#The Wachowkis

[000marie198]

They are baby your honor

[tielt]

I learned most of the pedagogy I know from my community college teachers like in philosophy they taught debate doesn’t change minds to ask questions rather than speak answers. It’s difficult for autistic people to learn this, I think I do it unconsciously sometimes but not intuitive about how I speak so I try to just be creative. Camp is so lame we should be trying to stand up and act foolish sometimes.

[footagedump]

[the-knucklesverse]

Dressing Up

something something Wachowki's getting officially adopted and he's dressing the rest of the Knux's up in traditional echidna clothing for the special occasion ~~ Qwerty

~~~~~

"I LOVE THIS!" Boom cried, spinning to let his poncho flare. "It's so warm and soft and cozy and MMMMMMM!"

"Stop that," Wachowski said, gesturing for Boom to put his arms down. He fastened an ornate belt around the taller echidna's waist. "It's not a dress. This is the formal attire for the tribe's respected elder."

Boom looked like he was about to cry. "You see me as a respected elder?" His lower lip trembled.

"You are wise in ways of emotions and communication. The big brother to the rest of us."

"I be older than him, ye know!" Dread called as he came closer. He tugged at the neckline of his outfit. "What be my outfit? Fiercest warrior? Best looking?"

Wachowski paused for a moment. "Something like that."

Dread cast him a cocked eyebrow. "I sense ye're not being completely honest with me, but choose to believe ye anyway, for the sole reason that I look GOOD."

Wachowski uttered a soft snicker. "Then it all works out."

He finished with Boom's attire and made his way around the room, checking and helping the others properly adjust the ornate accessories.

Little Z stood off to the side, staring at himself in a full-length mirror. There was something on the boy's face that Wachowski couldn't place, and he approached the little zombie quickly.

"Little Z, did you need help?"

The boy continued to stare at himself in the glass. "This is . . ."

When he didn't continue, Wachowski walked closer, adjusting the lay of the cloth. "The garment of a young guardian, ready to come of age to serve the Master Emerald."

The boy stared. His eyes were wide, flicking up and down his reflection in the mirror. He swallowed hard. ". . . I wore this before."

"What?" Wachowski was only half-listening. He'd need the Master Emerald to create another belt for the boy, his frame so small and frail this one wouldn't do.

Little Z's eyes went shiny. He opened his mouth once. Swallowed again. Opening it again and his voice was shakier than before.

"I wore this . . . before."

Wachowski straightened another wrinkle before the tone of the boy's voice sank in. He stopped, turning to look at the boy's reflection. "What's wrong?"

Little Z's body began to tremble.

"I don't want to do this. I'm scared. Please don't make me do this!"

The boy's voice turned higher as he spoke, and soon the other echidna in the room were turning toward him.

Wachowski wasn't sure what the problem was. He placed a firm hand on Little Z's shoulder and leaned close.

"You don't have to do anything, you're safe. What's wrong?"

Little Z was shaking now, tears trickling from his eyes.

"Let me go, don't make me do it, let me go, LET ME GO!"

Boom pushed his way forward, with Dread close behind. A flash of confusion passed over him for a second, before he realized the problem. Wachowski didn't know about Z's history. He didn't know how Z became Z.

The little zombie was struggling against Wachowski now, fighting to get away. Boom rushed forward, gently gripping Z's face in his hands and bringing their foreheads together.

"You're safe, Little Z," he soothed, keeping the boy's head against his. "You're safe. No one's going to hurt you. I'm here and I won't let anyone hurt you. I promise."

Dread moved up and pulled Wachowski away. "Get those clothes off him. Now."

Confusion passed over Wachowski's face, but he nodded and moved to pull the robes from Z's shoulders.

"They hurt me, they hurt me, why would they hurt me like that??" Z hissed as he held onto Boom's hands. "They were my friends! They were supposed to take care of me! WHY DID THEY HURT ME??"

Boom couldn't take it anymore and he scooped Z up into his arms, hugging the boy tightly.

