#also in love with how they did the relationship between Ken and Barbie

[mmmmmmmmicrowave]

Watched the Barbie movie today… Allan is me, Ryan Gosling is hot in those bro ken outfits, and all of them are queer. also made for a great reminder of my sexuality (aro/ace spectrum, emotionally attracted to women but aesthetically more to men) also realized my ideal relationship may be more toxic than I initially realized (a friend who is in love with me but I am not in love with them. we go on dates and stuff maybe but they know not to expect me to return romantic affection they give me. tho in return I will be very grateful and love them platonically with all my heart 4ever bc mine <3)

[octuscle]

Cursed Ken, part 4: Baschy, the ice hockey center star

Sebastian strolled through the flea market. He didn't really have any particular reason. No particular destination. Just to have a look… The stall with the young Arab was a real eye-catcher. Not necessarily because of the goods. But because of the Arab. A giant, a muscleman. Tattooed, short-cropped hair. Masculinity oozed from every single one of his pores. All the more astonishing was his merchandise. Lots of junk. But in between a small army of dolls. In the style of Barbie's Ken. But somehow also different. Many far removed from what you would expect to find in Barbie's dream house. Surprisingly, hardly anyone seemed to be interested…

"So, stud? Which Ken do you like?" Shit, the guy's voice went through Sebastian's bones. The guy pushed up his T-shirt and scratched his hairy chest. Sebastian's cock licked Precum. With a dry throat, he said he was interested in the ice hockey player. "I see. They're real men. Sports with a lot of physical contact. Makes every guy horny." The Arab laughed boomingly. "Twenty-eight dollars for you. Because I like you!" Sebastian had no choice. He was far too excited to negotiate. He already had 30 dollars across the wallpaper table and took the doll. And he knew what he wanted to do with it. He wanted to give it to his son. His son from a relationship from ages ago. His ex-girlfriend didn't want his son to meet his father, the damn faggot. But Sebastian had secretly watched him from time to time. He knew that he played ice hockey in the juniors. He hoped he would be happy about the doll. But Sebastian had no idea how to present the gift.

His son trained on Wednesdays at 4 p.m. in the ice stadium Sebastian knew that much. There should be some opportunity… With the doll in his coat pocket, Sebastian strolled on through the flea market. After a few minutes, he had forgotten about the doll, his son and the hot Arab. Sebastian was hungry. Shit, he was actually always hungry. Anyone who consumed as much energy as Sebastian did had to eat a lot. And Sebastian consumed a lot of energy. An hour's run in the morning. At least an hour of gym in the evening. Training on the ice three times a week. The next time was Wednesday at 18:00. Before that, he trained the juniors as a temporary coach.

The trip to the flea market was a nice change of pace on Sunday afternoons. But now it was time for the gym. And then early to bed. He had to be fit again in the morning. Sebastian had left his gym bag at his buddy Kemal's stand. He was eagerly awaiting Sebastian. It started to drizzle, Kemal wanted to dismantle his stand and no more customers were coming. Sebastian helped his friend to stow away the goods. The prospect of lifting weights with Kemal and relieving pressure in the shower after training was worth postponing the workout a little longer.

You have to hate your coach. And today Baschy, as his teammates call him because of his Swiss roots, hates his coach. Shit, if Baschy is at the end of his tether, it's been a tough training session. And after the youth training session, there was another training session on the schedule. Baschy tries to focus his anger on his stick and puck. And he sends the puck towards the goal. His colleague in goal has to take a real beating. And by the time the juniors, some of whom were barely up to his belly button, come onto the ice, his anger has been vented.

Baschy loves training with the kids. Even if it's a completely different thing to play ice hockey skillfully than to teach someone how to do it. And his kids adore him. When he's not at training, their motivation is at rock bottom. Especially with the one little guy who Baschy is convinced is born to be great. But even if nobody can say why, the two of them simply have a very special relationship.

[just-some-random-blogger]

alright! could you do sn ewan mitchell x reader fic/crackfic where there's already an established relationship between the two with reader also being an actress and they're just in bliss with eachother. reader likes to be a bit funny behind the scenes with Ewan and all that! maybe moments of them just living life together too, please?

Barbie

Ewan Mitchell x Reader

Summary: "Shhh, I'm living my barbie-ken fantasies, lovie," I say as I stroke his luxurious blonde mane. Ewan grunts.

Word Count: <500

Warnings: gender neutral!reader, fluff, typos, etc.

A/N: tbh its like... not specified what reader does, other than the fact on this particular day, babes did a food run for the cast. I HOPE YOU LIKE IT NONNIE! Tagging: @pinksirensong @aralezinspace @sloanexx @deniixlovezelda @risefallrise @antisociablewallflower @lxdyred

I walk in on set with a bag of take-away in both hands and Ewan's hoodie draped over my shoulder.

At the moment, Ewan was filming a scene with Olivia, and so Tom, who was wearing a protective cover for his wig, was the one that spotted and greeted me, helping me set out the food that I brought.

"Wow," Fabien whispers excitedly as he spots me and walks over to the table, "you truly are a darling, my love," he says, pulling me in for a side hug, rather awkwardly making me crash into his armor.

I smile at him and exaggeratedly scoff, "don't I know it."

Tom, Fabien, and I then take the food out of the bags and set it up for everyone.

Tom bites into his burger and Fabien scoops into his sundae. The former huffs, "it's always a good day when you're on set."

I chuckle and curtsy, "why, thank you, my king."

Tom nods and raises a hand at me, waving the way royals do.

"CUT!"

I turn over and find Olivia, Ewan, and the director speaking to each other. The next moment, the direct calls for a lunch break and the Targaryens are walking over.

Ewan smiles when wave at him.

"Hello, love," he says as he approaches, giving me a quick peck on the lips. I rub his shoulder as I take his jacket and hand it to him, "you left this in the car."

Ewan takes his hoodie as Olivia greets me and takes her share of the food. Ewan takes his hoodie, "I thought I misplaced it here."

"Well, clearly not."

Ewan then takes his share of food and sits down at the floor in corner of the cramp room. He beckons me over, just as a stylist comes in and asks to secure Ewan's wig.

I turn to her as Ewan walks over, chewing some fries. I watch as she puts clips on the side of Ewan's head. I then ask, "would it be super bad of me if I brush my fingers through his hair?"

The stylist turns to me and chuckles, "hmm, I think it'll be fine as long as you don't rip at it."

I grin as Ewan mutters, "oh, gosh, now you've done it."

I break into a giggle as the stylist looks between us in slight confusion.

"When I tell you how eager this hair enthusiast has been to play with this hair," Ewan mutters in faux annoyance.

