#also this scene is why i will always dislike 2003

[crowcaws]

FMA is obviously full of tragedies and some are lot more talked about than others but I DESPERATELY need everyone to stop sleeping on the scene where Pinako and Ed dig up the body the boys transmuted. It's a short but very potent scene for Ed's character, his drive, his philosophy, and the kind of brother he is.

The way Ed keeps digging even though it makes him physically sick. He can only laugh as they discover the body isn't Trisha. The truth, as Ed says, is that a dead person can never be brought back to life, be it by the rules of alchemy or the rule of god.

This means he and Al lost their bodies for someone who wasn't their mother, but he is also able to let go now that he has closure. The body haunted him, but this is the scene where Ed is finally able to start meaningfully moving forward.

(The body being Not Trisha™ also raises questions of whether Al's soul is really Al, but that's a crisis of identity that is a separate issue altogether. )

But the best part of this scene is where Ed still insists on giving the body a proper grave and a headstone, because it's still a person. Pinako's inner dialogue points out that most people wouldn't consider it a person, but Ed can't think that way because it would be an admission that Al isn't a person either.

Ed is the less compassionate and more abrasive sibling, but he will always have a unique ability to see humanity where nobody else would because if Alphonse can have personhood in his state, then so can anyone else. It's this unbreakable faith in Alphonse's humanity that allows Ed to be the kind of hero he is. Without that, he might never have been the person who believed Ling was still alive somewhere in Greed.

Therein lies the dichotomy between Scar and Ed that Nina's death sets up early on. They're very similar people: Both of them lost their brother, in a way, and both of them carry that. Ed's brother still has a chance, Scar's doesn't. In Nina, Scar sees a monster with no hope, too far gone to ever regain her personhood, and grants her eradication as a mercy. He doesn't see it as a murder because there is no person there. Ed is hit so hard by Nina's death because he knows that is the kind of "mercy" that Scar, and perhaps anyone else, might think is the only option for people like Nina and Al, and he will always refuse to accept that.

[whattraintracks]

1. Watching His Favorite Movie - every iteration I've ever seen

My headcanons based on vibes and thrown together in the middle of the night

1987 Raphael

becomes the most annoying person you’ve ever watched a movie with 

ever 

has seen this movie ten dozen times, can and will quote it by heart 

would rather make fun of everything in said movie, witty one-liners galore 

all the snacks which he chews obnoxiously and loudly 

1990s Raph 

as background noise to literally anything 

once he saw it and decided yep this is my favorite he never sat down to watch it again 

he's got things to do and ain’t nobody got time to sit down and watch a movie they’ve already seen 

just has it playing while he works out or cleans his sai or does chores or whatever 

but if someone tries to turn it off he will get pissed, he was paying attention thank you very much and that was the best part 

TNM Raph 

on his own, he either gets super into it or just passes out halfway through 

with some else, he must make them understand why this is in fact the greatest movie of all time 

the kinda guy that goes wait wait wait here’s the best part and gets mad when you don’t react correctly to his favorite scenes 

the guys hate him for it because they’ve all seen this movie a million times 

but Venus has not! and he takes full advantage of that fact 

2003 Raph 

is pretty thoughtful and quiet about it 

mostly because he likes to pull it out when he’s having a low-energy day or just feeling nostalgic 

must be doing something mindless simultaneously: knitting, eating, I don’t know, laundry?

is also super insightful about it, can and will dissect the plot 

hums the soundtrack to himself for the rest of the day 

2007 Raph 

prefers to watch with at least one other person so he can ✨ discuss ✨

always uses closed captions

loves the IDEA of sneaking into theaters to see it but can’t stand watching it straight through 

frequently pauses and rewinds, especially loves extended cuts and commentaries 

will get sidetracked halfway through by video essays and online debates courtesy of Donnie

2012 Raph 

his level of enjoyment is directly proportional to the amount of scoffing 

even alone actually, it's not just a tough guy act 

it's like when you know something is objectively awful but you unironically love it anyway 

if someone misreads this as dislike or disinterest and suggests turning it off they will be threatened within an inch of their life 

hates interruptions cannot stand people who talk while watching his movie and gets really frustrated when he can’t finish watching it in one sitting 

Rise Raph 

DO NOT GET NEAR HIM 

the closest available object and/or person will become his personal teddy bear for the duration of any scene that makes him emotional 

otherwise he’s reenacting the entire thing, as a one-man show or with his siblings 

definitely knows it by heart and all of the trivia 

particularly all the obscure actors and stunt people 

M&M Raph 

so loud, oh my wow, both him and whatever device he’s watching on 

reacts every time like it’s the first time he’s seen it 

especially loses his mind if he notices something he never has before 

talks about it for hours afterwards 

will subconsciously adopt all the catchphrases and verbal quirks 

[angelmichelangelo]

This isn't meant to be Leo or Raph bashing it supposed to be targeted towards the creators of the TMNT series such as cartoons however I can see that it may come off that way I just wanted to let you know that wasn't the case.

I'm so annoyed at TMNT favoritism in Leo and Raph like if it was the fandom that would be fine with me I like both characters I just dislike how the TMNT show runners only ever care about them and their big dumb fight they have every single movie or show like even rise did the fight thing and left Mikey and Donnie's character development behind like what is it with the show runners in doing this like we have already constantly seen Raph and Leo at each others throats in every movie it's getting stale and boring because it ends up being the plot it's why I'm excited for Mutant Mayhem series and loved the movie it was entertaining it didn't have the annoying fight scene either what are your thoughts on this

every franchise has a formula, and the leo+raph feud is just part of that formula. it’s recognisable and adds that tension between the main characters that’s needed just before the climax. i think, even though it is overdone, it still can be done well. i really love the 2007 raph and leo tensions, the rooftop fight was one of the best executions of that, in my humble opinion. 2003 and 2012 may have drove it into the ground just a little bit still made up for it in the fact that there was some good character progression as a result.

but i do understand that fans want something different. and i know a lot of people appreciated that in mutant mayhem, leo PUSHED raph to use his anger. they bickered like brothers do, but there wasn’t the same kind of argument brewing like in most movies/shows (also no “leadership” arguments which i thought was cool. leo was just naturally their leader and they low-key respected that)

it’s cool that tmnt change it up every now and then. it’s what keeps a franchise fresh. they definitely realise that now, what with this wave of new fans since 2012 and rise, the writers have to be on the ball or they know they’re gonna start flailing. i don’t think it’s a choice of favourites, i think it’s just what worked at the time vs what works now:) and of course they might always go back to their roots as a safer choice but tmnt as a whole has more options now with their main characters and that excites me!!

[songsforthepierce]

Album Showcase: Three Days Grace -Three Days Grace

I may not remember exactly how I found out about Three Days Grace but I believe it was through two friends I knew in 8th grade. Well, I would say that BUT as I typed this I just remembered it was because I watched a Naruto AMV that used one of their biggest most well known songs in it. After that I would continue to listen to the band for years. Though I mainly stuck to the first two albums. Not because I dislike the later stuff, it was mainly because I stopped paying attention to what else they were doing and was looking at other bands. But regardless, even though I have changed a lot as a person and expanded on my music taste I still have a huge soft spot for early Three Days Grace. It will be nice retreading old ground here.

Content warnings for light discussions of mental illness (mainly depression), discussion on toxic to abusive relationships, and mentions of alcoholism.

The album cover art is simple but gets it across the moody tone for the album. I like the whole sketchy look of it. The imagery of three figures standing away from a burning home does catch my eye. I always interpreted the figures to be a family and the burning home to represent their dysfunction.

Before we go further I do want to say that I tend to get easily amused if an album or song is named after a band. Such as here though I wish they had a song called Three Days Grace so then it would be Three Days Grace by Three Days Grace on the album Three Days Grace. A missed opportunity but oh well. Though speaking of their name I found out that originally the band was called Groundswell and around 1997 the name was changed into what it is now. From what Gointer said in an interview with Florida Entertainment Scene in 2004, “ No, we sort of look at Three Days Grace, as it sort of stands for sense of urgency. Time to pay a debt. if you had three days to change something in your life or if wanted to changed something in your life could you do it in three days. That sort of urgency, I guess.”

That is a pretty heavy meaning for the name and the more I think about the more I get it with what I know about the original lead singer. Anyway, this album was released on July 22nd, 2003 and the genre it leans more towards are alternative metal, nu-metal, and post-grunge. I think this was one of my earliest exposure to nu-metal in general before I would listen to bands such as Disturbed, Linkin Park, Dope, etc. It is hard for me to fully define what exactly alternative metal is without just saying “If you know what alternative rock, then you can put together what this genre would entail” since a variety of bands have been labeled as such from System of a Down, 3Teeth, Bullet for my Valentine, Alter Bridge, etc which all have a distinct sound from one another. Though the term isn’t used much anymore. Post-Grunge I don’t know much about unfortunately but I guess better late than never to look more into it. I am genuinely looking forward to revisiting this album and seeing if it still holds up after all these years.

Track 1: Burn

This is a strong start for the album. The ambient build up before the guitar kicks in continuing the buildup until the lyrics come in. The song is about the narrator going up against someone. Making it clear this person isn’t going to win and they aren’t going to hide. They aren’t going to burn, but the other person will. Very simple concept and the lyrics are not subtle at all. Though despite this I still have a huge soft spot for it. I think mainly because as a teen I would just imagine various ocs of mine fighting against their rivals or something and triumphing over them. Though as much as I wish Burn got more attention I also understand why it didn’t.

Track 2: Just Like You

This was one of their big hits from the album and yeah I get why. As a teenager I felt like the song was about a child telling their parents they are not going to follow in their footsteps. They aren’t going to be mean or cruel, they are going to be better. They are going to go down their own path. This is a song I know a lot of teens related to, I know I did. I was not the only one who thought the song was about such. In an interview Adam said,

"It's about being told how to live your life. When we were growing up, we saw it sort of first hand. A lot of our friends were pushed into doing jobs their parents were telling them to do. It's about being pushed around and told how to live your life and standing up for yourself."

One has to keep in mind that Adam was around 25 when this album was recorded which sure that isn’t that young (not compared to when he made Groundswell around 14) but that does explain a lot not just about this song but also the album in general. I don’t have much to say about the music video besides liking the aesthetics of it. However, I want to bring up something interesting about this song. So, when I would go on itunes as a teenager and looked through Three Days Grace’s discography at the time I saw this track was on the soundtrack for the film XXX: State of the Union. Now, I didn’t nor do I still know what this movie is about. But what caught my eye was the title of the song on the soundtrack was instead called Just Like Wylin featuring American rapper Bone Crusher. I took a listen and...I could not anticipated for what I was going to hear. I know teen me didn’t like it but now as and adult I am just HIGHLY amused. This type of mashup is so bizarre but I weirdly love it just for whiplash of it. I HAD to mention it before moving on.

Track 3: I Hate Everything About you

This was the first song I ever heard by the band. Of course I heard it through an edgy Naruto AMV as a middle schooler. This song is one of the band’s most well known songs. Hell, they made this song before the album. It was on their demo when they were still Groundswell and the track got them attention from many record labels. I fully understand why. The song is very in your face about it’s subject matter. A toxic relationship and all the messy feelings that come along with it. Adam has said,

“The song is pretty blunt you know? It's to the point. It's about realizing there's something in your life you're wasting time on. I think everybody, even in this band and a lot of other people have felt that way before at one point or another in their life. Whether it's a person, a relationship whatever it is, you're just wasting time on it. The song is a realization of that.”

