#Super Deluxe movie review

[dionmendesramos]

🔴 LIVE - New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe - (No Commentary) - Landscape Edition - EP - NSW (🎮 Dion)

https://youtube.com/live/s7ocTv1vi3I

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Surprise Live stream on YouTube! The fun and family oriented 2.5D Side scroller that is perfect for your "pic up and play" type of game

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⏱️Time stamps:  

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🔴 LIVE - New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe - (No Commentary) - Landscape Edition - NSW (🎮 Dion)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw9ccCLGOP3A1-qmT7dE6VZLXAe8eLueU

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🔴 LIVE - New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe - (No Commentary) - Landscape Edition - NSW Trailer (🎮 Dion)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw9ccCLGOP3DH-XoA-rC8KCXZvS2CNhii

🔴 LIVE - New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe - (No Commentary) - Portrait Edition - NSW Trailer (🎮 Dion)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw9ccCLGOP3DzoA0Otv02ctlI1uK-0tTk

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New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe - (No Commentary) - Landscape Edition - NSW (🎮 Dion)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw9ccCLGOP3BFzQAlFez7vzY83za0UEvc

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New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe - (No Commentary) - Portrait Edition - NSW (🎮 Dion)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw9ccCLGOP3BpVgP6MesqDNAK0nXBvQj_

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New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe - (No Commentary) - Landscape Edition - NSW Trailer (🎮 Dion)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw9ccCLGOP3DwcCyy81Wd1SKAFFEyulTR

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New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe - (No Commentary) - Portrait Edition - NSW Trailer (🎮 Dion)

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLw9ccCLGOP3AjY28ZoK78qw6-SFJwbpsI

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🔔 📇 Stay in touch!   

Dion Mendes Ramos creates Series, Reviews, Commentaries, Analysis and Reactions about Video Games, Home Videos, Movies, Music, Soundscapes and more!  

linktr.ee/dionmendesramos  

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🤙 📹 🎮 - @dionmendesramos

[greensparty]

This Month In History - September

What a month for landmark anniversaries! Here's some I'm raising a glass to:

Sept. 12, 1989: Pump released

In Sept. 1989 Aerosmith' 10th album was released. Here is my piece I wrote in 2014. Happy 35th Pump!

Sept. 12, 2014: The Skeleton Twins opens

In Sept. 2014, one of the best dysfunctional comedies of the 2010s opened. I was lucky enough to see it early on when it screened at the 2014 Independent Film Festival Boston, where my doc Life on the V: The Story of V66 was premiering. I was very proud to be in the same company as this film. It balanced sadness and humor delicately and both stars Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig swung it out of the park! Happy 10 TST!

Sept. 14, 2004: Funeral released

In Sept. 2004, the debut album from Arcade Fire was released. Here is my piece I wrote in 2019. Happy 20th Funeral!

Sept. 16, 1984: Miami Vice premieres

In Sept. 1984, possibly the greatest cop show of the 80s premiered on NBC. Here is my piece I wrote in 2019. Happy 40th Miami Vice!

Sept. 19, 1984: Amadeus opens

In Sept. 1984, Milos Forman's biopic masterpiece was released. Here is my piece I wrote in 2019. Happy 40th Amadeus!

Sept. 21, 2004: American Idiot released

In Sept. 2004, Green Day's best concept album was releasd. Here is my piece I wrote in 2014. Happy 20th AI!

Sept. 24, 2004: Shaun of the Dead opens

In Sept. 2004, the zombie comedy to end all zombie comedies was released. Director Edgar Wright's genius has always been in not trying to make a straight up spoof of genres he loves, but actually making a great movie in that genre that's also funny. As a zombie apocalypse takes over London, a slacker tries to survive it with his friends and girlfriend. It is a movie people still talk about and quote today. Got my copy on DVD! Happy 20th SOTD!

Sept. 25, 1984: Three's a Crowd premieres

In Sept. 1984, the spin-off that followed Three's Company premiered. Here is my piece I wrote in 2019. Happy 40th TAC!

Sept. 25, 2009: Paranormal Activity opens

In Sept. 2009, one of the best found footage horror movies was released. Here is my piece I wrote in 2014. Happy 15 PA!

Sept. 26, 1964: Gilligan's Island premieres

In Sept. 1964, one of the great 60s sitcoms premiered on CBS. A group of differing castaways all find themselves trapped on a desert island together. I used to love it as a kid, watching syndicated reruns. They never got off the island, but that was part of the fun. Happy 60th GI!

Sept. 26, 1969: Abbey Road released and The Brady Bunch premieres

On the same exact day in Sept. 1969, two historical pop culture moments occurred!

First up, The Beatles' 11th studio album was released. There's always been a argument among Beatles fans about the final Beatles album: Abbey Road, the last one recorded, vs. Let It Be, the last one released. It is one of my personal favorites and I grew up with the vinyl. Here is my album review of the 2019 Super Deluxe Edition. Happy 55 Abbey Road!

Next up, the family sitcom The Brady Bunch premiered on ABC-TV. The story of a blended family with six kids became the standard for TV families. The series was on from 1969-1974, but I got into it in syndicated reruns (much like Gilligan's Island). No matter what age you were you could relate to at least one of the Brady kids, i.e. Bobby when I was younger, then Peter, and later on Greg. When I was in college, actor Barry Williams spoke and signed copies of his book there too. Happy 55th Brady Bunch!

Sept. 26, 1984: It's Your Move premieres

In Sept. 1984, one of the best short-lived sitcoms of the 80s premiered. Here is my piece I wrote in 2019. Happy 40th IYM!

Sept. 27, 1994: Monster released

In Sept. 1994, R.E.M.'s 9th album as released. Here is my piece I wrote in 2019. Happy 30th Monster!

Sept. 30, 1994: Ed Wood opens

In Sept. 1994, one of the best Hollywood biopics was released. Here is my piece I wrote in 2019. Happy 30th EW!

[jimsmovieworld]

HOME ALONE 3-1997 ⭐️

An eight year old boy is home alone and has to guard his possessions and home from a group of terrorists. Pretty whack sequel, Really not very good at all. A young Scarlett Johansson appears. Super Deluxe- all i wanted was a skateboard is a great track. Famous movie reviewer Roger Ebert gave this film a glowing review and said it was better than Home Alone 1 and 2 for some reason.

[theknucklehead]

For those who don't know, AVGN has his own video game made by developers who are close friends with him, it's a side scrolling shoot-em-up platformer with NES style graphics and tons of call backs to his reviews of various different games. Now I could go through every one of those references, but this post would end up being way too long so instead I'm gonna focus on select moments that I particularly enjoyed from AVGN Adventures (1 & 2 Deluxe)

The Browntown section of the game in question is a reference to the NES Ninja Turtles game, but this moment in particular is based on a jump he struggled with for so long until he found out you can just walk across it.

The Assholevania is all a reference to Castlevania, including Nerd's opening line which is quoted from Simon's Quest whenever the game transitions from day to night.

