#and how i felt about the relevant scene in the movie is that it's poking fun exactly at how ridiculous that is

[rinbylin]

ms. and mr. sara farley i now pronounce you woman and husband‼️‼️😌❤️🚬🗣️

[nicomrade]

so i reread the scott pilgrim comics this week for the first time since 2019? lots of stuff happened in my life in-between + i learned to actually like, pay attention when reading so this specific reread felt really important to me- the issue of reading it in french for the first time aside. heres some misc thoughts i had while reading! some of this stuff is drawing from conversations about the comics ive had with people over the years, i dont mean to break any new ground here, and i dont have a specific lense to look at the comics through so its not structured like analysis either. full thoughts under the cut! i hope you all like going on this little trip with me ^-^

so first of, the X motif! this i KNOW i saw someone else talk about. it comes up first on scott's jacket with the X-men patch (and it comes up again in that context- "then wolverine is crucified on a big X") and also on knives' scott-shrine, her dad slashes an X over scott's picture. these are the two biggest exemples but there really are Xs constantly in the imagerie of the comics, which is great and i love. the comic is about fighting ramona's exs, and this is foreshadowing that scott himself will be one, but its also generally about the baggage that comes with existing. at its core its really comics about dealing with whats over, so we get into scotts relationships w envy & kim & knives (& ramona), but we also get into his relationship with lisa (what couldve been) we also see him move flats (the end of an era!), in volume 1 scott tells knives about the house he grew up in that now belongs to another family, scott breaking his bass & no longer being in a band, etc. theres sooooo many flashback sequences in these comics and references to the past… its all about the X.!

loosely related in the foreshadowing department there are genuinely so many background details of stories about people who dont matter to the comics that foreshadow later developments. the details of why Crash & the Boys changed drummers is straight up the dynamics of Clash at Demonhead, theres the Lucas Lee movie on the BG thats visually identical to scotts memory of when he got with kim- and the reveal that the lady in that movie wasnt dead is arguably foreshadowing for scott reviving in volume 6? if you know whats happening in the story, rereading the volumes really is so rewarding. it also helps on a first read cause unconsciously its not the first time you're hearing about these ideas so theyre easier to digest & accept. this is also what the character explicitely referencing what will happen later is for- "i wonder how the Boys & Crash can do music without instruments- maybe it will be relevant later in the evening" "i'd need a deus ex machina to beat todd", these help you accept when these things do seemingly "come out of nowhere" later in the scene (and poke cheerful fun at it lol these are fun comics)

a personal fave of mine is the phrase "read the comic sometime" thats repeated in the early volumes at characters who werent there for something. its 4th-wall breaking, its fun, it nicely tells lost readers where to head to without re-dumping exposition, AND it helps keep track of who was where for what scenes … stuff like "when did stacey & ramona become friends??" or "i cant believe this is stacey & neils first meeting!" or "wallace was already introduced to ramona earlier" … its all fun and helps you stay on the ride. i think this is why i would read the comics back to back to back to back and retained very little. its easy to passively read these comics and its not a bad thing! though it is better to actively read them, and take these notes as fun jokes & reminders, and not life boats.

the 4th wall breaks are also great for the side characters having their own lives in the background. there are a lot more time indications in scott pilgrim than i remembered, if youre paying attention i think its really really easy to have a nice timeline in your head. but when stuff is broken to scott its not "i started dating mobile during X month" or "i came out X months ago" its "i started dating mobile during volume 3" and "i came out during volume 5" that way the reader can more easily relate it to the story that was happening at the time- and to keep in mind during a volume reread. its not a writing technique for EVERY comic, but its something that scott pilgrim gets to have BECAUSE its a comic- and unapologetically so! this is not a work that wants to be more novel than graphic to be taken seriously. its a comic, and its silly, and its also a work of art, and you have to respect it on its own terms.