While I get the song being blunt and to an extent, whiny, can be seen as a detraction on top of it being not the most polished song. In my opinion, that is what gravitates me towards it. I think that unfiltered emotion from it really makes it stand out on this album. It’s no wonder this song is used for edgy AMVs to playlists for oc stuff. The fact this song was from their demo genuinely amazes me because it is really well done. They got really lucky with this track. I found a review by Heather Phares of AllMusic who said,

"At first, the song seems almost stupidly simple, both lyrically and musically. However, the controlled fury of the choruses and the ambivalent verses make the song a surprisingly smart and concise anthem for anyone stuck in a baffling relationship."

The review gets it. I feel like this song could have easily been fumbled lyrically like many other bands who made similar relationship songs like this. But I think what made this work is that Adam was not trying to write this from the perspective of a teenager for teenagers. But from someone who knows what this type of relationship is like for others who have gone through it.

Track 4: Home

This was apparently another big track from their album which surprises me. Mainly because I never really expected it to be a hit. Though it did not get as big as “Just Like You” and “I Hate Everything About You”. I would listen to this song a decent amount as a teen mainly because I grew up in a not great environment. So at the time it resonated with me but not so much now. It is a decent song, not my favorite track, but all right. Apparently this was Adam Gointer’s favorite track from the album mainly because it was fun to play it live. Though drummer Neil Sanderson talked about the meaning of the song saying,

"It's about being pushed around and neglected and feeling like even though you're in the company of other people, they're not really there at all."

Obvious by anyway, further reading I found this odd trivia about the song. This track along with an interview with the band was included as a bonus with the Prima Games strategy guide for Lords of EverQuest. Huh? That is random. Why was this song chosen for it? Who knows.

Track 5: Scared

I always forget this track exists. It’s not a bad song but it doesn’t stand out compared to the other tracks on the album. I could say what the song is about but I think Genius said it best with and I quote, “This song is about someone is scared and lonely” Thank you random person for saying the obvious. I cannot saying anything else about the song. Narrator is paranoid and is clearly not having a good time in this house because the other person there told him shit he cannot unhear. So far this is one of the weaker tracks on the album. The lyrics are simple and the track feels more like a filler song more than anything. Again, it isn’t like a terrible song but it also doesn’t do much for me. Actually, while I went to listen to it this is a fucking bop. If someone made an AMV of this song with like Scooby Doo on Zombie Island or something it would be perfect. Fuck what I said earlier that this is a weak track.

Track 6: Let You Down

This is an interesting track. It is about the narrator urging the other to trust them and they are safe with this person. But shortly reveals that once you give said trust to them, they will disappoint you. I know some could read this as Adam is the narrator in the situation but I don’t personally see it like that. How I saw it was this was akin to a villain song. Which I think works in the song’s favor. Well I know what ocs I’ll be using this song for.

Track 7: Now or Never

I always assumed this track was about the state of the world and we have the decision of either doing something or not at all. Though that was my perspective as a teen. Now as an adult I could see this song on a more personal level of a person having to choose whether to act upon a decision or never getting that chance again. It’s an all right song. Not one of my favorites but it is a nice track regardless.

Track 8: Born Like This

You know, I struggled trying to pin down the exact meaning behind the song. Before relistening to it I assumed it was about like being born a certain way. Like a certain nature be it selfishness to cruelty. Especially from my memory of the song. When I began to listen with lyrics “It’s not what I took from you, It’s not what I stole, we are born like this” I thought it would lean towards that or something but as the track went on it just became more vague. Well to me anyway. I would replay it to see if maybe I’ll get it. I know this verse,

“Somewhere you're floating high You're not living, we are Somewhere, someone's god, someone's god is laughing”

Stood out to me even as a teen. I always liked it but I don’t really know why. I asked one of my friends who listened to a lot of Three Days Grace as a teen and asked what they thought the song was trying to say. What they told me was,”my best guess is about reclaiming agency over one's life, like a "you can't change the person i intrinsically am" kind of thing.” This was after them even admitting they didn’t fully know what the song meant either. Though if lets say that is the message of reclaiming one’s agency then that is genuinely neat.

Track 9: Drown

An obvious about depression and that the narrator will get out of the slump before it overtakes them. I like the whispers that appear in and out of the song especially in the end. It is eerie and gives off an implication of the narrator doing a mantra to encourage themselves to get through this. How I feel about this song is similar to Now or Never, I like it all right but it isn’t my top song on this album.

Track 10: Wake Up

Before I re-listened to this song I was like “I don’t remember this track. This was their fourth hit?” Then when the instrumentals kicked in then I remembered it. The instrumentals are genuinely very nice and oddly relaxing. However the lyrics of it is...a LOT. I am going to be blunt, this is about a couple in an abusive relationship where the narrator is struggling with addiction however he is taking out his frustrations on his partner. He tries to plead to her that he needs her even though this relationship is terrible for both of them. Especially since the girl is the one who has to be in a position to try to calm him down to sober him up. That and he is using her for drunken sex as well which uhh...

Adam in an interview said,

“ We kind of wrote that song together as a band. The other guys in the band have gone through quite a few relationships, and I've been through a couple. Really that song's just about wanting to get a second chance at a relationship that has gone pretty bad."

There is just a lot to unpack here and in this song that I don’t really know if I am equip to actually discuss more. Like yeah, I could bring up that the narrator is probably an alcoholic which explains his anger and behavior towards this woman. But that is obvious. I guess I am just shocked because as a teen I never really paid attention to the lyrics so listening to this as an adult I am just sitting here. I am not sure how I feel about this song at all. Do I hate it? No. Do I love it? No. Does the song make me uncomfortable? Yeah actually. Not because the subject matter is there but more me trying to figure out how am I, the listener, meant to feel towards the narrator? Sympathy? Pity? Disgust? I guess that is up to the listener. I do have some respect for the song being like up front about a bad relationship like this.

Track 11: Take Me Under

I have always felt this track was fatalistic since the whole “Push me under, pull me further, take me all the way” does make it sound like he is asking death to just get it over with. However, reading more into the lyrics I could if I really squinted it COULD be about a relationship based on the lyric,

“ Seems you're wanting me to stay But my dreams would surely waste away And I still have nowhere else to go”

But I think either interpretation works. It is an all right song, got nothing more to say on it.

Track 12: Overrated

Okay, I remember this track and it was my least favorite on the album for years. Mainly how slow and dull it sounded to me. On top of the energy on the track being low. As a teen I thought this was like about overrated music but going back to the first verse this is about generational divide. That the previous generation screwed up the current and future generation with all the issues they created. Which I only found that out now of the song’s message. While I understand the message I feel like there are better songs that do this. The song doesn’t go deeper into what these issues are besides vague things such as “answers to questions they don’t even know” to “the system moves too slow”. I get that maybe the band didn’t want to get too political on their debut album but as it is, it is a weak end to the album. I will say it is not a bad song but it is a very meh song.

Bonus Track: Are You Ready?

So on the deluxe edition of the album they added this track and I think this song is a weirdly fitting end to the album. Which yes it sounds a lot different than all the other tracks which have more depressing subject matter. But the energy of it I feel like is on par of bring the mood up. Not gonna lie, it sounds like a song perfect for concert audience participation. Not a bad thing but it is something I noticed.

I was pleasantly surprised that I still enjoyed this album as I am getting slowly closer to 30 and farther away from who I was as a middle schooler. I enjoyed most of the songs on this with my top favorites being Burn, I Hate Everything About You, Born Like This, and Scared. The band got super lucky with this album being the success it was. Not every bands first album is solid.Oh, and before I forget this is a Canadian band. I don’t know why I always forget the band came from there but I do. I should have mentioned that a lot earlier but oh well. I actually recommend this album if you like more alternative metal to rock stuff. As I am writing this I have and had worked on Bullet for My Valentine’s The Poison review. Switching back between the two so I hopefully get my review of The Poison out soon.

[ibbywondrous]

I completely disagree. I've watched through the show a few times now, and at no point is it ever implied Donnie has a crush on April in 03. The biggest argument you could make is the scene where he saves April from the tricerion and he blushes when she smooches him on the cheek. But even then you can argue he was just flustered cause he's not use to that kind of affection, and in public at that.

Every other time, Donatello treats her like an older sister or a mother figure, and admires her for how smart and competent she is. She literally refers to the turtles as her family on multiple occasions. Reading it as any other way feels a little creepy imo. The argument also comes from a fundamental misunderstanding of why people dislike 2012 April. In 2012 their relationship is explicit and in your face the whole time, and comes as an active detriment to Donatello's character, as it causes him to act clingy, obsessive, and borderline creepy around April. April is 100% aware of it, and at no point does she says she's not interested or try to turn him down.

She's purposefully written this way to milk the will they/won't they love triangle of her, Donnie and Casey for as long as possible. Donnie tries to break things off in the bigfoot episode and April actively eggs him on further, with the writers knowing full well they have no intention of doing anything with this plot, so it makes April look bad. But April's writing is poor for a lot of reasons other than the relationship. She had very little in common with the turtles and barely spends time with them outside of missions so it makes you question why they are friends. She constantly puts everyone in danger. She always acting like a jerk and gets upset with the brothers for things they can't control. She's given god-like super powers in exchange of an interesting personality. She's instantly forgiven for literally killing Donnie in front of everyone.

Point being there's a lot of reasons to not like 2012 April other than the romance stuff, and trying to imply that 2003 is doing it too to defend it is just a little weird.

me omw to convince ppl that 2003 april led her donnie on worse than 2012 april did uwu

just sayin. 03 april shouldn’t have been saying things like “i could just kiss you!” to a TEENAGER (and 03 casey shouldn’t have been so jealous of a teen either).

2012 april was implied to have growing feelings about her donnie but was a teen herself and was still trying to figure out her own feelings.

don’t get me wrong i still like 03 april but y ikes babe

[tiredspacedragon]

One Tahu fan to another, what are your favourite moments of his and why?

In chronological order:

- Flipping around the stone bridge to fling the Kofo-Jaga off

There's this trend among certain corners of the fandom to characterize Tahu as a big, dumb, bruiser type. Usually it's in revamp MOCs and the occasional joke post and the like. They'll give him huge swords and beefy armour, or just make him act like a bit of an airhead. G2 did it too, actually. Tahu 2015 was decked out in all that bulky armour and was just an oaf. And that bothers me, because sure, Tahu has temper issues early on, but he's still very sharp. I like this scene (Yes, I like a Hapka-Tahu scene, I'm as amazed as you) because it shows that Tahu is paying attention. He notices Lewa's mannerisms and is able to learn from them and apply them to his advantage. Plus it shows off that Tahu is really more on the acrobat side than he is a bruiser. Tahu's a swordsman, lean and quick. Not as agile as Lewa, of course, but built to rely on speed and smarts than brute force. This scene puts that into practice. As much as I generally dislike Hapka's Tahu, this scene actually feels like there is some understanding in it of how the character is meant to work. Plus it's just excellent to keep this in mind when Tahu goes vine-swinging in Tales of the Masks and is, of course, good at it.