"I dunno, Z, I really don't," he said, his eyes closed as he tried to absorb all of the boy's pain and sorrow. "But you're here now, and we will never hurt you. We'll protect you and keep you safe."

A chorus of agreement rose around them. Z wrapped his arms around Boom's neck, hugging the tall echidna just as tightly.

It took a few minutes for the boy to calm, and when he did he pressed his forehead against Boom's once more. The taller echidna whispered something to Z, and the boy nodded, sniffing once before Boom gently placed him back on his feet.

He wiped his cheeks, before turning back to Wachowski.

"Sorry," he said, his voice thick with unshed tears. "Sorry. I didn't mean to ruin things."

Wachowski shook his head, a concerned furrow in his brow.

"You have not. Dread explained things to me, and I greatly apologize for bringing back such harmful memories to you."

Little Z sniffled again, running his arm beneath his nose. "Do I still get to dress up?"

Wachowski offered the boy a smile. "You do. I have a much better idea of what you can wear. The robes of the village healer. The most precious and special of all."

A smile curled Z's lips at that, and he followed as Wachowski addressed the Master Emerald for the different clothes.

[nights-nonsensical-ramblings]

After seeing sonic prime I kinda want to rank the Knuckles' on how feral each of them are.

Gnarly or dread would definitely top the list

then maybe X?

after that i'm not sure which one.

Maybe movie next? He has mellowed out a bit now that he's with the Wachowkis

then modern, renegade or main prime universe.

then boom.

(I dont know enough to say about the comic knuckles' or underground Knuckles)'

[chirpsythismorning]

Do you think the duffers received a fair pay (like an exception to the rule)? Sometimes i see pro strike fans saying something like "pay the duffers better" and Im here like hmmm i don't think the strike is about the duffers at all hun

The Duffers represent the sector of show-runners that are top earners, especially considering they also take on the roles of executive producers/directors, which have separate negotiations, and that obviously increases their salary a hell of a lot more than what they get as show-runners.

Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of instances of show-runner's being screwed over and not compensated for their work, even despite massive success. I mean look at Squid Game, a series that went on to make Netflix a billion in profits and yet the creator did not see any of those profits because of the slimy deal they got dealt (which is so painfully ironic considering the plot of Squid Game is the very cutthroat impacts of capitalism).

I guess the only thing that might be worthy of considering is the fact that the Duffer Brothers are in fact two people, like the Wachowki sisters or the Russo Brothers. So are they getting paid as if they are two separate entities, or are they getting slightly less than they would if they operated separately?

Regardless, you are in fact right, as this strike is about the majority of writers and actors, many of whom cannot even qualify for health insurance because of how little they make, based on a system that is going along with outdated conditions that no longer apply.

If you break it all down, it should not be an issue to pay their workers a living wage. That should be the absolute bare fucking minimum which is what the writers and actors are asking for AT LEAST.

The problem is that breaking it all down would reveal things that studios don't want to contend with. It would reveal that the actors all across the board are getting underpaid, based on the profits they are seeing.

It would be one thing if Netflix made no money from the content they make, but they do. And so why is that profit not being shared with the people that made it possible? Why are they prioritizing the wealth of CEOs, who are getting in the 500 millions of profits?

If they gave everyone what they deserved, based on the profits they are seeing, they wouldn't make those hundreds of millions, but instead millions... And that's a problem for them and their shareholders who want to make as much as possible, and are willing to make cuts anywhere they can.

And we're seeing this across all industries, where we have infighting with everyday people saying that only doctors or experts should be making a lot, while those working in a drive thru shouldn't make x amount because it's a starter job and mostly minors working... Like... What? Who do we think works in those drive thru's during the school hours? Do those people not deserve to afford rent? Many essential workers across the board are seen as not worthy of existing based on these conditions and that's because it's all about record profits and short-term exponential growth and that can't happen at an unfathomable rate if they are paying their workers fairly in all areas.

The Duffers will be fine. I'm more concerned about their writers room and other writers rooms across the industry that don't get what they are worth and are treated like they are replaceable just because they aren't as in demand for viewership. The reality is they could still pay the Duffers big money for what they're worth, based on the profits Netflix gets from their show, AND writers/actors less known that are still incredibly essential and deserve a livable wage and health insurance AT THE VERY FUCKING LEAST.

