#Rewatched 7 June 2023

[brian-in-finance]

Screenshot: OutlanderWatch

S05E11 Journeycake • 3 May 2020 Official Script

Outlander Rewatch 2023 Countdown To Season 7

Favourite Word

Ouch! It's hot. — Jemmy

Gif: @briannaellen

Gifs: @fyeahthemackenzies

Favourite Line

I knew you were a fairy, Auntie. — Ian

Favourite Image

Very tasty, but, um... are you sure it's to be eaten? Ye could seal letters or mend your boots wi' it as well. — Jamie Fraser

Remember… haven’t quite mastered ice cream yet, but I'll be damned if Jemmy grows up without tasting peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. — Claire Fraser

66th of 75 • Wednesday, 7 June 2023

[starburstmlp]

Luz is actually 13 at the start of the Owl House and here's why (Owl House timeline analysis).

Please read!!! 👉👈

Ok, so I've been rewatching the owl house recently through Danny Motta's videos on YouTube, and it got me to thinking about the years the owl house takes place in and the logistics of the BI and Earth time zones. So, I made an analysis:

*SPOILERS BELOW*

First off, let's talk about Luz.

When you look up Luz's age online, it says that Luz is canonically 14 years old in the show. But when you look at the events of the show (*Spoilers sorry*), we see that Luz is celebrating her birthday on the BI, and we see Eda say this line:

Ok, no big deal, right? Well, if we look at the events of the show, we know that the kids were in the Human realm for a while. It was fall in the human realm when the kids arrived after the day of Unity. After the montage of them in the Human realm, it is shown to be Halloween. This means that they would have been in the Human realm for a little under a year, meaning it doesn't make sense that Eda would say that line because Luz would have already turned 15 during that year in the Human realm while the collector was controlling the BI.

So, for this timeline, I'm gonna reference @drachenfalter's calendar analysis (check it out, it's great). In this analysis, they use this picture of a BI calendar.

We see here that the calendar has 42 days in a month, and so their analysis shows that the BI would have 9 months in a year instead of 12, meaning the time zones don't change, but the calendar is longer (hence, why Luz can text her mom in the same time zone).

For Luz's birthday, there is no specific birthday stated for her, but for the sake of the post, I'm gonna head cannon it to be April 8th because that is the day Watching and dreaming came out. Watching and dreaming came out in 2023, and there is a 3-year timeskip at the end, with Luz having graduated High school already in the human realm and preparing to start college in the BI. If we assume that the timeskip takes place in that modern day in 2023, then that would mean that Belos's final defeat takes place in 2020, and the start of the show would have taken place not in 2020, when the show came out, but in 2019, 1 year prior, explaining Luz's narration at the end.

With that in mind, here is my timeline Headcannon.

Luz- 13 years old at the start of the show finishing 8th grade.

Time: Mid-May or beginning of June 2019.

Luz birthday: April 8th (H.C.)

Luz turns 13, finished 8th grade, Camilla sends luz to camp; Luz leaves for BI in Mid-May (March for BI), 2019.

Luz learns magic, attends Hexside, dates Amity in the span of 5 BI months, 7 Earth Months. (It is fall when Luz finds Vee and returns home after the day of Unity).

Luz fights Belos and goes back to the Human realm in November 2019 (September for BI).

The Hexsquad go live in human realm for 1 calendar year, give or take.

- Luz goes back to school, the gang experiences the different seasons in the Human realm montage in Thanks to Them, time jump ends at Halloween.

Luz turns 14 during this time in 2020, and is a sophomore in high school in Thanks to Them (reminder: there is no pandemic in the Owl house universe)

The Hexsquad fights Belos again and goes back to the BI on Halloween in 2020 (End of August/Beg. of September for BI).

The Hexsquad saves the BI in November 2020 (September for BI).

*Timeskip 3 years later*

Luz turns 15 in 2021, spends it rebuilding the Isles.

Luz turns 16 in 2022

Luz turns 17 in 2023, reaches the end of senior year, graduates' high school in the human realm with Vee.

The finale takes place on April 8th, 2023 (February for BI).

- Luz turns 17, celebrates her "King-ceañera".

Luz goes to magic university in the BI in 2023.

- Luz's move in date for school is shown to be August 21st in "Watching and Dreaming", which would be June for the BI, meaning that Luz will have left for school 3-4 months early since she is also shown to be packing in the episode.

Ok, so one last thing to note, with this timeline, the finale would take place in 2023, and Luz would be celebrating her 17th birthday in the BI. This means that Luz would have still been a legal minor when starting college. My head cannon is that Camilla allowed Luz to stay with Eda and Raine for the 3-4 months before starting school, and constantly checked in on Luz during her time in the dorms before turning 18 (as well as long after, of course:)). Eda and Raine would likely also coparent to make sure that Luz was keeping up with her move in process and magic studies.

Anyway, that's my timeline analysis for the Owl house! Hope y'all like it! (I also have other Head cannons for the ages of the other Hexsquad members that go with this timeline if y'all wanna know).

[ilovebeinaturtle]

Knux Loves TMNT (June 2024 Update)

Heya guys! It’s @knuxthefangirl here! This is my TMNT blog ILoveBeinATurtle! I have been a TMNT fan since the mid 2000s (sometime between 2003-2006 I got into it)! And late 2021 I started getting super into it again from rewatching all 7 seasons of my favorite childhood cartoon TMNT 2003! Last time I was super into TMNT was in the late 2000s (2007-2008 maybe?)! Since getting into it again I joined a bunch online communities (mostly Discord servers (MANY servers that I lost count lolz), deviantART groups and a Facebook group)! I even made my own TMNT Discord server for fans of my favorite turtle Mikey! (leave a comment below this post if you're interested in joining)

In 2022 I even watched all the TMNT movies (and rewatched the ones I saw as a kid (TMNT 2007 & Turtles Forever)). I even rewatched 2012 and Rise since last update (May 2023)! Early this month I started watching the 87 cartoon! I'm currently up to season 2! Well anyway this blog will mostly reblogging 2003/Mikey stuff and with some of the other TMNT cartoons/movies too!

I’m having so fun in the TMNT community! So thanks so very much guys! 🧡🧡🧡🐢

[unquietspiritao3]

went digging into my youtube watch history yesterday as we were discussing what series we started with when we got into taskmaster. so if you were curious, this is how it happened for me

(tldr: i watched the series in a very weird order and posted the first chapter of Should’ve been obvious on the same day i finished series 7)

started watching bake off when it first went on netflix (counting this as ‘the start’ bc becoming a fan of noel was important, as you will see)

got into britcom/panel shows (mostly wilty, qi, bfq) around 2020? (i didn’t actually go back this far in my watch history); discovered james and watched repertoire

sometime between 2020 and 2023, watched a compilation of funny james clips that included greg pulling him to the back of the stage for a scolding, loved it and rewatched it often, but was never curious enough to check out the rest of the show. i think i assumed the weird kinkiness of it was down to james, not the show itself?