At the very start of Dungeons & Dickholes, the first ladder you see leads to a very elaborate death trap, this is a reference to a joke he made in his Super Pitfall review regarding the first ladder you see in that game being a beginner's trap.

The penultimate stage Virtual Insanity is red & black just like the graphics on the Virtual Boy.

One of the new bonus levels in the deluxe version features a massive truck named after the game of the same Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing.

The boss battle for Dungeons & Dickholes is actually a reference to Cinemassacre's Monster Madness; The Giant Claw a 1957 horror movie with a laughably bad looking movie monster, and Nerd's quote is from the movie as everyone refers to the monster being as big as a battleship.

In the original 2nd game, the boss battle of Area 52 was the badguy in the AVGN movie, but for some reason they changed it to instead look like Darth Vader turning into a scorpion which is a reference to the Star Wars Famicom game.

This is a double reference here: the first is regarding the "Freddy's Coming" screen that appears in A Nightmare on Elm Street for NES (complete with the trademark attached). The other is Freddy Kruger and Jason Voorhees being called Jimmy and Bimmy which was a translation error in Double Dragon III (They misspelled Billy's name)

Fred Fuchs is still in the Deluxe version, but this time he's played by Gilbert Gottfried which he guest starred as in the Life of Black Tiger review.

And finally if you get a game over, the game over screen is written out the same way as it was joked about in his Friday the 13th on NES review.

[kuramirocket]

My Year in Review for 2023

I have literally only played Mario games this year.

My mom bought me the switch last December and I only played for like a day Luigi's Mansion 3. And I did not touch the switch or game again until March of this year, especially since my mom kept asking me when I was going to play. Which understandable cause she paid in total like $425 for the switch, Luigi's Mansion 3 and New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe.

So, cue me continuing to play LM3 in March, and I became obsessed with the Mario universe and just in time for the movie's release in April. And, so, here I am today.

[cryapie]

MARIO MOVIE REVIEW 2023

As a Mario fan, ofc

SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT

Things the Movie excelled in

Cinematography

It was actually pretty nice and refreshing

The set pieces

Immaculate attention to detail.

Mario Movie References

Mario Galaxy

The blue star child in the cage

When Peaches ship thing dis-attaches from the castle in the beginning of the film

Super Mario 3D World

The music when they enter the mushroom town is the same as in Super Mario 3D World

In one of the stalls in the town, the Toad is selling the bell powerup

The town has the same colour scheme & clear pipes as the game

Mario gets the same bell/cat powerup as in the game

Super Mario Odyssey

Pauline Reference

Bowser’s wedding outfit is the same as the one in the game (flowers, suit, the whole bit)

Same with Peach

The wedding music that plays is the same that plays in the Odyssey game

The desert area with the floating pyramid is an actual world in Odyssey

MarioKart Eight Deluxe

Blue shell

Bananas

Rainbow road

The Kart mechanics (hovering, glide )

Nice attention to detail with drifting

When picking their karts the music that plays is the same as on the customisation screen of the game(also the scrolling thing to pick the kart components is neat)

THEIR CHOSEN KARTS AND OUTFITS

Peach has the iconic bike and outfit

Mario has the standard kart

Also, toad having the big car is a nice touch

Mario Party

The superstar

The shot in which Boswer holds the star is the EXACT SAME as when you win the star in the game

Luigi’s Mansion

The “Dark Lands” trees have the same gnarly design as in the game

ALSO, LUIGI’S FLASHLIGHT AND THE WHOLE BIT IN THE FOREST GAVE MASSIVE LUIGI’S MANSION VIBES OTHER REFERENCES

“The princess is in another castle” joke

Captain Toad looks very good, his bag is on point, love the attention to detail (I wish they actually named him tho)

The soundtrack

When the brothers discover the underground pipes in brooklin, the music is the same as when u are in an underground tunnel in the Mario games

The music that plays when they use the star to defeat bowser is the same as in the games

The music that plays when the toads cheer for Peach and Mario is the same as in the Congratulations screen in Mario Kart Wii

Love their mannerisms

I like how Peach’s fighting style comprises mostly of kicks, like in super smash bros

How Mario jumps

Nailed the outfits (Peach’s fire and ice outfits, cat power, racoon power etc) and how they looked as kids

Love how they managed to fit all of bowsers army

Yoshi cameo <3333

The design of DK’s village is spot on

Like how they included the different characters, with DK, Diddy Kong and the old guy (sorry DK fans, Idk his name)

Not a massive DK game player, so any references were lost on me tbh

Things the Movie sucked at

The plot was generic at best, actively terrible at worst

The Peach’s song sucks, and I hope it is mem-a-fied

The Jokes were a hit or miss

MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

BOWSERS KIDS, WHERE IS BOWSER JR!!!!

HONESTLY, THE B PLOT OF THIS MOVIE SHOULD HAVE FOCUSED ON THE KAPPA CHILDREN, DO U NOT UNDERSTAND THE POTENTIAL!!??

Rosalina my beloved

Daisy :(((

WALUIGI AND WARIO HOW DARE THEY CUT U OUT

Overall Thoughts and Opinions

6.5/10

The creators definitely loved the franchise, I adored the attention to detail. It’s not the peak of cinema by any means, but it’s a good time. Though, if you’re not a Mario fan, you might want to skip this one.

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 15/02/2025 (Alex Warren is "Ordinary", RAYE, LISA & Doja Cat are "Born Again" + More)

We have a bit of a shake-up week on the UK Singles Chart, as Kendrick Lamar brings his viral Super Bowl performance to, surprisingly enough, UK chart dominance. A brilliant display that actually was released as a piece on streaming to capitalise on the halftime video virality, the performance featured three songs that are all charting this week with big gains thanks to their live video… but it didn’t quite make it. For a fourth week, Lola Young’s “Messy” stands at #1 and welcome back to this “certified” series, REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

content warning: language, references to sex and emotional abuse

Rundown

As always, we start our episode with the notable dropouts, those being songs exiting from the UK Top 75 – which is what I cover – after five weeks in the region or a peak in the top 40. This week, it was a rough one for musical movies, I suppose, with the exits of “I Always Wanted a Brother” by Braelyn Rankins, Theo Somolu, Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr. from Mustafa: The Lion King, and all three songs by Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo from Wicked: “Defying Gravity”, “Popular” and “What is This Feeling?”. Otherwise, we bid adieu to “4X4” by Travis Scott, “Casual” by Chappell Roan, “PUSH 2 START” by Tyla (could Sean Paul save this one?), “tv off” by Kendrick Lamar featuring Lefty Gunplay, “The Emptiness Machine” by Linkin Park and finally, and seemingly for good now, “NIGHTS LIKE THIS” by The Kid LAROI, which lasted bizarrely long for the kind of song it is.