Although if you think about it, he really could have just used his Hau to push the scorpions off himself and just left it on as he collected the mask. So there's still room for the boy to learn.

- "Where wisdom and valour fail, all that remains is faith, and it can overcome all."

MNOG is the main reason 2003-era Tahu annoys me. Because this version of him came first, and just makes so much more sense. Now admittedly, Tahu is barely there in the game, and you don't get to see any real flaws, so I'm all for deepening his character by giving him some issues. I think the comics handle it well, adding in his impulsivity and pride, but not altering the original essence of the character, which was someone who could give ^this^ kind of speech. Who could inspire the other Toa to push past their fear and succeed against impossible odds. I don't mind a Tahu with a temper, I mind a Tahu who I can't reasonably see saying this line, steeling the resolve of his team through his words and his own courage.

- Vine-swinging Tahu

This was just fun. Plus:

Nuvohk-Kal: Tahu Nuva. I thought I smelled the stench of failure.

Tahu: Then perhaps you should bathe more often, creature!

Gold.

- "Chronicler! Sight-seeing, were ya?"

He's so relaxed here. Presumably he was just riding that wave for fun, then spotted Takua, zipped in to save him, still in a good mood as he carries him over the falls just to teach him a lesson. He's so calm, smirking, making corny jokes, just completely at ease. It's so rare that we get to see Tahu like this. When the weight of the world isn't on his shoulders. And it turns out that he's such a dad! Still stern, and with a touch of tough love in there, but he's just so good-natured. Teasing Takua and gently reprimanding him, but also helping him prank Jaller. We're so used to Tahu the warrior that it's really refreshing to get to see Tahu the person.

- "Let's think with our heads, not with our fists."

GROOOOOOWWWWWTH

- Tahu remembers everything

Not a specific moment, but more just a factoid that I love. All of the Toa Nuva eventually get snippets of their pre-Toa Canister lives back, but Tahu is the only one who remembers everything. He remembers all their training with Hydraxon, their time in Karda Nui, and crucially, that he tricked the team into being locked in the Codrex. I love the depth this gives him for one, but what I love most about it is that it shows that 08 Tahu is the person he always was underneath the amnesia-induced confusion. Way back in the time before time, Tahu grew past his temper and was a cunning, skillful leader. Plus it also affords us that scene where Kopaka catches on to what Tahu is doing, but trusts and respects him enough to go along with it and not tell the others until the time is right. And any scene that shows were always meant to get along is a good one in my book.

- Melting Nektann's armour

Two tropes I will always love. Smart Hero Doesn't Fall for Villain's BS, and Hero Shows Off How Much They've Been Holding Back, all rolled into one. Tahu makes this Skakdi warlord, the toughest around, look like an absolute fool, which is A. very nice to see after the Toa Nuva's last encounter with Skakdi went so poorly, love to see proof of levelling up, and B. especially satisfying because Nektann thinks he's won. He's gloating about how weak Toa are, just like the Piraka before him, only to be met with the burning realization that he's been utterly duped, and never stood a chance in the first place. Quality shit.

- Tahu is there at the beginning and end

Tahu is the first character we see on Ta-Wahi Beach (excluding Takua) and the one who delivers the last line of the main story (so excluding the serials). It's just nice bookending, feels very appropriate. Like yeah, look at this asshole, see how much he's grown. What a journey it's been.

[the-cat-chat]

June 18, 2022

What a Girl Wants (2003)

Daphne, a spirited young American girl, travels to London in search of her long-lost father, an influential aristocratic politician.

JayBell: In celebration of Father’s Day, we decided on this early 2000′s throwback.

The father-daughter relationship between Amanda Bynes’ and Colin Firth’s character was the definite highlight of the movie for me. They really found the balance between awkward and cautiously hopeful, and their scenes together were the best of the movie.

On the other hand, Amanda Bynes’ character’s love interest was the attractive, slightly forbidden guitar player with a motorcycle, which was kind of meh for me. Although it was convenient that it seemed like his band was the only band available for hire in the entire London area. Honestly, it was a little suspicious that he just kept showing up everywhere she was.

The mean almost-stepmother and step-sister was cliche but effective as a conflict I guess. It didn’t seem like Colin Firth’s character actually loved his mean fiancee, so why was he with her? Who knows. But his lack of feelings for his fiancee made it easy to dump her, and I would say, almost too easy.

That leads to my main issue with this movie is that most of the conflict could be solved with a simple conversation between Amanda Bynes’ parents. Because of that, the entire conflict was resolved in an anticlimactic way.

Also, I don’t know why so many early 2000′s teen movies have random dance breaks, but there were a few too many for my liking in this movie. Overall, a fun movie, but nowhere near as good as She’s the Man, the ultimate Amanda Bynes movie.

Rating: 6/10 cats 🐈

Anzie: I love this movie, I have always loved this movie, every time it was on the T.V. and I could catch it halfway through I watched it , and I dared to say it’s better than She’s the Man, which I loved so much that I actually had that one on DVD (And I do believe that places my brother’s love of Channing Tatum to even before he squirreled away the library’s copy of Stop Loss. — he swooooore he returned and cost me $30 in fines, which yes I’m still on about 12 years later, and I know it’s bc he loves Channing Tatum, but don’ t we all). And I still love What A Girl Wants nearly 20 years later.

I had forgotten the really bad butterfly graphics that start this movie out, but nearly everything else was just as I remembered. All the acting is really great, you like the characters you are meant to like and the ones that are snobby and have hidden motives you dislike. It’s funny, but sweet, and you can’t help but root for Amanda Bynes the whole time. Colin Firth is amazing as an aloof and withdrawn Lord, and I couldn’t imagine anyone else that could pull off sending the perfect vibes he managed like he did in this movie.

The James Brown chandelier scene holds up all these years later, you know what’s going to happen but it just feels so perfect when it does. Side note: whyyyy wasn’t the band blamed??? Sure Amanda Bynes amped up the base but commmme on. Some other awkward scenes are kinda cringy, but an American teenage girl in high society London, in the early 2000s, I’d say there’s high chance of cringe. And we can’t forget the bad boy musician that shows up everywhere (stalker alert). I had know clue London was so small. It might be formulaic in its plot, but in the end if a girl gets what she wants I think it’s fine. Just one question: Where’s my MIA English Lord of a father at ???

Rating: 6/10 cats 🐈

[good-form]

I don't know if I could ever fully put my dislike of the fruedian parallels in the original peter pan or other interations into words, especially and exclusively when it comes to Hook and Wendy portrayals/interactions. One thing I love about the disney movie, as old and problematic as hell as it is, is that it doesn't fuck around with the "this girls has issues with her dad, therefore is horny for what is basically her Dad, But Evil" Wendy looks pissed as hell the entire time she is on the ship, she's not ooing and awing at Hook or anything.

Like she looks PISSED that she's there, and now has to not only juggle babysitting these boys into not doing something really stupid, but also has to endure Hook and his crew being annoying for a minute. And if any of you have ever read the book, you know Wendy gives Hook what is essentially a Disappointed Mom look, and it nearly makes the idiot pass out. That's what this look she has feels like, and I love it.

Anyway, I think the 2003 film leans very heavily into the fruedian perspective, which is really the only thing I hated about the movie since I hate it when people take that route with Wendy and Hook, because there are so much cooler ways they could interact than just wow look how attracted she is to Her Dad But Evil. It's not even just that, it's this wierd, creepy sort of energy the scenes with Hook and Wendy have in that movie.

I was cringing taking screenshots just bc that's the bad message these scenes give me, feels bad man. And in an earlier scene, she sees Hook at skull rock and it's like she's entranced. And maybe that by itself isn't too bad, it's still a bad time to me, but it's not too bad, right? But then we get in Hook's cabin, and oh my god it gets worse.

This whole dialogue, by itself, also isn't too malevolent. It comes off as a bit charming even. But, with everything that's come before with Wendy ogling him, and the later scenes with Hook choke-holding Wendy in the final scenes, it comes off as having some sour undertones regarding Freud. Again- the Her Dad But Evil trope. Every scene with Wendy and Hook in this movie feels very in your face and almost suffocating, you can't avoid his uncomfortable proximity to her in any given moment. Perhaps it's just me, but it always gave me a bad vibe. I don't like it at all.

Anyway this is why I've fixated on the Wendy/Hook found family dynamic bc I think it's so much more interesting. Playing with the idea of Hook being pulled to Wendy by a wierd sort of unwelcome, parental need to make sure she isn't hurt and to make her his surrogate daughter, it's so interesting.

[misssakurapetal28]

9 Reasons Why People Might (and CAN) Ship Apritello in Rise!

1). It kind of follows the "childhood friends to lovers" trope. Usually from all the anime (and occasionally cartoons and other types of media) that I've watched, there's a "friends to lovers" trope and/or "childhood friends to lovers" trope. It's usually when...welll...when friends start to feel romantic feelings towards each other, become a couple or start to date. Usually when that's the case, the friends usually have good interactions or/and know each other more personally than anyone else does. Usually those main things are enough to make a relationship. 2). Even if they do start dating, I don't think things will change THAT much. Maybe some sweet and cute couple moments every now and then, but besides that, does Donnie and April HAVE to be lovey-dovey like every couple media tends to portray pairings these days? Donnie and April can just watch Netflix and chill. Have fun and hang out like they normally do? I see them as just teens who do what they want and don't follow couple clichés. They might date or be a couple, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t still friends.  3). Interspecies relationships have happened before in shows. Though I haven't personally watched shows that did have interspecies relationships, I know they exist. So why Rise should be an exception? And NO. Apritello is NOT bestiality. In 2012, April is half-muntant/kraang and there’s a possibly that Donnie MIGHT have human DNA too from Splinter. In Rise, Donnie does have human DNA inside him from Splinter. 

And EVEN IF one or both of them weren’t half mutant/human, it STILL isn’t bestiality. Bestiality is when a human is in a relationship with an animal basically (just look up the real definition if you want to know). Donnie is a mutant turtle (a mutant with human DNA in Rise). He also has a consenting mind. So at best, it’s a interspecies relationship. Now if you personally still don’t like the pair because you personally don’t like interspecies relationships neither, then that’s your preference and I respect that. However, I still think interspecies is LEAUGES better than bestiality in my opinion.  4). Their adorable babies and they generally look cute together. Nuff said ^^ Donnie and April reminds me of the famous "opposites attract" trope too. April, the feisty, headstrong tomboy with the cleaver, sass master Donnie is just interesting dynamic to me. Their personalities compliment each other. Their flaws and virtues compliment each other. I just belive they work well together. Also, angst possibilities. LOTS of angst possibilities. Just saying...

5).  Most Apritello (or April x Turtles) haters/T///cest shippers are total shallow hypocrites. Like I’ve mentioned before, It really baffles me and annoys me that TMNT fans look down on others for shipping Apritello (or any other April x Turtles pairing) just because they personally see (or always saw) April being a big sister to the guys when the same kind of people are perfectly fine with shipping T///cest, pairings that involve the turtles together. At least people who don’t ship neither have the excuse that they see all the teens as siblings and it’s wrong to see them as anything else, but AT LEAST April and the turtles aren’t REALLY related. Like I said, sometimes people who grew up together/childhood friends DO and CAN get together.