theres also, uhm, ill be quick on this point cause its kind of weird how lesbians/sapphics are handled in the comics. its not BAD but theres clearly a bias towards male homosexuality being fleshed out and lesbianism not so much. but so the start of volume 4 is when kim & knives make out and it really starts this obsession in scott about this thing he cannot tell anyone about but is still thinking about, that prepares for roxies introduction- ramonas ex girlfriend. that i believe is also when wallace first asks if scotts broken out the "L-word" yet and it gives more context to scott assuming its lesbians? and him then going all "why does everyone keep asking me about lesbians!" but it is also kind of weird re: lesbian fetishism (which IS pointed out with scotts weird poster that no one likes but thats it). and all that with ZERO canon lesbians! roxie is pretty bi-coded i would say with her insistance on being "HALF-ninja", but ramona is described as an american ninja in the early volumes so its kind of loose. idk its weird and i like to think julie came out as a lesbian cause stephen & her being a comphet4comphet couple is really good to me

a thing id never noticed before is that julie was suspecting stephen of having views on knives during volume 4? and its why she was so shitty to knives for a while there, and then its "worked out" at the end of the volume. this feeds into the constant fear of cheating during the story, theres of course todd & scott who do cheat, but also more grey areas of relationships. im thinking of ramonas anxieties around lisa, and when scott finds out roxie stayed over at ramona's. about stephen too, his response to julie apologizing for being jealous of knives is very… uncomfortable

"i have nothing to fear!" "right yeah..." surely because hes starting to realize hes gay, and possibly because he's already vaguely started seeing joseph. we dont get more details on his relationships i am not going to accuse him of cheating LOL. i truly dont care. but its an anxiety that comes up again and again whenever relationships are starting to turn sour- "are they cheating?" and having been in my 20s for a little bit yeah i get it. scott not telling ramona about his job- not telling her much of ANYTHING during vol 4- and ramona not sharing much either are also part of this. theres a reason all of this happens in volume 4, and next volume ramona finds out scott cheated on knives with her. loss of intimacy and the breakdown of dialogue is all part of cheating anxieties, whether there is actual cheating or not. "what do i not know? what else are they keeping from me? they dont talk to me but they talk to them? are they cheating on me?"

theres a really neat thing the comics do to show the breakdown of scott and ramona's relationship in volume 5 and its the scene where ramona goes shopping and scott tags along. she spends it not saying anything (until she tells scott she doesnt even like his band) and scott obsessively talking about his comics (X-men!) while she doesnt look particularly interested.

this is the scene where scott breaks up with knives again!!! the roles are reversed, scott is now the one talking about whatever while his girlfriend's unresponsive, and obviously ramona doesn't break up with him here and there, and they dont kiss in a goodwill, but the ressemblance is there. and like with the knives breakup scene, we have a good date variant of this! its their very first date from the first volume where scott does mostly talk about himself but ramona is having fun joking with him. here we are shown their relationship slowly crumbling and it lays the ground for ramona leaving at the end of the volume.

similarly to how scott battles all of ramonas evil exs (himself included), ramona does face all of scott's own exs. its not as spectacular but we see her fight knives in volume 2, then she fights envy in volume 3. we also have her comment on kim that she does like her (same with lisa, who is not strictly an ex but emotionally is treated as such. especially with how scott sleeping over at lisa's is paralleled with roxie sleeping over at ramona's) these are not comments she makes about stephen or julie, for exemple, its specifically women who had a close relationship with him. and uhm ramona also comments on liking wallace who- again- is not STRICLY an ex, but hes also part of that volume 4 cheating anxieties conversation, wallaces incessant flirting, mobile himself jokes (?) about finding wallace in the arms of another man, etc. but most convincingly to ME because we are talking about EXs here is the flashback of wallace inviting himself at scotts house being identical to lisas scene of inviting herself at scotts, scott saying the story of how he ended up living with wallace is "somewhat gay", and the general college flashbacks.

i think this points to scott & wallace having briefly dated in the past, or (because hes paralleled with lisa) having a "what couldve been" relationship where they didnt make anything of it and now the time window's passed and emotionally? kind of feels like an ex. and if anything they ARE ex-roommates lol. this is not a scollace truthing thing, im a firm mobillace guy ok -_- im just saying its there. back to the point of ramona facing scott's exs as well, YES i am including herself in it. her going to the wilderness during vol6 parallels scott going to the countryside, the very place he faces negascott properly. and the way ramona talks when she comes back its easy to see that she did face herself on that trip. & the figurines agree with me that the idea of a negaramona does exist :)