Then we have a hectic bunch of gains and returns – re-entries include “Slow it Down” by Benson Boone at #71, “Oscar Winning Tears.” by RAYE at #62 and “Red Wine Supernova” by Chappell Roan at #32, whilst our notable gains… it’s a big list, so I hope you like lists of songs. There’s “Say My Name” by Morgan Seatree and Florence + the Machine at #64, “Push the Tempo” by Katy B and Sub Focus at #63, “BMF” by SZA at #51, “No One Noticed” by The Marías at #50, “It’s ok I’m ok” by Tate McRae at #49, “Disease” by Lady Gaga at #48, “Burning Down” and “Carry You Home” by Alex Warren at #34 and #28, “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter at #32, “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan at #22, “Guess” by Charli xcx featuring Billie Eilish at #21, “Who” by Jimin at #17, Doechii’s first top 10 hit with “DENIAL IS A RIVER” at #9 and Benny Booner Boy bouncing “Beautiful Things” back to #6. Kendrick of course benefits healthily from the Super Bowl, with the SZA duets “30 for 30” (which was not performed) and “luther” up to #39 and #10 respectively, and yet another track with SZA, 2018’s “All the Stars” from the soundtrack to Marvel’s Black Panther that Kenny curated, returning to #11. It peaked at #5 that year, whilst his rival Drake, who is allegedly dissed in that song even, was at #1 with “God’s Plan”.

As for our top five… well, sure, “The Days” by Chrystal is at #5 but otherwise, it looks pretty different, with “Pink Pony Club” by Chappell Roan up to #4 just as the song finally clicks for me, Lady Gaga having her first full week of “Abracadabra” at #3 and of course, Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” resurging all the way to #2 after previously peaking at #6 last year. It’s getting messy not just at the top but below on the charts, so time to discuss our debuts.

New Entries

#74 – “Open Arms” – SZA featuring Travis Scott

Produced by Michael Uzowuru, Teo Halm and Rob Bisel

SZA benefits also, though just not as much, from the Super Bowl performance and thanks in part to a new release of this song without Mr. Jacques Webster on the deluxe reissue of her deluxe reissue of SOS (yes, really… the song with Don Toliver is good at least), this track originally released in 2022 has finally debuted. The track opens with SZA’s grandmother speaking words of wisdom about doing your best, and it seems that SZA has taken that advice into an interesting relationship dynamic where she’s being welcomed into a loving, devoted relationship that is almost over-bearing but necessary for a time where she felt lost, with nobody around her, and she finds some kind of joy and desire in having a “leash” and “owner” after so much time spent hopeless, with her self-esteem already rendered so irrelevant to her that she’s willing to be pushed around. The acoustic guitar with a typical R&B rhythm is a good backing for SZA and absolutely not this bored-to-death Travis Scott verse that… oddly works? He sounds mismatched on such a comforting, relaxed instrumental, especially when he picks up into the double-time flow, but the flat, deep Auto-Tune that carries him briefly off-topic whilst maintaining she’s locked in for life and threatening her not to switch sides in exchange for backshots because, of course, plays the disinterested partner character SZA doesn’t flesh out initially. It’s a pretty good use of the R&B / rapper duet that ends with a nice sample, though why that’s there isn’t entirely clear to me. The solo version, originally released in a 2023 deluxe version, adds a third verse that brings SZA closer to obsession and opens her eyes to the betrayal she’s experiencing from this guy, I honestly don’t know which one I prefer because both verses serve the purpose of fleshing out the narrative, just from different perspectives. Either one you choose, you’ll have a pretty enjoyable listen.

#69 – “THE GREATEST” – Billie Eilish

Produced by FINNEAS

Speaking of album cut sleeper hits, Billie Eilish’s great HIT ME HARD AND SOFT from last year has produced yet another charting single with “THE GREATEST”. This ballad from the middle of the album somewhat continues the themes of “Open Arms”, as it sees Ms. Eilish putting in way too much effort for a partner who comes and goes from her life, leaving Eilish desperate lonely in her cries for attention and care that she is starting to believe she doesn’t deserve, sarcastically asking “am I the greatest?” in the title, which takes on a much different tone by the end of the song than it does in the melancholy, intimate acoustic performance the track starts as. Her whispery, echoed vocal trails off to accentuate that ephemeral sense to her partner and the time they spend with her, whilst she presents as if it were painless and immaculate, creating a perfect idea of herself regardless of how she feels so those times don’t become even briefer and less rewarding, though from her pained delivery, you can tell it’s getting gradually less worthwhile for her. There’s almost a sinister angle to the vague second pre-chorus about what she could have done without their attention that is nearly entirely rubbed off with the fuller mix of the guitars and strings, with Eilish’s backing vocal soaring until her primary take is left to dominate over the arrangement, acting as a moment of release that cuts a guitar lead to brief, sticky intermission that leaves space for her vocal and drums to be most explosive during fills, from that point in the song, it’s finally all about her, and she flips the song on its head by the end to lament that this partner “could have been the greatest”… though even that sense of mutual regret over what could have been doesn’t seem entirely true. You could argue it’s the centrepiece of the album given how its melody is interpolated on both the opener and closer so maybe it should be a surprise that it’s only just now reached the top 75, but I’m definitely not complaining, it’s an incredible track.

#66 – “NISSAN ALTIMA” – Doechii

Produced by Childish Major

After “DENIAL IS A RIVER” took off, it was only a matter of time for other tracks being pushed from that mixtape, Alligator Bites Never Heal, to have the chance to chart, so here’s lead single, “NISSAN ALTIMA”. I’ve not been overly impressed with Doechii outside of her energy so far, so despite Childish Major being on production, usually a good sign, my hopes were tempered. I’m still disappointed with the length – Doechii songs that I’ve heard so far end up feeling a bit like snippets – but the rawer energy with this one is definitely appreciated, with an incredibly profane chorus over a beat that really could have gone a bouncy hip-house route but decides to rely on a trap rhythm alongside the compressed, maddening lounge keys. Doechii’s approach to flexing here is basically telling the haters that when she’s here, show respect, not just for “the princess” but for yourself, which is a great perspective, she’s basically motivating the same people she’s shitting on to stand up and put some effort into the hating at least. I like the command to “put your sticks up”, there’s always a lot to make out of phallic references to weapons, especially when she starts her verse with fast-paced lesbian sex in what sounds like an effortless flow but hides an insane rhyme scheme, before calling herself the “trap Grace Jones”. I love how she points towards the “white face” of a ghost, as if she’s pushing these people out of the entire culture when she arrives, before referencing Mean Girls of course (which is great, because it gives some hint to the absolute delusion of grandeur here – “fetch” is completely fabricated and doesn’t catch on that well). I do think she loses some steam with the more memetic second verse that gets a tad repetitive or sloppier with the childlike delivery, I would have preferred for the beat to develop or for a more focused breakdown, but it’s still a banger, even if it still suffers from being a better idea than it is functioning song. From Doechii, I keep on wanting her to go just that tiny bit further.