"Shhh, I'm living my barbie-ken fantasies, lovie," I say as I stroke his luxurious blonde mane.

Ewan grunts.

The stylist and the others laugh.

"To be fair, darling," Olivia offers from the side, "it is the type of wig calling out to be finger combed."

"See," I turn to her, "you get it." Olivia nods enthusiastically.

Ewan thanks the stylist as she walks off.

"Just-" Ewan turns to me, "-don't get overexcited."

"Me?" I make a face at him, "never."

[fencecollapsed]

I have some opinions about the Barbie and Ken dynamic,, let me know if I'm out of line here but like I wish they were friends

I know it was supposed to be abundantly clear that Barbie is uninterested in Ken romantically, and believe me I'm all for that. but she didn't seem to like him much at all, and I feel like that was kind of a missed opportunity?

I believe that Ken's arc is partly supposed to resemble watching a boy you grew up with and trusted and were close to becoming an alpha male misogynist seemingly out of nowhere, I see that intent and it's good. I personally didn't really feel that in the movie though because I don't super believe that Barbie considered Ken a friend. if Stereotypical Ken was Stereotypical Barbie's very best friend - which he definitely isn't - him turning on her would've hit harder

it could've given more to explore with their relationship overall. unrequited romantic love between best friends tends to be portrayed as sad for the friend who's in love, but what about the friend who isn't? in middle school I had two guy friends who I considered family, they were like brothers. I thought they were great and I really liked being around them. both of them ended up asking me out, and when I turned them down, our relationships changed. one of them got distant and jealous, and the other stayed my friend but every now and then would still try to convince me to date him. it sucked, and on both occasions I felt bad that I didn't feel the same way they did. I missed how things were before

going deeper into that dynamic with Barbie and Ken could've added an extra layer to the movie. they used to be so close, things are different now, they love each other, but Ken loves Barbie romantically and Barbie loves Ken like a brother, and they both know it. lately she's spending more time with the girls and less time with him because things are awkward and she feels bad, without realizing she's starting to disregard him entirely. Ken feels lonely and dejected and falls into the patriarchy and starts believing that Barbie not loving him the way he loves her isn't just unfortunate, it's wrong, he's entitled to that. all the Kens are entitled to that. if she doesn't love him how he wants her to why should she get the respect she doesn't give him?

their little talk at the end could have more weight and them going their separate ways could be more bittersweet because they do love each other. they'll miss each other so much, they've always been best friends. but they've been hurting each other too much for too long without realizing it, and it's better to say goodbye now than to hold on until they end up hating each other

also I wish Ken apologized to Barbie. I know, I know it was definitely intentional, it was about the man hurting the woman and the woman still feels the need to apologize to him, but that doesn't mean I have to like it!! if Ken's arc was supposed to be remotely sympathetic he should've said he was sorry!!!

[an-aura-about-you]

it's lunchtime and I'm in the mood to see how far I can get into Handbook for Mortals because I've heard the next chapter is super long. but also idk how much of it will be worth summarizing. I know the big highlights, but let's see what we've got.

moving on to Chapter 7 part 1:

when we last left our hero Scheherazade gave the mean girls an embarrassing one liner that worked for no other reason than author fiat and Jackson is a simp.

now on to Chapter 7: Strength

-so in the last chapter Zade said it was nice to pretend she had friends, but this chapter starts with her and Riley being up in the catwalk and her telling us that he's become like a little brother to her. she hasn't given us any more time jumps, so it's possible she was just lying before and I had my pity spiral for the author for nothing.

-you know how sometimes a person says a saying all wrong? Riley just did that with, "Curiosity killed the cat." like it's cliche but there's a reason it's cliche, bro.

-Riley gives us the deets on why Mac has a rule about not dating performers: he was in love with one, they slept together, and she thought it was just a one night stand while he thought they were gonna be in a relationship. she decided to string him along and it really crushed him. idk, with the way Sarem wrote Mel in the previous chapter, I'm not sure I believe she did Mac that dirty.

-also her name was Clara Faust. goddamn I love that name. I wanna see her girlboss it up.

-Clara is also apparently so bad that "she makes Sofie look like Mother Theresa." amazing. I don't even have anything else to say about that.

-hmm interesting. Zade tells us she's never been in love before. liked people and had crushes, yes, but never love. that perks my lithromantic ears up, and I could actually really see that? but much like my acedar going off with Anastasia Steele, I doubt that's what the author intended.

-the gang is getting ready to leave for the day and Jackson asks Zade if she's going to see his band perform tomorrow night. this is when we get the sledgehammer to the face that Sarem actual wrote in real life honest to goodness band the Plain White T's in her book as Zade namedrops them here. only with her Jackson Rathbone proxy as the lead singer. like, it is so jarring to see real celebrities in this thing and this is not the only time we see it. this CAN be fun when done right, but it requires a light touch, a passing mention. I think my favorite way was in the Barbie movie when they talked about escaped Kens.

-"He had asked me this earlier when we were eating together in the Employee Dining Room, which we cleverly rever to as the 'EDR.'" if I had to read that line, so do you.

-ok this book just namedropped Leona Lewis and idk if this is telling or standard that the reason I know who she is (after doublechecking on wikipedia) is because I saw her in Mamma Mia ripoff jukebox musical Walking on Sunshine. (don't watch it. it's not good. just look for pictures of Annabel Scholey as Maddie.)

-Zade agrees to go to the show because why not she doesn't have anything else going on. I'm not even a Plain White T's fan but that does feel a little insulting. I know that's just how it is sometimes when you go see your friend's band perform but geez.

-the three music genres Zade drops while wondering what they play are alternative, Americana, and -hopefully not- metal. like, I'm not gonna say I venture out of my own little range of genres too frequently, but I know from experience that it's worth it to give every genre you encounter a try because there IS something good in every genre. also there are wide swaths of metal, genres within genres. there's a big difference between whatever Metallica's doing and Christopher Lee's Charlemagne.

-Jackson gives Zade a kiss goodbye on the cheek as they leave. move has been made. how will Mac counter?

-add another tally for the casually bigoted language as Tad felt cheated out of a kiss from Jackson and used a word derived from the g slur to express this.

-add another tally to Tad's "If I Wasn't A Married Man" counter as well.

-Mac gives Tad a "one-armed guy hug" and Zade gives Tad a "real hug." The Straights Are Not Okay.

-Mac invites Zade to go riding with him on their motorcycles, and she accepts. she also tells us she feels like she's being fought over. that, to me, tells me that Zade wants the same thing for herself from her relationships. she doesn't want Mac or Jackson because of who they are; she wants them because they want her. so I guess at least she's on even ground with this? she may want people as objects, but she also wants to be wanted the same way, so at least it's equal? but man, that is shallow.