Now...People who ship t///cest...that’s THEIR business (I personally despise it). They can stay in their corner and I can stay in mine. Heck, people even have the right to dislike Apritello from any incarnation (especially by 2012 Apritello’s track record), but don’t you dare criticize or looked down on others who do like it when t///cest in that logic isn’t that much better. Now, I personally like 2012 Apritello (or at least mostly the fandom version of it) and I honestly take some interest in the Rise version of it too (however, this one has less attention and love), but if someone else just personally doesn’t like it, that’s perfectly fine too. However, the point that I’m making is that I wish that people don’t be so shallow when it comes to the very little people who does ship Apritello in this incarnation. People liking Apritello isn’t a bad thing. It’s just the way it has to be handled. 

BTW: I can also get people disliking Apritello in the 80’s series and the 2003 series because April was in her 20’s, but in the 2012 and 2018/Rise series she isn’t! She’s 16. 

6). You can ship what the hell you want. 

I know Rise! Apritello mostly comes from that fact that it was a thing in 2012, but so? People still have the right to ship it. Also, it seems like they have at least some kind of development or chemistry. Now, I’m not going to lie. The chances of them being a couple or even having ANY KIND of romantic feelings in this series is slim because:

1. It’s a kids show. It’s more of a silly/comedy kid show than any of the other previous TMNT incarnations ever were. So this incarnation of TMNT might not be suitable for actaul romantic themes. I mean, there’s the “romantic”/complicated relationship between Splinter and Big Mama, but that’s about it.

2. Again, it’s a kids show....about kids and their (mis)adventures. April is 16 and Donnie is 14. I doubt that romance is a big thing for them right now at this point in their lives. Not to say crushes can’t happen, but...yeah.

3. April most likely sees Donnie as a brother and vise versa. In fact, it WAS confirmed that April sees all the turtles that way. Also, most Rise fans sees them as such, even before Rise began.

4. I know some don’t find a problem with this (including myself), but Donnie is a mutant turtle while April is a human girl. So people might find that weird or claim it is bestiality (even though it’s not). Hence part of the reason why I think one of the creators/writers said this. Speaking of...

5. Seems like they don’t ship it romantically. Heck, they even claim that others (or 2012 Donnie’s crush on April, it’s really unclear) as “pervy” for it (which I disagree, but I digress). 

HOWEVER, despite all this said, who’s to say that anyone still CAN’T ship it? HECK, who even says that the possibility is COMPETELY off the table? You see that I said the possibility of them happening or having any romantic feelings for each other are SLIM, not INPOSSIBLE. Like I said above, I’m one of the those people who watched TMNT 2012 who actaully shipped Apritello. 

Now, I’m not going to sit up here and say that Donnie’s crush (and in my opinion, later love) for April was the healthiest thing in the world. I’m also not going to say that Donnie and April’s characters where the best here. Because it wasn’t, it was a result of bad writting from the writers part. But...Apritello in TMNT 2012 in canon wasn’t that bad sometimes per say. I personally love Apritello for what it could’ve been more than anything, but canon Apritello? It wasn’t THAT bad. Again, it was just how it was written. If it was given more of proper writting, I really think Apritello could of been like, one of the most amazing and complex ships in media history??? But Alas...

However, unlike 2012 Apritello (unfortunately), I do think Rise “Apritello” is being handled A LOT better, healthier and more natural this time around. Even if it’s not the creators/writers intentions this time around to make any kind of romance for the two, they still have great development together, but I belive that they are close. Now, in MY personal headcanons, I headcanon that Donnie didn’t initially romantically like April from the start. I even made a headcanon that when they first met, they disliked each other (but that’s a different story for maybe another day). So things basically just went the same as it is in canon. 

However, ever since the snow day episode (which I kind of headcanon in a scene that wasn’t shown like this), Donnie gain a tiny crush on her (which grew little by little). Now by NO MEANS that it’s as big and crazy as 2012 Donnie’s crush, but a crush no less. Now, do or will they get together in my headcanon? Well, I don’t know yet. Because my feelings for this pair tend to go back and forth. 

The point is, people ARE allowed to ship Apritello if they want to. People shouldn’t have to feel hesitant or bad to ship them just because others see them as siblings (which again, they are not even related) or because people don’t personally like it or see it as right. I also don’t feel like people have to stop shipping it just because of the common headcanon that April is a Lesbian. 

And that’s another thing. Look, I have NOTHING against the popular headcanon of April being a lesbian (and I also understand why people would think that). That’s cool. You can have ANY KIND of headcanon for ANY character you want. However, in my personal headcanons, I see April as Bi (but maybe a little more interested in girls). It’s not only because I ship her with Donnie though, but it’s because it’s never been confirmed that she’s not interested in guys too though. 

Just because she’s bit of a tomboy and has no interested in Dale (a character that BARLEY made ANY appearances and the fandom seems to already hate him for SOME REASON), that doesn’t automatically mean that she’s ONLY into girls. I mean, you can headcanon ANYONE the way that you want, but her being Bi is MY opinion and MY headcanon.

My point: Ship what you want and don’t give dam what ANYONE says, even if it is Apritello.

7). They make a pretty good duo. Shown in episodes like “The Purple Jacket” and “Donnie v.s. Witch Town”, the two make a prefect duo! They also seem to have a better understanding of each other and care about one another a lot. They love each other and kick butt together! ^^ 8). This is my personal taste, but they are like the sun and moon :) This also plays into my “opposites attract” theory when it comes to them. Also, read more up about the concept of “yin and yang”. It will make A LOT of sense when it comes to these two!  9). It can work out platonically AND romantically. Like I’ve mentioned above, it means they are dating/are in a relationship, that doesn’t mean that they can’t also be friends. However, that doesn’t mean they won’t work out just as good as friends. That’s just how much understanding that they have for each other and how good they work out together :) 

---

Wow, I wrote a lot! lol If I took any of this all out of context, I’m sorry for that? lol But I just wanted to make the point that shipping Apritello in this incarnation isn’t bad like some people make it out be. It’s just as fun as shipping any of the other popular pairs in in this incarnation. I like Apritello, both 2012 and Rise. If you do too, then you should be allowed to without feeling bad about it. Just remember that! 

Let’s enjoy these two dorks together, ok? :)

[gayroytheory]

why dont you like 2003 roy lol

what’s NOT to dislike!!!!

the thing about roy mustang is that he’s a terrible person who has done unforgiveable things, and so he does not SEEK forgiveness or redemption. he simply seeks to repair the damage he has done, and then to die. but 03 roy is SO open about his guilt! there’s literally a scene where he tries to kill himself because he feels so guilty! that’s not in line with roy’s character at all. like yeah obviously he feels guilty about the shit he’s done, otherwise he wouldn’t have developed a 500 step plan to install democracy and get himself executed, but his guilt is IRRELEVANT. you think the people he killed care if he feels bad about it? no!!! and he knows that

roy is the kind of person who considers feeling sad or guilty or whatever a waste of time. you see it with hughes’ murder - roy doesn’t waste time grieving, he goes straight from the funeral into obsession over solving the case. he springs into action and neglects his own feelings, which isn’t always great, but it is logical in his eyes. roy would never try to kill himself over his guilt. he is saving his death for when it will serve a purpose & set an example

also like…03 roy doesnt even feel guilty about the RIGHT THING. this is a man who has killed thousands of innocent people, aided in a GENOCIDE, and yet the thing that really tears him up is the time he killed 2 nice amestrian doctors. like WHAT??? WHAT????? electric chair!!

moving on from that:

the thing that makes characters interesting is their relationships with other people, and 03 roy’s relationships are either nonexistent or a cheap imitation of mangahood roy’s relationships

roy as a character doesn’t make sense without riza there to balance him out & to provide context for Why He Is Like That, and vice versa, but 03 riza barely even exists. she does not have the tattoo, did not give him the secrets of flame alchemy, does not feel responsible for his atrocities, and is not his childhood friend! for all we know, they met two years ago and she just works for him cuz she’s a masochist who needs a paycheck. without his long and complex history with riza, roy is a completely different character.

his relationship with his team in 03 is a travesty; in mangahood, his team is always ragging on him, and he encourages it! it makes for a more equal relationship, and the fact that they do it in the first place is a sign that they are comfortable with him, and that they trust him. no other commanding officer would EVER let that shit fly, but roy does, cuz he doesn’t want them to be scared of him. it makes them a real team rather than Mustang’s Subordinates.

in 03, HE’S the one ragging on his team. he punches down, so there’s no warmth between them. they don’t trust him, cuz he’s never vulnerable or friendly with them. they obey him cuz he’s their CO but it’s not the comraderie they’re supposed to have

and ED. god.

roy’s relationship with ed is no longer affectionate ribbing but straight up cruelty. a scene that will always stick with me is the part when he comes back to east city after his first meeting with the elrics - the bit where he’s mocking ed, like “it hurt so bad, i almost peed my pants!” BRO WHAT? this is an eleven year old double amputee, freshly traumatized, and you’re gossiping to your adult friends about how much of a wimp he is?

there’s no reluctant friendship between the two of them, there’s no big brother/annoying uncle energy. he’s just mean to ed and ed rightfully hates him

its just like….even if you dont like roy you gotta admit he’s very well written. he’s a really cool & complex morally grey character but 03 took all the parts of roy that make him ROY and threw them in the trash and it makes me angry

[irenereru]

For the Daft Punk asks: 1993-2021.

Yes, Irene. I want you to answer all of them (except the ones you don’t want to answer, of course ❤️).

/2B

Well well well, this is gonna take a while! I already answered 2011 to 2013 in this ask right here, so I’ll be skipping those!

1993: When did you first hear about Daft Punk? That’s an odd question, and hard to answer. 

During my childhood I KNOW I heard songs like Around The World, Music Sounds Better With You, One More Time, Harder Better Faster Stronger, and Technologic later on. 

It wasn’t until around 2011 when I had my first contact with Daft Punk, when on a restaurant, on a TV in the background, One More Time was playing. I could not hear the song, but the visuals catched my attention and I became fascinated. Sadly, I did not catch who’s song was that, nor the title. 

It wasn’t until Get Lucky and RAM released that I FINALLY figured out who Daft Punk were. The moment I saw the robots, when I rediscovered and watched Interstella 5555 in it’s entirety in one setting, then, was when i got hooked up to them, forever.

1994: What do you find most striking about the band? THE ROBOTS! I love the dessigns, they have SO MUC PERSONALITY. But other things I love are, obviously, their music, the “not giving a shit” actitude, and the way they worked. That’s something I admire a lot, keeping control of your works. As an artist myself, it’s something that can be really important and can help you out in the future.

1995: Do you have any favorite music videos? I love Interstella 5555 with my whole heart. The Homework MVs, specially Burnin’, hold a special place in my heart. I love that in Burnin’ the boys make a cameo for a split second, wearing odd costumes and wigs.

1996: What do you think about the Homework album? Pretty good! I love house music, and it’s certainly the album that introduced me to the genre, so... Da Funk, Around The World, they’re just absolute BANGERS. The “harder” songs on the album aren’t really my thing, tho...