(it should be noted that yes, the youtube algorithm was constantly recommending taskmaster to me, but it did a piss-poor job of picking the right videos. if it had just recommended the ‘alex calls greg daddy’ outtake, i would’ve given in muuuucch sooner)

may 21, 2023, 9:52pm: for some reason, i finally clicked on one of the official taskmaster compilations, the one called ‘moments that left greg davies absolutely STUNNED’. then watched five more compilations over the next hour before bed

may 22, 2023: watched my first full episode, which was coc1ep1 (probably bc of noel in the thumbnail; told you that’d be important), then more compilations, then finally decided to watch it properly, i guess, and started on series 1

over the next 12-ish days, watched in this order: series 1, series 4 (noel again, plus mel? yes please), series 5, series 2, series 3, series 6, series 7. also, i was looking up outtakes for each series as i went through at this point

i remember this all as a blur, a slow descent from ‘oh cool, another panel show i like’ to ‘wait a minute, why is all of it so kinky? there must be fic? lemme read some fic’ to, about four eps into series 7, ‘omg i can see a fic taking shape here, i must write’

june 4, 2023: finished series 7 and posted the first chapter of Should’ve been obvious that very same day

[lesbiheon]

tagged by @dreamaze @honeyimissjoo for the cc year in review - every month in 2023 - thank you wings 🪽💜! thank you eri 🐝💛!

rule: line your favorite and/or most popular post from each month this year (skipping months is fine!) and tag some ccs you love!

tagging @froghwon & anyone who would like to do this!!!

january (21): fav (tie between hyungwon's & ck's bday sets! these were incredibly fun to make creatively & research-wise) + most popular (hyungwon & ck in the beautiful liar mv)

(the rest of the months & corresponding gifs below the cut :3)

february (5): fav (jooheon's 1st day as the mc of m countdown! pls ignore the quality of this 200x300 gif...) + most popular (jooheon being amazed by minhyuk doing his thing during the recording of "it's alright" so true!)

march (7): fav (fav shownu era during the #shownureturns event i teamed up w @/monstax-info to host 💕 love killa era you will always be famous!!! loved this coloring toooo... don't mind the quality hnnnnng!) + most popular (from the @/shownueats sideblog shownu's rant about carbs lol)

april (7): fav (pd jooheon on peak time! "turning point" was one of my fav 2023 tracks!!!) + most popular (another set from the @/shownueats sideblog! my fav shownu variety show which is ofc yum-yum yum-yum not surprising hehe)

may (9): fav (tie between freedom mv & freedom solo debut stage @ m countdown bc after YEARS of hating perf sets (giffing) this one came out sooooo nice i shocked myself also this was joolo month 💛!!!!!!!) + most popular (the zagis @ inkigayo 💕 GOD I MISS THEM ｡°(°.◜ᯅ◝°)°｡

june (7): fav (shownu as text posts for his bday set bc silly sets like these are my absolute fav to make) + most popular (freedom mv behind where jooheon looks like danny phantom personified lollllll)

july (14): fav (jooheon showing up on hyungwon's last day of being inkigayo's mc bc that right there is love) + most popular (cute ck from cosmo behind<3)

august (8): fav (jooheon's hair colors through the eras ugh i loved working on this one!!! i rewatched soooo many monchannel eps & the ones from 2017/2018... they had me cracking up at like 3 am bc they're all so funny & I'm always missing ot7 so there's that... plus! the coloring came out so cohesive i was really happy w the outcome) + most popular (mx + wonho as text posts again another fun silly set!)

september (1): only 1 set this month :0!!! so fav + most popular was shownu wiping mayo that had fallen on hyungwon's shirt & then proceeding to lick it off his finger bc ofc no food shall be EVER be wasted in his presence!!!!!!!!)

october (7): fav (jooheon's bday set! i worked so hard on this one T___T also narrowing down my fav jooheon songs was roughhhh his music is incredible yknow?) + most popular (xiumin calling hyungwon pretty & the producer dropping some hilarious news lolllll)

november (5): fav (minhyuk's bday set!!!!! bc i loooooove making playlists dedicated to the monstas :'-) & also bc i finished this set after years of working on it ;;; i kept adding them removing then adding etc. songs) + most popular (muscle!won)

december (6): fav (hyungwon + that look when performing 👀) + most popular (shownu shocked by shirtless hyungwon getting hair & mu done lol)

[kimuramasaya]

every month of 2023! 🎉

rules: link your favorite and/or most popular post from each month this year <3 (it’s totally fine to skip months!) and tag some CCs you love!

tagged by @ambivartence @dongkwan and @xiaojuun thank you beloveds 💓

I'll tag @woodziecup @lunetual @dreamaze @hwichanis and @mizugucci, but if you haven't been tagged and want to do this, consider this your tag!

I did not post nearly as much as I thought I did this year, and my gifs really got increasingly niche 😅 I'm just linking to my favorite set from each month since there are few months with only a couple posts

jan: txt sugar rush ride studio choom. these aren't the best since they were the first gifs I made in 3 months, but this is what got me giffing again, so it feels important

feb: tnx sungjun love or die. here's where the niche content starts. my other tnx sets from this month did better, but I liked this one best

march: vanner hyesung vlive. this was my busiest month as I made my way through old vanner content and vity groovy stages

april: dkb lune 24/7 compilation aka the time I made 27 lune gifs and then only posted 15 to look less insane

may: ikon jinhwan u. when will my husband return from the war 😞

june: vanner on idol league. my belovedest peak time winners ♡

july: jinhwan solo concept photos. remember when I went off with this coloring? I still can't believe how well these came out I'll never color something so well again

august: vanner gon performer ending fairy. everyone needs to perceive my wonseo it's not optional

sept: vanner hyesung performer ending fairy. I only posted 4 sets (all of vanner) this month, but even if I posted more, my cutest hamji would probs still be my fave

oct: ini masaya hana ending fairy. my one and only post for the month. this started my jpop posting, which somehow has a smaller audience than my kpop flops

nov: ini drop choreography video. despite me not discovering this song until like august, it was my second most played song of the year. this was also probably one of my most rewatched yt vids, and i do think everyone should watch it at least once

dec: jo1 takumi radiovision. I've barely posted this month, but expect more jo1 and ini gifs next week since I'm done with work for the year. it's just me and my audience of 4 against the world

[natsubeatsrock]

Top 7 Things I Enjoyed in 2023: Number 0

Working with children has been a constant reminder of my mortality. This upcoming June will mark ten years since graduating high school. I don't know that I'd imagine doing even a fraction of what I'm doing now. I didn't know about Fairy Tail. Writing as much as I have about anything would have seemed insane.

Other things were different then. A decade ago, Cartoon Network was still trying to make live-action shows. I didn't hate all of them. One of my favorites was Incredible Crew, which was their attempt at All That. The cast included Jeremy Shada, who voiced Finn from Adventure Time, and some guy named Shamiek Moore. He had some of the crazier roles in skits and he grew on me. And it's always great to see more black actors doing well.