-it starts raining on their ride, so they have to pull over and take shelter under an awning at a closed convenience store. the two huddle close, both thinking about the relationship we didn't get to see, and Mac straight up grabs Zade and kisses her. damn, chief.

-oh geez we're talking make out with tongue. (this is not where that line is btw. I intend to provide photographic evidence of that when I reach it.) which, ew, he was just smoking.

-well, I'll give Mac this: REO Speedwagon's a good band to listen to.

-they keep kissing for a while before we pretty much get a smash cut to the next day with Zade shopping at the mall. holy whiplash, Batman! put a pin in this because believe it or not we ARE going to come back to that scene. jesus, the chronological mess of this.

-Zade is at a girlie shop buying girlie things because she wants to look hot for Mac and Jackson. she's shopping by herself because she doesn't like girlie things and thus doesn't want to do this with other girls? the hypocrisy is something to be sure.

-she gets chatty with the clerk working there who, like all characters in a mary sue story, is sycophantic to the max, to the point that she asks Zade to come back and update her on how things go.

-you guys need to see this continuity error for yourselves:

"I settled on the second of the final two dresses she brought me, a tight-fitting dark blue option that hugged me in all the right places. She was right about it being made for my kind of shape. I had a fun brown leather jacket and heeled low-cut leather boots that would offset the black dress nicely..."

so I'm assuming the dress looks like this:

and with that I gotta get back to work!

[sixty-silver-wishes]

Thoughts on the Barbie movie

So I finally saw the Barbie movie! I was excited to watch it for a long time, and overall, I really liked it, although I wouldn't consider it quite perfect. Here are some thoughts upon first viewing-

First, what I liked. The set design, cinematography, and costuming were incredible; it was so fun and refreshing to see practical effects and the sort of artistry that went into this film. The characters were mostly likeable (put a pin in that), and the comedy definitely landed; I was laughing out loud multiple times, and the fourth-wall breaks were a ton of fun. While I've heard different people say different things about the feminist (or at least attempted feminist) messaging and how effective it was, I really liked the point that women didn't have to be extraordinary to be fulfilled or respected. It didn't shy away from topics like aging, emotions, or bodily changes, and I loved how older women were also uplifted in this film, as well as the messaging that patriarchy is damaging to both men and women. And I really appreciated that Barbie and Ken didn't end up together; as an ace person, that representation was really nice to see. Michael Cera as Allan was adorable, and I loved Kate McKinnon as "Weird Barbie." It was nice to see a diverse cast, and in today's climate, after the barrage of hate towards trans people in politics and society, seeing "Doctor Barbie," played by Hari Nef- a trans woman- being called "beautiful" in a big-budget mainstream film was honestly heartwarming. I was definitely crying a bit towards the end, and I'm hoping to watch the movie again sometime.

As for what I didn't like, most of it comes down to the character of Sasha. She was exasperating every time she was on screen, and was written in a grating "how do you do, fellow Gen Z's" way I couldn't stand. While it's true that activism and social justice are obviously components of Gen Z culture, Sasha felt like a caricature of this in the worst possible way. Her calling a Barbie doll "fascist" for setting "unrealistic standards for women" was especially eye-rolling, considering that actual fascism is on the rise both in the United States and around the world, and it felt belittling to the concerns that young people have been vocal about in recent years. For a character representing the "real world," she felt incredibly unrealistic and one-dimensional. However, I did like Gloria's character, and the relationship between her and Barbie.

For a film sponsored by Mattel, I wasn't expecting much in terms of anti-capitalist critique, and while it was sort of there on a surface level, I feel like the film could have gone more into how the concepts of patriarchy and capitalism intersect. They touched on it a little with the Mattel CEO claiming to care about girls and women but only because they were his target market, but I felt more could have been done there.

Some people have been saying the film focused too much on Ken, but I personally didn't mind his arc; it was mainly about how patriarchy harmed men, while Barbie's was about how it harmed women. While I feel like the Kens deserved consequences (conse-Ken-ces?) for trying to overthrow the government and enslave the Barbies, I guess you could also argue that the battle amongst themselves counted as such, as the film displayed that patriarchy is a self-destructive construct. I felt like the Barbies being brainwashed represented internalized misogyny (the "tradwife" movement came to mind), and while Gloria's speech was good and all, I would have also liked to see that concept deconstructed further.

Overall, I'd give the Barbie movie a 9 out of 10. Beautiful visuals, interesting thematic points, and a lot of fun, but I just wish it could have dug a bit deeper.

[fratboykate]

Hi !!

first wanna say i read through all of FB and it was one of the best AU I’ve read fr, so Bravo!! Now you’ve re-peaked my interest with this Mom AU and got me wondering…

Why has Ereka decided Yelena is the perfect match for her mom? Is it that she’s just a true ally who when playing pretend has her barbies play house and raise a family while Ken sits in the corner quietly?

Or does she some how remember what it was like when Kate and Tom we’re together and doesn’t want to experience that again so she decides to pick a nice (and totally not grumpy) lady for Kate because she doesn’t think a man matches her mom’s vibe. Enter Yelena and Ereka decides: “yes, you’re perfect for my mommy!”

Or maybe she’s just down bad for a sister and doesn’t care how Kate gets her one. Because clearly daddy isn’t getting her one (he’s too busy pining after Kate) so maybe another mommy can get me one… again enters: Yelena😈

This made me laugh more than once and I've had a week from hell so thank you.

Ereka has never really seen her parents fight. Like I've mentioned, up until he goes Hulk Green with envy once Yel comes around Tom is a pretty solid guy. They had a mature divorce and it was more of a "I kind of outgrew you and I think it'd be best for all three of us if we weren't together" from Kate vs. like "I hate your guts" screaming matches between them. Kate still considers Tom a friend and motormouths her way into being kinda *too* chummy with him (not to mention she still lets him fuck lol) and that gives him all the mixed signals all the time. In the back of his mind, he can still get his girls back. Enter...Yelena and the girls both fall pretty hard for the grump charm. Tom doesn't take it too well. But to be fair, that was partly Kate's fault because she was kind of stringing him along a little bit. Not necessarily intentionally but he never really wanted to split up and even when they did, not that much changed except he didn't live with them anymore. They weren't "together" but they sure as hell had a good relationship and he still saw Kate naked all the time lol. The only rule was he couldn't sleep over and they had to be lowkey about it to not confuse Ri, but Kate's a horny girl and it's SOOOOO much less effort to be like "u up?" to her baby daddy than go out and try to find someone new to get her off. All that to say, he kindaaaaaaa has grounds to be a little pissed when Yelena shows up because he does get a smidge blindsided by it. Kate just was oblivious to the fact that Tom wasn't clear this was a FWB situation rather than a "I'm still into you" thing. Anyway...back on topic...