1997: What do you think about Alive 1997? A bit bare-bones, not gonna lie. It’s like 45 minutes long. That’s not a lot. It certainly is something of it’s time. What I love the most are the scarce pictures and videos of that era of them playing live. You can REALLY tell they’re having a blast, specially Thomas.

1998: Do you have any favorite remixes/mash-ups? Their remix of Chord Memory is certainly one of my favorites. It really gives you a... Something. It feels like it’s telling a story, with it’s change of tone later on and then mashing both. Also, that WDPK 83.7 reference!

1999: Has your opinion of the band changed over time? Not really. It just started high and they stay high as my favorite band/musicians. They’re extremely inspiring, specially for the fact they did so many different things, but all feeling so unique to them at the same time. Them also being nice people and supporting of social rights and the LGBT community is certainly a great plus!

2000: Do you have a favorite ‘era’ of Daft Punk? Discovery. It’s the most fun, colorfull, and the one they seemed more “silly”. The robots appeared in their rainbowy marvel and odd/oversized clothes.

2001: What do you think about the Discovery album? It’s My FAVORITE! There are barely no songs I dislike. It have so many different vibes, feelings, you have vocal tracks and instrumental tracks, all with the same quality... And my favorite song from them, Something About Us, is from that album.

2002: Has Daft Punk inspired you creatively? Absolutely. Like, 100%.

2003: What do you think about Interstella 5555? They could’ve worked on that lip-sink a bit better, it’s something that ALWAYS pulls me off. But aside from that, it’s a great concept, and a very special animated film. You can tell there was a lot of care put on it.

2004: Are there any lyrics in particular that stuck with you? Within. That song just, resonates so much with me. Check out my other post with answers, I talk in depth about it!

2005: What do you think about the Human After All album? You can tell it was made in 2 weeks. They were angry, frustrated. And you get a lot of “Thomas Vibe” in that. It feels like it wasn’t a good time for them and it’s reflected in the album.

2006: What do you think about the Musique album? The only good thing from it is that they FINALLY re-released Musique and those remixes! Also, in the special version, you get the Interstella 5555 DVD, which is how I got the movie myself physically!

2007: What do you think about Alive 2007? It’s just great. I wish there was an official version of the entire concert edited by them, where you could see the visuals, the vibes, and the boys all in one enjoying themselves. I’m sad I couldn’t go see them, but at the time I just did not know who they were, and I was only 11. I remember seeing their pyramid on TV when they came to Spain in 2006! I thought it looked really extra, and it really is.

2008: What do you think about Electroma? It’s heartcrushing. I have the feeling they could’ve cutted the ending a little, and I don’t really get why of the dunes looking like a woman and going like, inside the vagina... But still. Also, I can not laugh when they wear the human masks. They’re so ugly x’D Is that how they see themselves?

The bathroom scene ALWAYS gets me. GM08 getting extremely mad and frustrated, while TB3 tries to hold on to what’s left until it can’t be recovered... That says SO MUCH about them, about the robots, as characters and people. You can really get what they’re feeling.

The ending, though... That ending. My god. Everyone always talks about TB3′s death, but the one that really got me the most is GM08′s. It seemed like he wanted to keep going, but finding himself alone ends up being his demise. They need each other. And when he tries to reach to his self-destruct button but cannot, and he just stares in the distance... I really, REALLY felt that.

2009: Do you have a favorite Daft Punk cameo/reference? I talked about the Burnin’ video before, but if I have to think of something else... I think their cameos in different productions are great. Like Sebastien Tellier’s videos of the songs he made with Guy-Man, one with magazines with drawing of GM08, while on the other he appears as a background guy, face partially covered... Also Thomas’ cameo in the movie Realité, where his wife is one of the secondary characters, where he just, again, appears for a split second. I find those really funny.

2010: What do you think about TRON: Legacy? It had a lot going on, but it’s story just... Was bad. The effects are cool (except for the guy they tried to make look younger), and I love that Daft Punk just kept vibing when the fight breaks out at the club. Aside from that, that’s all.

2014: What’s your favorite moment of Daft Punk at the GRAMMYs? The hug. Come on, that’s like, the loveliest thing ever. You can tell how happy and emotional they were. They even had to hold Thomas’ hand because his helmet fogged on the inside.

2015: Do you have friends who like Daft Punk? Hmm... Does all the cool people I’ve met in the fandom count? ;D Specially @edbangingrobot and @invader-777 they’re the coolest people ever <3

2016: What Daft Punk collaborations stood out to you? Probably the one with The Weeknd, but only because of their AMAZINGLY COOL COSTUMES, more than anything. Those have to be my all-time favorite looks for the robots.

2017: Did you get to see Daft Punk live? No :(

2018: How does Daft Punk fit into your taste in music? They have that disco-electro-house vibe I LOVE so much. Why do you think Discovery is my favorite? x’D Tho my tastes go all over the place, if I’m honest. You just have to take a look around my Spotify playlist to see what I’m talking about.

2019: What Daft Punk song makes you smile? One More Time, Digital Love, Voyager and Give Life Back To Music. If you wanna make me get in a good mood, play those.

2020: Did Daft Punk help you get through tough times? They certainly helped me focus on something. I found them in one of the toughest, darkest times of my life. Just had to drop out of school due to my mental illness, only to be abandoned by my old friends, while my family did not listen to me about my depression, anxiety and agoraphobia. Not only that, but we also moved for the third time in a decade, and it wasn’t for fun reasons. Having Daft Punk’s music there as a new discovery to me certainly helped, with their cheerfull, thoughtless songs for a time where everything felt too much.

2021: How are you “holding on” after the split? I am extremely sad we will never get to see the robots again. They’re a really important part of my life. Just like their music. All I hope is that they’re in good therms, and that they’ll be happy for now on. We do not know the reason, but there surely was one behind their decission. If any of them does make something new in the future, I’ll make sure to check it out. It wouldn’t be the first time they’ve done things aside from Daft Punk.

[mego42]

1x09 discussion questions

a truly shocking number of y’all do not seem to appreciate how flawless this ep is and that’s cool, it’s your right to be wrong, I'm sad for you, but it doesn’t put a dent in my enjoyment. as always, ty ty ty to @pynkhues​ for putting these together!!

1. What was your favourite scene of the episode? Tell us why!

ALL OF THEM!!!!!!! EVERY!!!! SINGLE!!!!!! ONE!!!!!!!!!! The break up, the Hills getting high, and of course the ABSOLUTELY ICONIC BLANKET ME MONTAGE THAT I LOVE SO MUCH IT PHYSICALLY HURTS ME being tied for stand out top three.

2. Was there any scene that missed the mark for you? And if so, how?

I am going to personally fight anyone who has an answer to this question because they are wrong.

3. Do you think the girls should have told Rio about Eddie? How do you think things would’ve gone if they had?

Considering we have three seasons of documentation on how well not communicating works out for them, it would’ve def at lest been a refreshing change to try something new.

4. Sara moves up the transplant list this ep in two pretty delightful scenes! Still - the episode makes it clear Stan and Ruby can’t afford the surgery. Before Ruby got into crime, what do you think her and Stan’s plan was regarding finding the money when they got the call about the transplant? What do you think they would’ve (or could’ve) done if crime wasn’t an option?  

I get the impression their entire back up plan was lie their asses off and then be like whatcha gonna do take the kidney back????

5. This episode makes it clear that Annie’s been staying with Beth since everything went down with Greg and Nancy in the last episode. Do you think this is something Annie’s done before? And what do you think this - and the subsequent scene with Annie calling Beth on Dean’s behaviour - tells us about the relationship between Annie, Beth and Dean over the years?

that I deserve a web series prequel entirely centered around this dynamic

6. Ruby and Stan have leftover weed from the Nelly concert in 2003! Lidya Jewett was born in 2006, so I think we can safely assume this is a pre-kids Ruby and Stan, haha. What do you think their dates / relationship life was like before the kids?

i’m more concerned with how dried out that pot is they might as well have been smoking potpourri i don’t understand why ruby didn’t hit annie up

7. What do you think of the truck job in this episode and how the girls handle it? Do you think Rio thought it would get this sort of reaction out of Beth?

I love it. as a scheme it’s somewhat contrived and I dislike the beth gets pulled over coincidence BUT it sets up two of my all time favorite scenes and the emotional journey of the cop following beth and beth desperately instructing ruby and annie how to take care of her kids (and dean) is so gut-wrenching and powerful for me i don’t care even a little bit. as a general rule, I will forgive SO MUCH if I’m emotionally hooked.

8. The first Beth x Rio break-up!!!!!!!!!! I have no question here, haha, just talk to me about it. I want to know all your thoughts! *chin hands*

bold of you to assume I am capable of coherent thoughts after the first introduction of E L I Z A B E T H

9. That said, do you think Beth really believed Rio was going to kill her?

I do. He’s held a gun to her head either directly or by proxy multiple times in her recent history, has been yammering her nonstop about murder as a preferred method of problem solving, and was being all cutesy about answering a direct question. not to mention she just spent a harrowing afternoon reckoning with the idea of what her children’s lives would be like without her. she wasn’t messing around. honestly, all things considered, a better question is why didn’t rio see that coming?

10. This episode also starts a pretty pivotal plotline for not just the remainder of this season, but s2 too in Boomer infiltrating Mary Pat’s life. What do you think of the dynamic that’s teased out between them in this episode? And do you think there was any way their relationship could’ve gone differently to the way that it did? Better? Worse?

honestly it breaks my heart knowing where it goes. I feel like boomer’s treatment of mary pat tends to get forgotten (which like, fair! boomer does so! many! awful! things!) but she like, genuinely liked him (which is another thing that breaks my heart because honey, no) and allison tolman plays it with the pitch perfect amount of cautiously hopeful that hey, sure okay, the last few months have been rock bottom but maybe things are looking up! and even without hindsight, just know how boomer is, you know it’s all going to come crashing down on her in the worst way. 

11. This episode also ends with each of the girls getting an emotional speech. Annie tries to leave a message for Ben, but ends up in a complex, biting, grief-struck conversation with Greg instead. Ruby tries to tell Stan about what’s happening with crime and Rio, but they’re interrupted by the phone call for Sara’s transplant. Beth gives her angry, self-righteous speech to Ruby and Annie about fairytales and goodness, which sets them on the scheme for the next episode. What do you think these scenes tell us about each of the girls’ arcs this season? And how do you think it sets us up for their final notes in the s1 finale?

watching beth’s journey of inventing the concept of women’s lib while ruby and any look on like what????? is she on about??????? is hilarious. i honestly can’t tell how sincerely that speech is supposed to come across (on the one hand, the performance, the editing, the placement in the ep. on the other, the sheer breath taking hypocrisy) and how much the utter lack of self perception is intentional, but it still entertains the hell out of me.

the annie and ruby stuff is great for all the right reasons, though. I love how eaten up ruby is over not telling stan, I love how that comes back throughout the show. there love is pure and true and something us mere mortals can only aspire to. i still think annie’s stuff with greg is some of the best, most complicated material the show’s written for her character and the best parts of their relationship shine in this ep (she loves his old man pajamas and he loves her eyebrows how am I not supposed to ship that????? how?????????)

