grown up with her, I have to admit I still sometimes feel as though there is something special about the bond we share as artist and fan. Something almost cosmic or spiritual. There are so many similar, specific ways that we both seem to interact with the world. Something in the way that melodies and words and storytelling keep us moving forward. Something in the way we analyze the complexities of the lives we’ve found ourselves in and the way that can feed anxiety if we’re not carefully waiting for it. Something in the bubbly personalities, the love of cats and vintage fashion. Something in the golden hair and indigo eyes.

Something in the way that we LOVE love.

This album is arguably Taylor Swift’s most mature, personal analysis of love of any of her albums thus far. It’s not just snakes transforming into butterflies and paper rings and golden hours. It’s an inside look at the rainbow spectrum of ways that love can manifest itself in real lives, not just in storybooks. And that moved me to the point where I had to (literally) take a note out of Taylor’s book and write about it. So here we go:

“I Forgot That You Existed”

Taylor has described this opener as the track that transitions the listener out of her previous Reputation era. It’s sonically very bright and buoyant, with perhaps the melody that most easily rolls of the voice. And it settles in the emotion that most are striving for when recovering from drama or a betrayal: indifference. Some will call this song ‘petty,’ but I challenge all who listen to think back to the first time they thought about someone who wronged them after months, or maybe even years of occupancy in their minds and thought, “Oh- I forgot about them.” Is there any stronger sense of relief?

“Cruel Summer”

Littered with sharp imagery and cutting lyrics, this is (in my opinion) the album’s most epic track. I don’t have a particularly eloquent way of explaining this, but the production sounds like neon- ala the intro music to HBO’s Sharp Objects. And the story is one that 20-somethings know, excuse the joke, all too well. This story is one of a summer fling that you find yourself wanting to grow up into something real, and the very real fear that you could get cut when you let the other person know. When TS said, “I’m drunk in the back of the car, and I cried like a baby coming home from the bar. Said I’m fine but it wasn’t true; I don’t wanna keep secrets just to keep you,” …I felt that.

“Lover”

I can’t say enough glowing things about this song. It’s a waltz that sounds straight out of the 60s and uses some of my all time favorite words. Words that sound straight out of a Jane Austen novel. Between “there’s a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you dear” and “my heart’s been borrowed and yours has been blue; all’s well that ends well to end up with you,” wedding related Instagram captions are set for the next couple of years. As beautiful as this song is, I admit that it really is a song meant for lovers. You love it more when you are in love yourself.

“The Man”

I’ve yet to hear a song quite like this yet, which is surprising given the time that we’re living in. It’s even more striking coming from Taylor Swift, a woman who was named this past year’s highest paid celebrity. Period. It’s a fascinating observation that many of the things that Taylor Swift has been attacked for over the years: dating a handful of high-profile men, being outspoken about musicians’ financial and artistic rights, engaging with and strategically planning for a wildly intense and devoted fanbase, are lauded when done by men in the industry. Additionally, NO ONE seems to want to write about how incredibly wealthy TS is. As though it will make the reader uncomfortable. But journalists have no problem writing about the wealth and affluence of male celebrities. Food for thought; this song should be required listening.

“The Archer”

“The Archer” is a song that I truly listened to death upon its early release. I was particularly struck by the line, “And all of my heroes died all alone. Help me hold on to you.” As bizarre a connection this may be, it reminded me of one of my new favorite shows The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and the way the heroine wrestles with wether or not greatness in her art equates to a life lived alone, as she begins to achieve success with her stand-up comedy career. This isn’t all the song is about- it’s truly a very wide range of introspection, but it is what stuck with me the most as a creative who also dreams of one day falling in love and having a family.

“I Think He Knows”

Okay- this song truly fits the modern day definition of a BOP. This is probably the song on the album that most frequently gets stuck in my head upon listening.“Wanna see what’s under that attitude,” is a totally swoon worthy line. There’s also a bridge that reminds me of “Treacherous,” one of my favorite songs off of her album Red. With that song we start with “Nothing safe is worth the drive, and I will follow you, follow you home,” and end up at “Lyrical smile, indigo eyes, hand on my thigh we can follow the sparks, I’ll drive.” in Lover. I’ve said it once but I’ll say it again, “Treacherous” ran so “I Think He Knows” could SPRINT!

7. “Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince”

I truly have so many thoughts about this song. I would argue this is the album’s smartest song, as it likens America’s current political climate to the world of an American high school- with popularity contests, school spirit chants, and clique mentality. The first time I listened to it I went, “…is this about Hilary Clinton? No…wait?” Lines like “I’m feeling helpless, the damsels are depressed. Boys will be boys then, where are the wise men?” and “They whisper in the hallway she’s a bad, bad girl. The whole school is rolling fake dice. You play stupid games, you win stupid prizes,” were screaming 2016 election to me. The song really encapsulates the moment you realize that American politics is filled with people who manipulate the system- and how that can lead to the conclusion that the prize isn’t real either.

“Paper Rings”

“Paper Rings” has grown on me since my first listen. It’s got a slight British pop-punk vibe that I wasn’t sure I was that into at first. But the more I listened, the more I fell for all of the specific, tiny details of the love that she’s found for herself. The line, “Went home and tried to stalk you on the internet. Now I’ve read all of the books beside your bed,” held so much weight to me as an amateur Internet sleuth and a lover of the written word. I found myself going “Woah- look how far they’ve COME!” It’s also just plain fun and will be awesome to see live.

“Cornelia Street”

It’s pretty incredible to know that Taylor Swift wrote this massive, sweeping song all by her lonesome. But it’s just a reminder that underneath all of the awesome production on this album, there’s just truly great songwriting. This track really leans on the idea that memories can become attached to places, impossible to separate. Ala her Red era masterpiece, “All Too Well,” TS so vividly paints a picture of the memories made on Cornelia Street that once she says “I’d never walk Cornelia Street again,” you immediately understand why.

“Death By A Thousand Cuts”

There’s a pretty amazing story behind this track. Long story short, Taylor was inspired by an incredible (and completely underrated) Netflix Rom-Com called Someone Great to write this song. But BEFORE that, a film-maker named Jennifer Kaytin Robinson was inspired to write Someone Great after soothing a heartache with Taylor’s album 1989– specifically the iconic song, “Clean.” So this tune already carries the legacy of art made by powerful women. Additionally, I find that it has some of the most tragically relatable lyrics. “My heart, my hips, my body, my love. Tryna’ find a part of me that you didn’t touch,” and “Quiet my fears with the touch of your hand. Paper cut stains from our paper thin plans,” so well articulate the paper-cut pain of the dissolution of a once cherished relationship.

“London Boy”

“London Boy” is by far the cheekiest song on the album. It’s clever as all get out, and a welcome buffer between tracks 10 and 12. An interesting observation by country singer-songwriter, Ryan Hurd: “Feels like it’s written like a country song, but it’s all dressed up like a pop song. Super cool.” As a massive country music fan, I can attest to this. “London Boy” has a crystal clear story, extremely bright lyrics, and it spends most of its time listing the best parts of a particular place- all lovable tropes of the country music genre.

“Soon You’ll Get Better”

So I have yet to make it through this song without crying…and I’ve probably listened to the album at least seven times now. I often think of skipping it, but it is sonically catnip to me. A collaboration with the Dixie Chicks, this track is entirely acoustic, has tight female harmonies, and violin- what am I to do? This wildly personal song is about Taylor’s mother’s battle with cancer and the denial and grief she’s experienced around that so far. The song is stunning and more than anything, universal. Come to it prepared.

“False God”

Saxophone in a Taylor Swift song? Yes. “False God” sounds like it belongs specifically in a Speakeasy. It’s got breathy vocals, a slightly rambling melody, and extremely sexy lyrics. It’s not the most relatable song on the album; most of us aren’t superstars managing bi-continental relationships. But I like the world that it sucked me into.

“You Need to Calm Down”

Not only is this song pure Pop fun, “You Need to Calm Down” addresses three whole categories of internet haters. Those who make a habit of shooting mean tweets at celebrities and people they don’t know first thing in the morning, those who are anti-LGBTQ equality, and those who constantly pin female artists against each other- as though people don’t have the capacity to like more than one at a time. In the context of Lover, this is the song that most enforces “Spread love; not hate.”

“Afterglow”

I’m of the opinion that “Afterglow” has been a bit underrated since the arrival of the album. It’s a simple melody, but what’s incredible about this song is that it is notably the best her voice has ever sounded. Her instrument really shines here. It’s also one of the first Taylor Swift songs I’ve ever loved despite not relating to the content in the slightest. TS writes here from the perspective of someone who is tending to a relationship she wounded by relaxing so much into it that she lets anxiety get the better of her and lashes out. It’s a very specific relationship milestone that I’ve yet to ever reach myself, but she sings about it with such passion that I’m totally invested.

“ME!”

“ME!” is truly a Dr. Seuss book come to life. Not just because of the cartoonish joy in the video, but because of that same cartoonish joy that comes through in the vocals of both her and Brenden Urie. It’s not the most lyrically complex or dynamic song of the album, but by gosh it’s positive and catchy and it makes people happy. It also serves it’s purpose post Afterglow beautifully- acknowledging that even when she is a “handful,” her lover loves her still.

“It’s Nice to Have a Friend”

My favorite thing about this song is the ghostly background vocals and string instruments, both of which were provided by students at a not-for-profit after school music program in Toronto. Proceeds from the track are going to support the program and help keep arts education afloat. Knowing this took this song from a song that I liked to a song that I love. The song also truly captures the hope of the beginning so well and in so few words. “Twenty questions, we tell the truth. You’ve been stressed out lately, yeah me too. Something gave you the nerve to touch my hand, it’s nice to have a friend.”

“Daylight”

“Daylight” sounds like a sunrise. It makes you feel as though her life is finally beginning as this album is ending. The most enjoyable part of this song is the bridge where she compares what she once thought true love would be to what she knows it to be now. She calls back to her old self by singing, “I once believed love would be burning red, but it’s golden.” It’s simultaneously the most nostalgic track on the album and also the most hopeful, and I breathe with her when she sings “You gotta step into the daylight and let it go.”  To quote her past life, “…in the death of her reputation she felt truly alive.”