thats more or less all i had in mind, i also feel like i was finally able to properly enjoy the themes of the comics of facing your own shittiness and doing better, of the harms of being stuck in your own head, of never ending up like gideon (who is so attached to his exs that he literally cryogenizes them!) the warning of rewriting your own memories (or at least biased recollections of it) uhm how breakups suck! and how cheating is not always black & white but also fucking sucks !! being out of school (wanting to go back to school?) and looking for jobs- and yes if scotts life had a face i would punch it too its literally unfair how easily everything goes for him on that front, even freeloading with wallace (<- jealous). envys obsession with a guy who is so obviously shitty but who shes been best friends with since they were 11 is also kind of… ooh i get it now…. its yeah. i think they really are comics for being in your 20s, a lot about dating? but its so generally about human relationships and dealing with your baggage, i think it is still relatable without the specific romantic relationship experience.? i love these comics. everyone read scott pilgrim if you havent in a while (or ever!!!!) and try to think a little about it as you read it really is so worthwhile. and if anything theyre insanely funny, and wallace is there!

[positivexcellence]

Jensen Ackles Took on Toxic Masculinity (and "Movie Star" Competition) to Play The Boys' Soldier Boy

I’ve read that you had to fight to get the role of Soldier Boy onThe Boys It sounds like it was originally meant for an older actor, more of a John Wayne type. What was it like fighting to get the role?

I was calling [The Boys creator Eric Kripke] in regards to something completely unrelated. It was a different project. I wanted his take on a few things. Just as we were wrapping up the conversation, I said, "So what's going on over there at The Boys?" We were just about to finish up Supernatural, and I was like, "You know, I'm about to be unemployed." Just kind of threw it out there jokingly. He immediately said, "Look, man, if you want to come over to The Boys, I'll get you over here no problem. I'd love to have you." And I was like, "Sign me up!"

So he sent me over this scene they had written out as an audition scene for Soldier Boy. This was peak COVID—summer of 2020. I read it, and immediately was like, "Who do I have to kill to get this part?"

Were you aware of anyone else auditioning for the role?

I do know that there were some names that I think the network was considering. There was a short list of names. And when [Kripke] read off a few of those names to me, I was like, "Oh, well, there's no way. I don't have a shot at this. Those are movie stars."

Would you be able to tell me any of the names on the shortlist?

Oh, no. I'd get us both blacklisted. If we ever meet in private, I'll whisper in your ear.

Before playing Soldier Boy, you were known for playing Dean on Supernatural—a much more heroic, honorable character. Did you feel like, in playing Soldier Boy, you were going against type?

Oddly enough, no. I felt like Soldier Boy could have very easily been the Dean Winchester of the 1950s or the 1960s. It was just an older generation mentality that this guy had. He's not a bad guy. There's an old actor—I'm forgetting his name—who always played the bad guys in movies, and he's always asked, "Why do you think you always play bad guys?" And he says, "I've never played a bad guy in my life."

Soldier Boy certainly lines up in that kind of framework, in that he thinks he's doing what needs to be done. He thinks he's walking the right walk, when in actuality, he's just terribly mistaken. He thinks that he's the hero, when he's really horribly broken and is clearly the antagonist.

Soldier Boy is an embodiment of this very American strain of toxic masculinity. How do you interrogate that while also empathizing and relating to your character?

I mean, look, I think we all could identify with a lot of what Soldier Boy was bringing to the table—whether we see it in celebrities, politicians, or even your neighbors. Toxic masculinity, like you said, is something that we tried to poke at with this character. And that wasn't that difficult to do, because, you know, open your eyes, look around; it's very relevant today, we see what that kind of ideology has given us.

Even personally, I still find myself doing things that make me think, "Why am I doing that? You don't have to puff your chest up when you walk into a room. You don't have to pretend like you don't have emotions." You know? It's all that stuff. It's all of the subtleties that stem from this American idea, or this generational idea, of what it is to be a man. Masculinity is necessary, in my opinion. I think that we absolutely need masculinity as much as we need femininity, but it's when we start to steer into that toxic lane that we need to be careful—then we need to identify it, we need to bring it up, and we need to have a conversation about it. So that's kind of what Soldier Boy's arc was about—identify it and talk about it.

And Soldier Boy and Homelander really identify and talk about the generational impact of our expectations around masculinity.

Kripke and his ragtag gang of writers are exceptional at what they do. It's not just a spectacle of a show; it has these really smart twists and turns, there's a lot of narrative packed into these crazy storylines. And there's a lot of heart to it! It's a lot to marinate. I think it's probably good that they only release one episode per week, because it gives the audience a chance to really unpack it.