[johannesviii]

Top 10 Personal Favorite Hit Songs from 2004

15 to 16 years old. A chaotic year for sure, but with a high quality soundtrack. So here’s a top ten list in which, as usual for that decade, several painful cuts had to be made.

Disclaimers:

Keep in mind I’m using both the year-end top 100 lists from the US and from France while making these top 10 things. There’s songs in English that charted in my country way higher than they did in their home countries, or even earlier or later, so that might get surprising at times.

Of course there will be stuff in French. We suck. I know. It’s my list. Deal with it.

My musical tastes have always been terrible and I’m not a critic, just a listener and an idiot.

I have sound to color synesthesia which justifies nothing but might explain why I have trouble describing some songs in other terms than visual ones.

To provide the usual personal context, that year, being that-weirdo-in-the-back-of-the-class suddenly became great when OTHER people were also considered weirdos-in-the-back-of-the-class, and together, with a guy who kept falling asleep in class because he had insomnia, another guy who had elocution problems, and a girl who arrived directly from Cameroun in the middle of winter and was kinda depressed, we formed some sort of losers club and suddenly things weren’t so bad anymore. Unfortunately I completely lost contact with these people after highschool and that’s one of the biggest regrets of my life.

And then in September I once again ended in a completely different class in Terminale (equivalent of Senior Year in the US unless I’m mistaken) and made another great friend. So while life at home was still pretty bad, at least it was much better at school.

At this point my parents also stopped checking what kind of singles I was buying, which means that instead of this madness from 2003 where I had to hide some purchases with other ones...

...I only bought this in 2004 and the rest were actual albums.

Also, I found some old tapes and oh my goodness look at the label on this one. Late 2002/early 2003 at its finest right there. Kyo written with a typo, next to Eminem, next to Mylène Farmer. Love it.

With all of that out of the way, here’s a list of honorable mentions first. A very, very long list.

Yeah (Usher feat Lil Jon & Ludacris) - Thank goodness I thought this song was pretty cool, otherwise I’d have been miserable while listening to the radio in 2004.

Milkshake (Kelis) - Ooooooh daaaaangerously close to the So Bad It’s Good category.

Let’s Get It Started (Black Eyed Peas) - Don’t have anything to say, it’s a lot of fun.

Dragosta Din Tei (O-Zone) - This took like four more years to chart in the US but we heard it all summer here. And it wasn’t unpleasant at all to be honest?

Heaven (remix) (DJ Sammy) - Hang on, wasn’t this on the 2002 honorable mentions? Yeah but it took two years to chart here so it was elligible for 2004 as well.

Turn Me On (Kevin Lyttle) - A quality earworm that somehow isn’t annoying? Sign me up.

Call On Me (Eric Prydz) - Hey, look, another repetitive dance track in my collection of repetitive dance tracks!

What You Waiting For? (Gwen Stefani) - I think this is the only Gwen Stefani song that never made me turn the radio off after a minute. Pretty good.

It’s My Life (No Doubt) - Love the original. This version, not so much.

Parce Qu’on Vient de Loin (Corneille) - Favorite artist of my best friend that year. That song was so moving and well-written. Never got tired of it but never actively listened to it either. If I had better taste it would probably make the list.

The Reason (Hoobastank) - I thought this was ok and pretty nice if a bit bland, and didn’t deserve the success nor the hatred it got. However, thanks to the rock journal I was buying at the time which was like “hey, please listen to the album itself, it’s great!”, I followed that advice, listened to the album at the cd store and bought it instantly. If you dislike this song, please listen to the rest of the album, I swear you’ll enjoy it. Here’s the first track, Same Direction, to get a general idea!

Don’t Tell Me (Avril Lavigne) - Her second album was very good, wasn’t it? What happened to her in recent years?

Je Saigne Encore (Kyo) - This was the last cut (HA, get it? cut?? ok sorry that was terrible) from the list. While I loved it back in the day and while I’m willing to ignore how cringy some stuff I loved as a teenager can be now, I'm not willing to ignore how this is basically a song about a white boy being dumped for the first time and hurting himself because he can’t deal with the mere concept of jealousy. And I’m like “holy shit calm down dude and please drop that knife”.

And now, the actual list.

10 - Hey Ya! (Outkast)

US: #8 / FR: #41

Who’s surprised. Come on. Everyone loved it. I even bought the single! And to think I almost considered leaving it out of the top 10 to put friggin Kyo on it, of all things. The indignity. But yeah, I genuinely loved this. The only thing I can say against it is that it’s a bit too exhausting to be listened to on a loop.

9 - 100 Years (Five For Fighting)

US: #77 / FR: Not on the list

I only heard this a couple of times that year and never paid much attention.

Then I heard it again in 2018 right in the middle of a very, very bad year, after losing my grandfather, and it absolutely destroyed me.

It’s very, very good.

8 - Face à la Mer (Passy & Calogero)

US: Not on the list / FR: #11

Very overplayed that year. A delight every single time it was on the radio, though. Don’t have anything else to say about it.

7 - Modern Times (J-Five)

US: Not on the list / FR: #26

A hiphop song sampling a scene from Modern Times with Charlie Chaplin. It peaked at number 1 here! Not kidding! I bought the single after hearing it exactly once. It’s fantastic and I’m really sad time buried it like it did. If you’ve forgotten about it or simply never heard it before, please give it a listen, it needs more love.

6 - Hit My Heart (Benassi Bros)

US: Not on the list / FR: #74

Remember last time when I said I was a major sucker for Benassi Bros? Well this isn’t an exception. That is a killer drop right there. It looks great and dark and glittery all at once and, by the way, the sunny and summer-y music video completely contradicted how the song looked like in my ears, haha.

5 - My Happy Ending (Avril Lavigne)

US: #54 / FR: Not on the list

I’m not entirely sure what went wrong and when in Avril Lavigne’s career the shift happened, but a couple of years after that song her music got a lot less interesting. I may have enjoyed her first album Let Go a lot, but this song might just be her best one ever.

The sudden shift from “YOU WERE everything” to “HE WAS everything” near the end, in particular, is great writing. Love that.

4 - Left Outside Alone (Anastacia)

US: Not on the list / FR: #76

Usually, voices, good or bad, have zero impact on me except when they border on unlistenable, or when they are physically painful to hear/look at. The guy from Muse for example has a voice that looks like the equivalent of a flashlight in the dark and it hurts, and I’m like dude. Can you please tune that down a little bit. Please.

This lady’s voice right there is fascinating though. Her voice is green and dark and it’s such a strange, rare voice I’m charmed whenever I hear it, and in this song in particular. This was on SO MANY of my tapes it’s not even funny. And the chorus is fantastic and a joy to sing along with even if you don’t have a good voice yourself.

3 - Orchestra (The Servant)

US: Not on the list / FR: #97

So we were on vacation, and they were giving away free cds at one stop. And I put the one I got in my portable cd player, and wasn’t that excited by the first tracks.

And then the fifth one started. And I was instantly captivated.

You already know I absolutely adored Placebo at the time (sadly, Protect Me isn’t elligible here either), and that guy from The Servant had a similar voice and the song was roughly in the same ballpark, and the lyrics were so, so weird.

There's an orchestra in me, Playing endlessly I even hear it now They play in the devil's key, An endless symphony I even hear it now And I listen to the music, Beautiful music Yes I listen to the music, Beautiful music

And, again, I’m terrible at describing sounds but the colors are so disquieting and there’s an unpleasant vibe except the song itself isn’t unpleasant? It’s so damn weird. And that band never struck gold again after that.

I still don’t know what happened or how all of this works. It’s a mystery. A very beautiful and curious mystery. This would have had a good shot at winning the #1 spot if it hadn’t been for [shakes fist] these other guys.

2 - Breaking the Habit (Linkin Park)

US: #79 / FR: #89

Only #2? Does... does that mean Linkin Park isn’t going to top my lists three years in a row? Holy shit, dodged a bullet there.

Should I really repeat my whole speech about Meteora. Should I really. Come on. It starts with the sound of a closing door, then broken glass, and then guitars explode in your face. The first line of the album is “sometimes I need to remember just to breathe”! Somewhere I Belong is one of my favorite songs from the band! I was trying to match the flow of Faint even if my English was still extremely shaky and my accent terrible!

And then there’s Breaking the Habit, which sounds almost pleasant compared to the levels of aggression displayed by the other songs. But it’s weirdly tense and stressful for that exact reason, because this relative calm sounds like a menace.

It works even better out of the context of the album, where it sounded a tad more aggressive than the average pop song, but still tense and stressful. And the music video is fantastic. I had it on a giant poster. I know I’ve kept it folded somewhere. If I only knew where it was, I’d show it to you. Covering up the (bright pink) walls in my room back then was a lot of work.

Edit: Nevermind. Found it:

Gotta say one thing though. At least they aren’t #1 for the third year in a row. What’s left of my dignity has been saved.

1 - Enjoy the Silence 2004 (Depeche Mode, Mike Shinoda remix)

US: Not on the list / FR: #89

Waiiiit a second. This was remixed by Mike Shinoda, wasn’t it. Mike Shinoda. From Linkin Park.

I guess Linkin Park IS topping my lists three years in a row in the end sdfghjhgfdfghjkjhg end me

But yeah. So. Enjoy the Silence tops a second list of mine, then. 14 years after the first one. I’m not gonna repeat what I’ve already said about that song. It simply got a brand new coat of paint, but still, even if it’s basically street art painted over a framed painting, what a masterpiece. Was genuinely gawking the first time I heard it on the radio.

And then Depeche Mode released one of their best albums ever the very next year, and it was the album of the year for me, and I became a big fan. So yeah, thanks for introducing me to their music, Mike Shinoda.

Bonus: I noticed my trusty old radio/cd player was in the background of a pic my brother took around that time! I miss that radio. It was pearl-colored and I had added stickers of birds and insects on it. So everytime I say “on the radio” in these posts, just picture this round little thing which was at the center of my universe back then.

Next up: Not the best song of the decade but pretty close

[ettadunham]

A Buffy rewatch 7x20 Touched

aka i don’t wanna be the one

We did it, guys! We made it to the last season! Also, hello if you’re new, and stumbled upon this without context. As usual, these impromptu text posts are the product of my fevered mind as I rant about the episode I just watched for an hour (okay, sometimes perhaps two). Anything goes!

And today’s episode is one of those calm before the apocalypse ones. And the last one of the show at that.

Other than that, I don’t actually have much to say about Touched? Well, there are a couple things I want to touch on, but no big thematic through line to connect them.

First, let’s go through the Scoobies’ plotline. Everything’s a bit of a mess following Buffy’s departure. They argue about arguing, Kennedy really wants to be in charge, and Faith’s response is literally to tell them to just… chill. But also, to listen to her and follow her and the plan she’s gonna come up on the fly now.

So they do that. Because I guess they didn’t have a real problem with the system they had, just the person in charge. These kids are not ready for a revolution.

It’s not a super interesting subplot tbh, they kidnap a Bringer, get him to talk through Andrew, and his clues lead them to a trap with a bomb. Oh, and Giles casually cuts the Bringer’s throat, because I guess in Buffy’s absence Ripper comes out to play more than usual.

Giles also comments to Faith that she’s doing fine, as she’s visibly struggling to act all authoritative and whatnot. Which is a pretty nice moment for Faith, who’s always been desperate for love and validation.