Here’s a link to the blog post in case you wanna share with other Swifties <3

 https://annalehnhoff.wordpress.com/2019/08/27/lovin-lover-a-taylor-swift-enthusiasts-review-of-new-album-lover/

[thehelpfilm]

A Critical Film Review of “The Help”

         An entertaining and somewhat light-hearted take on the harsh realities of racism in 1960’s Mississippi, “The Help” is a deeply moving, poignant, and hopeful story about how courage and working together can create change. It serves as a reminder of how compassion, strength, empathy, and honesty have helped in making the world a less horrific place to live in.

         The film is based on Kathryn Stockett’s bestselling novel “The Help” which tells the story of African American maids working in white households in Jackson, Mississippi, during the early 1960s.

Synopsis

Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan (played by Emma Stone) a young white woman who is an aspiring journalist starts by writing for a cleaning advice column “Miss Myrna” –– having no idea about how to clean, Skeeter enlists Aibileen (played by Viola Davis) to help her. Due to these series of events, they form a strong bond that later inspires Skeeter to write a book on the perspective of “The Help” –– that exposes the racism they are faced with as they work for white families.

Not only is this task illegal, it goes against all of her friends, her family, and her boyfriend as they all live quite happily with segregation in society. As time goes on, more maids get involved and have a great deal to say about their lives raising white children and serving their mothers.

Awards and Acclaim

Touchstone Pictures released The Help worldwide, with a general theatrical release in North America on August 10, 2011. The film was a critical and commercial success, receiving positive reviews and grossing $216 million in worldwide box office. The Help received four Academy Award nominations including Best Picture, Best Actress for Davis, and Best Supporting Actress for both Chastain and Spencer, with the latter winning the award. The film also won the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

The Directing and Filming

The film is a historical period drama set in Mississippi. The setting looked realistic and it looks as if the movie was straight out from the 1960s. The costumes, the hair, even the television and other background props really encapsulated the time period. It was visually stunning. The transitions were on point. It was an immersive experience that really took you to the 60’s and I can’t see any flaws when it comes to the filming of the scenes.

Each frame meant something. Every scene was necessary in telling the story. An example would be the scene wherein Skeeter and Constantine, her family maid who happened to just disappear, were having a conversation about the school dance and how no boy has asked her yet. They were talking beneath a huge willow tree.

In this scene, Constantine and Skeeter feel safe under the shade. It shows how they are free to have a conversation there because they are hidden under the tree and no one else could judge them. This scene also shows how Constantine was more of like a mother to her than her actual mother which is a common theme in this movie.

The maids seem to know far more than the mothers of the white children they take care of. They motivated the kids and made them feel important.

The Characters

“You is Kind, You is Smart, You is Important” a significant line in the film said by Nanny Aibileen Clack. She says this to Moe Mobley, the child of Elizabeth, her boss. The character is seen to be taking care of the child even better than her actual mother.

The white women are seen as snarky and oppressive to their maids, but not all of them. Some have good stories and treat them well like in the case of Celia Foote –– who has never once hired a maid before. Minny becomes her maid and helps her in cleaning and cooking for Celia’s husband Johnny.

Celia is seen as an outcast because she comes from a trailer park community. People who come from that and suddenly get into the suburban lifestyle because they married a guy whose lifestyle is white, rich, elite often get shunned because they are seen as “white trash”.

This is seen when the ladies pretend to hide and turn off the music when Celia knocks at their door carrying a pie that Minny made.

I especially enjoyed the dynamic between Minny and Celia. It was sweet and serious at times. It showed that not all white people are bad, some were allies and good hearted people just like Skeeter and Celia.

The acting was believable and convincing. None of the characters seemed flat to me, everyone had character development, some stayed the same like Hilly Holbrook but as an antagonist, she did her job of being hated and despised.

Skeeter’s mom was another character I thoroughly enjoyed. Her journey throughout the film really made a good character story arc. At first we find out she has cancer and she wants Skeeter to get married and find a husband quick. Forcing her to go on dates and getting excited when Stuart came looking for Skeeter.

But she ignores Skeeter whenever she asks about what happened to their maid Constantine. She’s unsupportive of what Skeeter is writing about at first, turn off the television when the black servants and Skeeter were watching national news about the Civil Rights movement telling her to not inspire them or give them any ideas.

She has a change of heart in the end and reveals what happened to Constantine and ultimately becomes a supportive mother even defending Skeeter from Hilly who barges in their house threatening to ruin Skeeter’s life.

I enjoyed the strong female characters and the dynamic between all of them. The dialogue was also very well-written and humorous despite the fact that they are talking about racism, they still have some good comedy in there.

The Historical Context and Message Behind the Film

The stories that the Black maids told Skeeter for her novel revealed that the Jackson society at that time was very racist. The maids were unappreciated by their white employers as well as disrespected in the manner in which they were treated. The wages that they were paid were deplorable when compared to the work that was assigned to them. They were the ones that raised their white employers’ children without the input of the parents. This was despite the fact that the Blacks were considered dirty, lazy, disease–ridden and having less intelligence that the average white person.

Unfortunately, the film falls short of a credible presentation, as the reality of the situation is not tackled with any degree of seriousness. One of the most jarring elements is the absence of any reference to the mass struggles that shattered the Jim Crow structure –– which was the the name of the racial caste system which operated primarily. Jim Crow was more than a series of rigid anti-black laws. It was a way of life.

There were several area within the movie that describe how life was really like in Jackson was like.

There is a scene in the movie where Aibileen was in the bathroom, built specifically for her because Hilly says that black people are disease-ridden and should have separate bathrooms. In several scenes of the movie, the mothers tell their child to not go to those “dirty” bathrooms used by maids or else they will get sick.

The segregation of bathrooms was so real that in the first scenes of the movie we see Hilly putting pencil marks on the toilet paper in the bathroom to make sure that Minny wasn’t using her toilet.

The maids travel on buses that are for black people only or are at the back of a bus with the white people at the front.

This is similar to the situation back then where everything was separated. Similar to an apartheid in South Africa. Wherein, blacks could not attend the same schools and churches as the white people.

“They killed him” –– Aibileen tells the story of how her son died and explained that the white bosses loaded him up in the back of a pickup after being ran over. They dropped him off in front of the colored hospital, honked the horn, and drove away.

Also, a scene where Yule Mae gets arrested in a violent way and the white folks just watch and act as if nothing happened.

The movie shows some issues of discrimination and segregation but in my opinion it was a bit sugarcoated. Sure it can teach people about how life was like back then for African American but it does not show how bad it really was. It was violent, abusive, oppressive and frankly it was not funny. It could have done more but truth be told, the message was there and it did a great job of portraying it even if it was kind of stereotypical and whitewashed.

Whitewashing in a sense that Skeeter is seen as the hero and the brave one. Well she was brave but is it really appropriate that we are applauding this courageous, fictional white gIrl?

Truth be told it is fiction and it is meant to entertain but millions of people saw this film and might believe this to be real and an accurate representation of who were the real heroes of those times. It was a combination of black people who fought for their rights alongside white allies.

It’s not a perfect film, of course one movie cannot represent the vile actualities of the racism experienced by Black people during that time. In fact, this movie could have done more but chose to play it safe. Given the theme of the movie which is Racism during the 60’s, it’s a heavy topic that carries a lot of historical weight around it.

It could have been a more hard-hitting drama that would have made viewers bawl their eyes out after the film but like I said, it is a heavy topic to deal with. The writers and directors chose to make it light-hearted and easy to take in. It is told in an accessible and pleasurable way that almost anyone of all ages can watch and enjoy the film.

Do I recommend everyone to watch it? Yes. Do I think people should just stop at this film and use it as their basis for historical context on racism in the 60s? No.

Did I enjoy it? Yes, very much so.

[themosleyreview]

The Mosley Review: Best Film of 2018

Another year has passed and man was it a good year with some great films. Now I know I missed a good number of them, but I saw the ones that interested me. This list comprises of the best films that either wowed or moved me. Now I try to keep these lists at 10 films, but this year I'm adding one extra slot. If you want the full review of each film then click each title. Now without further ado, here's my list of the best film 2018! First up......

Blockers: It has truly been a while since we've had a fresh idea come to the teen sex comedy genre and this one was what the genre needed. It was genuinely funny in so many ways and unexpectedly heartfelt and sweet. The sight gags were truly fantastic and hilarious especially the "kiss the car moment". I loved the chemistry each parent had with their teenagers and the over all message of growing up and acceptance. American Pie was of my generation and this film was for this generation and I still loved it.

A Quiet Place: If there was a list of the best trailers of 2018, then this film’s trailer would win. Originality is key to the horror/sci fi thriller and the fact that director John Krasinski tapped into that with a genius idea was truly surprising. Known for comedy, it was a great switch to see his more dramatic side. I loved the family story that surrounded the constant threat in the world and it made for some of the most thrilling moments on screen once certain family members were alone. I truly was on the edge of my seat the entire film and I had one of the rare theater experiences where I was in a full theater and nobody made a sound. No crinkling of rappers, whispering or cell phone usage. Everyone was engaged completely. Man I loved this film.

Hereditary: I love the resurgence of slow burn horror films. Not all have mastered it yet, but the ones that do are truly special. This film was creepy and heartbreaking in so many ways. If it was just a family drama then it would be great, but with the addition of the horror element it becomes a masterpiece. The whole cast delivers great performances, but Toni Collette was unbelievably fantastic and I hope she gets nominated for Best Actress. She was so real and gut wrenching when tragedy hits her. This was truly the best horror film of the year and it should not be missed by anyone.

Incredibles 2: Why did it take 14 years until we finally got a sequel to one of the best original animated superhero films?! Well the wait was worth it because Pixar delivered once again. Not only does the family get more challenging drama sprinkled into their lives, but things get kinda scary. I loved every sequence with Elastic Girl, but Jack Jack stole the entire film with his fight with the raccoon. Every year Pixar delivers with their original stories and it was about time that my favorite Pixar film got the sequel it deserved. PLEASE don't make us wait another 14 years for Incredibles 3!  