Riri obviously doesn't know Kate is a part of the alphabet mafia but her entire life Kate has hit her with the "love is love/people can have two mommies or two daddies" mantra. She's a progressive five year old lol. So when Ri sees Kate and Yelena interact she's suddenly that meme of the woman squinting with the math equations all over. She's like "I can't put into words what is happening here cuz I'm a beeb but I SEE YOU TWO LOSERS and I'm on the case say no more." Mostly it's like...she can sense that her mom is happier and smilier and...lighter? than she's ever seen her. She gets good vibes from Kate after Yelena comes into the picture. She also just loves Yelena. Overall, she's a fan of the whole scenario.

But on top of that, also, yes. Riri is down BAAAAAAAAAD for a sister. She's asked for one for her birthday. She's asked Santa, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, the Elf On The Shelf, and any other magical creature she can think of. No one has gotten her a baby and she feels hoodwinked. She went on a tooth strike after the Tooth Fairy swapped out her tooth and her sister request note for a $20 instead of a cute little baby under her pillow. Ereka says "NO MORE TEETH UNTIL I GET A BABY". Same for Santa. She has him on a cookies and milk ban until he puts those damn storks to work. She's a little blackmailing terrorist. She points to babies when they walk past them or sees a little girl her age playing with a baby. They're not at all religious but Kate catches the tiny asshole praying one day and she's like "???????? What are you doing???" and Ri is like "someone at school said if you really want something you ask god for it and if you're good and mean what you ask him he'll give it to you. So I'm praying for a sister." Needless to say, god went on Ereka's shit list pretty quickly after the praying marathons resulted in zero babies inside Kate's belly. The word "sister" is almost cursed in that house lol. Kate hears it and her eye twitches. She gets triggered 😂

Kate: "Ri, babies are made with two parents."

Ereka: "You and daddy are parents. Can you two make me a sister?"

Kate: 😮‍💨😤🍷💀

That kid will get a sister one way or another and if having to hustle to make Kate and Yelena fall in love is what she has to do, she will goddamn fucking do it. Small price to pay. Screw Santa. She's gonna make her sister happen by herself.

(When she learns the hard way that babies aren't immediate after two people fall in love AND THEN after the waiting they make her do she gets...A FUCKING BROTHER?! PHEEEWWWWWWW that child is /not/ happyyyyyyyyyyyy. She packs her fucking bags and says "Return that thing/swap it for a girl or I'm o u t!" lolol)

[luminouslumity]

THOUGHTS ON: BARBENHEIMER

Finally got the chance to see both (specifically, Barbie, Oppenheimer, and then Barbie again) and I'm glad I did! Watching them back-to-back was certainly an experience and I'm not even joking when I say they really made me think about life and all that it entails.

As someone who grew up on the old animated Barbie movies, I had a lot of fun watching the new film, especially when it came to all the doll jokes and references had me laughing more than once (Magic Earring Ken, anyone?). Kinda mad they didn't have any references to the animated movies though, or at least none that I'd noticed.

Speaking of Ken, wasn't sure about him being the villain at first, but I can see what they were trying to do and I thought it worked pretty well all things considered, that Kens have just as much of a right to live alongside the Barbies as the Barbies do them and not just in the shadows of each other. If this film is anti anything, I'd say it's anti-Patriarchy as well as anti-Matriarchy. Preachy, sure, but understandable. Really, I'm more annoyed with how this apparently went over so many people's heads even with how blatant it was; seriously, President Barbie even says the message of the film after the Kens fail, so how anyone could've misinterpreted it is beyond me! The only thing that comes to mind is when the Narrator says that the Kens will be treated just as well as women are treated in the real world, and to be fair, that statement alone can be interpreted in a lot of ways depending on certain factors, but I don't know, I feel like that should be a wake-up call more than anything.

Barbie herself was also really interesting, though throughout the film, I found myself wondering if she was meant to be the Original Barbie with an upgraded look or just a random Barbie who's basically just an amalgamation of all the others (like she says, she's what everyone else thinks of when they think of the doll). Either way, this certainly adds a whole new layer to the relationship between her and Ken because keep in mind, when the film says that Ken was created for Barbie, they mean it literally.

Going into a bit of history here, Ken Carson was created in response to the backlash Barbie was facing two years after her own creation for the horrific crime of... *checks notes* being single. Since then, Ken has had a few jobs of his own, but it's still nothing compared to Barbie's—this even becomes a joke in the Life in the Dreamhouse series, where the Ken in that series worships the ground Barbie walks on. Probably literally. This man didn't even get his own car until 2012! Then there was the whole seven-year break-up incident because Ken apparently didn't want to put a ring on it (yeah, Barbie has in-universe lore and it goes hard!) so keeping all this in mind, it's no wonder Ken seems to be as attached to Barbie as he is in the film, all while also struggling with his own identity as an individual.

Yes, I probably am looking too deep into a children's film about dolls coming into the real world. This is my life now.

The Mattel scenes were definitely one of my favorite things about the film, especially with how dedicated the CEO is when it comes to his job and how he genuinely wants what he believes is best for everyone, but my favorite part are definitely the scenes with Ruth, which absolutely had me crying! And hey, glad to see I was at least partially right! She made an appearance, just not in the scene I thought it was going to be (also, apparently the sweet old lady on the bench isn't even Barbara, it's costume designer Ann Roth).

Narrators also tend to be hit-or-miss for me, but I thought it worked really well in this film! I especially loved how self-aware the story is and how if you're going to try and make Barbie look ugly, Margot Robbie isn't the way to go. And the cutaway to Depressed Barbie? Hilarious, but now I low-key want that to be a thing lol! And just the world in general was super fun!

Honestly, if I had any complaints about the film, it would absolutely be the pacing. Sasha in particular seemed largely unnecessary and her turnaround to at least tolerating Barbie happened way too quickly, even if she did only want to help for her mom's sake. It would've been nice if the film had had at least one or two scenes where she realizes that while the Barbie brand has its issues that deserve to be addressed, it's also not as bad as what she'd originally thought it to be. And also, it would've been great to just see more of this world in general; after all, Barbie and Ken only spend time in LA for less than a day, and even then, it's only for a few hours at most.

Basically, I wish the film had been longer, but what we got was still great.