#61 – “TWENTIES” – Giveon

Produced by Matthew Burnett, Jahaan Sweet, Sevn, Maneesh and Gitty

You can’t convince me to write Giveon with that silly little E character variant, some stylisation I don’t understand at all – does it change the pronunciation at all? Regardless, R&B singer GIveon, who had a big 2021 and seemingly vanished, has suddenly re-appeared after a guest feature on Teddy Swims’ latest, which was decent enough, and this is the lead single to his sophomore effort (if you don’t count that two-EP compilation album). With an all-star roster of R&B producers like this, especially Burnett, who’s consistently worked with the generally good Daniel Caesar, you could expect something smooth and you’d be right, there’s a syrupy sliver of soul here opposite the echoed percussion and Giveon’s always rich vocal patterned with harmonies that swerve around the mix beautifully. Content-wise, it may actually need a more melancholy production given it’s largely a breakup track about wasting a decade of your life on someone who didn’t deserve it, and here is my main problem: the lyrics are pretty clunky and have an overwrought vocal take for what are mostly lamenting observations, it all feels a bit high-school ironically given the content about wasting your twenties. Maybe that melodrama and immaturity feeds into the song’s thematics but it doesn’t make for the most compelling set of lyrics, especially with Giveon moaning his way into a horn section that goes nowhere before the song abruptly ends, even if it sounds fantastic. I could be nit-picking here but for a song like this, it may need something extra convincing or detailed outside of the depressing, regretful piss-off to truly connect. I do like the lyric about him thinking that he’s learning about himself as he continues to see his partner throughout his twenties but ultimately just wasting that time on learning how a person worked that would be temporary in his life, not focusing on himself (who he’s stuck with forever), but it’s one lyric that sticks out of an otherwise somewhat messily-written albeit gorgeous-sounding track. I’m still interested, of course, it could all be forgiven, given that Giveon could be giving an easier, more accessible lead single for an album that will have more specifically devastating moments from the breakup. I suppose we’ll have to see.

#56 – “Tell Me” – Sonny Fodera and Clementine Douglas

Produced by Sonny Fodera, Stuart Crichton and Clementine Douglas

DJ Sonny Fodera is back for another collaboration with singer Clementine Douglas, who you probably remember from “Asking” with MK or “Happier” by The Blessed Madonna. Both of these acts end up just teetering above average for me in terms of modern house-pop we always get a slew of on the charts nowadays (and really have done for the whole time I’ve written this show – and for much longer before that), so it could be pretty decent. Seemingly unrelated to Fodera’s 2014 song of a similar title, this new single sees Douglas’ desperate, echoing vocal pleading for someone’s eternal love over a surprisingly wispy atmosphere prior to that pulsing synth bass coming in and a webby breakbeat frogging along for longer than you’d expect before it gets punched up in the bassy drop. I love the sound of the belting vocal in the back of the mix, glitched out by the synth bass that seems to split the vocal into several different pleading excerpts, especially when the beat’s response is a much weaker, defeated vocal blip that follows. Douglas’ performance overall is actually really impressive here, with the strength and power of her vocals I used to think were quite limited really standing out against all the processing, and finding themselves partly submerged in the choral-esque harmonies backing her in considerably long build-ups to the drop that even use fake-outs just to develop further layers of backing vocals and synths, with her begging for an answer: after this moment of euphoria’s over, is she still loved and valued or is this it? For a house-pop track debuting in this mid-range, it’s considerably developed and dramatic, with an emotional through-line that relies of melodrama and somewhat generic lyrics but still doesn’t falter until maybe the outro, where an escapist ambient or orchestral passage would really drive the point home whilst bringing some more organic elements to the track. Overall, however, colour me both surprised and impressed, this is excellent.

#53 – “Baby (Is it a Crime)” – Rema

Produced by P.Priime

Nigerian singer Rema had a massive hit near the start of the decade with “Calm Down”, propelled by a Selena Gomez remix but ultimately a global hit in its own right, but has failed to really capitalise on that success in the western Anglosphere thus far… probably because his choice of collaborators including the quickly fading virality of Ice Spice, but regardless, he’s back on the UK charts with this new single. Our story, of course, actually starts in 1985 with English soul band Sade’s gorgeous smooth jazz ballad “Is it a Crime”, with lead vocalist Sade Adu’s fragile and beautiful performance over very 80s but still smooth keys, alongside an incredibly full mix of horns and a really great bassline that all eventually crashes into the chorus’ satisfying climax, it’s a brilliant track that reminds me how desperately I need to get into the Sade catalogue. The longing, six-minute explosion of desire sadly only peaked at #49 in 1986 whilst the Pet Shop Boys were at #1 with “West End Girls”.

Our story restarts in 2024 when Rema started teasing a song sampling this track, and has since been long anticipated, though definitely meeting some delays as a likely result of clearance, both of a sample and a J Hus feature verse previewed but hasn’t appeared as of yet on official streaming versions. It’s finally here, however, and whilst you can’t really compare with the original, it’s far from a butchered sample, in fact, it goes for something I really didn’t expect. The stem-separated vocal, still with some remaining crackle, is mixed and chopped almost like how a UK bass producer would whilst still remaining pretty close to the original lyric and melody, it’s a very unique-sounding take on Ms. Adu’s original vocal and it sounds great with the added audience sounds (I almost wonder if they’re actually left over from the sample being a live version?). Either way the audience was placed in the song, it makes an otherwise minimal Afrobeats rhythm feel like a much more public expression of love and admiration, especially with that rising string swell before the chorus. Sure, it’s a simple lovestruck song, but it’s kind of adorable – “love is in the air, breathe in” – it takes the devotion Sade had in the original and makes it less longing than just youthful euphoria regarding the early stages of the relationship. I’d prefer if Rema’s Auto-Tuned, compressed vocal was mixed a bit better, but those alarming keys at the end add a slick, urban kick to the outro that definitely gives you a reason to listen to Rema’s version over any hypothetical Afrobeats flip of the same sample. I’m interested in hearing if that J Hus verse sees the light of day as well, I wonder how well he can stay on topic.

#13 – “Born Again” – LISA featuring Doja Cat and RAYE

Produced by RAYE and Andrew Wells

Our story here for what you’d think would be the biggest pop moment of the week (we’ll get to what actually was, somehow, in a bit) started in 2021, with a solo demo leaked by RAYE that consists of an early version of this song, which has since been retooled into a track with BLACKPINK member LISA and US rap-singer Doja Cat looking to come forward from an up-and-tumble couple of years given the mixed reception to the bitter Scarlet album and all the negative media attention. You can really tell this is a reworked demo, not just from the RAYE co-production credit, but from the LISA verses and chorus that are fully aping RAYE’s more recent signature soul delivery. It’s obvious in the chorus but ridiculous in the verses where she’s basically sing-rapping over a RAYE reference vocal with backing vocals intact and putting on an English accent that blends clumsily with RAYE’s own, though it’s neat enough to sound surprisingly not too distracting. I also find the lyrical content more tied to RAYE, as after a break-up, they promise that he could have had an almost religious experience with her. It’s borderline blasphemy, sure, but it fits the choral vocal and melodramatic strings under an overwhelming disco groove that somewhat overpowers LISA’s very limited, manipulated vocal that cuts abruptly between punch-in takes in the first verse – there’s a brief, distorted blip at the end of that first verse that really sounds like an error.