But the studios don't want to do that and they're doing everything they can to make anyone and everyone out to be the bad guys in this situation other than themselves. This means you're going to be seeing a lot of people infighting in a way that doesn't acknowledge the real problem, giving the studios what they want: eyes on everyone but them.

[diracsea]

Bullet-time is a stylistic way of showing that you are in a constructed reality, that time and space are not the same as us today living our lives. It’s slowing down time to such an extent that you really see everything around you as clearly as you possibly could.

JOHN GAETA, Visual Effects Supervisor from The Matrix (1999)

[colorfulbaobab]

[theinsatiables]

10 Years Later, Why the Wachowskis’ Flop ‘Speed Racer’ Is Actually a Masterpiece

The ability to roll with punches and follow a movie into different emotional realms, especially goofy ones within serious narratives, is the ability to not take yourself too seriously. It is the ability to be adult and roll into all kinds of states of emotion, not just the ones we think we want to be in. To that point, Speed Racer basically requires you to roll with the punches on a pretty extreme level. Yes, the silliness feels silly. But if you accept that, then the danger is dangerous, too. And yes, the epic race across the desert goes on “too long,” but in doing so, it genuinely feels epic.The film is always itself. Especially as it slides back and forth between dramatic and comic emphasis with the blistering assuredness of pure operatic glee, all while living and breathing every moment sincerely. And what else would an 11-year-old’s fever dream about weaponized race cars, ninja fights and family togetherness be but achingly sincere?Speed Racer came out 10 years ago today, and I’m pretty sure I haven’t shut up about it since. But for good reason. I think it remains one of the most criminally overlooked films in recent memory and also one of the most oddly inspiring. While I know there are fellow fans who would wholly agree with this superlative, the notion runs contrary to the conventional wisdom surrounding the film’s release.

Coming off of the unparalleled success of the The Matrix films (even with the under-baked reaction to Matrix: Revolutions), fans were so excited for the Wachowski siblings’ next cinematic foray into something new. And it was going to be Speed Racer! An update of the beloved ’60s anime that many had grown up with! It implied there would electrifying, matrix-esque car chases! Frenetic action! All from the two filmmakers who had come to define the new serious-cool-ass cyberpunk! Hooray!  

But for those who loved the leather-clad adult fare of their previous work, they had no idea what to do with this fluffy, neon-soaked bit of confection that was being sold to them. And neither did the general audience. Speed Racer bombed, and it bombed hard. And as a result, many came to dismiss the film without ever seeing it. Or worse, those who saw it simply had no idea what to do with it.

Which is unfortunate.

But to really get on board with Speed Racer, you have to accept its varied intentions. Starting with the fact that yes, this is indeed a true-blue PG kids film. Because of that, it will be unapologetically goofy, over the top and prominently feature monkey gags. Moreover, you have to accept that it is going to devote itself to the notion of being “a live-action cartoon,” one that constantly eschews realism in favor of a hyper-stylized, bright aesthetic as far removed from The Matrix as I can think of.

A lot of people argued that the film’s aesthetic existed in the uncanny valley (which suggests “humanoid objects that appear almost, but not exactly, like real human beings, and which elicit uncanny or strangely familiar feelings of eeriness and revulsion in observers”). But, to me, it works precisely because it’s not even trying for the in-between. Instead, it’s trying to something closer to the humans-in-toon-space of Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Simultaneously, you have to accept that this PG kids film will also be, at times, incredibly serious: a two-hour-and-fifteen-minute epic that delves into convoluted plot-lines of mystery identities, corporate white-collar intrigue, nonsensical plot fake-outs, a surprising amount of gun violence and even a weird climactic rant about stock price manipulation. And all the while, you have to accept that within this, the emotional backbone of the film will be a surprisingly wholesome exhibition of family love, understanding and togetherness.

Yes, all of this exists within Speed Racer. And, tonally-speaking, I mean it when I say it is one of the weirdest movies I have ever seen in my entire life. (It’s also a testament to the trouble that a lot of anime and non-naturalistic Japanese storytelling has in terms of adaptation.) And so I get why that is hard for people to swallow, I really do.