As for Oppenheimer, I never really have much to say about biopics, but I love history in general and am always fascinated when it comes to warfare and all of the ethical questions that come with it. This is also the first Nolan film I've actually watched, so I knew this was going to be an interesting time, at least. Let me start by saying that the special effects with the bomb dropping and tense silence afterwards were beautifully done and I thought the use of black-and-white for some scenes and color for others was a really nice touch too, as well as the fact that the film went beyond just WWII and that we get to see Oppenheimer deal with the guilt he'd faced afterwards. I also always forget that Einstein would've still been alive during the time most of the film takes place, so his appearance was certainly a surprise, but a pleasant one nonetheless. I was also wondering in what context the "I am become Death" line would come up, so the fact that the film actually addresses that it comes from Sanskrit rather than suggesting it originated from Oppenheimer himself was such a great detail! Overall, a great film about a very complicated man!

[milflewis]

Happy Aughust! I'd love to hear your thoughts on the movie recs as you go through them.

oh yeah ofc! so far i’ve watched:

something from tiffany’s: this is a v cookie cutter rom com that i felt was lacking in a lot of areas but was easy to watch even if the second hand embarrassment in some places got too much lol (but i Hate second hand embarrassment so this might just be me). by far not zoey deutch’s best role i have to say and felt rushed to me but that was the point of the movie tbf! i just need more. Something. i need more connection and foundation between the characters. i couldn’t SEE them together yk? also. shay mitchell NEEDS to be the star in her own romance movie this is me demanding i’m done asking

the wolf of wall street: this movie is cracked. the fact that scorsese directed hugo and then went and did this is v funny to me. it is truly excessive amounts of sex and drugs and shock! horror! the scandal! but that’s it. that’s the message of the movie. excess and how that completely fucks you up. and it conveys this v well imo. the camera work is snappy and quick and the dialogue is fantastic. nearly every single person in this is messy and terrible and is rotting away which is always fun.

(i do think people who were upset about ken’s role in barbie but have no problems with margot robbie’s role in this movie need to sit down in a dark quiet room and rethink things. like. seriously reevaluate.)

the half of it: this was so soft omg. truly so so soft. a lovely coming of age beat. the setting and cinematography was v quiet and almost sleepy. there is nothing like a himbo straight man and a solemn witty lesbian friendship. a thing of poetry. also side note. i really enjoyed the relationship she had with her dad. it sometimes feels like you rarely get a good solid foundation of a dynamic between a queer character and their parent. esp if the character is a teenager. and it wasn’t perfect! like. at all! but there was this thread of love and familiarity and comfortable kindness between them that i liked.

[robzombies-hotwife]

I saw Barbie last Friday and here are my honest thoughts about it:

Pros

Visually STUNNING

Hilarious

Heartfelt at times

Good acting

The basic premise of Barbie Land and Real World existing together was cool

Cons

The plot is completely incoherent after a certain point in the movie. Barbie needs to go to the real world to save the girl playing with her. No wait, she needs to bring that girl to Barbieland to escape the evil executives! The executives want to put her "back in the box" for reasons unexplained. Oh wait, now Barbie needs to save Barbieland from the Kens! Now Barbie suddenly wants to become human even though that desire is NEVER brought up at any point in the film before the last 10 minutes. And then the movie just sort of... ends. Every plotline besides the Kens (the rift between worlds, the plans of the Mattel executives, Gloria's emotional state, etc.) is dropped with no resolution.

The subplot with America Ferrera and her daughter is severely underdeveloped. If you want to make a point about mothers and daughters (like the line from Handler to Barbie), maybe you should actually develop the mother-daughter relationship we see in the film? Both characters needed more development as individuals as well, particularly as America Ferrera's emotional/mental state is supposed to be the driving factor that forces Barbie into the human world. I will also say that as well-written and well-acted as Gloria and her daughter's big speeches about feminism were, they didn't feel like natural human dialogue at all.

The film's feminist politics are similarly muddy. America Ferrera's speech was well-acted and well-delivered, but it doesn't make sense HOW any of the Barbies would emotionally connect with it (besides our main Barbie, who has seen and experienced the human world). "Having it all" and looking hot while doing it is not and will never be a problem for Barbie dolls, so why would speeches about it snap them out of the brainwashing? Similarly, why would they have such a fear and disgust of cellulite, something they don't even experience, at the beginning of the movie if they don't know about patriarchy yet? Is the director trying to say that an inherently female trait is caring about this, doll or human?

Similarly, how did the brainwashing work? Because Ken said that the Barbies became docile, vapid servants for the Kens as soon as they learned about patriarchy which is... not a great message to send if you're writing female characters we should root for. Yes, real human women can behave in ways that contribute to our oppression (I am not exempt from this at all). However, we have thousands of years of patriarchy influencing that behavior. I'm sorry, but if matriarchy is all they know, the smart, competent Barbies are not going to suddenly buy into patriarchy just because Ken gave a presentation on it. Why would they suddenly start acting stupid to win the Kens' favor when prior to that, nobody cared about their boytoys' opinions?

What is Barbie's motivation to become human at the end? "Well, she feels like she has no place in Barbie Land as she doesn't have a role outside of being pretty" that's literally not a good enough explanation when "you can be who you want to be! Ken or Barbie, you can find yourself!" is the main message of the film before the ending. I felt like Ken and Barbie were given directly contradictory messages. Ken's was "you don't have to just be Barbie's boyfriend or a macho asshole! You can do anything!" and Barbie's was "Ah geez, you really CAN'T do anything since you don't have a pre-determined career role in Barbie Land. Yes, this directly contradicts America Ferrera's speech from earlier about the pressure on women to 'have it all.' Uhhhhhhhh become human I guess?" If Ken could find himself without having to leave his home in Barbie Land, why couldn't Barbie? I wish there had been more and clearer scenes of Barbie falling in love with being human to really connect the ending to the rest of the film.

Overall, I'd give it a B-. The film's visuals, humor, and acting have to work hard, but manage to balance a mediocre and confusing plot. I'd see it again as I quite enjoyed it and had fun watching it, but I definitely wouldn't count it as the greatest film of all time or a feminist masterpiece.

Before the "omg you're so mean!!! just turn off your brain!!! let people enjoy things!!!" comments, let me just say that any film which hypes itself up as a social commentary is not exempt from having its quality examined just because the director is female and it's marketed towards women.

[babyspacebatclone]

@dameferre , I’m going to be replying to this post like this because I’m trying to keep my blog Spoiler Free for the Barbie movie atm, but I really wanted to agree and discuss with you!