The more I think about the song, the more it makes sense to keep it as a RAYE track featuring Doja Cat – LISA isn’t exactly encountering “rudeboys”, let’s be real – at least from a sonic perspective, as if it reminds me of anything, it’s Dem Jointz filling in for mumbling on Ye’s 2020 crash “Nah Nah Nah” by using similar vocal presets and awkward vocal punching and stabbing in. On a marketing level, I understand it, especially since the song is relatively old and leaked, there could be legal issues with releasing it as is because of her former label Polydor, and it’s clearly worked, but sacrificed some of the song’s consistency. I love the claps in the percussion, the tight, surprisingly involved bassline, and those classic aggressive disco string stabs though, and Doja Cat absolutely kills her verse. I wish she had ad-libs elsewhere to sound more involved, but her double-tracked, breathy swagger makes perfect sense for this track, singing in her high-register whilst delivering short, rapped piss-offs and slick farewells to this guy who clearly didn’t meet her high standards and deserve her. RAYE’s bridge slows it down for a deadpan, airy rap verse with cloudy snaps and filtered drums that builds up into a fantastic final screech – the lyrics are awful on that part, basically lyrical miracle word association vaguely in tune with the song, but with the level of disco cheese already on display, you really can’t ask for much, especially since it still sounds good. This does frustrate me because it could be the show-stopping smash hit it aspires to be but its development and unfortunately its performers just drag it down a bit lower, not letting it reach the full potential it probably already landed on somewhere in production, it’s been overcooked across those four years. It’s still good, but it could be a moment. Oh, and speaking of religion…

#7 – “Ordinary” – Alex Warren

Produced by Adam Yaron

Alex Warren of all people seems primed to be the UK’s favourite angry-sad-kind-of-hard-to-tell pop rock white guy with a surprisingly high debut this week for his new single, “Ordinary”. Continuing to work with Mr. Yaron, I may be less surprised from Warren delivering a smash hit than I am with him producing something I genuinely really like. A lot of the recent country- and folk-infused pop and stomp rock has had religious elements, especially with David Kushner and Hozier, but this track, working as a pretty on-the-nose double meaning for his partner and God, is outright devotional. The chorus sees him aching for a higher power to keep him in check, subordinate to them whilst devoting his life and love to them. Sure, it could just be wedding vows, but given the references to angels and vines, a sanctuary and, well, the Lord, it seems pretty clear-cut what he’s going for here, and the verses are even more explicit, you can’t really read them as romantic. He references a town having lost its faith and him wishing to reconnect with that before it fades completely, whilst the second verse has him hopelessly at the feet of God, praying at the altar and referencing an almighty power that can sculpt life then take it away with one breath.

Naturally, it’s a struggle to sell such religious content in the mainstream, but if we’re having borderline Christian rock, you really could do worse than that acoustic pluck that runs below a wearier vocal take, and builds into reverb-drowned stomp-clap rhythms that rise into a dramatic chorus that still doesn’t get gritty like it really could, especially with such a refined vocal mix. The choir that backs him from the second chorus on nearly drowns Mr. Warren from the track, but every time it returns to that subtly tense, minimal acoustic pluck, he’s driven straight back into the ground, and the church organs in the final chorus, a straight up gospel choir playing off of Warren’s belting vocal, they all take this into a church in the southern US and the bluesy percussive build-up feels massive. It may be a bit of a weird song to be in the top 10 currently, but it’s got power, it’s relatively cinematic, it’s nearly convincing me I should go to church. It’s a good song, I have no idea if it’ll last.

Conclusion

These are eight really good songs, it’s actually remarkably difficult to pick the titles for this week. Giveon probably has my least favourite, maybe Doechii, but the quality’s still consistently high, a Worst of the Week would be dishonest, so instead I’m giving the Honourable Mention to Billie Eilish for “THE GREATEST” and, to my surprise, Best of the Week goes to “Tell Me” by Sonny Fodera and Clementine Douglas. When a dance track has that power, detail and resonance, it can really take you, it’s not perfect but close, really just teetering on needing one extra step. As for what’s to expect, maybe $ome $exy $ongs are on their way to you, we’ll see how that embarrassingly-titled Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR collab impacts, as well as Sabrina Carpenter's deluxe. For now, thank you for reading, long live Cola Boyy, and I’ll see you next week!

[ryanmeft]

Retrochievements: New Super Mario Bros. U

In my spare time, I like to create lists of achievements for games (mostly Nintendo games) that don't have them. I thought, since I'm not reviewing movies currently, I would start posting those lists here. Note that these includes the Deluxe additions but not Super Luigi U. Since Nintendo also released that separately, I am eventually going to give it its own list. And now, away we go.

A Good Walk (10)

Complete Acorn Plains

There’s No Cake Here! (10)

Complete Layer-Cake Desert

F.L.U.D.D. (10)

Complete Sparkling Waters

Ice To See You (10)

Complete Frosted Glacier

Pop Top (20)

Complete Soda Jungle

Big Rock Candy Mountain (20)

Complete Rock-Candy Mines

A Dollop Of Fluff (20)

Complete Meringue Clouds

Stomped Again (50)

Defeat Bowser

Plain Awesome (25)

Find every Star Coin in Acorn Plains

Cake For Breakfast (25)

Find every Star Coin in Layer-Cake Desert

Sunken Treasure (25)

Find every Star Coin in Sparkling Waters

Cold As Ice (25)

Find every Star Coin in Frosted Glacier

And A Bottle Of Pop (25)

Find every Star Coin in Soda Jungle

Digging Them Holes (25)

Find every Star Coin in Rock-Candy Mines

High Rewards (25)

Find every Star Coin in Meringue Clouds

The Queen’s Treasure (25)

Find every Star Coin in Peach’s Castle

Baby You’re A Star (10)  

Complete one Star Road course

The Five Points (30)

Complete all Star Road courses

Got ‘Em All (10)

Complete every course in a world with optional courses

Hail The Conquering Heroes (50)

Complete every course in the game

Didn’t Need It (10)

Complete every course in the game without using a Super Guide

Victory Lap (20)

Defeat Bowser using every character

Nabbit’s Hideout (20)

Find the Purple Toad House

Super Duper Mario (10)

Complete 20 courses as Mario

Mr. L Strikes Again (10)

Complete 20 courses as Luigi

Mushroom Marauder (10)

Complete 20 courses as Toad

The Toad Toad Bop (10)

Defeat 100 Goombas as Toad

Chitter Chatter (20)

Shatter 100 frozen enemies

Shelled Shells (25)

Defeat 10 Bullet Bills with Koopa Shells

Cold Lead (25)