But let’s quote the First as the Mayor on that:

THE FIRST:  “You keep looking for love and acceptance from these people, these friends of yours, but you're never gonna find it. The truth is, nobody will ever love you. Not the way I love you.”

Fuck you, Dick. I love Faith, okay?

Let’s back up a little though.

FAITH:  “Buffy got them this far.” THE FIRST:  “Why are you protecting her? You think she cares about you? She nearly killed you, Faith.” FAITH:  “It's different now.”

Oh. Wait.

THE FIRST:  “Deep down, you always wanted Buffy to accept you. To love you even.”

That’s… that’s in the text. It’s in the text, and they’re trying to trick us by following that up immediately by the sex scene between Faith and Robin, but you can’t fool me. I see through your nonsense, show.

Subtext… subtext my ass.

They’re also trying to make it look like Faith actually takes the First’s warning about Buffy being dangerous seriously, but they’re doing that by having her send Buffy’s friends to check on her? Good job, First. You made Faith worry about Buffy’s well-being. Again.

But this also reminds me of the message the First left with Dawn, and I don’t think we ever get a pay-off on that either? The characters seem to take it for granted that the First tells the truth, but when it comes to Buffy, it seems to just be making shit up. (Or the pay-off to those is so obscure that I’ve yet to connect it to anything the First said.)

Also, it’s not just Faith and Robin who are getting it on. There’s a triple sex scene happening to music because early 00s.

Well… actually, this was a bit of a historic television moment, believe it or not, as one of those three sex scenes is between Willow and Kennedy. Which was still a bit of a taboo in 2003 on network television, and may actually have been the first of its kind.

So, yay for that.

I guess the show also decided to remember that Willow’s been having a storyline about control and repression, so that comes up. Did you know that lesbian sex and magic are related on the show? You might have missed it, it’s a very subtle metaphor.

On a completely unrelated note, I just remembered this:

DAWN:  “Hey, I've been reading this old Turkish spell book. There's an old conjuration that the ancient Turks used to communicate with the dying.” WILLOW:  “Oh, yeah. I think I've read a translation of it.” DAWN:  “There's a translation of it???”

Dawn is really the best of you lot. At the very least, she knows that the whole sending away Buffy thing was bad, and that Giles is full of bullshit.

GILES:  “She’s going to be fine. Really, it’s for the best.” DAWN:  “Yeah? Then why do I feel like this?”

Because you know that it’s bullshit, Dawn. You know.

Meanwhile Buffy is snarking and snatching the shotgun out of some poor guy’s hands who stayed behind in his house, and it’s delightful.

MAN:  “You can't just kick me out of my own house.” BUFFY:  “Why not? It's what all the cool kids are doing nowadays.”

And then Spike returns to town. He goes off a bit at the Scoobies for kicking out Buffy, and then goes to her.

Sigh. Okay. So… he’s not wrong, but I kinda hate it regardless.

Buffy has so many interesting, deep relationships, but we’re gonna ignore all of them. Nope. This is the only one of her connections that matters. The only one we’ve been building on this season anyway, ever since the first few episodes.

Thanks, I hate it.

I know. I know! I’m biased. At this point, I’m just super biased against Spike. This can’t be argued. I don’t connect to him as a character, and I dislike the way he’s been singled out in this season in particular, and I hate that he’s the only character who gets to stand up for Buffy.

But also… It does make sense? Spike got to be there and connect to Buffy in some of her most vulnerable moments. That’s what makes his speech to Buffy so brilliant, and why I feel each and every word of it through Buffy.

SPIKE:  “I love what you are, what you do, how you try. I've seen your kindness and your strength. I've seen the best and the worst of you. And I understand with perfect clarity exactly what you are. You're a hell of a woman. You're the one, Buffy.” BUFFY:  “I don't wanna be the one.”

God, when she says that? With a small, quiet voice that breaks over even those few words? My heart breaks for her with the pain of 7 seasons.

There is something wonderful about feeling seen. About being understood and still loved, good and bad. There’s power to that, much like there’s power to the kind unconditional love Xander demonstrates to Willow at the end of S6.

So, yeah. I don’t like this storyline. I don’t like that Buffy’s been isolated throughout the season from her friends, to bring her closer to Spike. When season 6 did that, we at least acknowledged that it was unhealthy.

But it’s still a great scene. It’s a great speech. And I just want my girl to be loved and appreciated, goddamit. Even if it’s with Spike.

...And then she went to the vineyard alone, and danced around Caleb like someone who watched the Matrix one too many times.

That’s my girl.

[tlbodine]

A Decade of Horror Recommendations: Millennium Edition

After my 2010s horror recs post, @comicreliefmorlock asked me to do some for older films. So I figured I’d just work my way backward. 

The lists might get a bit shorter and less diverse as I go back in time as I’m not as well-versed in older horror films, but I’ll toss out some recommendations for what I’ve seen and maybe some will be new to you anyway :)

Long post under the cut! 

2000: A Surprisingly Good Year for Horror 

Maybe we don’t think of the Y2K year as a big one for the horror genre, but it was still riding the tail end of the slasher/teen horror revival. Some must-sees:

Final Destination: I’ve written pretty extensively about this movie and it’s no surprise that I like it a lot, even if the sequels get downright ridiculous. The original still stands on its own feet. 

Ginger Snaps: Maybe one of the best werewolf movies, period. Smart writing and a strong female cast as an added bonus. 

American Psycho: Did you know this came out in 2000? I honestly always thought it was older, somehow, maybe because by the time I watched it in college it seemed like everyone had seen it. Fun fact: did you know it was directed by a woman? 

What Lies Beneath: Part psychological horror, part drama-thriller, and sporting a surprisingly A-list cast. It has some well-worn tropes, but it’s a solid watch. 

Battle Royale: Speaking of movies that seem like they’re way older than they are, did you know Battle Royale only came out in the year 2000? 

There were a smattering of Asian imports in 2000 but none of them quite got their feet under them. I will make a shout-out/honorable mention here for Blood: The Last Vampire, an anime film that’s pretty well-known and gets referenced a lot. 

2001: The Beginning of the End (for a little while)

Some solid stand-alone titles came out this year, but it also was the start of when the 90s revival started to dwindle down, I feel, with plenty of disappointments to go around. Scary Movie didn’t help much (and it also launched a whole trend of really awful spoof movies, which tried real hard to kill the comedy genre for a long time, imo). Anyway, some recs! 

Jeepers Creepers: The director is an unfortunate sack of shit, but the movie is quite good. The first part, which draws heavily from a true story, is especially chilling. 

Thirteen Ghosts: An underrated gem. The plot twists too much for my liking, but the ghost designs are super cool and the whole concept of the house is neat. A+ for originality. 

The Devil’s Backbone: Maybe my favorite Guillermo Del Toro film, and a damn good ghost story to boot. 

Suicide Club: A Japanese import that feels a bit ahead of its time in terms of pop culture (and internet culture especially). Features a couple of squick-heavy scenes I still struggle to watch (but, like, in a good way). 

Ichi the Killer: Another Japanese import and my introduction to Takashi Miike, who makes me more viscerally uncomfortable than just about anyone. 

It’s also probably worth mentioning From Hell, the Johnny Depp movie about Jack the Ripper, which many people enjoyed. I personally strongly dislike the film for reasons I can’t fully explain. 

2002: Wait, That’s When That Movie Came Out? 

I feel like 2002 was a big year for me in the “movies I enjoy but didn’t watch until years later” department, probably because I was a teenager with minimal access to decent cinema. It was also a rocking good year for Japanese horror. 

28 Days Later: A movie that brought about the return of zombies in a big way, and also introduced (or at least popularized) fast zombies. Also it’s super scary. 

May: I don’t even know if May counts as horror, but it’s a dark, quirky movie that I try to make everyone watch because I love it so much. 

Ghost Ship: Honestly the bulk of the movie is pretty forgettable, but the opening scene is one of my favorite moments in gory cinematic history. 

Signs: M. Night Shyamalan’s last decent movie or his first shitty one, depending on who you ask. I liked it a lot when I first watched it, and it started to fall apart more and more as I got older. 

Ju-On: The Grudge: One of the better-known Japanese horrors and one whose tropes still get referenced and re-used. Skip the 2004 remake and watch the original trilogy. 

The Ring: Probably the best-known Japanese horrors and maybe the import that put “Japanese horror” into public consciousness. 

There was a lot of shlocky dreck in 2002, some of it decent (Cabin Fever) and some of it downright awful (Pinata: Survival Island/Demon Island). I should also mention Red Dragon, based on Thomas Harris’s novel of the same name, which quite a few people liked (I’ve only seen it once but I recall being underwhelmed). Also an honorable mention to Dog Soldiers, which I have not seen but which I hear frequently recommended as an A+ werewolf film. 

2003: Wow that’s a lot of dreck 

Look fam nobody said these film recs would be objective. There were a ton of horror movies that came out in 2003, I just didn’t really like hardly any of them. Some exceptions: 

Willard: The movie that made me want to start keeping rats as pets, which says more about me than it does the film. It’s a great movie, though, the first thing I ever saw Crispin Glover in (and god, he’s amazing), and one of the few films that I think is better than the book. 

Identity: A pretty decent psychological horror starring John Cusack. Watch this and 1408 together as a double-feature for maximum fun factor. 

House of 1000 Corpses: Look, if you’re reading this blog, you probably already have an opinion one way or another of Rob Zombie. The movie’s on the list because it’s arguably historically important, not because it’s objectively good. 

A few other notable moments from 2003 included a Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake (just watch the original, but if you insist on a remake, this is one of the better ones), the second Final Destination film (the last good one in the franchise), the Jeepers Creepers sequel, Freddy vs Jason, Darkness Falls, and Dreamcatcher. Like I said, there were lots of movies that came out this year, I just don’t think they were very good. 

2004: Oops we created torture porn 

I was in college at this point, which meant I was watching less horror than at any other moment in my life (I had a roommate who really hated scary movies) so maybe that’s why I haven’t heard of the majority of movies that came out that year. Or maybe they were all just really bad, hence why I still haven’t seen them. Hmmm. But! A few shining stars: 

Saw: Obviously a classic. I’m lukewarm about the franchise, but the original is an excellent film and well worth watching, especially given the impact it would have on the next many years of horror cinema. 

Shaun of the Dead: Hilarious, and honestly one of my favorite zombie films of all time. 

Dumplings: A Korean important you likely missed in 2004 but may have seen in a Three Extremes compilation. Well worth the watch if you’re not squeamish. 

Otherwise 2004 was pretty lackluster. Some forgettable franchise installments, some shlocky creature features, some unnecessary remakes. Lots of titles I’m unfamiliar with, though, too, so somebody tell me if I missed a big one that year! 

2005: Ehhhh

Just a couple important titles this year too: 

Hostel: Not a great movie. In fact, pretty damn campy. But an important one to watch to understand the torture porn genre. 

The Devil’s Rejects: See above re: House of 1000 Corpses. Hit or miss but a well-liked film by Rob Zombie fans. 