But what we’re really talking about is the push-pull of tone-changing filmmaking, wherein I will argue until I’m blue in the face that singular tones are dead-ends to adventurous storytelling. For instance, I love the work of Christopher Nolan, but if you just layer an entire movie in a singular tone you are, in a way, just lying to the audience. From start to finish, Nolan’s films feel propulsive, adult and entirely serious—even if when they, you know, aren’t on the deeper textual level of a moment. But that’s all part of the emotional coding for the audience and in service of the end goal: it makes them feel serious, too. All because it validates their interests as being equally serious.

This is why so many of those inclined to like singular tones have trouble with the work of someone like Sam Raimi. I hear people commenting that his films are “too corny” all the time; that word choice is both telling and bizarre. Because, while Raimi’s movies can be goofy and over the top, they are also achingly dark, sincere, and full of emotion. So really “too corny” is just code for: “this was often goofy and I don’t like movies that make me feel like my interests are goofy.” Which, ironically, I find to be an incredibly juvenile attitude—one that is not trying to be an adult. It’s trying to dress up kid-interests to seem adult, when really adulthood is just rolling with the punches and embracing things for whatever they really are.

The ability to roll with punches and follow a movie into different emotional realms, especially goofy ones within serious narratives, is the ability to not take yourself too seriously. It is the ability to be adult and roll into all kinds of states of emotion, not just the ones we think we want to be in. To that point, Speed Racer basically requires you to roll with the punches on a pretty extreme level. Yes, the silliness feels silly. But if you accept that, then the danger is dangerous, too. And yes, the epic race across the desert goes on “too long,” but in doing so, it genuinely feels epic.

The film is always itself. Especially as it slides back and forth between dramatic and comic emphasis with the blistering assuredness of pure operatic glee, all while living and breathing every moment sincerely. And what else would an 11-year-old’s fever dream about weaponized race cars, ninja fights and family togetherness be but achingly sincere?

Even the much ballyhooed stock price rant is inspired: that’s the point of the film’s laser targeted messaging. While so many kids’ films depict the ethics of villainy as some mustache twirling vehicle for evil and evil alone, Speed Racer has the guts to tell you that evils of the world are far more mundane (and lucrative). But as one-note as the stock market speech feels (as Roger Allam gives a deliciously unhinged performance), the message itself is not some reductive estimation of art and commercialism. Given literally everything else about Speed and his family’s business, Speed Racer is arguing there is nothing wrong with success, fandom, and connection between the two. It is simply pointing out that any system that puts the tiniest bit of money and “the perpetual machine of capitalism” over the sanctity of that connection, will only ever manage to sever that same connection.

That may seem “too adult” for a kids film, but I think it’s inspired, especially as kids are a lot smarter than you think (especially when you don’t talk down to them and trust them to handle things). So, if you buy this notion, and if you buy the family drama that has brought Speed to the final race, then it all comes together thematically into one of the most electric, abstract and emotional endings I can think of—one that wholly reaffirms that we are so much more than any single moment, but the product of everyone who helped get us there along the way. I cry every damn time I watch it.

And nestled within that ending is the larger meta-narrative of the Wachowskis’ entire career, their core theme if you will: the notion of intrinsic identity and becoming your best self. I’ll admit, I often have a lot of trouble with the idea of “destiny” in modern storytelling, precisely because I see a lot of irresponsibility associated with it. What used to be a giant metaphor for hubris has sadly become short-hand wish-fulfillment to believing you are the specialist hero in the universe, an attitude that often reeks of a lot of unintentional uber-mensch vibes.

But within Speed Racer, the metaphor of “race car driver” doubles with artist, or any other childhood dream—the kinds of dreams that must be stuck to, and chased after, with gleeful joy in order to bring said dreams to life. More than that, the metaphor gains so much within the context of the Wachowskis’ personal lives, as we now can look at so much of their work within the landscape of trans messaging—to the point that a lot of their work now has slid into “full text” metaphors of trans identity shifting, such as with Cloud Atlas and Sense 8. In that, I find their work to be the most powerful. By reclaiming destiny and the hero’s journey, they take it all away from “you are destined to be better than everyone else” and make it instead “you are becoming who you always really were, while discovering empathy in all those around you.” This is precisely the sort of loving, hallmark messaging that many too-cool-for-school folks would eye-roll at, but there is no doubting that the Wachowskis’ arrival at this earnestness is both hard-fought and hard-won.