I definitely agree that, even in the modern era, the discussion about “Queerness” is more than just having characters in media who loudly identify as somehow not CisHet or showing a romantic attraction to a non-heteronormatice partner.

Being Queer is about the Queer experience, and there are a lot of aspects about that, and the romance/sexuality/gender portion is only part of that!

Yes, Weird Barbie is Queer, because her inability to conform to the other’s expectations of “Being Barbie” is so Queer!!! And it’s multi layered: She’s the most Horny on Main Barbie shown, so she doesn’t confirm to her “designed” sexuality, she’s not “pretty” and “perfect” and so she embodies a divergent “gender presentation.” In one character, she’s all the “Active” elements of Queer, ostracized but still not conforming until she just “Owns it” and loudly acts her Queerness as a choice to be herself.

And then we have Stereotypical Barbie, who doesn’t have to be AroAce but you can bet I’m headcanoning her that way!!! Her lack of desire for a romantic partner is significant, even if it was “normal” for Barbie World, because she chooses to become a human and confront all the heteronormative expectations there.

And the movie ends with her beautiful, head turning, embracing her female body (Barbie needing to see a specialized doctor for her new genitalia is somewhere on a Trans or Intersex spectrum and I will bite anyone who argues!) - and never shown to have any new romantic needs to accompany her other life changes.

Somehow who, even if they appear to slot nicely into a CisHet identity, has still gone through the indelible Queer experience of having emotions and body perceptions and everything else divergent from the “mainstream” of either world.

And can we talk about Ken going through the experience of being an internalized homophobic Gay or Trans person???

Someone who’s so scared of what they are inside and believe others will not accept or respect them that they embody all the toxic elements of what they think they have to be in order to convince others “No, really, I’m strong, there’s no reason to abuse me, I’m the one that will follow the rulebook for presentation and therefore I will have the power.”

Despite never feeling comfortable or happy as either Stereotypical Ken or Patriarchal Ken?? Admitting out loud that he hated everything he’d done and insisted was “really” him at his most blatant, all because of his own fears about not being loved and respected for himself?

Having to find something a little in-between, not Barbie’s Boyfriend but also not Patriarchal; just Kenough?

I’m so gender agnostic I present as Cis because I literally don’t care, so someone else can correct me, but I’d argue that’s a neopronoun, something new that describes his Queer experience as he works through and heals his internalized homophobia???

And Allan, just…. Allan.

Yes, we need more same sex and bi couples in media. We need more clear cut representations of Trans and Intersex and more diverse gender presentations.

But saying the Barbie movie is “heteronormative” when the literal entire plot is neither Ken nor Barbie ended up happy with what they were made and told to be, decided they needed something other than a romantic/sexual relationship, did not get paired up with someone else as a “consolation prize,” and ended the movie choosing their own presentations, no matter how hard it would be going forwards, how unpathed, how different from everyone else they’d ever been told to be like.

Literally, what can be more Queer than Barbie saying “Fuck the boyfriend, I’m going to go get magic bottom surgery!”

…..

Ok, Barbie practicing contact splits with Weird Barbie, I’ll give you that one. 😜

[rolandab]

Some thoughts after watching barbie 💖

Spoilers ahead!!

Honestly I not totally obsessed with the storyline but hey loved the characters and actual meaning/message of it.

For things I do like is definitely actresses/actors acting as their respective roles. I love how Margot Robbie portray barbie having an existential crisis because honestly same😀. Barbie is so relatable with the way she thinks and how honestly she and ken serves a metaphor for people going through a identity crisis and not knowing who they really are outside of societal expectations.

Also I really love the way relationship between the women are portrayed so nicely. The Barbies are really a good role model on how to create a good relationship with other women and always choosing to love rather than fight. I also adore the way Gloria and Sasha is written because their relationship isn’t the stereotypical teenage daughter hates mom. Sasha does love her mom and honestly treats her mom very well. Gloria is a really good mother who does try to make her daughter happy and respects Sasha’s personal choices in life. The part Gloria just rants about the shitty shits that happen to women I think we can really see where she and Sasha are actually similar.

However, I’m kinda nit-picky about mostly the ending parts. I really wished that Ken(kens) really said sorry to Barbie (barbies) for ruining barbie land cus Barbie did apologize to Ken for taking his love for granted and she recognized her mistakes. I just feel like Ken would always try to do better and I did see a post talking about how Ken’s action was reminiscent of how boys grow up and become kinda shitty. Personally, Ken is proof that the patriarchy and male supremacy isn’t something men were born with but it’s something they were taught about by their surroundings.

Also, I really think that the decision to make the Kens in barbie land sort of like women in the real world in the end was not an excellent choice. I would love to see that in barbie land the Kens are able to truly achieve a position of equalness with the barbies. I feel like barbie land should be better than the real world and let everyone have the same chance. By making kens still have lower position than barbies it kinda makes barbie’s realization of the shitty real world not impactful.

That’s all 💅

[lovedaisy02]

Barbie review

TLDR: Ken centric, Ken Asks for a divorce and he really should. Good for Ken. He deserves more. Waste of time, just look up Ken clips and Ruth clips online and that's the movie.

Full Review:

I finally saw Barbie....

Um

So, about the worst movie I think I've wasted time on in a while. Not too surprising since the last decade hasn't brought anything memorable other than Spider verse.

It should be renamed "Ken Asks for a Divorce" and he should, I felt happy for him when he threw her clothes out and got some of that negative emotion out. Barbie is not a center point at all and doesn't add to the film at all. Any actress could've played here without changing anything or impacting the film. Margot Robbie does a good job in her roles but she didn't really even need to be there. She was more or less just collecting a pay check and coasted (good for her, don't we all sometimes?).

The film failed to comment on the 21st centuries social problems between genders and appears to be stuck in the past while simultaneously representing the exact disconnect between cis men and women: a lack of mutual respect and communication. Instead of coming to the conclusion that Ken and Barbie should give each other mutual respect for their thoughts, feelings, ideas and hobbies the film decides that the Barbies know better and the Kens should just be manipulated into a solution. They are not in a romantic relationship in the film but even a friendship would be impossible in their situation. In fact, in real life, I would tell Ken that Barbie is a bad friend and he should let her out of his life. The film skims the surface of women balancing societal demands but it lacks nuance and cultural insight. Some women might still be facing these issues and some areas of the US but I bet a lot, me included, don't, and the current sexism women experience wasn't represented at all. It also excluded more atypical women which is the realistic majority.

The mother-daughter relationship was also poorly written and poorly executed. Ruth, which I love the addition of, comments that Barbie helped heal the rift between mother and daughter. Barbie says she didn't help. I agree with Barbie. She didn't do anything, they went to another reality and suddenly were no longer fighting. The US tends to have a trend of "teenagers hate their parents" which is very tried and one dimensional. This feeds into another lack of insight since many cultures respect their parents and I'm sure many US teens don't hate their parents for no reason at all.