Have 50 Bullet Bills smash other frozen Bullet Bills

Sliding Smash (20)

Defeat 100 enemies by throwing frozen enemies at them

Turtle Soup (20)

Defeat a boss with fireballs

Don’t Mind Me (20)

Defeat 100 enemies with invincibility

By A Thread (20)

Defeat a boss without any power-ups

Bubble Battle (30)

Turn 100 enemies into 1-Up mushrooms

A Short Break And A Snack (20)

Eat 100 enemies

A Good Run (10)

Complete a course without taking a hit

World Warrior (30)

Complete every course in a world without getting hit

Power Plumber (75)

Complete every course in the game without getting hit

Millionaire (10)

Have 1,000,000 points

The 1% (20)

Have 5,000,000 points

Aces (5)

Gain two items in one visit to a Toad House

Extra Man Smorgasbord (10)

Gain 100 extra lives from 1-Up Houses

Enough For Everybody (25)

Gain a total of 300 1-Ups

The Classic (10)

Collect 100 coins in courses

Gacha! (10)

Catch Nabbit

I Can’t Escape From You (25)

Catch Nabbit ten times

Drop Your Guards (20)

Win 20 encounters on the world map

Y Tho (20)

Complete three ice-free courses wearing the Penguin Suit

DLC (Deluxe additions)

Breezy Melody (20)

Complete any course as Toadette

A Walk In The World (40)

Complete any world as Toadette

Easy Money (50)

Collect 500 coins as Toadette

With Grace To Boot (60)

Beat a boss with Toadette using the Peachette power-up

Moony Maiden (30)

Find 20 3-Up Moons as Toadette

That Was Easy (10)

Complete any course as Nabbit

Seriously Tho? (10)

Complete any world as Nabbit

Like I Need That (30)

Grab 100 power ups as Nabbit

Knocked And Nabbed (30)

Defeat all of the bosses as Nabbit

Oblivious (30)

Wander past 100 enemies as Nabbit

[jcmarchi]

Nintendo Switch Surpasses 132 Million Units Sold Alongside Great Tears Of The Kingdom, Pikmin 4 Results

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/nintendo-switch-surpasses-132-million-units-sold-alongside-great-tears-of-the-kingdom-pikmin-4-results/

Nintendo Switch Surpasses 132 Million Units Sold Alongside Great Tears Of The Kingdom, Pikmin 4 Results

The Switch continues to inch closer to becoming Nintendo’s best-selling hardware ever, as it has now surpassed 132 million units sold. It did so thanks to great software sales for new first-party games released this year like The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Pikmin 4. 

This news comes from Nintendo’s Fiscal Year 2024 second quarter financial results, which ended September 30. In it, we learn the Switch has officially reached 132.46 million units sold, getting it closer to the company’s best-selling hardware, the Nintendo DS at 154.02 million units sold. The only other console above the DS overall is the PlayStation 2 at roughly 158 million units sold. 

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It’s possible the Switch reaches the DS’ numbers, assuming a new-gen console doesn’t end sales of the hardware. And considering Nintendo said in February of last year that it’s only halfway through its lifecycle, it seems like the company will continue to support it long after the rumored new-gen hardware is released. 

Nintendo’s latest financial report also reveals that Tears of the Kingdom has reached 19.5 million units sold, with Pikmin 4 at 2.61 million units sold, making it the best-selling game in the series. 

“In addition, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, released in April, had a positive impact on sales of Mario related titles,” Nintendo writes in its results. “Sales of other titles also continued to grow steadily, bringing the total number of million-seller titles during this period to 16, including titles from other software publishers.” 

[embedded content]

Unit sales for the entire Switch family of consoles, including the OLED model and Switch Lite, are up 2.4 percent year-over-year at 6.84 million units. That breaks down to 1.25 million standard Switch units, 4.69 million OLED units, and .9 million Switch Lite consoles. Total software sales are up 1.8 percent year-over-year to 97.08 million units. Digital sales accounted for 50.2 percent of total software sales, and digital sales are up 15.8 percent year-over-year, too. 

Despite rumors of a new-gen console from Nintendo on the horizon, it seems the Switch isn’t slowing down. And next quarter’s sales are likely to see a big boost thanks to the recently released Super Mario Bros. Wonder. 

Here are the best-selling Nintendo consoles: 

Nintendo DS – 154.02 million units 

Nintendo Switch – 1232.46 million units

Game Boy – 118.69 million units

Wii – 101.63 million units 

Game Boy Advance – 81.51 million units

Nintendo 3DS – 75.94 million units

Family Computer/NES – 61.91 million units

Super Family Computer/SNES – 49.10 million units 

Nintendo 64 – 32.93 million units

Nintendo GameCube – 21.74 million units

Wii U – 13.56 million units

And here are the best-selling Switch games: 

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – 57.01 million units

Animal Crossing: New Horizons – 43.38 million units

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate – 32.44 million units

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – 31.15 million units

Super Mario Odyssey – 26.95 million units

Pokemon Sword/Pokemon Shield – 26.02 million units

Pokemon Scarlet/Pokemon Violet – 23.23 million units

Super Mario Party – 19.66 million units

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom –19.5 million units

New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe – 16.7 million units

For more, read Game Informer’s review of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and then check out these Zelda and Ganondorf Amiibo figures coming later this year. After that, read Game Informer’s list of the top 10 best games on Switch. 

What are you most looking forward to about Nintendo’s future? Let us know in the comments below!

[dreamland-ivy-reads]

spell out your username with songs

I got tagged by the loveliest @multiimoments and @emjayeingray to spell out my URL with song titles. It took me forever because it's so long

I'm supposed to tag people but really consider yourself tagged if you see this because tagging gives me social anxiety lol

D - Don't Blame Me by Taylor Swift, this song live is basically like an out of body experience, and I can't wait for Rep (TV) This is me asking, begging, for the live version to drop

R - Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac, the live 1966 version from the deluxe version. I have grown to reallly really like and listen to Fleetwood Mac andd this song was the first that I hadn't heard in other places

E - Evermore by Taylor Swift, the piano part towards the end of the song makes me think of sunlight and all things light, and I'm an Evermore girlie I wasn't sure about the piano picking up at first but then it just clicked in my brain and I'm obsessed

A - A&W by Lana Del Rey, Am I super late to the Lana train? Absolutely. But I have finally seen the error of my ways. Mainly I stopped judging her music on the one single I heard, Summer Time Sadness which I HATED, also I stopped avoiding things because other people liked them This was the first album that came out since I've begun to listen to her, and this is my favorite song off of it

M - Mermaids by Florence and The Machine, this song is EVERYTHING, I'm absolutely obsessed with it and have been since it released. It's like my little hyper fixation. Florence can do no wrong.