We were also getting ready for the Lego Movie. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were directing a movie that we all thought was going to be a massive sell-out film. In reality, people were slightly disappointed it didn't get more respect. Honestly, it might have deserved an Oscar nod for best song. Even rewatching it recently this year, it's impressive how much was able to be done with the medium.

I wonder what they're all up to now…

Number 0 - Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Apologies to Scott Pilgrim, but this wasn't a competition. 

Almost the instant I left the theater watching this, I knew this film wasn't just the best thing I experienced this year. It might be one of the best superhero movies of all time. Not just for kids, or Marvel, or Spiderman, or whatever time limit you want to put to it. If the competition between the prequel and Endgame was close, this blew the comparison out of the water. Aside from the Guardians movie I've yet to see, it doesn't even sound like there was much competition this year. 

We live in a world where so many properties are trying to handle a multiverse, in no small part because of the original. With a few exceptions, the experiments with the concept have yet to yield great results. Many studios have forgotten the lesson taught by Marvel Studios: get audiences to care about and connect with as few characters as you can reasonably develop at a time. Once that’s done, we can start caring about others as the universe is built.

A big focus of this film is Gwen Stacy. Rewatching the original film, I came to appreciate her version of Spider-Woman a lot more than the first time I saw the film. With one clever retcon, we got to focus on her more than before. She wishes for people she can open up to without the fear that it won’t end well.

However, we never lose focus on Spider-Man himself in all of this. Miles is coming to grips with the fact that, in his universe, he doesn’t feel like he belongs. A lot of people around me have noted that he’s giving up his artistic skills to study physics, just so he can be with his friends. All things considered, that doesn’t seem necessary. (From experience, that would be a depressing life to lead.) His journey is finding security in his own identity, both as Miles Morales and Spider-Man. 

These are the kind of superhero stories we’ve come to know and love over the years. Even after watching this movie once, I was impressed with how much was packed into the film on repeat watches and discussions with other fans. Some things I picked up on, but other things needed to be pointed out to me. The same can be said about the original, but this film feels like everyone involved knows what they’re capable of and is actively pushing their boundaries.

I am not expecting Beyond the Spider-Verse to come out next year. I didn’t believe it would come out on time when I saw the planned release date, and other news made that seem less likely. However, with as many questions and lines this film has set up for the future, it shouldn’t come as a shock to see that film top the list the year it comes out as well.

For now, Across the Spiderverse stands as the undisputed best thing I enjoyed in 2023.

[crowdvscritic]

behind the scenes // ST. LOUIS FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION AWARDS (2023)

The winners have been revealed! The St. Louis Film Critics Association has announced its picks for the most outstanding filmmaking in 24 categories. Like all of the Nobel Prize winners in Barbie, they all worked hard for and deserve the recognition. 

If you’re interested in the mechanics of how critics’ voting works , I recently provided a behind-the-scenes look at last year’s voting with a more logistical view. (Read it here or just keep scrolling to the next post if you’re on the home page of Crowd vs. Critic.) For this year's behind-the-scenes look, I’ll be sharing more about why I chose my nominations and how I decided on final voting. Of note, I had not seen every film that ended up being nominated before I submitted my nominations ballot, so if you’re wondering why I ignored Anatomy of a Fall, Bottoms, Evil Dead Rise, The Holdovers, Godzilla Minus One, Knock at the Cabin, Menus Plaisirs - Les Troisgros, Perfect Days, Poor Things, Robot Dreams, Skinamarink, Talk to Me, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, or The Zone of Interest, the simple reason is that there are only 24 hours in a day!

Unlike awards shows, I’m starting with the big kahuna: Best Picture! The SLFCA decided to up this category’s number of nominations to 10 from 5, and you’ll keep seeing these 10 titles in my voting:

Priscilla - My favorite Sofia Coppola movie since 2006’s Marie Antoinette. It just missed a lot of nominations, which I suspect is because too few in the group had seen it, but those who had seen it ranked it highly. Unfortunately, every critic in the group only has 24 hours in a day!

Air - I rewatched this just before submitting my nominations, and it still rules! Based on chatter from my colleagues, I suspected the first six films on my list didn't have a ton of support across our group, which is why I ranked them higher. As you can see, my suspicion was correct since none of them made the final cut

BlackBerry - Another film that just missed nominations by a few votes, including Glenn Howerton’s performance as a most terrorizing boss

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. - My first notable theater cry this year

Asteroid City - The 4th of 7 movies in my top 10 that were released before October—a rarity! I’ve been thinking about all of them for months since their release, which tells me it's not just Awards Season hyping them up in my mind

The Iron Claw - This is the most recent viewing to make my list, and it's also the one that made me cry the most

Past Lives - I ultimately ended up voting for Past Lives because its simple elegance moved me so much that it has stayed with me since seeing it in June

Barbie - The funniest movie of the year and one with big ideas...aka the heart of Crowd vs. Critic!

Oppenheimer - Practically eligible in every category—what wasn’t well-done here?

Killers of the Flower Moon - The same note as Oppenheimer, which is to say, no notes! I correctly assumed Past Lives, Barbie, Oppenheimer, and Killers of the Flower Moon would earn nominations without ranking them at the top of my noms, which was why I ranked them low even though I think they are all outstanding

Also on my long list: Creed III, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, The Killer, You Hurt My Feelings

Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor are two categories I never wavered on how I would vote. Lily Gladstone and Ryan Gosling put performances for the ages on the screen this year! I also wanted to recognize the incredible year Jason Schwartzman has had between Asteroid City, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. His lead role in Asteroid seemed like the best bet for widespread support, but basically every time he breathed in The Hunger Games, I laughed.

More actors on my long list: Matt Damon, Air; Scarlett Johansson, Asteroid City; Anthony Hopkins, Freud’s Last Session; Florence Pugh, A Good Person; Jason Schwartzman, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes; Zac Efron, The Iron Claw; Michael Fassbender, The Killer; Carey Mulligan, Maestro; Jessica Chastain, Memory; Jodie Foster, Nyad; Teo Yoo, Past Lives; Colman Domingo, Rustin; Julia Louis-Dreyfus, You Hurt My Feelings 

These categories are always difficult for me to pin down. For Ensemble, is it about the breadth of performers and the number of familiar people I am happy to see? For Director, is it the size of the production and the level of difficulty the shoot appeared to have? Those are all factors, but I think it comes down to weaknesses being nigh invisible in both categories. For example, in The Iron Claw, it was difficult to identify which actor stood out the most because they worked so well in tandem. In Past Lives, the camera work, performances, and writing aligned perfectly to support its theme in every moment. Barbie ended up being my final vote in both categories because Greta Gerwig's vision of Barbie Land was inspired and every member of the huge cast found a moment to shine.