And  you know what, I think that’s actually it. I mean there were other movies -- a remake of The Fog,  the infinitely predictable Hide and Seek, the second Saw installment, and of course Doom. But it just wasn’t a great year for horror, imo. One shout-out here though for Wolf Creek, which is on my to-watch list; I haven’t seen it so I can’t vouch for it, but it does get recommended to me a lot. 

2006: Mostly more of the same 

Did we seriously have a Saw movie every year in the 2000s or what? No wonder everybody got sick of them and thought all horror was torture porn for a while. Talk about market saturation. 

Anyway, some shout-outs: 

Stay Alive: This movie is ridiculous, but I love it a lot. It’s about a video game that kills you in real life, and is a more successful video game movie than most actual adaptations. 

ReCycle: An Asian import. I missed this one entirely when it came out, but it’s one of my favorites to have discovered in later years. It’s a seriously cool movie, both fanciful and deeply uncomfortable. Content warning for abortion, but it’s not what you think. 

Otherwise, just some mostly soulless remakes (The Omen, The Hills Have Eyes, The Wicker Man), some franchise installments (Saw III, Final Destination 3, The Grudge 2). I will give an honorable mention to Black Sheep, which is so-bad-it’s-good ridiculous, and to that cult favorite Slither. 

2007: Wait, is horror getting good again?

Well, not quite, but we’re back on the map with some promising additions in a year where the genre seemed to be struggling to rediscover its identity: 

The Mist: One of the better Stephen King adaptations. 

30 Days of Night: A divisive entry in the canon, but a pretty interesting piece to study for anyone interested in vampires. 

28 Weeks Later: Not exactly a direct sequel to the earlier 28 Days Later, and probably not as good of a film, but pretty good in its own right. 

1408: Watch this one with Identity (see above) and enjoy a night of John Cusack going crazy in hotel rooms. 

The Orphanage: One of my favorite horror films of all time, both deeply unsettling and agonizingly sad. 

Paranormal Activity: The highest-grossing film of all time thanks to its low budget. Also what we can blame for the burst of popularity in the “found footage” style. 

Dead Silence: A movie that still frequently gets recommended and delivers some solid spooks. I’m not as fond of it as a lot of people, but it deserves a mention for how often it gets referenced (and for playing “killer ventriloquist dummies�� straight as a trope). 

Trick r Treat: A Halloween classic. 

Of course the year brought us another Saw and another Hostel, a contentious Halloween reboot, another stab at I Am Legend (often adapted, rarely well), and a smattering of other sequels. I have not seen The Girl Next Door but based on how rarely I hear it recommended compared to the book, I imagine I’m not missing much. Borderlands was OK but, for my money, forgettable. Oh, there was also Grindhouse, a double feature which I quite enjoyed (I saw it in theaters, where it came with a warning for length, which I found amusing) but which history does not seem to have remembered positively. 

2008: Did Somebody Order a Recession? 

Back to slim pickings, although I admittedly have not seen most of the films released that year (I was pretty damn broke in 2008, so maybe that’s why). Still: 

Let the Right One In: Skip the later English remake, you cowards, and watch this with subtitles. It’s so good. SO GOOD. An unexpected twist on the vampire story, and kind of a romance to boot. Sort of. In a really messed up way. 

Cloverfield: A couple things are neat about Cloverfield. One, it was an early adopter and trope-setter for found-footage movies. Two, it successfully spawned a franchise where none of the movies feel related at all. Three, it launched with some really cool viral marketing that was utterly ahead of its time. On the downside, the shaky cam may in fact make you vomit if you get seasick easily. 

Repo! The Genetic Opera: A classic. Also may in fact be the only film of its kind, or at least the only rock-opera scifi-horror that comes to mind. 

I haven’t seen Pontypool, though it’s on my watch-list -- I’ve heard it’s quite good. Ditto Tokyo Gore Police which delivers, to my understanding, exactly what it says on the tin. Speaking of movies I didn’t see, can we take a moment to appreciate that a film called “Sauna” with the tagline “cleanse your sins” came out this year? Jfk 2008, are you OK? 

2009: Why are all the best horrors comedies this year 

It really does become obvious just how much the genre was floundering to figure out what it was doing the latter half of the decade, because the movies are so weirdly hit-or-miss. I do have some favorite hidden gems, though, alongside a couple well-known recs: 

Zombieland: A genuinely funny feel-good zombie comedy-horror, feeding right into a growing cultural fascination with zombies. 

Jennifer’s Body: Is this a comedy? Is this a horror? What is this? I’m not sure how to classify it but I sure do like it. 

Antichrist: Ok I don’t know if this is a recommendation per se, but if I had to watch this with my own eyes, I’m making y’all watch it too. Have you ever wondered what it might look like to watch a filmmaker have a psychotic break while making a movie? That’s almost literally what this film is. 

The Human Centipede: This is a cop-out because I have not watched these movies and I in fact refuse to watch these movies because the premise is fucking stupid, but I will acknowledge the historical, ah, importance? of this film in the greater scheme of 21st century horror. 

Dread: One of my favorite movies, and the film I recommend to anyone who wants to watch a torture film done right. I love the shit out of this movie. Please go watch this movie. 

Grace: Deeply disturbing and pulling approximately zero punches. It’s one of the best films to tread the “horrors of motherhood” territory, which is saying something because that’s very fertile (ha, ha) ground. 

I actually have not seen Drag Me to Hell or The Last House on the Left, although people have recommended both to me. Anyone want to chime in with how good they might be? I also want to make a shout-out to Daybreakers, which I feel like nobody ever talks about but which actually has one of the most fascinating vampire concepts I’ve ever seen on film. The movie itself is kind of boring and forgettable, but the idea is really neat. 

And that wraps up my journey through the 2000s in horror. Next decade: The 90s, coming right up! 

[scarleeonyxide]

I need to vent, don't mind me.

I just want to discuss the three Hulk movies, so let's go :

Hulk (2003)

Aaaaah, Ang Lee's successful failure, as some may call it. It's not really a bad movie as much as the flaws it has are more noticeable, such as the color scheme used. For example, the military base.

Purple walls, yellow bars, grey bits of wall, flashing red, green and blue lights. I know it's not realistic for a military base, but the idea was to go for a "comic book like" approach, sooo..it looks cheesy and cartoonish. Bright colors are often used in comic books to make an important place more recognisable, such as military bases.

The way the screen splits is also reminiscent of comic books, like you would read a comic. The storyline itself is the closest to the first Hulk comic, which is why I prefer it. (Like with Sam Raimi's Spiderman movies, it is the closest to the comics)

CGI speaking, the Hulk itself is way too green but yet again, this was probably intended to go with the color scheme. The CGI is bad by today's means, but it was the shit back in the day. I think the Hulk is very well animated for a CGI character without any sensor-motion.

The gamma dogs, however, they look hideous. It's like someone tried to animate a dog and put a Joker's grin on it with some green eyes. Their movements are badly made, they just leap in the air, along with some CGI dirt.

Acting goes well, Eric Bana will forever be my favorite Bruce Banner. He really gives off the vibe of "shy guy has an inner monster" and I can easily metaphor it as a mental illness. (Yeah I'm the kind of person who tries to diagnose fictional character with defiencies or mental illnesses)

Jennifer Connelly is also a very good Betty Ross in this, I'm surprised they didn't bring her back. I love that her Betty isn't a crybaby or a typical damsel in distress. Sure, she's Banner's girlfriend, but she is a strong and capable woman and thus, I think she's very underrated.

Nick Nolte plays Banner's father very well. A deranged but brilliant man, he knows what he's done. I try to think of him as "a madman who knows that he is crazy".

Alright, moving on !!

The Incredible Hulk (2008)

The MCU's black sheep and second entry. In overall, it's a good movie, but also a bad one. It introduces us to the Hulk/Bruce Banner that we later see in The Avengers. Understanding this complex character without seeing the movie is really difficult, considering what information we get later on.

Color scheme this time, is dark. Gloomy, dark and somber, this movie could almost play itself as a horror movie such as "The Thing". Fight scenes are often displayed in the dark, where you can't see shit of what's going on. Even in broad daylight it looks dark !

CGI is well done, the Hulk kinda looks like it's actor. I personally think that the green they used is a weird somber blend, considering the bright green eyes that barely light up. Also, the shadows don't help. All you see is a big black mass with a small tint of forest green. Well animated, it fits perfectly in the CGI city (I mean, when he climbs on building like Spiderman, that's CGI) reminds me of the city in TMNT (2007)

The Abomination is an abomination indeed, it's facial movement are unrealistic. It's movements, everything ! Clearly the budget was all on the Hulk, either that or they wanted to give a tribute to the fucking gamma dogs from Ang Lee's movie.

I would see that in a videogame nowadays.

The storyline of this one is confusing and it's basically the only piece of information you can get from Mark Ruffalo's Bruce/Hulk. The ending itself, I'm still trying to figure it out. General Ross here doesn't seem to have no logic whatsoever, the Russian guy turned Abomination is useless.

Acting is good I guess.. Edward Norton is a very good Banner, but I dislike the vibe of "I'm a monster and everyone knows it" because no one seems to care about it. Norton was apparently really hard to work with, which is why they didn't bring him back.

Liv Tyler as Betty Ross is kinda dumb. Ang Lee's Betty was strong, while this one is a crybaby and always goes where she shouldn't. I've seen that trope a lot of time and I hate it. Liv Tyler is a very good actress as well, so seeing her as this really pissed me off.

Tim Roth as the Russian guy wasn't a bad casting as much as it just looked forced. I don't have much to say, except that he loses his accent some point in the movie and no one noticed that.

Moving on.

Mark Ruffalo's Hulk (2012-2019)

Starting in The Avengers, this Banner is the same as Norton's. They give little to no explanation of who he is and instead throw a reference to the alternative ending of The Incredible Hulk. The CGI used is very well made and the colors are well done, true MCU fashion.

It's everyone's favorite of course, and it has evolved in a way no other MCU character has. First, the Hulk smashes, then gets trapped on Sakaar as a gladiator, then Banner can't even turn into the Hulk anymore and then we get Professor Hulk : the ultimate mix of Banner and the Hulk.

Banner here is a typical nerd, but is clearly damaged by the Hulk, refusing to even say his name.

In the battle of New York, he changes into the Hulk saying : "That's my secret, Cap.. I'm always angry"

This could explain so much about the confusing ending of The Incredible Hulk, whereas he isn't scared but is in control.

Scenes that I love :

In Hulk, we are treated to a scene where everything is dark, I'm obviously talking about the scene where the gamma dogs attack. It's so fucking dark, you can't see shit ! But yet again, Hulk knows what to do and is not just SMASH ! He puts Betty in a safe place and fights the dogs, which are OP btw. He breaks one's jaw by flexing, bitch slapped another, this Hulk was strong as hell ! That is, if he doesn't get distracted by Betty.

In The Incredible Hulk, there's a scene where it rains like hell. Hulk had already protected Betty at this point and got her to a cliff, where she would be sheltered from the rain. Hulk clearly doesn't understand why they were all shooting at him and even gets mad at the rain. Betty here gets really fucking scared, but eventually calms him down.(At least the other Betty had the guts to touch the big guy)

I'm done.

In The Avengers, no Betty is seen, so he doesn't really seem to calm down. Black Widow's lullaby is a thing but again, it's forced. I'm done venting, criticising or whatever.

This was my opinion, over !