This is all not to say that I’m unaware of the contradictions within their work, most specifically within the catch 22 of violent glorification against anti-violence. But within the “hyper language” of cinema, their violence just becomes part of the operatic aching sincerity.

But I understand that a lot of people aren’t sure what to do with the aching sincerity of it all. I remember how many people saw Jupiter Ascending and made fun of Eddie Radmayne’s truly gonzo performance, but I feel like he was the only one who really knew what movie he was in. He wasn’t pushing it too far; everyone else’s plasticity was weirdly holding it back. I genuinely love him in that film. Sure, the performance might be “too corny” and make you feel “weird,” but it’s precisely the kind of weird that opens the world up and imbues it with life and verve.

Maybe weird and jarring is exactly what we need. For, in a cinematic world full of carefully structured disaffection, the Wachowskis are still the most passionate, jarring and unworried filmmakers we have. And in that journey of self-discovery, it’s the odd mix of gee-golly sincerity of Speed Racer that is both exemplary of (and marks the transitional point of) their entire career.

Which only leaves me with one question: why, in a career full of identity questions, systematic oppression and selfhood, is their most exemplary film about the message of family perseverance and togetherness? In truth, I don’t know what their relationship is like with their larger nuclear family, nor does it matter. What we do know, and have always known, is who Lana and Lilly Wachowski are to each other: friends, collaborators, sisters. They are as loving a literal family as we have ever seen in cinema. And within their art, they’ve been telling us of their specific, powerful experience in the most universal and commercial of cinematic ways.

For well past 10 years now, they’ve telling us by shooting, chopping, rocking out, screaming, singing, dressing up, joking, lecturing, goofing, laughing and anything and everything in between. Many often roll their eyes at such naked, heartfelt audacity. “Too corny,” they say out of the side of their mouths. But such disdain is all part of the pains of being pure at heart.

And really, they are the joys.

< 3 HULK

[moralitas]

This lil guy fits here, right?

Pocket hog for @tharkflark1 ! He's my son now.

[000marie198]

WHAT IF-!

In the third movie (if they go a similar route to SA2) the artificial Chaos Emerald in Sonic's possession activates with a gold glow at the exact same moment when Tails activates his own energy with gold lightning fueled out of raw grief and vengeance.

Like, can you imagine how epic that moment would get if paralleled in that way?

[000marie198]

"My revenge will come when you least expect it, fox."

The one thing that I'm excited to see in the upcoming Knuckles series is the potential scenes of Wachowski family shenanigans that we could get for each episode. More so seeing him interact with Sonic and Tails since Tom and Maddie may not make a physical appearance in the show.

(I'm also betting that there might be a whole episode dedicated to Knuckles trying to get his revenge on a unsuspecting Tails just as he promised in Sonic 2 XD)

[appendingfic]

A List of Shadow's Crushes, in Chronological Order

Freddy Mercury Knuckles Knuckles Wachowki Sonic's friend Walter Paluski the unfortunately homophobic Jesse Cranston Sonic Thomas Wachowski

[apocalypsegay]

how had i forgotten the fact that the wachowki sisters consider “nazi” a slur

[thefrekl-art]

It’s been 18 days since it happened, and I feel like I should’ve said somethng about is days ago, but I’ve been pretty busy...but I still think about it and feel pretty sad.