What was the most shocking thing you read in a script for this season?

Oh gosh. Where do I begin? Just the whole idea of Herogasm. Opening that script was like, seeing the description of what it was going to look like—that was something that made me think, "I don't know how they're going to pull that off, but I'm excited to be there, because I want to see how this goes down." Then there was the scene where Soldier Boy gets caught in the bed with Paul Reiser's maids. I read that and I laughed out loud.

You trained to bulk up for the role. How did you approach that process?

Well, while I was doing the costume fittings for Soldier Boy's superhero outfit, I was flying out to Los Angeles every few weeks to try on the new progress that they were making. And in doing so, I was like, "Are you going to add some musculature to the suit? Where does that come in?" And [The Boys costume designer Laura Jean Shannon] just very pleasantly patted me on the shoulder, and she said, "Oh, Jensen, you're going to bring me some muscles in April when you show up to set." And I was like, "Oh. Oh, okay. Yeah. Challenge accepted."

You never talked to anyone else about it?

I never talked to Kripke about it, I never talked to the producers. Nobody impressed that upon me. So I just kind of took it as a personal challenge. Look, we've all seen Hemsworth as Thor, we've all seen Evans as Captain America. We've seen these guys, how they've transformed their bodies and become just larger-than-life figures. And so I was like, "Well, we're not quite at the level of spending hundreds of millions of dollars per movie here, but this is a pretty big property, and I should respect that.”

Funny enough, I'll make a little shout out to beachbody.com, because I went on there and that's how I got my cardio in. I just followed the random videos. [laughs] All I had was those adjustable power blocks, so I utilized those as my weights. And I did all my workouts in the basement of my house. I just made it my job, and I put on maybe 15, 20 pounds of muscle.

So after being on The Boys, would you ever consider playing a superhero in a Marvel or DC project?

Hey, who do I need to give my phone number to? I love that space, genre TV and movies. I grew up watching them. I've somehow managed to find myself working in that space for quite some time. I mean, Supernatural alone was 15 years. I really like the larger-than-life stories and worlds that are built in that genre space. If Marvel or DC, whoever, says, "Hey, we want you to put the outfit on," I would be more than happy to. I enjoy it.

Is there any particular comic book character you would like to play if given the opportunity?

Oh yeah. I mean, there's a list. But it would be more like…who wouldn’t I play?

There are rumors that you auditioned to play Captain Americawhich you've since debunked. But I wonder where that stemmed from. People must have wanted you to play him!

I think it was an internet rumor that people thought would be a good idea. And I guess some people reacted to it and continued to push that rumor along. But in my mind, I was like, "I wish!" I've heard that there was a short list of people and I was one of the names on the shortlist—but it never got to me!

[hoochy-coo]

I always love your opinions and notice we’re pretty much always on the same wavelength so I don’t feel singled out on my thoughts whenever I skim your blog!! But this might be the first time I disagree with one thing (which I’d love to discuss more!): I feel like Kim, Hailey and even Priyanka are somewhat different from Olivia getting a cover. All three did come from world wide known famous families and especially Priyanka (as much as she drives me crazy) who is stupidly popular in India way before jonas —- I agree that them dating/marrying celebrities totally pushed them for covers but I could’ve seen a couple of them getting their own at some point in their lives due to just their backgrounds and gains from future projects if they weren’t with their s/o’s. Something about Olivia’s cover and write up truly rubbed me the wrong way and the whole write up really was just reiterating how hot she was and there was almost nothing about directing. And like the twitter journalist replied to another user- those vogue videos Olivia did were fucking bizarre. Was fashion even spoken about or did I miss that? At some parts it even felt like she wanted to poke at fans of Harry’s yet continued to reiterate how happy she is and all I thought was: are you actually happy…? People imo who gloat how happy and healthy they are and putting down anything or anyone involving their past are the ones with a facade up (You had two wonderful babies with this man and gloated nonstop on IG every other day for 7+ years and now those seem to be years that weren’t at all the “happiest”? Now I don’t trust any interview or life period of her stating how “happy” she was back then either) I just feel like there was absolutely no need for her as a cover and can only assume it was because of Harry and it was an empty issue they needed to fill. And I also wanted to point out, I totally don’t want to discredit Olivia for her acting past cause I know she’s had some great roles but those were so long ago that unfortunately aren’t iconic or memorable enough to be reposted these days like Cher in Clueless or a scene from The Craft. and if we’re going to give her a cover for nothing prominent happening in her life besides dating a young rockstar, then I need to send a ginormous list of long term iconic women to fill in the next year of covers.