Blackkklansman: I love Spike Lee. He is and will always be one of the most powerful voices in the black community and in cinema. To see his take on one of the most dangerous and awesome true stories was truly exciting. I did have a hesitation about seeing the film because at times racism related films can be a too aggravating, but I gave it a chance and loved it. It was a story that needed to be told on the big screen and with all the powerful messages. The performances were great all around and I loved John David Washington and his chemistry with Adam Driver. The pair were excellent apart and together. The ending of the film was a strong political and social message that was heard loud and clear and I loved the film all the more for it.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout: Again and again this franchise gets even more intense with its fantastic storytelling and astounding action sequences that are breathtaking. The reason why these films are still loved is because the action is real and gritty. Tom Cruise keeps this franchise fresh and as Ethan Hunt he hasn't stopped being great. From start to finish the connections to past films and the twists were truly amazing and I loved the rivalry between Tom and Henry Cavil's character August Walker. This was an espionage epic and another definition of how to keep your franchise fresh.

Bohemian Rhapsody: It is very rare to do a film about an influential band right and I think that's the reason why we don't see films like this anymore. The ultimate challenge was presented to do a film on possibly the greatest band England and the world has ever seen and will ever know. I was so happy with the results of this magnificent film. So much care and heart went into the making of this film and immortalized Queen and Freddie Mercury while showing respect to his memory. Everybody wants the deep, dirty and dark side of a person's life, but that wasn't the important part of the film. It is rightfully addressed, but it doesn't consume the film. This was a love letter to Queen and to all the generations of fans that were there from the beginning, who grew up with Queen and for the new ones just discovering them now.

Avengers: Infinity War: 10 years of a serialized film universe has finally come together in what is to be known as one of greatest technical achievements in storytelling and filmmaking. All this time the powers behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe have taken risk after risk and it has paid off each time. Now this film brings almost all of the characters we know and love and puts them together in a cohesive story that spans across the globe and stars and it keeps the grounded feel that has been consistent throughout each film. The action was fantastic it was truly breathtaking to see a film of this scale to be the first film shot entirely in IMAX. The moment we started losing characters was truly heartbreaking and a communal tear was shed for one in particular. I loved this film and I can't wait for Endgame.

A Star is Born: It is the one story that has been told countless times and a film that has been remade 3 times prior and I have to say that this is the best version. The music in the film was fantastic and the way that the live performances were shot was expertly done. I felt as if I was onstage with Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga. The two of them delivered outstanding performances and Lady Gaga has shown her acting chops before, but this was on another level of excellence. Their bond throughout the film was the heart that kept beating steadily and when it breaks, it breaks your soul. I loved this film so much and I haven't stopped listening to the soundtrack to this day.

Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse: If there's one character that has had more reboots than anybody else, its Spider-Man. The entire franchise has been rebooted and plagued with 3 bad films and luckily the character was saved by the MCU handlers. Now comes the story of a new Spider-Man and my god was it astounding. The visuals alone were groundbreaking and pushed what can be done in animation to the next level. The story was a perfect introduction to a fan favorite Miles Morales and a worthy origin story for him. This film exceed all my expectations and blew the doors off how origin stories are made. This was a crowning achievement in filmmaking and storytelling and will be one of the most influential story for children of all ages and race. Such a masterpiece.

And now the moment is here. The best film of 2018 is......

Black Panther: I have waited with baited breath for the moment that the first black superhero in comic book history would finally get his own film and it finally happened. Not only did the film fully bring to life the hero, but also his world and the heritage with the African nation. The colors and art style exploded off the screen in every frame. Wakanda was finally brought to life with such skill, love and respect. The film had many themes of family, ancestoral history, but at its core was a social commentary on growing up in 2 different worlds. One in America and one in Africa. The many similarities between T'Challa and Killmonger were great and although both world views were different, both were righteous in their beliefs. Killmonger had a point in the fact that Wakanda is far more advanced than any nation and the technological advances should be shared and used for domination. He was kinda right, but wrong in his execution. He made for one of the best villains/idealists and it was one Michael B. Jordan's best performances. Chadwick Boseman has always been a class act and he becomes T'Challa in this film and I loved his journey. Winston Duke stole the film as M'Baku and he is one of the best characters the MCU has. Black Panther is the film that encapsulates everything that is good in the MCU and its story is the most influential and gives the black community a hero we can all learn from and root for. This film is a cinematic staple that will not be forgotten and deserves every accolade it receives.

And that's it people! That is my list of the best films of 2018! What a great year for film and I can't wait to see what 2019 has to offer. With the upcoming slate, I think my list will be harder to make come next January.

[cinemavariety]

Cinema Variety’s Favorite Horror Films of 2017

2017 marks the fifth consecutive year of me compiling year-end lists of the best horror films. It also marks the most difficult year in my rankings. In fact, I almost didn’t even make a list this year considering how lacking the horror genre was for me. There were some decent efforts, but I do believe that the horror genre is impressing me less and less as the years go by. That being said, most of the best quality horror films were ones produced and distributed by independent production companies. It comes as no surprise that Hollywood has really been missing the mark when it comes to creating a truly effective scare experience.

Alas, we have reached the end of another year. Another year of absolute madness when it comes to the real world. These next seven films proved to me that horror films, even the most unconventional of ones, still can have a big impact in the film industry. Check out my lists from previous years by clicking on the links Below. Favorite Horror Films of 2016 Favorite Horror Films of 2015 Favorite Horror Films of 2014 Favorite Horror Films of 2013

#7 - Life Directed by Daniel Espinosa

I believe the tagline of the original Alien film was: “In space, no one can hear you scream.” This exact tagline would be incredibly fitting for 2017’s best space-suspense film. Other than the impressive cast, I have to say that I was not looking forward to this film based on the trailers alone. To me, it looked exhaustingly formulaic and over-done. But after reading some really positive reviews for the film, I decided to give Life the benefit of a doubt. What ensued was a real exercise in panic and anxiety. As beautiful and mind-blowingly enormous as space is, I cannot help but imagine how terrifying it would be to be stuck up there in a claustrophobic ship. As the crew members in the film discover a lifeform of unknown origin, all hell eventually breaks loose as the organism grows and becomes more dangerous. This soon becomes a cat-and-mouse hunt for survival which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the duration of the film. I was also pleasantly surprised by the deliciously bleak ending.

#6 - The Void Directed by Jeremy Gillespie & Steven Kostanki

I have nothing but the utmost of respect for films that utilize practical effects in this day and age of horror films which usually rely on CGI-gore and predictable jump scares. The Void takes full advantage of its low budget and creates a genuine nightmare world with some truly impressive sets and practical creature effects. The Void is a throwback to the era of 70s and 80s horror flicks. For all its absurdity and nonsensical plot, what The Void lacks in a strong narrative is made up for with nauseating details of a hell brought onto the physical plane of Earth. Parts reminded me of The Thing, while other parts reminded me of Hellraiser – all the while staying original and having its own voice. We need more creative outings in the horror genre such as this one.

#5 - IT Directed by Andrés Muschietti

To say that my expectations for IT were high would be an understatement. It was most definitely my most eagerly anticipated horror film of 2017. In fact, the trailers are some of the best ones I can remember for a modern horror film. I was letdown when I found out a couple years back that one of my favorite directors, Cary Fukunaga, dropped out of the project. Nonetheless, I stayed positive and hoped that whoever took the helms would still create a genuinely terrifying horror film. Well, as usual, my expectations got the best of me with this one. It didn’t have me shaking in my boots like the previews had promised. But it did provide an entertaining experience, especially with the chemistry of all the actors and their interactions with Pennywise. The production value was amazing. I gushed over all of the dutch camera angles that were executed with strong precision. Bill Skarsgard did a fine job of encapsulating the evil that is Pennywise and tormenting all the children with their worst fears. My main qualms with the film was that it was more fun than scary, and that jump scares were a little too overdone. I was hoping for a much darker tone, and I hope that is what is achieved with part two.

#4 - It Comes at Night Directed by Trey Edward Shults

Trey Edward Shults emerged onto the indie film scene with his harrowing family drama Krisha (a film which has held up even better upon a couple rewatches). So it comes as no surprise that I was excited when I discovered that his next project would venture into horror territory. It ended up being a psychological paranoia thriller with elements of horror sprinkled throughout. However there is no denying that the events that transpire in this film are about as horrific as they can get. Many of my favorite films are polarizing ones. In these cases, usually critics rave about it while the average movie-goer dismisses it as a waste of time. This was the response for It Comes at Night, and I take the side of the film critics with this one. The biggest complaint I read online was “nothing even comes at night”. I cannot help but think that people really cannot read between the lines with films, even when it comes to something as simple as the title. I can tell you what comes at night in this film: fear of the unknown, dread, disease, and mistrust of others. Shults plays with the audiences heads in this film as to what is real and what is not real. His use of lighting and camera movement immerse the audience into a story that is minimalist in nature, but also has so many subtle details throughout. The finale of the film left a pit of dread in my stomach which didn’t quickly go away.

#3 - The Untamed Directed by Amat Escalante

Leave it to a foreign director to concoct one of the most impressive films of the year. Mexican cinema is amazing – the country is no stranger to releasing scary movies that hit deep (i.e.: Cronos, Pans Labrynth, Here Comes the Devil, Santa Sangre). The way the story is told in The Untamed is genius. We are presented with mysterious situations and multiple characters at once which we as an audience must piece together and see how everyone and everything connects. The center of the story revolves around a tentacled creature which, in my eyes, is symbolic of pure lust. Each person who visits this creature, which resides in a secluded cabin, becomes addicted to the way it makes them feel. Characters who were once lost and unsatisfied feel like they have clarity of mind and a new purpose in their life based solely on their interactions with the creature. These newfound feelings quickly turn into something dangerous as the movie veers into unexpected territories. The Untamed did a great job at having me writhe in discomfort, all the while never becoming too graphic or exploitative. It doesn’t show too much to ruin the aura of mystery. Yet it also shows just enough to have me never looking at a tentacled-animal the same way ever again.