Sense8 was definitely one of the best shows I’ve ever seen in my life, everything in it was just perfect: the storyline, the concept, the character design and the development each of them had, the amazing shots and sequences, and of course the diversity... this show somehow made everyone out there felt identified at some point. It really is a shame someone out there thought about cancelling this wonderful masterpiece and more people actually thought it was a good idea. And the worst part is we’ll never know what happened to them... We’ll never know if Nomi’s relationship with her family got better, or her wedding with Amanita, we’ll never see if Lito telling Hernando about him being a sensate, or his career in hollywood, we’ll never know if Capheus’ campaign went well, and the wonderful changes he would have made if he won, we’ll never know if Sun’s brother got what he deserved, if she’ll get to be with her dog again...or if she’ll get a chance to be happy with Mun. We wont get to see Will and Riley’s relationship grow, and somehow build a life together, we won’t get to see the sensates kick Whispers’ butt, and the most painful to me, we’ll never see them rescue Wolfgang, we won’t see him meet Kala in person...we won’t get to see them together in Paris, and I find it insulting that Netflix decided to do that to the fans.

I will forever love this show and treasure it in my heart, and keep hoping that somehow they give us some closure. Thank you Wachowkis for this amazing series, and for the whole cast and crew that made it possible. Sensates forever <3

[abigailnussbaum]

I'm still trying to carve out some time to rewatch this movie (or really, not so much time as headspace; I'm in pre-move mode and not up to anything too intellectually stimulating), but I think this sums up my reaction to the movie, which is that it is full to the brim with great ideas, none of which are successfully developed or carried across the finish line. You've already mentioned the cruel cooptation of Neo's story into yet another system of control (it's not brought up in the movie, but this is actually a brilliant way of making sure people don't break free; if your sense of reality just happens to dovetail with a mega-successful computer game, you're going to assume you've lost your mind, and people around you will take you for a sad fanboy who can't tell fiction from reality), or the fact that Neo has shifted into a defensive mode. But I would also add that NuMorpheus is a great character, and the idea that the sides in this struggle have shifted from humans vs. machines to rebels vs. conformists, in which there are humans and machines on both sides, is a very good one, that carries forwards some of the themes of the sequels.

But one by one, these ideas are raised and then dropped, or just not given enough room to shine. You see this, in particular, in the handling of Trinity. People talk about how this movie is a response to the way that the original Matrix has been coopted and bastardized by popular culture and political groups, but I haven't seen much discussion of the way that Resurrections's Trinity is a direct response to the critique of Trinity Syndrome, where the female lead is just as capable and badass as he is, but somehow relegated to sidekick or romantic reward role while he's crowned as the world's savior.

And that's great! Having Trinity somehow come into the powers of the One is cool, and the moment where she starts flying is genuinely exhilarating. But somehow the only way to achieve that is to give Trinity even less of a point of view than she had in the original Matrix? For all the lip service the film pays to the notion that Trinity has to choose to be free, her perspective and thoughts are almost entirely absent. Her choice to be herself again doesn't feel earned. There's the bones of a good heroic plot for her, but they're not fleshed out. Instead we're meant to be satisfied by her trouncing the Analyst and flying off the way Neo did at the end of the first movie. It feels shallow, where there was clearly a lot more that could have been done.

And I don't think you're wrong that this is a similar problem to the sequels (personally, I think Reloaded is vastly underrated, but I won't deny that it has significant structural problems; Revolutions is, of course, a complete mess). And really, all of the Wachowkis' filmography, which is chock-full of stories with great premises and no follow-through. I enjoyed Resurrections overall, but I couldn't help but notice that it ends almost exactly the way The Matrix did, with Neo and Trinity promising to change everything. But this movie was the opportunity to do that, and it backed off. Maybe they were expecting a sequel, but I think the more likely answer is that they've never known how to get to the next part of the story.

Snap reaction:

The Matrix Resurrections is a good, solid, well-made film with moments of genuine excellence… but the reasons it is all those things is are the precise same reasons that The Matrix was and is a titanic genre classic.

In other words it has a severe case of The Force Awakens disease. Lana Wachowski did what she’s best at, which is make The Matrix. And it’s like… cool, but we already knew you could make an Act I.

Now you have to prove you can grapple with the implications of the universe you’ve created, which both Reloaded and Revolutions failed at. Indeed, the weakest parts of Resurrections are when its trying to establish the political and social economy of the world Neo supposedly created at the end of Revolutions, and its very clear that the writers do not want to get into any of that, because they were busy making The Matrix again.