All good! I think we can agree to disagree and it’s productive in terms of discussions on this blog anyway.

I agree that it’s different in a sense with those women I mentioned because they were/are relevant in their own ways prior to landing the Vogue US cover. Meanwhile, Olivia was barely ever brought up prior to Booksmart and now she’s experiencing a mini career revival through her relationship with Harry Styles. With that being said, I don’t think Hailey, Kim or Priyanka could have landed a US Vogue cover without their partner (they landed Vogue covers in other countries prior to that though). Hailey was the least relevant of all the nepo models, mostly did commercial jobs and didn’t book any high profile gigs. Kim (and her family) was looked down upon by the fashion industry/circle and saw her as a MTV reality show type of star, so they would have never given her a cover unless she married someone just as or even more well-connected with the industry just as Ye was at the point of his career. Priyanka had a hit soap show that didn’t last for very long and hasn’t done much since. Out of all of those three, Priyanka probably had the biggest chance and even that is slim. You could at least argue that O was a movie star that peaked in the late 2000s that’s giving directing a go. Even if her movies aren’t box office hits, she’s landed herself a few big names for her latest one so there’s that.

With all that being said, I can agree that the timing of the article/cover is weird and it would have been more appropriate to give her one closer to the release of DWD release. I haven’t read the entire article (and I don’t plan to) but from what I’ve seen/read of different snippets, it seems like she’s buddy-buddy with an editor and they’re just talking and writing on what’s been happening in her life lately. Hence why I said her relationship with Harry couples with her own friendship/personal connections with Vogue staff probably landed her this cover as a favour. Not every cover stories by Vogue need to revolve around fashion, but there’s nothing to promote or focus on either other than her as a person. In terms of O gushing about how happy she’s been, like idk what else she should be saying? Genuine or not, most celebs who have gone through some type of public scandal (not talking drugs/death/crime-related ones, obvly) are going to want to present as having seen the light at the end of the tunnel or unbothered by all the noise. Plus Harry and she have been pushing to the media that they’re happy, domesticated and blissfully in love though so she’s probably just playing into that even further

[pudding-head-kenma]

Keep quiet, or don’t [ Sugawara x Reader ]

⤔ request: Suga x reader smut

⤔ warnings: swearing, fingering, public, uhh getting caught (?)

⤔ a/n: everyone say thank you to ana and tsu for convincing me to post this because i was embarrassed lmao. also, if you don’t think sugawara is a kinky bastard you’re WRONG

*⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*

Despite what everyone else seems to think, you know your boyfriend is not an innocent man.

As the vice-captain of the volleyball club, he tends to show himself as soothing and gentle. He acts like the type of person you can trust, the type of person who helps you during your time of need. He shows his sweeter, softer side, helping the other team members and taking good care of the younger players.

Outside of the club, however, Sugawara becomes a completely different person.

You can’t exactly remember where it started – as first years, at the beginning of your relationship, he was always the shyer one out of the two of you. Holding hands proved to be an issue, and he could barely look at you after the first time you kissed. As second years, at a solid stage of your relationship, he remained the shyer one. You fondly remember the first time you two were intimate, and you almost want to laugh at the little freak out you remember him having. You don’t remember when, but sometime during the end of your second year and the beginning of your third, Sugawara had changed.

He had become bolder, had grown confident in himself. Most relevant to the point, however, was the fact he had become more experimental. It started simple, and slowly but surely the two of you were drifting away from your usual routines. By now, you could almost perfectly tell which mood your boyfriend was in. If he came back exhausted from practise, he would usually revert back to how he used to be, and you’d be more than happy to deliver with sweet kisses and praises as he held your waist and stared into your eyes. During those times, both of you were quiet, Sugawara being the most vocal out of the two of you, with his choked up moans and grunts.

But there were a few other sides to him, too.