#2 - Gerald’s Game Directed by Mike Flanagan

Once again, a Mike Flanagan picture makes one of my year-end horror lists. The man is endlessly consistent on his filmmaking abilities. I wouldn’t say any of his works are horror masterpieces, but each one that I have seen has left an impact on me. Even his more mediocre work is better than the array of Hollywood-produced horror films. Gerald’s Game marks the second horror film on this list based off a Stephen King story. Many of the same themes that Flanagan has developed upon over the course of his career shine through in Gerald’s Game. Including but not limited to: unchecked childhood trauma, abusive parents, loss of innocence, inner demons, real demons, etc. etc. Once deemed un-filmable, Gerald’s Game is an extraordinarily creative film. All set in one room, the movie never becomes trite. It utilizes its stagnant location and turns into something that I could even see as a stage play. A wife’s worst nightmares come alive in Gerald’s Game after the main character’s husband dies after handcuffing her to a bed. To make matters worse, there is a bloodthirsty feral dog who eats her husband and a deformed man who visits her in the night. This results in one of the most hair-raising movie moments that I have ever witnessed. In one scene, the outline of this boogeyman is just barely visible in the corner of the room. Even I had to do a double-take to make sure what I was seeing was actually there. Was he real? Or was he just another figment of the main character’s unraveling mind? Flanagan lets this scene play out in complete silence. There is no jarring music or sound effects to be heard. This makes the scene all the more harrowing because Flanagan lets the fear build up naturally. He is not telling you when and how to be afraid. Oh and can we talk about that hand scene? That is not something I will forget.

#1 - Kuso Directed by Flying Lotus

I find it difficult to put my feelings into words when it comes to Kuso. I am surprised that this film even exists, but boy do I feel lucky that it does. Kuso is not a film that can be lumped into just one genre. But if I were going to categorize it into one, I think it is safe to say that it is a body-horror film to the highest degree. I respect the film so much just for the fact that this is art that not many people have ever, or will ever, see on a screen ever again. This work to me is daring, feverishly artistic, and completely out-of-this-world insane. In fact, I couldn’t believe my eyes at what I was seeing in certain scenes. It crosses the line countless times and revels in all its griminess. Make sure to watch the film on an empty stomach – you will thank me for this later. My friend and I agreed that the best way to describe this film to someone is as follows: “vignettes of absolute awfulness.” I say this with the utmost fondness. Kuso is the midnight movie I’ve been waiting for all of my life. To me, Flying Lotus is like Jodorowsky for the 21st century - polarizing, revolting, and exhaustingly stylized in the best of ways.

[mesaylormoon]

Film and Fluff Blogging: A Review of The Edge of Seventeen

Today I’m going to take a slightly different direction and review a lighthearted dramedy. This review will not center around an Oscar bait movie, but it will definitely help me begin a trend of reviewing films that are not what one would consider the best of the year. But with that said, this one is also one of my favorites. In fact, The Edge of Seventeen is everything I believe Lady Bird should have been.

For those of you who have seen it, you know that The Edge of Seventeen was one of the most positively reviewed comedies of 2016, and it’s easy to see why. Unfortunately, it saw a sad showing at the box office, not even being able to gross $19 million. I had only seen one trailer for this film while preparing to watch another movie that was already released on DVD with a friend, so I suppose that this poor turnout seems predictable. There was no push for constant advertising, at least in my experience, so that could certainly be a reason why no one had the pleasure of seeing it.

The Edge of Seventeen tells the story of Nadine, a girl whose life becomes caught in a circle of drama after her best friend begins dating her brother. As you would expect, this ruins Nadine’s relationship with her friend, drives her further away from her brother, and causes her to become much more withdrawn and pessimistic. In order to overcome all of this, Nadine must learn to cope with the awkward events surrounding her life, in order for her to grow as a person and accept what the world will give her.

Films like The Edge of Seventeen fascinate me. I have never been a fan of movies like this, but I find it appreciable that the plot is centered around something so awkward, yet so emotionally charged. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a movie that chose to discuss the conflicts involving a relationship between a best friend and brother, nor any other relationships like this, but considering how terribly this story could have been written, it was tackled with great care. The story is obviously not an epic, but everything about it feels real. The emotions Nadine feels while witnessing these polarizing events, her failing familial ties, her longing to compensate for the company she doesn’t have, all of it feels like something that could take place in reality. For such a small story, the screenwriters did everything that they could with it. I never realized it, but now I see that a great story can also be one that seems alive. I don’t think many people can relate to this sort of story, but people can easily become invested in it. The fact that the movie features such a humorous protagonist also attributes to the movie’s likability. Which leads me to another element of The Edge of Seventeen that I’d like to discuss: the characters.

Nadine, being the main character, is the one I’d like to analyze first. I’d like to say that she is a well-developed character, one that is more well-thought out than most. She’s self-loathing (in a comedic, lampooning sort of way), a troublemaker, sarcastic, reserved, witty, an old soul, and has a sad lack of fashion sense. By no means anything new, but I do like how easy it is to identify the traits that make her personality stand out. Not many screenwriters take the care to make a character’s personality definable, and to finally see one who seemed more well-written was refreshing. Nadine comprises everything good about The Edge of Seventeen.

But this leads me to the more problematic characters in this movie: Nadine’s best friend Krista and Nadine’s brother. Neither of them are particularly likable. Krista and Nadine’s brother Darian have the most negative traits out of everyone in this movie. Their biggest flaws are obvious--they are both incredibly selfish. I understand that because Krista and Darian have feelings for each other, it’s difficult to resist their temptation to start a relationship. But what’s more important is to consider the well-being of others, in this case, Nadine. The two force the poor girl to suffer through the awkwardness of their romance, not caring at all how lonely, isolated, and miserable it makes her feel. This to me makes them the least likable characters I’ve watched in recent memory.

At first, Krista seems like a fun character, what with her being supportive of Nadine throughout the hardships in her life, and even being a good companion at parties. But after she caves into her desire for Darian, she immediately loses any likability she could’ve had. She does nothing to redeem herself for anything she had done to her best friend of a decade, and honestly, talking about her anymore would just make me seethe.

Darian is just as bad. He is self-obsessed and enjoys feeding into his mother’s favoritism of him, and this makes him annoying, as well. At the very least he does become a bit sympathetic by the end of the movie, when he reveals how much he dislikes the issues of his life, and I suppose that, at best, makes him a salvageable character. That doesn’t necessarily make him a good character, nor does it make him well-written.

However, another element of The Edge of Seventeen I enjoy is the pacing. Although the story is slow-moving, viewers are given the time to sympathize with Nadine and her struggles, making their experience watching the movie that much more immersive. Whether Nadine is strengthening her relationship with a new friend or trying her hardest to remain neutral in the midst of an inappropriate romance, audiences are given a great amount of time to wallow in every negative emotion she does. Anyone caught between the selfish decisions between a best friend and brother would feel just as irritated, closed-off, angry, and embittered, and in just about every scene, Nadine’s navigation of the ordeal is explored in detail. Hailee Steinfeld is fantastic as our lead actress, and every expression and line of dialogue perfectly encapsulates the joys and frustrations of learning to ignore a situation as awkward as hers. To balance all of the grief with positive moments, Nadine is also able to share comedic moments with a boy named Erwin, and her history teacher. Almost every scene with these secondary characters are great, and it’s great to see that a character as likable as Nadine is able to find comfort in spending time with people outside her family.

The ending and the character development are the last things about the film I would like to discuss. Even if it isn’t perfect, I suppose it ends the story in a satisfying way. After Nadine stops acting out in anger and sees the errors of her ways, she stops herself from making even more foolish mistakes, and becomes more considerate of her family. This leads to one of the best scenes in The Edge of Seventeen: her lament to her brother. Her lament is very simple, but so impactful and relatable that you’d swear she’s speaking to everyone who feels insecure about who they are. She begins by apologizing for everything wrong that she had done that night, and admits to being selfish, too. She understands that many of her actions had led other people to suffer along with her, and expresses legitimate guilt about what she had done. To add to the emotional weight of this scene, she expresses frustration about how much she resents herself, as well as her fear of not being able to change who she is. From this point on, Nadine is ready to become a better person and forge better relationships with her family. Again, this leads back to the idea of the necessity of relatability in a narrative. Almost every teenager struggles with a lack of self-esteem, as well as insecurities regarding who they are as people. Anyone around Nadine’s age can identify with her lament, and will find themselves moved by her declaration of change. This leads to a satisfying conclusion, and a peaceful feeling that Nadine’s will be more content with her life.

The Edge of Seventeen is one of the most entertaining movies I’ve ever seen. I hope that it grows a larger cult following, as the story is so well-told, and leads to many heartfelt and dramatic moments. It makes for great entertainment for a chick flick night, so if you haven’t seen it with any friends, a chick flick night would be a great time to watch it. It’s well-written with genuine drama, and that’s more than enough for me to say that it’s amazing.

[skaye33]

reputation - In Review

reputation is here and I am so emotionally unprepared. Literally all I can provide are my first impressions from the first time I listened to the album, because I just love the album so fully and I just can’t seem to fully put my emotions into words (although I tried to explain the power of Taylor and reputation below this list). I might come back to this to try and fill it in more once I’ve had some time to process, but for now, here are my rather aggressive notes I took on a plane at 5:00 AM on my way to Boston while listening for the first time. 

1. …Ready for It 

First Impression - I’m not ready for this. After Look What You Made Me Do came out, I was stressed that all of Taylor’s new album was going to be vengeful, angry T referencing her feuds and calling out her haters. But ...Ready For It assured me that we were still going to get our girl back, and that her style had just evolved into something new and challenging and super fun. I listened to this song so many times the first few weeks (especially while pumping myself up for the gym), and I still love it so much. 