L - Little Freak by Harry Styles, I loved this song the moment I heard it, and I actually realy relate to the idea of the song. It was a crime this song didn't make the set list

A - Another Brick in the Wall pt 2 by Pink Floyd, I had a whole classic rock stage where I went back to listen to all the classic songs and this one was arguably my favorite of them all (and it still is if i'm honest)

N - No Light, No Light by Florence and The Machine, This song is literally Feyre in ACOTAR and I love a good book to music connection If I can't relate to it then I can find someone I've read about

D - Difficult by Gracie Abrams, this song has been so important in my self-healing journey Ironic in a way with the lyrics I know I was very lucky that Gracie opened at my Eras concert

-

I - I Want You (She's So Heavy) by The Beatles, favorite Beatles song ever! This song can come up on shuffle with any vibe and it will always become the vibe. I am literally incapable of skipping this song

V - Voulez Vous by Abba, is Mamma Mia one of my favorite comfort movies? Yes. Did they get me to listen to Abba? Absolutely. Do I also listen to the movie soundtrack? 100%

Y - Year In Review by The Black Keys, I'd say the Black Keys are one of my now core bands that I know I'll always like amd listen to, and they have quite a few songs that I relate to personally or just absolutely love the sound of this one is kinda both

-

R - Regret Me by Daisy Jones and The Six, I totally did include a fake band from a show based on a book. Sorry, not sorry because they're going to be in my top played this year for my wrapped. I literally can't bring myself to stop listening to them though

E - everything I wanted by Billie Eilish, probably one of my favorite Billie songs

A - Angel Of Small Death & The Codeine Scene by Hozier, I'll be honest and say that I had been meaning to listen to Hozier for YEARS but somehow I always forgot or didn't get to it. BUT now that I have thx Daylist I am kicking myself for not doing it sooner because the hype was real and warranted

D - Do I Wanna Know by Arctic Monkeys, it was my first introduction to them as a band so this song has a special place as does the peak 2014 Tumblr era but you know without the toxicity

S - Supermassive Black Hole by Muse, the Twilight scene with this song is ICONIC for a reason, also I used to have the DVD as a kid and it has the Wembley performance of this song and another Muse song, and when I tell you I had them on repeat, I mean it Siriusly hehe I'm sure I saw it a 17377274793 times

Did I have to be this thorough? Probably not, oops

[rainbowslothdragonas21]

A Whimsical Adventure in the Mushroom Kingdom: The Super Mario Bros. Movie Review

Hello, fellow fans of all things fantastical and animated! Today, I’m thrilled to dive into the enchanting world of the Super Mario Bros. Movie, a delightful journey that recently found its way to my screen through the streaming platform Peacock. As someone whose only brush with the Mario universe has been through the exhilarating races of Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (which was…

[greensparty]

Stuff I’m Looking Forward to in August

We are now deep into the Summer. No holidays this month, but here is what’s on my radar:

Movies:

Dreamin' Wild

This musical biopic is about brothers recording an album in the 70s and then the album finally gets discovered thirty years later. There’s a lot of musicians who have had similar experiences (Death comes to mind) but this is based on Donnie Emerson and his family. Opens 8/4.

Strays  

Alright, I admit a bunch of celebrities voicing dogs didn’t have me at first, but I’m looking forward to it because it’s directed by Josh Greenbaum, director of one of my favorite documentaries of the last decade Too Funny to Fail and the trailer got me laughing. Opening 8/18.

You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah

Adam Sandler has been on a roll lately and in his newest starring / producing vehicle, his actual wife and daughters co-star in this bat mitzvah comedy. Netflix premiere on 8/25.

Music:

Neil Young Chrome Dreams

Recorded from 1974 to 1977, this Neil Young album was never released. In 2007, he released the sequel to the widely bootlegged album. Excited to see it’s official release on 8/11 (review coming soon).

Aerosmith Greatest Hits 

In 1980, Aerosmith released their Greatest Hits album filled with 10 hits from the 70s. It is one of their biggest selling releases (12 times platinum). It was re-issued in 1997 with more tracks. There have been other compilations since then, but this new deluxe edition of 44 tracks is coinciding with their upcoming farewell tour. Album drops 8/18 (review coming soon).

Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros Live at Acton Hall 

Recorded on Nov. 15, 2002, this benefit concert was one of the final live appearances of Joe Strummer before his death on Dec. 22, 2002. Especially noteworthy about this concert is that Strummer was joined onstage for some songs by his old Clash bandmate Mick Jones. In 2012, there was a Record Store Day release of this, but this marks the first official release on vinyl and CD and remastered. Album drops 8/18 (review coming soon).

Alice Cooper Road

Call this my Summer of Alice Cooper: in June I got to review his super group Hollywood Vampires’ live album, then I got to cover the re-releases of School’s Out and Killer, and just last week I saw Hollywood Vampires live in Boston. Now the King of Shock Rock is back with his 22nd solo album, dropping 8/23 (review coming soon).

TV:

Ahsoka

Rosario Dawson stole some scenes as Ahsoka Tano on The Mandalorian. Now the character is getting her own limited series taking place post-Episode 6 around the time of Mandalorian. Disney + premiere on 8/23

Conventions:

FAN EXPO Boston 

The annual Boston comic con hits the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Good news is that even with the WGA and SAG strikes, celebrities can attend and sign and even do some panels (as long as it’s not about struck work). This year’s guests include Henry Winkler, William Shatner, Hayden Christiensen, Jason Lee, Peter Weller, Robin Wright and more. The fun happens from 8/4 to 8/6.

[writerchirag]

સ્ટીવન સ્પીલબર્ગની ફિલ્મ 'A.I. Artificial Intelligence'થી ચડિયાતી ભારતીય ફિલ્મઃ Super Deluxe

તમિળ ફિલ્મ 'Super Deluxe' કઇ રીતે અસ્તિત્વને વ્યાખ્યાતિ કરે છે | ચિરાગ ઠક્કર 'જય' | અભિન્ન . . . . . . . #chiragthakkar #chiragthakkarjay #RaagChirag #રાગચિરાગ #writer #translator #author #SuperDeluxe #ViajySethupathi #AI #StevenSpielberg #MovieReview

ખાંટુ દિગ્દર્શક સ્ટીવન સ્પીલબર્ગ વર્ષ 2001માં જ્યારે આ યુગના સૌથી પ્રભાવક ફિલ્મ દિગ્દર્શકોમાંના એક એવા સ્ટીવન સ્પીલબર્ગ ‘A.I. Artificial Intelligence‘ ફિલ્મ લઇને આવ્યા, ત્યારે દર્શકો અને વિવેચકોને તે બહુ જ ગમી હતી. સાયન્સ ફિક્શન સ્વરૂપે રજૂ થયેલી એ ફિલ્મના અંતમાં બહુ જ ખૂબીથી માનવતા વ્યાખ્યાયિત થતી હતી. એ સમયે એમ લાગતું હતું કે માનવતાની આનાથી વધારે સારી અને પ્રેરણાત્મક વ્યાખ્યા કોઈ આપી શકશે…

[oneofusnet]

Digital Noise Episode 312: Supersons and Supermonsters DIGITAL NOISE EPISODE 312: SUPERSONS AND SUPERMONSTERS Chris and Wright have a mighty stack. So mighty, they don’t quite get to everything they planned on. But what you do get is a look at some supersons vs Starro, 80s wide-release horror classics getting the 4k and a 90s one that was rightfully overlooked, a loving… Read More »Digital Noise Episode 312: Supersons and Supermonsters read more on One of Us

[itcamefromthetoybox]

Brawny Paper Picker Upper

One of the joys of living in the area I live in is that it takes forever for new toys to show up on shelves. It was like this before the supply chain issues caused by Covid, so this is nothing new. Because of that, it took forever for the “Transformers Studio Series” figures from the Bumblebee movie to reach this area, and I didn’t wanna pay shipping, so it took a while for me to actually get any of them. But with a little perseverance and a good chunk of “this week sucked and I’m treating myself,” I now have tonight’s review, “Transformers Studio Series Deluxe ‘Bumblebee’ Brawn!”