More directors on my long list: Ben Affleck, Air; Matt Johnson, BlackBerry; Sean Durkin, The Iron Claw; David Fincher, The Killer; Martin Scorsese, Killers of the Flower Moon; Bradley Cooper, Maestro; Todd Haynes, May December

More ensembles on my long list: American Fiction, The Boys in the Boat, The Color Purple, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Leave the World Behind, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

Which stories felt clever, sharp, and authentic to the human experience? Which felt fresh with a unique point of view? Which created moments I've never seen before onscreen? Which explored its ideas with honesty, empathy, and thoroughness? It’s no coincidence 8 of these screenplay 10 nominations align with my picks for Best Film.

More screenplays on my long list: American Fiction, The Boys in the Boat, Freud’s Last Session, A Good Person, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, The Iron Claw, The Killer, May December, Memory, Oppenheimer, Polite Society, You Hurt My Feelings

There’s no such thing as objectivity in criticism, but it really goes out the window when looking at these focused categories. Animated and Documentary films aren’t as plentiful as live-action narrative films, and I’m not naturally drawn to Horror and International films as much as other genres, though I’m trying to grow in those areas. (Seeing Cocaine Bear, Renfield, and A Haunting in Venice in theaters felt like big risks for me!) Not including My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 on my ballot would have felt dishonest since I saw it three times in theaters, and Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour is one of the most fun theatrical experiences I’ve had in years. Perhaps my most unpopular vote this year was for Elemental over Spider-Verse—I'm one of the few people who liked but didn’t love that sequel.

More genre films on my long list: Cocaine Bear (Comedy), The Covenant (Action), The Equalizer 3 (Action), Extraction II (Action), Gran Turismo (Action), Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (Action, Comedy), A Haunting in Venice (Horror), The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Action), Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Action), Kandahar (Action), The Meg 2: The Trench (Action), Polite Society (Comedy), Renfield (Comedy), You Are So Not Invited to My Bar Mitzvah (Comedy), You Hurt My Feelings (Comedy)

In many ways, Stunts and Visual Effects are extensions of the Action Film category, with a few exceptions. The Iron Claw is a drama with insane wrestling stunts, and Polite Society is an action-comedy that centered on the art of stunt work.

More stunts on my long list: Creed III, Extraction II, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Kandahar, Sisu

More VFX on my long list: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, John Wick: Chapter 4, M3GAN

This is where my Spotify Top 100 comes in handy. The Air, Barbie, BlackBerry, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and Priscilla soundtracks all charted for me this year, which made those votes no-brainers. Asteroid City, Creed III, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, and Past Lives all had soundtracks I spent time with as well, and May December’s score almost acts like a narrator, adding comedic and dramatic punch when needed.

More music on my long list: Creed III, A Good Person, The Iron Claw, The Killer, Killers of the Flower Moon, Leave the World Behind, Maestro, Oppenheimer, Wish

These come down to wow(!) factor, and the categories were some of the hardest to rank. I voted for Priscilla for Costume Design in the final round because I hoped that movie would win something, but to be honest, I adored the costumes in Barbie and Killers of the Flower Moon, too. Same with Production Design: I picked Asteroid City, but it's a three-way tie between Asteroid City, Barbie, and Killers for me.

More editing on my long list: Barbie, BlackBerry, The Iron Claw, Leave the World Behind, Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, Missing, Oppenheimer

More cinematography on my long list: The Iron Claw, John Wick: Chapter 4, Killers of the Flower Moon, Leave the World Behind, May December

More costumes on my long list: Asteroid City, The Boys in the Boat, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Oppenheimer

More production design on my long list: The Boys in the Boat, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, The Iron Claw, The Killer, Maestro, Oppenheimer, Sisu

I saved Best Scene for last when picking my nominations since I'm better at remembering how a movie makes feel as a whole than its scenes. I started thinking through my favorite movies of the year, and these moments were the ones that left the biggest impressions (more wow factor!). Barbie’s scene of tricking the Kens made me laugh so hard I cried, but I happily voted for America Ferrera’s monologue in the end since it just made me cry, period.

More scenes on my long list: Killers of the Flower Moon, lots of choices!, Maestro, lots of choices!, May December, hot dogs; Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One, the train falling; Past Lives, bar conversation

See more about the St. Louis Film Critics Association picks for 2023 at STLFilmCritics.org.

[twwpress]

Weekly Press Briefing #45: April 30th - May 6th

Welcome back to the Weekly Press Briefing, where we bring you highlights from The West Wing fandom each week, including new fics, ongoing challenges, and more! This briefing covers all things posted from April 30 - May 6, 2023! Did we miss something? Let us know; you can find our contact info at the bottom of this briefing!

Challenges/Prompts:

The following is a roundup of open challenges/prompts. Do you have a challenge or event you’d like us to promote? Be sure to get in touch with us! Contact info is at the bottom of this briefing.

The Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda Josh/Donna prompt fest (hosted by @jessbakescakes and @thefinestmuffin) is open for claiming; fics reveal on June 24th. Details here. 

Photos/Videos:

Here’s what was posted from April 30 - May 6.

Allison Janney posted supporting the children’s book Dule Hill and his wife co-wrote (and Janel Moloney and Josh Malina posted about it too!).

Allison Janney posted an audio clip from the podcast Don’t Ask Tig of her and Tig Notaro talking about their viral party bus video.

Amy Landecker posted photos from her and Brad’s trip to D.C.

Amy Landecker posted photos of her and Brad bowling with the Second Gentleman in the basement of the White House on their recent trip to D.C. 

Amy Landecker posted a video of the bowling mentioned above. 

Amy Landecker posted photos of her and Brad’s trip the Capitol in Helena, Montana (where her mom lives) to show support for Montana Rep. Zooey Zephyr. 

Amy Landecker posted photos of the pets she and Brad have hung out with on their trip. 

Amy Landecker posted photos of her and Brad with Kyra Sedgwick at an event celebrating the launch of the SAG AFTRA Green Council in D.C.

Bradley Whitford posted a photo of his cat, Kiki.

Bradley Whitford posted a video of Joshua Malina being introduced by his “I can’t act” clip at a New York Mets game

Bradley Whitford posted more photos from his trip to D.C. 1 | 2

Bradley Whitford posted a photo and a video from the Montana State House, along with words of support for Rep. Zooey Zephyr.

Dule Hill posted a video clip of himself talking on a Psych rewatch podcast.

Dule Hill posted photos of himself and his wife Jazmyn Simon celebrating the release of their children’s book Repeat After Me.  

Dule Hill posted an announcement that his show The Wonder Years will be back on June 14. 

Dule Hill posted promoting an episode of the podcast Good Inside with Dr. Becky where he and his wife Jazmyn Simon appear to talk about their new book Repeat After Me. 

Dule Hill posted a photo of himself and his wife with Dionne Warwick. 

Josh Malina posted about his show Leopoldstadt being nominated for 6 Tony Awards.

Marlee Matlin posted a throwback photo of herself getting her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame 14 years ago.

Marlee Matlin posted a photo of herself and her son Brandon by the Marquette University sign to celebrate his graduation - at which she was the commencement speaker.  

Melissa Fitzgerald posted a photo of herself holding her copy of Dule Hill’s new children’s book. 