Favorite lyrics - Baby, let the games begin.

2. End Game

First Impression - Hot damn. Ed rapping? Future?? TAYLOR SPITTING RHYMES. I’m amazed. I LOVE THIS NEW ERA. It is the perfect late-night living room dance beat I never knew I needed until now.

Favorite lyrics - I swear I don’t love the drama, it loves me. And I can’t let you go, your handprints on my soul. It’s like your eyes are liquor, it’s like you body is gold.  

3. I Did Something Bad First Impression - HOLY SHIT SHE SAID SHIT. DAMN, NEW TAYLOR I AM OBSESSED WITH YOU. This one is amazing. So different, so aware, so mature. 

Favorite lyrics - This is how the world works, you gotta leave before you get left.

4. Don’t Blame Me

First Impression - THESE BRIDGES ARE FIRE BURNING OMG. T WITH AN AMAZING COMEBACK, THESE BRIDGES ARE GIVING ME LIFE. Straight fire. Sex. Gospel. HERE. FOR. IT. With all her drug references, she’s definitely not “Clean” any more.

Favorite lyrics - My name is whatever you decide. And I'm just gonna call you mine. I'm insane, but I'm your baby (your baby). Echoes of your name inside my mind.

5. Delicate

First Impression- Damn that verse 2 pickup though. And another killer bridge? What did we do to deserve such perfection? I can’t wait to listen to this while obsessing over a the beginning of a relationships. I love the beat of the verse on this one so much. This is definitely in the top five on the album. How does she encapsulate both the stress and fun at the beginning of a relationship? Oh, because she’s a goddess. 

Favorite lyrics - Third floor on the west side, me and you. Handsome, you’re a mansion with a view.

A second favorite lyrics, for funsies - We can’t make any promises, can we babe, but you can make me a drink.

6. Look What You Made Me Do

First Impressions - Still an amazing song, even though now it feels a bit weird coming right after Delicate.

Favorite lyrics - But I got smarter, I got harder in the nick of time. Honey, I rose up from the dead, I do it all the time. 

7. So It Goes....

First Impressions - THE COUNTING. I’m freaking out. Damn this album is all love, sex, and drama and I LOVE IT. ALSO THE SCRATCHES DOWN HIS BACK I’M CACKLING UNCONTROLLABLY. 

Favorite lyrics - I’m yours to keep, and I’m yours to lose. You know I’m a bad girl, but I do bad things to you. So it goes…

8. Gorgeous

First Impressions - This was my favorite single, and still might be my favorite song on the album (although Getaway Car and Delicate are getting up there). I just relate to it so much, from seeing a gorgeous person from across the room and freaking out mentally to stumbling home to my cats.

Favorite lyrics - You make me so happy it turns back to sad. There’s nothing I hate more than what I can’t have.

9. Getaway Car

First Impressions - L.O.V.E. Jack, you are an amazing human being and I want a picture of you and Taylor on my gravestone with these lyrics engraved. This song sounds like Out of the Woods and Jack’s Rollercoaster had a baby and I’ve never been more obsessed with a love child. Also, just another amazing bridge. I can’t handle it.

Favorite lyrics - It was the best of times, the worst of crimes. I struck a match and blew your mind. But I didn’t mean it. And you didn’t see it. The ties were black, the lies were white. In shades of grey in candlelight, I wanted to leave him. I needed a reason (THE DAMN LYRICISM HERE PEOPLE).

10. King of My Heart

First Impressions - Dat beat doe. THE BEST BRIDGE YET.

Favorite lyrics - Late in the night, the city’s asleep. Your love is a secret I’m hoping, dreaming, dying to keep.

And another (the entire bridge, I just love it): Is this the end of all the endings? My broken bones are mending. With all these nights we’re spending, up on the roof with a schoolgirl crush, drinking beer out of plastic cups. Say you fancy me, not fancy stuff. Baby, all at once, this is enough.

11. Dancing With Our Hands Tied

First Impressions - I’m crying just from the intro. I am dead. I need a moment.

Favorite lyrics - I, I loved you in spite of deep fears that the world would divide us. So, baby, can we dance? Oh, through an avalanche? And say, say that we got it.

12. Dress

First Impressions - Honestly, not as sexy as I thought it would be. But still amazing. Oh dang, and when she stops singing >>> I can’t wait to sing this to the love of my life to spice things up and to convey how much I love him.

Favorite lyrics - Flashback to my mistakes. My rebounds, my earthquakes. Even in my worst light, you saw the truth in me. And I woke up just in time. Now I wake up by your side. My one and only, my lifeline.

13. This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things

First Impressions - I LOVE THIS. Literally so fun. I already know I will listen to this song so, so many times this coming summer. And her laugh?? Savage Taylor, I love it. Also, the references to “Runaway” by Kanye??? ICONIC.

Favorite lyrics - Here’s a toast to my real friends. They don’t care about the he-said-she-said. And here’s to my baby. He ain’t reading what they call me lately. And here’s to my momma. Had to listen to all this drama. And here’s to you. Cause forgiveness, is a nice thing to do.

14. Call It What You Want

First Impressions - The comedown. I like this song, and I love that she’s happy and warm and in love, but this is the only song that I’m kind of “ehhh” about. But it’s still so beautifully done.

Favorite lyrics - Starry eyes sparkin' up my darkest night (I just love that one line so, so much).

15. New Years Day

First Impressions - I am literally sobbing on the airplane currently and people are looking because it’s 5:00 in the morning and I am so emotionally devastated, but I don’t care. This song is so beautiful. I can’t handle it. My heart has been broken and mended four times within these four minutes. I cannot wait to sing this song to the love of my life as we wake up to begin a new year together. Or to sing it to the other loves of my life, my cats. Either one deserves the beauty of this song. This is the perfect ending to a perfect album that I will listen to obsessively for the rest of the year.

Favorite lyrics - Hold on to the memories, they will hold onto you (SOB).

I just don’t think people realize how important this album is, to so many people. I have been a fan of Taylor since I was 12 years old. That’s over a decade of listening to her albums on repeat, using them to process beautiful and heartbreaking emotions and experiences that I didn’t have the capacity to process at times. Taylor provided me the means, through her songs and lyrics, to both comprehend and appreciate what I was going through, no matter the context, and to assure me that as alone as I felt sometimes, I never was. Taylor’s albums have always seemed to line up with exactly what I’m going through in my life. Somehow, in those two-to-three short years between albums, she seemed to face the same struggles and triumphs, and her songs gave me a shield, a sword, and a shoulder to cry both sad and happy tears on when I was going through those same things. As she’s grown, I’ve grown, and her songs have literally become a scrapbook for my life. reputation provides new photos to add to that scrapbook. During the past year, I’ve grown immensely. Part of that growth has focused on owning who I am, not curating my life on social media as much, focusing on my happiness and freedom, and not stressing about what other people think of me. While my experiences might not have not been as dramatic or public as hers, I believe reputation provides me justification; it applauds my personal growth, and it says, yes, at this point in your life you’re allowed to accept yourself as you are. You don’t have to fit into other people’s definitions of success, of happiness, of accomplishments. You can define yourself beyond your Instagram account, beyond the four corners of a photograph. You deserve to focus on your happiness and your goals. You should accept your flaws, own up to your past, and allow yourself to be self-aware, because you’ll feel so much better if you do. Taylor gave me new songs to dance around a room to while avoiding work, relationships, and responsibilities. She gave me a soundtrack as I move further into the real, adult world that is both harsh and magical. She gave me a maturity and a playfulness that I can embrace, while still understanding that I will make mistakes, and that’s okay. So, I’m raising a glass of white wine to Taylor, reputation, and the best years lying ahead.

[rachelannc]

Actors Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein on the set of Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut, BOOKSMART, an Annapurna Pictures release. (Credit: Francois Duhamel / Annapurna Pictures)

In the world of high school comedies, we’ve seen it all: the athletes and jocks, bad boys, princesses, mean girls, drama kids, detention club-goers and boy meets girl-next-door. But how does one stand out among the rest and still maintain complete originality? How does one create something so smart, inclusive, modern, and still incredibly hilarious?

For first-time feature film director Olivia Wilde, Booksmart had me laughing from start to finish. And it does oh so well.

Advertised as the “female Superbad,” Booksmart is one hell of a perfect coming-of-age comedy — maybe the best I’ve seen, and maybe one I never knew that I needed.

The film follows best friends Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) as they are on the brink of their high school graduation. And, from what we can tell, the two have been overachieving goody two-shoes their entire high school careers. For one night, they set out to attend the party of all parties for a coming-of-age moment that sounds all too familiar, but done oh so well.

The friendship that Amy and Molly share feels so easy and familiar. From the moment we meet them, the two are incredibly likable and share a kind of intimacy that only two best friends can share. Dever and Feldstein are both incredibly talented and their natural chemistry pairs well onscreen that their appeal is palpable.

While other comedies have centered around boys getting the girl or losing their virginity (think: Superbad, Can’t Hardly Wait, Risky Business or just about any other teen comedy that has gone down in history), Booksmart is just as raunchy and fun, yet explores the unique bond of a female friendship — something we don’t often get to see in film. We see how two girls share everything together: gossip, sleepover, talk about boys, sex, argue with each other and even examine their own existence in the world of adolescence.

Beanie Feldstein stars as Molly and Kaitlyn Dever as Amy in Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut, BOOKSMART, an Annapurna Pictures release.Credit: Francois Duhamel / Annapurna Pictures

These things are so innate to the female experience, yet throughout history, I’ve felt that female friendship hasn’t exactly been explored in such a raw and relatable way. We get stories of women pursuing men and relationships (“Sex and the City”), see the concept of beauty and bullying for young girls in outrageous matters (Mean Girls), yet how do female friendships really play out — behind all the humor and catfights, shopping mishaps, wedding dress fights and mean girl tendencies? How does a normal, healthy and playful female friendship really play out?

(Side note: If you’re anything like me, the only comment you get when someone sees you and your female “bestie” is that they automatically assume you two are lesbian. Can we please get more representation of healthy female friendships that don’t cater to male fantasy dreamlands?)