We’ve talked about the Studio Series before, and how the figures are designed to look like they stepped right off the screen, which made me extra excited for the figures based off the Bumblebee movie. In the beginning of the movie, there’s an awesome scene set on the Transformers’ homeworld of Cybertron, where we get to see a group of beloved characters in their pre-Earth forms. Each character’s design was based heavily off their original 80’s design (G1, for anyone outside the fandom), but with realistic touches added to capture the magic of a big budget live action movie. When I found out that those designs were getting figures, I was so thrilled! It took me forever to find the figures, but I was so thrilled!

Brawn is in the movie for about 5 seconds, so we really don’t see much of him. If you want a good look at his movie appearance, you can find the character model online. In most series, including this movie, Brawn is known for being a little Autobot with super strength, and that’s super strength compared to the strength that the average giant robot from space would have. His most well-known appearance is in the 80’s Transformers movie, where he dies after getting shot in the shoulder once. I know a lot of what I’m saying about him is really just general stuff, but that’s because he’s not in the movie long enough for us to learn anything about him as a character in the film’s universe.

Some guys make up for their size with a fancy car. Brawn chose to go with a gun bigger than he is.

Brawn’s figure does a great job capturing the idea of the original Brawn: a tiny guy who’s got some muscle. He does an amazing job capturing the on-screen likeness, and is clearly a brawler. His colors could only be described as outdoors colors, which makes sense since the G1 Brawn, whom this Brawn is heavily based on, was a jeep designed for rugged terrain.

It’s important to note here that Brawn’s figure, much like the character, is on the smaller size. Hasbro figured people might not want to pay full price for someone smaller than everybody else, so to make up for Brawn’s size, Hasbro gave him a few weapons. One’s a drill that Brawn can hold as a dagger, and the other’s a rife. The drill can peg into the rifle barrel to make a cool drill gun, or it can mount on top of the rifle. It gives the impression that this version of Brawn is a miner first and a fighter second, without sacrificing the “party’s tank” vibe.

Finally, toy accessories I have to actually put effort into losing!

Brawn is really posable, which I love. He’s meant for dynamic poses, with joints all over his body. The one exception is his neck; Brawn cannot look up. The shape of his head means that, even if his neck used a different joint type, he wouldn’t be able to look up. It’s not really an issue, though, as the rest of his body is just so posable. He also has a little peg on his back for his gun, if you want to store it elsewhere so Brawn can start throwing hands. The issue here, though, is that the peg is just a little too small for the gun, so it doesn’t stay on there very well and will fall off. It’s not a matter of if it will fall, it’s when. Thankfully, the gun’s pretty big, so you don’t have to worry about losing it.

I feel like a rife that shoots drills is something that was in “Gurren Lagann.”

Brawn transformers very nicely and quickly. His change takes some fiddling, and there’s some neat details with his legs to convert them into vehicle mode. His vehicle mode ends up looking like an exploratory vehicle. His front rotates up to reveal a port you can plug his drill into, making him look like a space mining vehicle. Between that and his robot mode, I am utterly convinced Brawn was a miner before the war, and nobody can tell me otherwise. Something that delights me here, by the way, is the fact Brawn never transforms in the movie, so this vehicle mode had to be designed by the toy makers. They did a fantastic job coming up with something Brawn could turn into without sacrificing the movie design.

When we live on Mars, this will be our minivan.

Though it looks great, the vehicle mode is honestly where this figure suffers the most. He does have wheels, so in theory, Brawn should be able to roll. However, his body makes it so that isn’t happening. We end up with a vehicle mode that can’t roll. Also, Brawn’s weapon storage is an issue. While the drill integrates very naturally into the vehicle mode, the gun very much doesn’t. It mounts awkwardly onto the roof, and because it uses the same peg as his robot mode, the gun doesn’t stick well. It’s supposed to look like a roof-mounted cannon, but the fact it’s so loose takes away from that

Two seconds after this photo, the gun fell off.

Brawn’s targeted at Transformers collectors and older kids, in the “teens and up” range. He’s a great figure, but the issues with his vehicle mode would annoy kids who want to play with the vehicle. Hell, I’m a 30 year old man and it annoys me. Would I recommend him? Honestly, yes. He looks great and is fun to play with. Brawn is currently available at mass retail for around $20 and is a great addition to a collection. This is JL signing off and wishing you Happy Toy Hunting!

[budgie2budgie]

for all the lees!  ;D

ok! i have now, 15 wannabee lees in my game! YAY - and they are all so darn cute! all of them will appear in lee’s next adventure in DSV. a movie is in the making, and it’s based on lee’s book “xoxo/lee” (above promoted in @floppant​‘s beautiful edit, lol)

the book is about a young LEEsexual man’s journey, trying to find love and - as it often is - mistaken woohoo for love and starting to feel more empty for each sim he [redacted] until he meet someone that, actually make him feel real stuff. (from the reviews: “a stunning debut! it’s like a pornier ‘on the road’!)

this is a pre-joe story, so the “one” in this book is his ex monaï.

lee will be in dellywood to do consulting and, of course, help out picking the actor for the lead role. he will NOT be nice ;) now, i want this to be a fair casting as possible and i might need some help to mull this out in with my discord buddies 😆 but to start things up, here’s 5 simple questions each contestant will get, AND if any of you who made me sims, feel super uncomfortable answering these, don’t worry, i will just make something up myself, ok? post the answers public or just send them to me ;)

1. have you read mr sallinger’s book? and what did you think about it? 2. can you ride a motorcycle? 3. are you ready to change your appearance to look more like the character? 4. are you comfortable being nude in front of cameras? 5. name one thing you would bring to the character?

@thesimsblues​, @simmingswimmingly​, @haziesims​, @therichantsim​, @digital-deluxe​, @queenofvraquin​, @wittynome​, @xldkx​, @quiddity-jones​, @storiesbyjes2g​, @trumpets0ng​, @paper-lioness​, @helloavocadooo​, @astranaar​, @simtrospective​

good luck everyone!