Donna Moss Daily: April 30 | May 1 | May 2 | May 3 | May 4 | May 5 | May 6

Daily Josh Lyman: April 30 | May 1 | May 2 | May 3 | May 4 | May 5 | May 6

No Context BWhit: April 30 | May 1 | May 2 | May 3 | May 4 | May 5 | May 6

This Week in Canon:

Welcome to This Week in Canon, where we revisit moments in The West Wing that occurred on these dates during the show’s run.

Season 1, Episode 20: Mandatory Minimums aired on May 3, 2000.

Season 2, Episode 20: The Fall’s Gonna Kill You aired on May 2, 2001.

Season 3, Episode 18: Enemies Foreign and Domestic aired on May 1, 2002.

Season 4, Episode 21: Life on Mars aired on April 30, 2003.

Season 7, Episode 20: The Last Hurrah aired on April 30, 2006.

Editors’ Choice: 

This week we’re gathering some fics set during, after, or otherwise inspired by The Fall’s Gonna Kill You, in honor of it premiering this week in West Wing history. 

who the fuck wants to die alone? by sam_writes_fics | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | “I don’t know, Josh,” she says quietly as she moves to get the door. She pauses just before turning the handle, staring at the ground instead of him. “I just hope that one day I’ll actually do them.”

“Yeah,” he says just before she leaves, and then quietly “me too.”

// Post-Ep 2x20: Donna realizes the sky isn’t actually falling

 I Know by TooManyThoughts06 | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete | A continuation of 2x20 "The Fall's Gonna Kill You". Josh asked Donna if she was ok after learning about Bartlet's MS, but was Josh ok? Josh pays a visit to Donna's apartment later that night.

 Dark by WaterSoter | Rated G | Sam Seaborn - No Pairings Listed/Gen Fic | Complete | Trust, like faith, once lost was nearly impossible to get back. Post the Fall’s Gonna Kill You S02E20 AU. 

 Fish and Frigates by Punk | Rated G | C.J. Cregg - No Pairings Listed/Gen Fic | Complete | Coffee, God, Country.

Palpable by Kasey [archived by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist] | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Sam Seaborn | Complete | He needed to know that he was real, and that Josh was real; that neither would vanish in a poof of smoke and mirrors, the way their "real thing" candidate had.

Fics:

Presenting your weekly roundup of fics posted in the tag for The West Wing on Archive of Our Own.

Josh/Donna

this year’s love by hanyolo | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | In Progress

Domestic Days by spooky_spacegirl | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | In Progress

no thing defines a man like love that makes him soft by flowersinapril for hanyolo | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete

Help Me Hold On To You by Shinyrosa | Rated M | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | In Progress

The Flower Girl by pipisafoat | Rated G | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss | Complete

C.J./Danny

Off the Record by  onekisstotakewithme for daylight_angel, miabicicletta, Luppiters, hondagirll | Rated T | Danny Concannon/C. J. Cregg | In Progress

Ten Weeks by Jxjxjx | Rated T | Danny Concannon/C. J. Cregg | In Progress

all I need's a whisper in a world that only shouts by Luppiters | Rated G | Danny Concannon/C. J. Cregg | In Progress

Other Pairings/Gen Fic

it started off with a kiss... now it ended up like this by imawkwardlysoc | Rated G | Sam Seaborn/Original Female Character | In Progress

Rewrite the Stars by obiiwankenobiii (ocfairygodmother) | Rated M | Josh Lyman/Original Female Character | In Progress

We’ll Take Our Chances by mmousik | Jed Bartlet & C.J. Cregg & Josh Lyman & Leo McGarry & Sam Seaborn & Toby Ziegler, Josh Lyman & Donna Moss & Sam Seaborn (No pairings listed) | In Progress

Marching Orders by JessamineHughes | Rated T | Jenny McGarry/Leo McGarry | Complete

Ghost Town by starbuckmeggie | Rated T | No Pairings Listed | In Progress

Multiple Pairings

Not Quite the Parent Trap by eowyn_of_rohan | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss, Ainsley Hayes/Sam Seaborn | In Progress

Paradise City by casliyn | Rated E | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss, Josh Lyman & Donna Moss, Amy Gardner/Josh Lyman | In Progress

Tiny Fighters: NICU Stories by mlea7675 | Rated T | Josh Lyman/Donna Moss, Helen Santos/Matt Santos, Original Male Character/Original Female Character | In Progress

THE WEEKLY PRESS BRIEFING TEAM CAN BE REACHED VIA THE FOLLOWING METHODS:

Twitter: @TWWPress

Email: weeklypressbriefing@gmail.com

Feel free to let us know if we missed something, if you have an event you’d like us to promote, or if you have an item that you’d like included in the next briefing!

xx, What’s next?

[feuqueerfire]

July - November 2023 Movies/Shows Wrap-Up

A little monthly (spoilery!) wrap-up of all the shows, movies, and shorts I’ve watched or am watching in July, August, September, October, November 2023, general thoughts, and ranking of them all.

Recommendation of the month(s): Stay With Me or Our Dating Sim

Ranking

Enigma = Stay With Me = Our Dating Sim

Love Tractor 

Be My Favorite

Sing My Crush

Skimmed: Addicted Heroin

Average Rating: 5.9/10

MDL Updates - Added to Watchlist:

A section because I’m curious about how many shows I decide to add to my Watch List a month and also the ratio of watching them:adding them.

Love Tractor

La Pluie - tentatively adding this. Apparently it's really great until ep 7 and then there are some good scenes between eps 8 - 10 but it's mostly just frustration

Enigma

Stay With Me

Oh No! Here Comes Trouble - wanted something thriller that had a bromance/BL but romance wasn’t at the forefront and was recced this

Merry Queer - I probably removed it a couple months ago cuz it seemed like I’d never watch it but I saw a few tiktoks again that reminded me that I do want to

Sing My Crush - just found out about its existence (apparently it came out all together on Aug 2) and saw ppl say this was another good kBL this year, hopefully it’ll be good

Laws of Attraction

Love Class Season 2

Only Friends

Midnight Runners 

A Breeze of Love

To Watch List At Start Of Month: 49

To Watch List At End Of Month: 49 (idk how... should be like 53 or smth)

Removed from To Watch List:

Removing these on June 30 because now that I’m getting into kpop as well, my interest in watching dramas isn’t as high and I know I’m probably not gonna get to these. 

Unintentional Love Story (2023) - probably wouldn't end up watching it

Gameboys (2020) - I keep putting off watching it, so I likely won't

Kingdom (2019) - I was on the fence about adding it in the first place and now I don't think I'll watch it

September

D.P. (2021) - don’t think I’ll watch it

La Pluie - lol already removing it

July

I got into zerobaseone and it took over all my free time, so I barely watched any shows this month.

I randomly skim-watched Addicted Heroin eps 10 - 15 on July 15 and yeah, it's deranged lol but I do kinda get why it took over people's minds, esp when there wasn't as much live-action BL. Also, foot kiss ep 13 at 14 minutes in and the guy asking "what if it hurts?" "well then I can bottom, idc" but him lying down again despite the offer anyway are uhh very good. There's a Chinese bromance remake, right? Maybe I'll watch that if it gets good reception.