I have to applaud Olivia Wilde for her understanding of that connection, which is so wonderfully well-done and translated to the screen through Dever and Feldstein.

Just from the opening scene of the high school classroom where we’re introduced to a majority of the cast — and world of characters that coexist in this film — do I get a sense of Wilde’s innate understanding of the teenage generation today. (And, as I’ve always been a fan of Olivia Wilde‘s work throughout the years, this movie is testament to Wilde’s talent — as an actress, humanitarian, director, woman, and even music selector herself.)

Actors Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein with director Olivia Wilde on the set of her directorial debut, BOOKSMART, an Annapurna Pictures release. (Credit: Francois Duhamel / Annapurna Pictures)

Writer Katie Silberman, actor Austin Crute, director Olivia Wilde and actor Noah Galvin on the set of Olivia’s directorial debut, BOOKSMART, an Annapurna Pictures release. (Credit: Francois Duhamel / Annapurna Pictures)

Actor Beanie Feldstein and director Olivia Wilde on the set of her directorial debut, BOOKSMART, an Annapurna Pictures release. (Credit: Francois Duhamel / Annapurna Pictures)

Director Olivia Wilde and actor Kaitlyn Dever on the set of Olivia’s directorial debut, BOOKSMART, an Annapurna Pictures release. (Credit: Francois Duhamel / Annapurna Pictures)

Actor Kaitlyn Dever and director Olivia Wilde on the set of her directorial debut, BOOKSMART, an Annapurna Pictures release. (Credit: Francois Duhamel / Annapurna Pictures)

To see a cast as diverse and colorful as this simply coexisting in this high school — and, as we see along the way, come to understand each other as all one and the same — is a beautiful and timely thing to see that encapsulates the state of the teen generation today. So long are the days of dull and dreary classrooms, as we now see a cast that includes an incredibly diverse cast of ethnicities, LGBTQ and non-conforming teens.

Above all, the movie is funny. It doesn’t shy away from exploring the natural teen desires of love, lust and “going after the girl” (which I do have to applaud the team for exploring a young girl and her infatuation so natural and well). The comedic timing and pacing is fast, funny and never bores. The stunts and moments in the film, as when the girls have a little dance-off or compliment each other’s beauty endlessly, are incredibly ridiculous and charming. It seems to fulfill all teen comedy tropes, yet does so in a refreshingly honest and playful way.

Booksmart is funny. It is very feminist. It is very colorful. And it is very real.

This may well be one of the funniest, most original and perfect comedies I have seen in years. And I feel Wilde has set off the coming-of-age for a new generation who finally let the nerdy girls shine.

Have you seen this film? I’d love to know your thoughts and share below!

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‘Booksmart’ Film Review: A Goddamn Funny and Revolutionary Female-Fronted Comedy from Olivia Wilde In the world of high school comedies, we've seen it all: the athletes and jocks, bad boys, princesses, mean girls, drama kids, detention club-goers and boy meets girl-next-door.

[kalico-to-the-letter]

REVIEW: RWBY – Vol. 4, Ch. 12: “NO SAFE HAVEN”

Well, fuck.

Welcome to my review of the 12th Chapter – and finale – of Volume 4, entitled, “No Safe Haven”.

This week gave us: A boss fight, letter writing, and a montage. Seriously.

Spoilers after the jump.

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And at last we have it. The finale of Volume 4, that which would not necessarily determine the overall success of the Volume 4 experiment, but would have a significant impact on nonetheless.

I want to love this finale. But I just don’t. 

It feels like a missed opportunity. After the open ending of Volume 3, and after the split narratives of Volume 4, there is something underwhelming about yet another open ending.

And perhaps the biggest problem is how close it comes to getting it right, before deciding that enough is enough and ending the episode.

I’ve enjoyed Volume 4. I’ve found this experiment refreshing and interesting in its potential. I always said that a retool was needed after the climaxes of Volume 3, something to strip the show back to basics and focus on strong scene work. They have done so, and I think that it’s worked well for the most part. It’s all about giving moments time to breath, and allowing more nuance into what we see and hear. But what it also allows is a steady buildup of pace throughout the season, so that the final act feels like it’s heading somewhere definitive.

And on paper, the endgame of this season did end up heading somewhere. Ruby and the rest of RJNR finally arrived at Mistral, after a season of trekking through the boondocks and fighting a boss battle against a Grimm which was truly something out of a horror movie. And they’ve set up the beginning of her Volume 5 story too.

I’ll get to the rest of Team RWBY later.

I’ve been worried about this since Chapter 10, and I’ve written about it in my previous two reviews; that the direction of that particular episode set up an endgame which was not going to be terribly momentous or fulfilling of the season’s promise.

Not that it was bad. It was decent. It focused a lot on Ren and Nora, which I appreciate. Their relationship is perhaps the purest part of the show, and all the moments that they had together and individually in this finale were amazing. Bringing their relationship full circle during the battle was so sweet, and the little moments of closeness in the aftermath made me cry.

But that just isn’t enough for what the occasion demands. And beyond that, what else is there?

After Chapter 11, I personally was very excited. I thought there was no possible way that this finale would be fumbled. I thought that even though the final few episodes had been disjointed, Chapter 11 was setting things up for a finish which would be massively important, if not action-packed. I thought that a direct antagonist would emerge and there would be a bigger moment of tension to end on.

Ultimately, there just isn’t enough for the swelling denouement to feel earned. After arriving in Mistral, Ruby sets about writing a letter to Yang (who surely won’t actually receive it). Her words are very beautiful, especially as it’s overlaid with music and a reasonably stirring montage. She writes about the lessons she's learned; she apologises for leaving the way she did. And she talks about the importance of persevering in spite of everything they’ve all been through, so that they may one day see their hope realised.

Again, very nice, and it’s felt throughout this season like perseverance has been the thematic lynchpin. It’s held the overarching narrative and all the disparate storylines together by being something recognisable and universal on which to lean But there’s just something a little hollow in what Ruby says here. It feels like someone’s built ninety percent of a house and then downed tools, saying, “Job well done,” despite the fact that there are still holes in the walls and roof.

Okay. I didn’t lead with this, because that would have been too easy. But I can’t speak about the unfulfilled promise of this finale without mentioning how Blake, Weiss, and Yang were utilised in this episode. 

Or should I say not utilised?

If there was something everyone would have expected at the beginning of this season, it would have been the eventual reunion of Team RWBY. And yet, Volume 4 is done, and said reunion remains eventual. It’s there, in the wings. Yang and Weiss and Blake are all on the road, so to speak. We can see it taking shape. It just … hasn’t happened.

How? How?

Even with the disjointed endgame, a reunion would have been enough to give positive marks to this episode. And not just for the obvious reasons – that they just should be all together, that it would be bizarre for them to be apart all this time and then stay that way at the end, etc. I even wrote how bizarre it would be for Yang to pick seeing her mother over joining Ruby, overlooking the very possibility that the latter would not even happen in this finale.

A reunion in the finale of Volume 4 symbolises the ultimate of that perseverance theme. These are characters that split up and went their separate ways to recover. They’ve done that, and it only makes sense for them to find the way back to each other, even though they aren’t actively seeking that objective.

To fail the encapsulation of their stories, to fail in bringing them full circle, only emphasises the holes in this finale; even though Weiss, Blake, and Yang have completed their respective solo arcs of the season, the story of Volume 4 is rendered incomplete by the failure to draw all the arcs together. Especially after Chapter 11 implied that it would succeed in bringing them all together.

I am concerned that this will turn people away from the show. Those people who said that Volume 4 was the “last straw”. I worry that the show has failed in the eyes of those people. Because, ultimately, for all the good work it has done in its incrementalism and storytelling, the lack of a full stop – which something as momentous as a reunion would have been – has left Volume 4 significantly empty of impact.

It disappoints me, firstly that the finale would play out the way it has, and secondly that, because of it, many people in RWBY’s audience now won’t want to make it to Volume 5, even though I can see the green shoots that lie ahead. Because there will be a reunion – it just wasn’t this time around. There will be a more direct narrative and a more direct conflict, accessible to casual fans, rather than a collection of personal stories of recovery.

And it thirdly disappoints me because Volume 4 has been good. This experiment has worked. They went somewhere bold with RWBY this season, and it played well. The problem is that the promise of what the season could have been was overtaken the vision of what the season was actually supposed to be. And until the wanderings of these last few episodes, those two things weren’t very different at all.

So where does Volume 4 stand for me? Regardless of my concerns about the show’s audience going forward, how does Volume 4 stack up as a piece of audiovisual storytelling?

If I’m being honest, a reunion may not have been enough for me to call this my favourite season anyway. I still think that Volume 3 was the most complete and the most brilliant season of RWBY we have seen so far, and I would have held on to that view even if the girls had gotten back together as expected. 

But Volume 4 has done well with a format the show had at that point been unused to. It’s given us great character moments, and exciting drama. It’s made me cry and laugh, and that’s no joke.

So, good on the whole, but in the light of the finale and all that it unfortunately exposes, I really don’t know where this season stands. It’s still better than Volume 1, more consistent. It’s definitely better than Volume 2, the incoherent mess that was. But now it’s like it sits on its own somewhere, away from the other three.

Perhaps it will remain that way after Volume 5, if that season returns us to expected programming. 

Perhaps Volume 4 will remain this anomaly, an odd experiment that reminds us of the time when our principal four characters weren’t together. 

Perhaps it remains an outlier that people won’t really know how to be fair with, despite so many great moments.

How was Volume 4 for you? Did you love it? Hate it? Does Volume 4 make you want to be done with this show, as I genuinely fear?

I hope that people stick with this show. I hope that we can accept the show for its ambition, rather than trashing it all the time. I hope we can recognise that nothing is perfect; that we don’t have to overlook all the times the show’s fumbled its promise, but we can still see that which is fulfilled. I hope that we’ll all still be here at the end of 2017, getting ready for these characters to tell another story.