The rant Sasha gave upon meeting Barbie was nonsensical. That's all I can say about that without having to unpack it line by line. Not to mention the fascist throw away line doesn't make sense and it just comes off as a grab at trying to reference the current mainstream buzz words.

All in all the most entertaining and exciting part of the movie is when Ken took over and then went to war which, is a more realistic representation of what a lot of girls end up doing with their dolls...

The film also failed to stick to its rules of their world. Suddenly every Barbie and Ken understood taxes, cars, and stocks? I can see the Barbies knowing since they each have jobs but how would the Kens know? Their whole identity is that they don't know anything because they've never had jobs outside of a hobby or location (rolling blades, beach, guitar etc). How would a ken be able to be distracted into explaining stocks? How would Barbie and Ken know to explain they don't have genitals if they've never had genitals and no one in the Barbie world does either? It was too disjointed.

Do you want to watch an interesting commentary on men and women gender relations? Watch Barbara Streisand films. Specifically, "The Mirror has two Faces." We don't need anymore films going "hey men make sexual comments, don't promote women and women have to try really hard!" Films because it's pointless. The 80s to about 2000s and maybe some after already did it and did a wonderful job without making the women look stupid or the men stupid and did all by showing not telling. We need more films on the nuances of gender identity outside of men vs women and instead where the actual break down of communication is, when the gender roles are reversed or defied and what that might mean in a relationship (familial, work, romantic, or friendship).

Very firm 3/10 wouldn't recommend. Don't waste your time if you haven't watched it yet, just look at Ken clips on YouTube and the Ruth appearances and there, there is your movie.

[irascible-iridescent]

So I saw so many ppl on tumblr watch Barbie and I finally watched it too! What can I say, it is a comedy. Also the story is weirdly very similar to The Lego Movie.

But I would say Lego movie went and defined the argument between the son and the father who were kind of like "the gods" for the lego people. Like anything that didn't make sense in the lego world worked bc it was a little boy playing with it. And the bad things started to happen bc father didn't want his son to mess up his collection and he yelled at him and started to glue bricks together. But in Barbie you never learn anything about the mother and the daughter. Why did they fall apart? What caused them to stop spending time together? Why is the teen girl is mean to her mom like she did something bad? But the movie answers it with She Is Just A Teenager thats why. And it doesn't make any sense. Here bad things in the Barbie world started to happen bc the woman was depressed probably bc her daughter is mean to her (I guess so). She keeps one Barbie she likes around and works at the Mattel. She is also thinking of death and cellulite and like okay but it sounds like they barely scraped the top of the problems this woman faces. And I guess it all fixed itself when she started a poly relationship with Barbie who is a real person now? Like okay maybe. But she and her daughter are just decorations, the movie jokes a lot how the Kens are the accessories for Barbies but the human characters men and women alike are also accessories, they have zero depth. Stereotypical Barbie is also really boring just as a character. Id like to see Weird Barbie more or President Barbie or literally any other Barbie bc this one is Just So Beautiful. Like every time she says she has nothing going on she has no interests and no achievements and no hobby no needs no wants somebody says but you are so beautiful! AND SMART. And I just cant help but laugh bc it doesn't matter that she is beautiful!!! She has nothing going on in her life. The woman who played with her is a mother and a secretary who can drive and she draws in her free time and seems very nice overall. She has things going on for her, her job her family her love for Barbies AND her artistic expression! The movie never answers the question What should I do if I dont have anything going on in my life. Like she says to the directors of Mattel what if we have a Barbie who is like nobody? AND THEY ALREADY HAVE THAT. THEY DO SELL BARBIES THAT ARE JUST A GIRL IN A DRESS WITHOUT ANYTHING ELSE. Its literally cheapest Barbies available. I had these!! 20 years ago!!!! Also there were series of Barbies that had flat feet, but the movie just deliberately forgets their existence. It was a beach series btw. Tbh Ken had more depth bc he liked horses. Like he went to the real world and immediately found something he fell in love with. And Barbie was just There. Like okay go girl give us nothing. I love Margot and she is excellent actor and she works really hard to bring this character to life but the character is boring as hell. I like Margot as a Barbie but I do not like the stereotypical Barbies role in this movie. She just finds out that she wants to be a real human! Wow. It doesn't make any sense. It felt more like movie doesn't address the problems Mattel has, it makes fun of them.

So I would say its a really shallow movie for me. Its not as fun as Barbie and the nutcracker and its not for kids. It is a typical American comedy to go with your friends dressed in pink and to have a laugh, popcorn and a good time. I can't help but be really amused by all the fragile men who got offended by this movie. Im sorry but yall have no sense of humour and yall get offended too easily. God forbid yall ever learn how real life women joke among themselves about real life men lmao.

I will probably buy myself Barbie The Movie doll

[cerisia76]

Oh how I love being tagged (reminds me of the good old days on Wattpad!

So let's get started....

Top three Barbie movies: Barbie and the Diamond Castle has always been my ultimate favourite and I will stay with this idea forever... then you have Barbie and the Three Musketeers and number three is Princess and the Pauper... but I have a real soft spot for Rock N Royals and I just can't rank it in my list of movies because it really holds a special place to my heart...

Favourite character played by Barbie: It's a tie between Corinne and Courtney... Corinne is just amazing. This girl knows what she dreams of and even with everything that happens to her she just decides to do the right thing and to stay true to her dream and what she believes in. She dares to be herself in a world where everyone tells her to be something else. On the other hand you have Courtney who is a sweet little cinnamon roll who basically discovers that she has the right to be herself and that it doesn't mean people are gonna stop loving her if she's not what they expect and want her to be. She appeared in my life when I was pretty much hidding my personality for the same reasons she did, because I feared to be alone and to see her grow and learn to love and accept who she is was important and makes her one of the greatest Barbie role models for me!

Favourite character played by Ken: Technically he isn't played by Ken but let's just forget it in our collective mind. And here there's no doubt for me it's Dominik. I just love how what he looks for in a relationship is what he gives to other people and how nice and sweet and romantic he is....

Favourite secondary character: I have to go with Alexa from Diamond Castle because she's my favourite Barbie character of all times... But I want to also give a spot to my second favourite Barbie character of all times Delancy Devin and to the best "best friend" *cough* girlfriend *cough* Dandelion.

Favourite antagonist: Lydia or Laverna... I would still say Lydia because wow this woman can step on me when she wants... Joking but she's got so much charisma...