July 29: Watched the My School President: Super Special Episode. It was cute, Gun and Tinn are cute as expected, even if nothing revolutionary.

July 30: Rewatched Malec scenes because I suddenly wanted to and missed them.

I didn't watch much this month, so I'll combine August with this as well.

August

A bunch of shows I wanted to watch are ending, like Enigmal, Stay With ME, and Be My Favourite, and there's some shows that I've been wanting to watch like Love Tractor and Boys Planet. Since my internship and summer semester is ending soon + ZB1 YITS promotions are over, hopefully I can watch some of these.

Completely Watched

Love Tractor 

Country: South Korea

Release Dates: Jun 7, 2023 - Jun 21, 2023

Watch Via: iQiyi (paid, so :>)

Watch Dates: Aug 4 - 5, 2023

Rating: 6/10

Overall Impression: Ah, the dynamic is so delicious. Older, colder, richer, more jaded Seoul city man and younger, cheery, puppy-like new adult. Also, ummm I liked how much Yul scolded Yechan, ah + that one time Yechan apologized by kneeling. Yechan is cute, esp his antics after the sexy dream he had about Yul, but I do think he's a bit too childish sometimes, so that's meh. Overall enjoyable but I didn't super connect with the story or the characters and likely won't be thinking about them again.

Enigma

Country: Thailand

Release Dates: Aug 4 - 5, 2023

Watch Via: GMMTV Youtube

Watch Dates: Aug 7 - 8, 2023

Rating: 6.5/10

Overall Impression: I wish the wrap-up/ending was done better/explained a bit more like what was that Ajin possession thing? No Ajin past? Why did we redeem mother so easily? Who was the blurry girl in ep 1 (maybe Yiwha?)? I wish the horror aspect continued on cuz I think it was strongest in the first episode but not much after that. It's had me hetshipping and lesbian shipping (Fa/Namsine were literally soooo) and that's a good mark. Good after credits scene to pique interest for a larger story, hope we get a good follow up next year.

tags: enigma

Live Blogging: Enigma Live Blogging

Stay With Me

Country: China

Release Dates: Jul 7, 2023 - Aug 12, 2023

Watch Via: Viki (paid, so :>)

Watch Dates: Aug 11 - 14, 2023

Rating: 6.5/10

Overall Impression:  Well, this is really as close as BL you can get without saying out loud that they are dating but there are innuendos galore and it's pretty clear (there was lube on their bed, like...). The family aspect was the best, I love that we got to see Su Yu's situation so much and his blended family and the way they were always there together. You can understand why Wu Bi prefers the warmth of their home over the coldness of his, though we got to see progress on that end too. Duoduo sooo cute, little munchkin. The ending is... an ending, that's for sure. Hope we get a season 2 next year but who knows.

tags: stay with me

Live Blogging: Stay With Me Live Blogging

No more BL this month, it’s Boys Planet time! Well, an exam first, then boys planet!

Boys Planet (Aug 19 - 30): I’m not logging/tracking this on MDL bc it’s a survival show, not a drama but whew, I don’t know how people manage to watch survival shows, especially live. Also not rating it because idk how I even would.

Many weeks of not watching a new drama, though I started and stopped watching a few 10-20 minutes in

October

GMMTV 2024 Part 1 Showcase (October 17 - 18)

This makes me want to actually watch something, even if it’s a short kBL or kGL

Completely Watched

Our Dating Sim

Country: South Korea

Release Dates: Mar 9, 2023 - Mar 30, 2023

Watch Via: Viki (free)

Watch Dates: Oct 19 - 20, 2023

Rating: 6.5/10

Overall Impression: The pacing of this was so good, they managed to give everything needed and timed it well within 2 hours. Well written, well acted, well planned, well shot, nice. I liked and understood the main characters and even the side characters had distinct personalities despite not being fully fledged. I loved how Gi Tae and Wan were so playful with each other, whether it be with the teasing they did and playing hard to get but also the easy affection they often had whether it be kisses, pecks, tickles, hugs, hand holding, just regular romantic touching - a good balance between being strangely chaste and very raunchy. Was cute and I’m glad this is the show that I watched after not watching anything for a while but I won't think about them again, probably. 

tags: our dating sim

Live Blogging: Our Dating Sim Live Blogging

Sing My Crush

Country: South Korea

Release Dates: Aug 2, 2023

Watch Via: iQiyi (paid, so :>)

Watch Dates: Nov 18, 2023

Rating: 4.5/10

Overall Impression: It was... fine I guess, the plagiarism subplot had me invested because it was so frustrating (as it was meant to be) but I really didn’t care about the main couple. Their relationship and interactions did nothing for me. Also I’m shallow so either they needed to have more chemistry or needed to be more attractive to my tastes for me to enjoy watching it rip. I literally skimmed so much of Ep 4 - 7, especially skipped over the main couple interactions and watched to see the plagiarism issue get resolved.

Be My Favorite

Country: Thailand

Release Dates: May 26, 2023 - Aug 11, 2023

Watch Via: Youtube (free)

Watch Dates: Nov 23 - 30, 2023

Rating: 5.5/10

Overall Impression: It is such a tragedy that despite looking forward to this show for so long and enjoying some aspects and moments, ultimately, it fell flat for me. I feel like a lot of this show was objectively done well like the character arcs and acting and stuff but I'm not attached to any of it. The romance didn't make me feel giddy even though I really wish it had like it's strange that I didn't care at all about all those cute moments Kawi and Pisaeng had or the established relationship montages when usually they're some of my favourite aspects of a BL. agh whatever ig at least the show didn't treat Pear terribly.

tags: be my favorite

Live Blogging: Be My Favorite Live Blogging

[brian-in-finance]

Gif: @clairelizfraser

S02E10 Prestonpans • 11 June 2016 Official Script

Outlander Rewatch 2023 Countdown To Season 7

Favourite Word

It’s a gamble, but one worth the risk. Besides, I wouldn’t mind showing my mettle to The Prince, and Murray, and the rest of those jackanapes. — Dougal

Gifs: @jamieclaire

Favourite Line

The day is ours. — Jamie

Favourite Image

On your way soldier. — Claire

Gifs: @jemscorner

Remember… I thank you, lad. Truly. And I promise to give you no need to regret your generosity. But I ken what ye’re up to. Ye champion me and exile me, both at the same time. A plan worthy of my brother Colum. — Dougal MacKenzie

26th of 75 • Friday, 28 April 2023

[clara-maybe-ontheroad]

Current watchlist (July 8th 2023)

Back to Tumblr again after some crazy work weeks in May and traveling to Canada in June so this list needs updating !