[rollingthundermusic]

“SOUR” by Olivia Rodrigo: Surprisingly Sweet

I dated one person in high school. Just one, as I was a rather shy and awkward kid. They ended up leaving me because they didn’t feel too ready for a relationship, and I took it horribly. In fact, if I had lots of money and a record contract I probably would have made an 11-track, 35 minute long album about it, much like what Olivia Rodrigo has done with her debut album, SOUR. This album is filled to the brim with teenage drama and angst, which makes it probably the best teen pop album to come out in a while. It perfectly encapsulates the drama of a short term high school relationship, with songs like “driver's license” and “happier” perfectly sum up the jealousy and heartbreak surrounding these whirlwind-yet-butterfly-inducing flings. Nobody knows how to traverse life in high school, let alone love, and Rodrigo hits that nail on the head with a tank shell. The instrumentals aren’t too inspired, the guitars on “brutal” are absolutely sterile, and Rodrigo certainly curses as well as any Disney star could. The jealousy portrayed on this album is pretty biting and obsessive, which just feels weird to listen to at times. “hope ur ok” is a genuinely sweet song, and props to Rodrigo for finding room to squeeze that in on this record. That being said, it's a solid record. HOWEVER, and I put that in all caps because good-lord-christ-in-heaven-hallowed-be-thy-name does this need to be emphasized, this album is just dumb high school drama. This is not a revolutionary pop record as so many publications are making it seem to be. This is an album by a teenager about teenage things. And while there’s nothing wrong with that, there’s nothing necessarily profound about that either. If one of my peers talked about an ex-squeeze the way Rodrigo does on here, I’d look at them with genuine concern. I most certainly would not accuse them of redefining what it means to be an emotional young person. So enjoy this record, but don’t think about it too hard. 

(note: many future reviews may have a similar length and feel to them, no need to be verbose on every record.)

[matildazq]

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2018

This always falls around the time of my BFF’s birthday, and we’ve been attending for at least 9 years. We think this might be the 10th anniversary of ever attending? We are old and have bad memories. Also we are old and blindsided by Beyoncé/Jay-Z concerts. Plus there is a lot of day drinking, but I am pretty sure it’s the “old” part that is playing with our timeline.  In many ways, the festival itself has gotten better and better each year we’ve been going. The move from button and punchcard to day passes and tokens has made queueing up a lot more efficient, and it COULD promote taking more chances on more things, except that the website has gotten steadily more terrible since the halcyon days of the Kitty rating system.  

In years past, we could look up our old reviews to refresh our memories about companies, writers, and performers we’d enjoyed. That went by the wayside a couple of years ago. This year, in addition to the site being INCREDIBLY slow and having a bad interface (the slider rating system, which defaults to “5,” which translates into 2.5 stars out of 5 is just . . . Inner Stage Manager will never be over how terrible that is), the ability to click on an actor/writer/performer’s name to see what else they were in disappeared and we had to recreate accounts from scratch. As a result, we stuck almost entirely to our known quantities and didn’t do a lot of exploring, which is a bit of a bummer. The slider rating system

We’re also mourning the loss of the encore performances in favor of the confusing new “Golden Lanyard “ awards. I assume there’s some kind of reasoning behind the elimination of the last-night encores (maybe all shows get an extra scheduled performance?), but on the surface, it seems like a loss. 

Anyway, here are the 10 plays we ere able to hit this year. 

We were shut out of one we really wanted to see, Not Fair, My Lady, which was not only sad because it meant we didn’t see something Shanan Custer was involved with (and we ALWAYS see ALL the things Shanan Custer is involved with), but they were also selling buttons to benefit the League of Professional Theatre Women, so I just tossed a donation their way. 

Our first play was one of my choices. I have unholy love for Winnie the Pooh: 

Company: Fearless Comedy Productions

Show: Deep in The 100 Acre Woods: A "Pooh"-dunnit?

Venue: Minnsky Theatre

Reviewed Aug 05, 2018

I gave this three stars

Side note: This was a new (to us, anyway) venue. Beautiful lobby. The space is a brick-walled, very deep black box theater. Quite flexible for performance, probably, but the acoustics are a challenge. 

Loving, twisted homage There’s a lot of obvious love here from the creators, and much of the cast is quite good. The play itself has a lot of lag in places, and not everyone has a feel for the rapid-fire noir dialogue. But the But the costumes are great, and the genre mash-up works surprisingly well.

Second up was this year’s iteration of something we always see, and it’s always a highlight. This year, I think, was the best we’ve seen. 

Company: Weggel-Reed Productions

Show: Couple Fight: The Musical!

Venue: Rarig Center Thrust

Reviewed Aug 05, 2018

This was, no brainer, 5 stars, though I had my first panic attack that I’d accidentally given it 2.5 stars. 

Although one should love all one’s theater bebes equally, we first saw Allison Witham in this, and OMG, Michael Rogers and Alex Van Loh.  I SO wish we’d had a chance to catch their other show https://www.minnesotafringe.org/2018-show-information/now-we-see-it

The Battle Over The Bulge. Couple fight is always a Fringe Highlight, but they’ve outdone themselves this year. The diversity of styles, fights, and couples keeps the show fresh and interesting from start to finish. ‘Rinth 4-Evah.

Third (I think) was a Shanan Custer show that was supposed to be a two-woman show. 

Company: Custer & Schmidt 

Show: Our Best Life

Venue: Rarig Center Thrust

Reviewed Aug 05, 2018

Four and a half stars for this one. 

Shanan’s partner in crime had to bow out very shortly before Fringe. Although I’m sure she had no desire to test the theory, this demonstrates that an hour of Shanan flies by. I also wonder if she even remembers her turn on @josephscrimshaw‘s Obsessed Podcast as Special Agent Nancy Anderson, or if our occasional references to it make her worry about stalkers. (Don’t NextDoor us, Shanan.) 

Special Agent Nancy Anderson’s one-woman show. I am always carrying a watermelon to any Shanan Custer show, so although a surprise solo show was surely a nightmare for her, it was a decided delight for me. Thanks for not making it weird when the four of us in the back row gasped with fannish glee at the big finish. I’d only heard about it from friends and never dreamed I’d live it!

Fourth (or maybe third), was a Special Request from the Menfolk. 

Company: Grand Island Theatre Show: Hamlet, but Hamlet's a Chicken Venue: Minnsky Theatre

Reviewed Aug 05, 2018

Four and a half stars for this. 

I can’t stress how good this was. It obviously could have been a one-joke Fringe nightmare that never advanced its original, absurd concept, but far from it, this is one of the smartest versions of Hamlet itself that I’ve ever seen. 

No fowl puns here. This is wonderfully done on a number of levels. The handful of experimental misses are more than made up for by excellent “straight” performances that let the absurdity speak for itself.

Fifth was another from our “must-see” stable, coming as it does from Ghoulish Delights. 

Company: Ghoulish Delights, LLC

Show: The Screaming Skull

Venue: Rarig Center Thrust

Reviewed Aug 06, 2018

Four stars for this. 

Very interesting to see Eric Webster crush it in a spooky dramatic role! 

Good spookening. The staging (sound effects and lighting) are great (though a downstage cover on the “fireplace” would have minimized its tendency to distract). Webster’s performance is excellent, though as others have commented, it might’ve needed a bit of trimming.

Sixth, another must-see for us. (I have these out of order now, but I’m too lazy to change—this one came AFTER Blood Nocturne and A Justice League of Their Own)

Company: Comedy Suitcase

Show: Slapdash Panic: Comedy Suitcase ended up in the Fringe Festival with 3 weeks notice and no show!

Venue: Strike Theater

Reviewed Aug 07, 2018

Four stars for this. 

What would Fringe be without Joshua English Scrimshaw giving Inner Stage Manager a heart attack? NOTHING, that’s what. 

Why do they hate inner stage manager? Patchwork, as promised, but they, of course, do a lot with a little. Enjoyed the creative recycling (that sounds Minnesota nice, but I mean it), and the peek behind the curtain of their process. The radio play was especially good (sorry/not sorry, Levi). Inner Stage Manager remains deeply skeptical of these two and their dangerous antics. 

Seventh—This was, I think, a rare “cold pick,” but boy howdy are we lucky we did pick it! 

Company: The Winding Sheet Outfit

Show: Blood Nocturne

Venue: Southern Theater

Reviewed Aug 07, 2018

Five stars. I needed more stars for this one. So. many. more. stars. 

The staging of this was just incredible, on top of the content being superb. I would see anything else from this company in a heartbeat. 

Masterfully done. This is a show that’s fantastic in the short format, yet still makes one wish to see it in long form. The performers were amazing, the writing was excellent (and beautifully paced), the mix of narrative, playing with narrative devices, and music was just perfect. A definite must see.

Eighth—again from the stable! Gotta see the Josh Carson stuff. 

Company: Mainly Me Productions

Show: A Justice League of Their Own

Venue: Theatre in the Round

Reviewed Aug 07, 2018

Four and a half stars. 

This show needed many Amens in addition to stars. AMEN. A treat to see Allison Witham here, too! 

Persist! The expected laugh riot from Josh Carson, though this one is a standout, with a concept that holds up well all the way through the end. The cast is great here, too. The only issue is the vocal challenges of Theater in the Round, especially with a joke-packed script and an enthusiastic audience.

Ninth—Old Timey Radio Drama with our favorites? Yes, please. 

Company: Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society

Show: The Mysterious Old Radio Listening Society Versus the Nazis

Venue: Rarig Center Thrust

Reviewed Aug 08, 2018

Four and a half stars. 

Nazi punching: Necessary and cathartic. 

My Bad Guy Has a First Name . . .Two deep-dive gems, executed deftly by an accomplished cast. I love these shows, as a rule, and I particularly liked these two Nazi-smashing pieces for our times. I especially appreciate the inclusion of contextualizing material, even in the short Fringe format.

Tenth—A content-based gamble. 

Company: FredPictures

Show: The Breakfast Club: The Musical!

Venue: Southern Theater

Reviewed Aug 08, 2018

Three stars here. 