Favourite sidekick: I have to go with Bibble like a majority of people

Favourite ship: Canon one is Dominik/Erika because they represent love for me.... Crack couple has to be Liana/Alexa but they're basically canon as much as Catania/Mariposa so I'll go with my "wtf" pairing Sunburst/Linden or with the underrated Elina/Dandelion!

Favourite song: Depends of the langage but in English I would say if you love me for me or Shine.... in French it's Toutes pour une from Barbie and the three musketeers along with J'atteindrai les étoiles (On top of the world) from Princess Charm School.

Favourite transformation sequence: I have to go with my least favourite original Barbie movie on this one and say Rapunzel... it's definitly the best thing of the movie.

Mermaid, fairies or princesses: Why not all of them? I would still have to go with princesses considering how many of my Barbie crushes are princesses!

Bonus question: pitch the next Barbie movie

Well if we follow the path of Epic Road Trip (haven't watched the Mermaid thing for the moment so can't tell if it happens) but I see Ken and Barbie dealing with their new status of a couple and not really knowing what to do differently than before but still struggling because they are a couple but don't want to lose their best friend activities... plus Brooklyn also wants to spend time with Malibu even if she knows Malibu has to find a new center in her life.

If we had a fairytale movie I would love to see a Red Riding Hood story!

Okay, maybe I am the only one who thinks these are fun but... Barbie Movies Tag Game!

Top three Barbie movies? 

Favorite character played by Barbie?

Favorite character played by Ken?

Favorite secondary character? (by which I mean any character not played by Barbie or Ken, or that is an antagonist or a pet… other than that, go wild!)

Favorite antagonist?

Favorite sidekick?

Favorite ship? (Canon, crack whatever)

Favorite song?

Favorite transformation sequence?

Mermaids, fairies or princesses?

And bonus question: if you feel like it, pitch me the next Barbie movie!

Tagging: @genevievebarbie @queenofhearts-93 @classicbarbie @cerisia76 

(Okay, I know I said tag game, but if you want to do it, just do it. I’m very curious)

[grigori77]

REASONS TO LOVE Netflix’ The Sandman series

WARNING!!!  If you haven’t watched it (particularly if you haven’t read the graphic novels, although it’s not essential for enjoying it) there are potentially some serious spoilers coming up here, so be warned ...

...

...

Neil Gaiman basically shepherded the whole thing in, so this is VERY MUCH EXACTLY what he always intended a Sandman series to be.  Long may he remain on the show, because this is about as perfect as a TV series can get, especially an adaptation of SUCH A BELOVED PROPERTY as this ...

Tom Sturridge is PEAK casting genius.  Not only is he spectacularly spot-on with Dream’s speech and mannerisms, but he just LOOKS like the character stepped right out of the comic pages.

But I also love how, while the series IS about the Dream King himself, he’s not necessarily the main, DOMINANT character here.  Sure, in the first half of the season (essentially adapting volume one, Preludes & Nocturnes) it’s very much about his imprisonment, escape and the subsequent battle for him to regain his powers and kingdom, but EVEN HERE there are times he’s more like a supporting player in his own story, letting other characters into the spotlight, especially in the second half when the show adapts volume two (The Doll’s House), when it becomes far more about Rose Walker ...

Speaking of which, Rose is FANTASTIC.  Kyo Ra is a sweetheart and her Rose is adorable and lovely and just the purest cinnamon roll and must be protected at all costs.

Matthew the Raven.  OMG Patton Oswalt.  I knew right away he was gonna be great in this but he surapassed all my expectations as one of my very favourite characters.

The relationship between Dream and Lucienne is PERFECT.  She respects her boss immensely but is not prepared to put up with his shit for a MICROSECOND, and if that means letting him dangle to prove a point she’s gonna do it.

So what if John Constantine is genderbent?  Jernna Coleman’s always AWESOME and she just GOT the character.

Episode 6, The Sound of Her Wings.  Sweet mercy that is a PERFECT HOUR of television right there, completely flawless.  In a season that’s already pretty legendary in its faithfulness, this note-perfect transplant of Gaimain’s flawless writing is a solid gold JOY to experience.

Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death ... OH MY GOD.  My girl was brought to life with flawless perfection, I’m a happy puppy after this.

The Corinthian.  Boyd Holbrook’s another example of perfect casting here, and the rogue nightmare is a PERFECT Big Bad for this first season ...

Lucifer ... yeah, I love Tom Ellis in the show as much as anybody, but Gwendoline Christie is GOLD.  She just GOT the role, clearly.

The duel in hell is AWESOME.  Perfectly done.

Merv Pumpkinhead!  Mark Hammil ladies and gentlemen!  The man can do no wrong.

The Diner Experiment in Episode 5 gave me CHILLS.  That was as close to the perfect nightmare that scenario could have gone, but thankfully without going QUITE as far as it did in the comic.  THAT might have been a bit TOO MUCH.

While we’re there, David Thewlis’ John Burgess is a fantastically complicated and enjoyably HUMAN supervillain, and you’re never quite sure if he’s ENTIRELY WRONG, which worries me greatly.  As it should ...

Also Charles Dance once again proves he’s incapable of delivering a bad performance.

Cain and Abel are a darkly comic delight.

Stephen Fry as Gilbert!  YAY!!  Love that man in everything, he was born to play Fiddler’s Green in human form.

I loved how they got the motley collection of misfits in the Cape Kennedy B&B absolutely right.  Hal, Barbie and Ken, Chantal and Zelda, I love you all, you’re adorable.

Yay!  Martin Tenbones!  Looking forward to seeing him again when they do A Game of You in one of the later seasons.

The “Cereal” Convention.  Haliariously funny in a jet black way guaranteed to get your skin crawling too ...

Desire and Despair.  Sure, they’re only in this a little bit, but like Death I’m looking forward to seeing more of them in the future, they’re both spot-on.

The Gault and the way she protects Jed despite being a nightmare, that’s so wonderful.  I love the idea that a constructed creature can try to be something other than it was intended to be, just like the rest of us.  Gaiman is so spectacularly deep.  And then we get that beautiful payoff at the end of the season where Dream’s learned his lesson and lets her change for the better ...

This whole season is just pitch-perfect in the visual effects and the sound and the music and the design and the wayit’s shot and cut.  It’s a feast for the eyes and I’m glad Netflix were willing to spend the money to let Neil realise his vision without restraint.

Netflix, this is PERFECT.  Give us a full series, let Neil do the entire story through to the end, no matter if it takes more than your holy three seasons to do it.  This is TOO GOOD for you to NOT let him do it ...