Currently watching : Till the End of the Moon (ep 18, I had made posts about trying to resist it, then got too busy anyway, but I was sick for the past few days and here we are and I love it), The Office season 7 (ep 17, it's crazy how this show is so long but I'm still enjoying it, they're like my family now), The Ultimatum France (ep 9, very different from the Queer Love version I also watched recently!), Avatar the Last Airbender season 1 (ep 10, yes it's my first time watching ATLA and it's very fun), Tomorrow (ep 4, this Kdrama about suicide keeps making me question how much I like it or not)

Rewatching : Hometown Cha Cha (ep 12, such a wholesome show that makes me feel wrapped in love) , Gilmore Girls season 1 (another comfort show), Mindhunters season 2 (the opposite of a comfort show, but I'm so frustrated that there isn't a season 3), Fringe season 1 (getting my roommate into a new show !)

Just finished : Shadow and Bones season 2 (still super into it, looking forward to season 3 ! also Jesper x Wylan afbtirhrbrktlykg), The Ultimatum Queer Love (supreme mess of a show, terribly entertaining until the stuff that comes out in the reunion), Love is Blind season 4 (okay I had a reality TV phase)... And I think that's it ? I'm realising I've left a lot of shows on pause

Movies recently watched : Burning Days (4* oppressing Turkish social thriller with good homoeroticism), Je verrai toujours vos visages (5*, everything I wanted out of this French movie about reparative justice and mediation), Hidden Figures (3*, a good time), Us (3* not a good time but fascinating and disturbing, I need to read some analysis of it), M3gan (4* all around a great time of comedic horror) The Fabelmans (2* good, fine, nothing I'll remember much) Women talking (3* some excellent excellent things, others that don't quite land, super interesting and worth watching though)

On pause : Basically all the BL/GL shows, I haven't watched more of Bed Friend (want to start again though), HIStory 3: Trapped (I'm thinking about just abandoning it though), My School President (it's cute but maybe a bit too teenager-y for me), nor GAP The Series (I love Khun Sam but she also really annoys me)

To watch : Triage (just looks like a solid BL) , Drag Race France season 2 (so excited to support our French queens), Oppenheimer (don't know if I'll love everything about it but it seems very visually appealing), Love me if you dare (I tried to watch this TW-drama back when it came out in 2015, I found it boring and dropped it but people keep raving about it)

[ammg-old2]

Weekly Recap (19th – 25th June 2023)

Study

Read 43 articles

Reread 1 article

Reached 6 MGL articles

Rewatched 2 MGL videos

Languages

Revised Japanese vocab/kana (x2)

Reading (non-fiction)

Read Venice: A New History (intro)

Read The Second World War by Antony Beevor (intro, ch1-3)

Read Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman (intro, ch1-12)

Read A People's History of the United States (ch7)

Reading (fiction)

Read A Tale of Two Cities (book 2)

Exercise

Monday 4.4km exercycle

Tuesday 2.4km exercycle

Wednesday 3.1km exercycle

Thursday 3.1km exercycle

Friday 5.8km exercycle

Saturday 3.3km exercycle

Other

Knitted 13 scarf rows

Library

Shopping list (Monday)

Watched Agents of Shield 1.04

3 shorter readings

Café & drive with sister

Puzzles

Special Daily Loop (Wednesday)

Special Daily Hashi (Monday)

Special Weekly Loop

7 Killer Sudoku

1 Killer Uncaged

7 Kakuro

17 Suguru

[adelledelacruz]

Alchemy of Souls

♡ Naksu x Jang-uk ♡

OST: Love letter by Big Naughty

AOS: SEASON 1

Synopsis: A powerful sorceress in a blind woman's body encounters a man from a prestigious family, who wants her help to change his destiny.

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Period Drama, and Action

No. of episodes: 20

Original Network: tvN

Release Date: June 18, 2022 - August 28, 2022

Rating: 7/10

Would Recommend: Yes! a 100%

The drama was magical with the top-tier cinematography and the actors and actresses that delivered their roles so well. Each episode got me hooked and I for real was losing my sanity at the time it was airing because of the sequenced plot twists. However, I wasn't satisfied with how this season ended. I expected more, I guess? Maybe a happy ending that was impossible to deliver? Anyhow, I think the plot at the end kind of just got dragged. It seems like they've shifted their focus more on the production of season 2 rather than season 1. Still, it's a great watch. The chemistry of the leads was oozing and I would definitely rewatch this again, though I might cry a river, considering its heart-wrenching ending.

AOS: SEASON 2

Synopsis: Jang-uk returns from death, and three years later, the story of the mages unfolds anew. Jang-uk becomes a hunter of the soul shifter when a young woman, a prisoner in her own home seeks his help to reclaim her freedom.

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Period Drama, and Action

No. of episodes: 10

Original Network: tvN

Release Date: December 10, 2022 - January 8, 2023

Rating: 10/10

Would Recommend: Definitely!

THIS IS IT! Personally, everything that was lacking in season 1, they have here. The changing of the female lead was so complicated at first, however, it was such a great twist that they've managed to incorporate! In this season, everything in the storyline was well-written and exceptional. From this season, everything was made clear and refreshing. Considering Naksu's traumatic past, I was glad that she somehow temporarily got to forget her past and has had to enjoy the sweetness of life (even though, not necessarily since she was mostly locked up). Having a look at the drama's reviews, the majority of the viewers were flabbergasted by the change of the female lead. However, for me it's thrilling and epic. I just love how the fierce and dominant Naksu suddenly switched to the cute and charming Jin Bu-yeon. In terms of romance, just like season 1, this did not disappoint! The overflowing dose of chemistry from the casts still got me giggling tightly hugging my plushies.

Overall, both seasons were phenomenal masterpieces that deserve recognition!

Credits ♡

Courtesy to Ukieyeongiee from Tiktok for the AOS edit

Series info: https://asianwiki.com/Alchemy_of_Souls

Courtesy to Pinterest for all the photos used

[unmappedterritory]

Films Watched in 2023

Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts (2022) on 2 January. 3/5

Get Out (2017) on 25 January. 5/5

Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014) on 26 January. 3/5

Don’t Look Up (2021) on 29 January. 5/5

Glass Onion (2022) on 29 January. 3/5

Kick-Ass (2010) on 1 February. 3/5

Belle de Jour (1967) on 19 February. 3/5

Paris Is Burning (1990) on 2 March. 4/5

Memento (2000) on 6 March. 4/5

Donnie Darko (2001) on 20 March. 4/5

Beetlejuice (1988) on 8 April. 4/5

The Truman Show (1998) (rewatch) on 16 April. 5/5

A Fish Called Wanda (1988) on 18 April. 2/5

An Education (2009) (rewatch) on 19 April. 5/5

Juno (2007) (rewatch) on 20 April. 5/5

Harold and Maude (1971) on 7 May. 4/5

Being John Malkovich (1999) on 10 June. 5/5

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) on 11 June. 3/5

Chinatown (1974) on 3 July. 4/5

What We Do in the Shadows (2014) on 6 July. 3/5

Ammonite (2020) on 13 July. 4/5

Mad Max: Fury Road (2015) on 24 July. 3/5

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. (2023) on 25 July. 4/5

Barbie (2023) in theatres on 28 July. 4/5

Midsommar (2019) on 29 July. 3/5

Red, White & Royal Blue (2023) on 11 August. 3/5

Dreamland (2006) on 12 August. 5/5

The Stepford Wives (2004) on 20 August. 2.5/5

No Hard Feelings (2023) on 23 September. 1/5

Barbarian (2022) on 1 November. 4/5

Watchmen (2009) on 3 November. 4/5

Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (2023) in theatres on 5 November. 3/5