This was an endeavor that just kind of flopped for us. I think I probably liked it best out of our group, but that was mostly based on its ambition, rather than its execution. 

Homage bleeding into imitation. There’s obviously a lot of love poured into this, and the cast does a great job of encapsulating their characters. However, this is rather stylistically off-putting. The piped in music just barely supports the singing (and again, the cast deserves a lot of credit for executing as well as they did); the highly repetitive lyrics get into almost baroque opera territory, making for a very odd combination. Although this advertises itself in the program and pre-show as “parody,” it’s more of an abridged version of the screenplay set to some questionable music. What’s enjoyable about it stems from the affection from both the adaptor and the cast.

[sothisisthehobbit]

Review of Top Seed

My very long-winded, gushy review of Infinite’s new album under the cut.

2. Tell Me: Not gonna lie, when I heard the preview for this song, while I enjoyed it, I was a bit hesitant. One of the things that attracted me to Infinite is the fact their music doesn’t follow after trends. They have their own unique style that works for them and that has helped them become successful.

So, when I heard the kind of EDM/Tropical house style in the preview, I was a little worried. BUT I should’ve known. Infinite has never disappointed me, and they didn’t with this song either.

It starts off almost sounding like your typical EDM song, but as soon as the verses started, I knew it was not. As this reviewer noted, while the music is extremely mellow (especially compared with some of their other title songs) their vocal techniques give the song a sense of urgency and desperation. Many people have said that Tell Me doesn’t sound like an Infinite song, and I can understand why they think that, but I disagree. One thing I’ve always appreciated and loved about Infinite is that most of their songs rely heavily on their vocal. Like, they don’t use a whole of auto tune, they sing live the majority of the time, and their songs always seem centered completely on their voices. Like the main grips of their songs, you could say, are their voices. And I think Tell Me is no different in that aspect. As soon as Sunggyu starting singing the first verse, I knew I’d love it. 

Another thing I adore about this song is how after the intro they jump RIGHT into the first verse. There’s no instrumental break. It just has this sort of forward motion movement to it.

And the chorus?? It’s so addictive. It’s a bit repetitive, yes, but for some reason it doesn’t bother me at all. It’s so catchy; the kind of song that gets stuck in your head easily and you welcome it.  

I’m in love with Dongwoo’s rap break. Like I said before, the song has a forward motion about it, yet they slow it down a lot for this break. I’m also in love with Sungjong’s voice during the verses. 

When I first listened to it, it felt a little disjointed. It just seemed like they had a TON of different elements going on, but the more I listened to it, the more everything seemed to fit together. 

Overall, I absolutely adore this song. I can understand why it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I literally cannot stop listening to it. 

3. Synchronise: Holy crap. This song is amazing. I can understand why it had been runner up for the title track. What I absolutely love about this track is the chorus. I love the looooong drawn out/legato lines followed by the fast paced almost staccato and aggressive type lines. Again, like Tell Me, it moves forward really quickly. The slower, quieter verses provide a nice contrast with the chorus. 

4. No More: This one is as slow as the other two are fast. I absolutely adore the piano in it. Like, I want the sheet music so I can play it myself. This song has such a mellow, relaxed, yet melancholic feel to it. When I listen to it, I feel like I need to be gazing dramatically out a window as it rains. The Woohyun/Myungsoo/Sungjong vocal combo they did during the showcase is h e a v e n. Their voices compliment each other so wonderfully. I haven’t looked up the lyrics for this one yet, but it already makes me want to cry. I’m really looking forward to hearing this on music shows.

5. TGIF: Honestly....when Woohyun said this song is Dongwoo he was 110% correct. Everything about it, from the rich beat, the excited and high flung chorus, the bridge, all of it SCREAMS Dongwoo. It’s definitely a party song, and again that just fits Dongwoo’s personality. And I love it. I’ve seen a lot people calling this the Dongwoo Era, and I’m inclined to agree. He has really been shining through his dancing in Tell Me, and through his vocals and I’m beyond happy that he’s finally getting the chance to show them off. I’ve noticed that a lot of my favorite little pieces in some of their other music are the parts where he’s singing. And as much as I adore Sunggyu and his voice, I’m SO glad Dongwoo didn’t agree to having him sing in this song. I’ve been dying for a Dongwoo solo for ages and it’s fantastic. 

6. Pray. This song belongs in a movie. Seriously. Out of all the songs in the album, this one stands out the most for me in terms of uniqueness. From the little intro with strings, to the break right before the first verse. It’s just sounds so grand and epic. Also the fact that it just keeps getting bigger, and louder, and grander throughout the whole song just adds to it’s richness. I don’t understand why this song wasn’t originally released in 2011, but I’m glad we have it now. When I saw the title for it, I expected it to be something like No More; soft, quiet, reflective. But it’s the opposite. It’s bold, and extravagant and the boys pulled it off wonderfully. 

7. Why Me. Listen, I love my ballads. I adore them. Ballads are some of my favorite songs. So, when I heard the preview for this song I knew I’d love it. It did not disappoint. Every time I listen to it I want to cry. It’s so tender and gentle and lovely. It also reminded me why I’m so in love with Sunggyu’s voice. Like I said earlier, I think one of the special things about Infinite is their vocals; Sunggyu’s in particular. I’ve listened to tons of music in my time from countless different genres, but Sunggyu is one of the most expressive singers I have ever had the joy of listening to. My family often remarks that they don’t understand how I can listen to music where I don’t know what they’re saying. It’s because of Sunggyu!!! (partially). I don’t need to understand the lyrics. His voice, and the emotions he’s projecting through his vocals are enough. I think all of Infinite is really good at doing this. In this song in particular, the grief, desperation and love is tangible in their voices. I haven’t even looked up the lyrics yet. It reminds me of an OST from a drama. Why Me is quite possibly my favorite ballad they’ve ever done. It’s a toss up between this and Mom.

8. Break: Now this song is what I think of when I think of Infinite’s typical style. I started listening to Infinite because of songs like The Eye, Back, Bad, Last Romeo and their other title tracks, but it’s because of songs like this that they became my most favorite group. It’s just so happy! And bright, and fun. It’s the type of song that’s perfect for dancing. It reminds me of Entrust, Cover Girl, and It Can’t Get Better Than This. It reminds me of sunshine and light and hugs and just fun and beautiful things. I feel like it will be physically impossible for me to listen to this song on a low volume. It has to be turned up LOUD. 

9. I Hate: My first thought when I heard the preview for this song: “HOLY CRAP INFINITE DID AN ANIME OPENING.” And come to find out, this song was originally in Japanese. And I LOVE it. Jpop is what got me into kpop, so it feels like I’m going back to my roots heh. I never thought I’d hear Infinite do a rock song, but they absolutely nailed it. It’s thanks to the guitar riffs/solos, Woohyun’s and Sunggyu’s powerhouse vocals, Myungsoo/Sungjong/Sungyeol’s softer, lighter voices, and Dongwoo’s rich one. They all contrast and blend together nicely to create an intense and urgent type of song. While I almost wish this one had remained as the title track, I can understand why they changed it. It would’ve been hard to promote this type of song continuously. I just hope we get to hear at least part of it during one of their music show performances. Also I can’t help but think of young Sunggyu’s desire to be in a rock band when I listen to this song heh. I reeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaalllllllllllllllllly hope they do more of this style in the future. 

10. The Day that Passed: I’ve always thought Myungsoo’s voice was cute. Especially in their earlier songs. But recently, he’s improved VASTLY. His lines in One Day have literally made me cry. He now has more control over his voice, it’s smoother, and just beautiful. Which is why I’m so glad they gave him a solo. It kind of reminds me of the OST he did for Ruler; a soft, bittersweet ballad. His high notes are stunning. I really need to look up the lyrics for this one since he wrote them. I hope he tries his hand at even more song writing in the future. 

11. Confession: My son Sungjong has finally gotten the solo he has been wanting and deserves!!! And it’s absolutely perfect. I wish I could personally thank the person who composed it for him. It’s adorable, and perky, just like Sungjong himself. It almost sounds like a show tune. Like Myungsoo, his vocals have improved dramatically. His voice is so smooth and light. I particularly love the bridge. I’m incredibly proud of Sungjong. In my opinion, out of all the members, Sungjong has had the fewest chances to showcase his abilities and talents. Woohyun and Sunggyu have their solo careers, Dongwoo and Hoya their rapping and dancing, Myungsoo and Sungyeol their acting, but Sungjong always seems to get left behind, even though he is a wonderful dancer, a stunning vocalist, hilarious on variety shows, and has one of the kindest and gentlest hearts. I hope the release of this solo song is just a preview of what he’ll be doing in the future.

12. Begin Again: This song feels like a warm hug. Ever since they sang it at the fanmeeting, I haven’t been able to get enough of it. I don’t know if it’s because it was the first new song they performed as a group in over a year, or if it’s the title, or if it’s the fact that they went through so much crap last year, but whichever the case, this song feels fresh and warm. It also sounds hopeful. Like, even though they lost a member, and that they were on a long and difficult hiatus for a year and four months, they’re still here. They’re going to begin again. They’re starting fresh and they’re ready to deliver even more wonderful songs. I also feel like this song encapsulates the album as a whole.

Most of the songs on this album are different from their usual styles. They included many different genres, techniques and styles. It almost feels like they’re reorienting themselves. They can’t replace Hoya, nor can they get back the time they lost last year, but the six of them can continue to create music that is unique to them. Even if it’s slightly different, it’s still Infinite. It’s still the boys who rose from a small company; the ones who lived in a tiny dorm with other trainees, and who almost disbanded. The ones who are incredibly hardworking, talented and humble. 

Top Seed, in my opinion, is one of the best albums they have released so far. They stretched themselves, and created songs that are much different from their usual style. This album very well could’ve been terrible with so many different genres and styles. But Infinite, per usual, managed to pull it off and I’m immensely grateful to them for not disbanding, for pushing themselves, for thinking and loving us fans, and for always delivering outstanding music.