Nimona (2023) on 25 November. 5/5

The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) on 30 November. 2/5

Up (2009) (rewatch) on 4 December. 3/5

Encanto (2021) on 6 December. 3/5

Tangled (2010) (rewatch) on 7 December. 3/5

The Princess Diaries (2001) (rewatch) on 8 December. 5/5

The Princess and the Frog (2009) on 9 December. 3/5

Serendipity (2001) on 10 December. 4/5

The Little Mermaid (1989) on 11 December. 4/5

Emma. (2020) on 12 December. 4/5

Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) (rewatch) on 13 December. 4/5

Scrooged (1988) on 15 December. 3/5

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) (rewatch) on 24 December. 5/5

The Family Stone (2005) on 25 December. 2/5

Sleepless in Seattle (1993) (rewatch) on 31 December. 3/5

[asphodelical]

The Great Anime Rewatch of 2024 - Part II

Trinity Blood

First watched: I have no idea.  Rewatched: December 2023

Original rating: 6 New rating: 4

I first watched Trinity Blood when it was on Adult Swim. It was so long ago I only remember the name of the protagonist, Abel Nightroad, vampires and the church, and that’s it. I don’t even remember if I actually watched the whole thing. 

Jumping into this felt like a blast from the past, both tonally and visually. The narrow, elongated faces of the characters have not been in fashion for ages. And coupled with the dark, edgy and over the top atmosphere, those kinds of anime aren’t really made anymore. (For better or for worse.) I was thoroughly disappointed that Abel’s characterization was basically identical to Vash the Stampede’s. When he actually becomes threatening, it’s hard to take him seriously when his hair goes all DBZ. 

You know what? The show itself is hard to take seriously because it’s such a tonal disaster. I’m not invested in a single character, and I’m not interested in the story. I lasted seven episodes. 

__________________________________

Space Dandy

First watched: winter/summer 2014, original airdate Rewatched: December 2023

Original rating: 8 New rating: 8

I forgot almost everything about Space Dandy. But I did remember the dub is good. (Except for Colleen Clinkenbeard because she makes the same choices all the time. But I digress.) For some reason, I was anticipating Space Dandy being worse than I remember and not aging too well. I’m so pleased that I was wrong. Sure, its episodic nature means that not every story is a winner. But the highs are really high. 

First season highs: the zombie episode, the plant episode, the racing episode, and both episodes centering on Meow and QT. Even if an episode as a whole isn’t great, there’s usually a memorable scene. (I.E. The Dandy vs. Dandy game show in the chameleonian episode.)

Second season highs: The alternate versions of the protagonists, the time traveling river/tsunami, the style and animation in the fish planet episode, the high school musical, Major Attaway voicing the disco alien, the limbo episode, the animation of the 2D dimension, and the supporting cast teaming up to save Dandy in the finale. 

I wouldn’t call Space Dandy one of my all time favorites. Scarlet’s episodes were always the weakest, despite the attempts to make her likable. (Part of that is due to Colleen’s acting—she delivers lines in the way that make her sound condescending at all times.) The second cour’s focus shifted mostly towards Dandy, and both QT and Meow were sidelined. But it was absolutely worth revisiting. This is easily the most fun rewatch I’ve had this round so far. 

__________________________________

Sankarea

First watched: June 2012, original airdate Rewatched: December 2023

Original rating: 7 New rating: 5

The scariest part of Sankarea is the titular heroine’s fucked up relationship with her father, and her zombiefication. Everything else is mid as hell, that ranges from forgettable to annoying. Rea was the only character I remotely gave a shit about, but she is not enough to make up for the rest of the show. It’s also a lot more perverted than I remember. I didn’t find myself enjoying this upon rewatch and skipped a lot of scenes. I lasted six episodes. 

__________________________________

Kimi ni Todoke 1 & 2

First watched: Winter 2010 and winter 2011, original airdates Rewatched: December 2023

Original rating: 7, 7 New rating: 5, 5

Kimi ni Todoke was one of the most popular shoujo romances back in the day. Newer anime fans seem to regard it as average and vanilla. With the third season finally on the horizon after a thirteen year gap, I figured now was a good a time as any to revisit it. 

Revisiting stories after such a long period of time is one of the best way to see my growth as a person and a storyteller. One aspect of media that I’ve always leaned towards are good characters—I much prefer character driven stories over plot driven ones. No matter how interesting a story is, I won’t care about what’s happening if I’m not engaged with the characters. This is also exemplary in my own writing, where I have my protagonists have clear goals they wish to achieve. This is heavily influenced from my years steeped in musical theatre, where “I Want” songs are crucial to the story. 

All this to say that with Kimi ni Todoke, I don't know what these characters want, aside from romantic relationships. It doesn’t make me care about them, or look forward to what’s going to happen. I understand that not every story or every character needs to be driven. But it gives me little to cheer for when the main couple in shoujo romances inevitable get together by the end. 

The other main issue I have is that all conflicts come from outside sources. Or rather, an outside source: Kurumi. Then when her time is up, the story doesn’t know where to go with Kazehaya and Sawako. So it shifts to the other protagonists. There’s also an excessive amount of internal monologuing from Sawako. A lot of it is relatable—dealing with loneliness, not sure if people you consider friends genuinely like you, being worthy of love. I take some comfort in that, but there have been other characters who have expressed it better. For the first season, I watched through episode 19, then skipped to the final episode. I didn’t feel like I missed much. 

As for the second season….it was infuriating. Having both of your romantic leads cause drama by sheer stupidity and lack of communication is just weak ass writing. Plus the author, once again, relied on a third party (Kento) to actually make things happen. I don’t remember much about the rest of the story after this, and I don’t know if I’m up to watching the upcoming third season. Kurumi is the best character, and cheers to Yano for having some fucking sense. 

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Future Diary

First watched: April 2012, original airdate Rewatched: January 2024

Original rating: 7 New rating: 5

Enough lovey dovey shit. Time for some insanity. With that said, I forgot the sheer lengths of insanity Future Diary went to. I also forgot every character who wasn’t Yukiteru, Yuno, Akise and Minene. Most of them weren’t worth remembering. In fact, by episode eight, my motivation to continue watching was super low—mostly because I don’t care about anyone (except Akise). But also the action and gore are so crazy, but the characters aren’t suffering any physical or mental consequences. No one’s broken a bone, or sprained an ankle, or fractured a rib. And I get it, Future Diary is big dumb fun. But the stakes remain stagnant and I don’t care to see it through. I lasted twelve episodes.