Sometimes, your boyfriend would come back frustrated. There wasn’t always a common reason – it varied from losing a game, doing poorly at practise, getting into an argument with someone, and so forth. During these moods, he would be rougher. He would easily take the lead, usually shoving you against a nearby surface and taking out his frustrations in the most pleasurable way to both of you. In these moods, you were the most vocal out of the two of you. The only sounds leaving his lips would be quiet grunts, contrasting with your high pitched moans. While he sounded almost completely unbothered, you sounded like a mess. He liked that.

There was a third mood. Out of all of them, this was definitely the rarest one. You wouldn’t exactly say that Koushi is a jealous man – he might have his moments, but most of the time he’s very trusting and easy going. You’ve nearly been dating for three years, so he won’t dare doubt the foundation of trust you’ve built your relationship on. That doesn’t mean he never gets jealous, though. From time to time, he gets fed up. He’s used to you being hit on – much like Kiyoko and Yachi; you hang out around the team a lot, and this means you’re at most of his official and practise games. That being said, it’s inevitable that one guy or another will come talk to you. During practise matches, the best way he can get around it is to wrap an arm around you as you walk inside, to make it clear that you’re taken. During games, he’ll be sure to kiss you in front of the audience, so that when you’re out of his reach cheering for him most people would have noticed it.

Today there was absolutely no way to get around it – Tanaka just really messed up.

Now, you’ve both been friends with Tanaka since he joined the team, during his first year. So, more than anyone, you’re used to his playful flirting. He’s very respectful of your relationship with Sugawara, especially after being glared at a few years ago when you first met him, by a very pissed off Koushi.  That being said, it’s just in his nature to be playful – he knows you’re dating, but you’re also his friend, so it’s not uncommon for him to joke around and ‘flirt’ with you from time to time.

Most days, your boyfriend lets it slide and laughs along. He knows his friend means no harm, and he has never complained to him so Tanaka himself doesn’t see it as harmful either. It’s simple things, really, easily passed off as friendly interaction – sometimes he’ll wrap an arm around your shoulder and loudly mock Sugawara right in front of his face, other times he’ll just tell you that you look pretty that day. You’ve gotten used to it, though it may have bothered you in the beginning. Nowadays, you find yourself playing along once or twice. A cheeky ‘I know, right?’ when he’s mocking your boyfriend, or wrapping an arm around his waist while you’re walking down the street just messing around. You’re good friends with all of them, even if you’re still getting used to the first years, so it doesn’t mean anything.

Today was different. While out on a walk, a player from another team had recognised you from a previous practise match and had jogged over to talk to you. He seemed dismissive of Sugawara’s presence right by your side, even when he wrapped an arm around your waist to bring you closer to him. This guy was a little persistent, trying to play it off as them needing a new manager... Why on Earth would their manager be from a different school? It made absolutely no sense. Your boyfriend eventually dragged you away from the scene, claiming you had plans – which wasn’t a lie.

As you both walked to Tanaka’s house, he was visibly tense. Normally, you would have whispered sweet words into his ear, would have reassured him that he had nothing to worry about. But you sensed it would only aggravate the situation. Besides, you’re going to movie night with the guys anyway, just the second and third years, so he’ll end up cooling off and enjoying the night. Soon, this would all be a faraway memory.

Or so you thought.

It really wasn’t Tanaka’s fault. In retrospective, Sugawara knows that. It wasn’t your fault, either. The timing was just off. When you stepped into the house and had Tanaka wrap an arm around you and playfully say ‘The pretty one’s here!’, you knew the evening wouldn’t magically get better. And if you weren’t sure, the look on Sugawara’s eyes was enough to assure you that he was pissed off.

The first indication that this bad mood wasn’t going away was when Tanaka left your side to wrap an arm around your boyfriend instead, poking fun at his frown. His arm was shoved off. The second year was a little surprised, but Koushi was quick to take action – he offered a gentle smile.

“It’s your fault, you know? You totally wore me out at practise. Don’t put weight on my shoulders like that!” He scolded in a playful tone, though you could definitely tell that was a complete lie. In all honesty, he had only wanted to say the first few words, but he knew his friend wouldn’t understand where his frustration was coming from.

The second indication came quickly as well. As you were heading to the living room to get settled on the couches for the movie to start, your boyfriend was quick to take the armchair and tug you down next to him before you could even consider sitting on the couch.

“You better not even think about leaving my side tonight.” He whispered against the back of your neck, the words muffled against your skin and far too quiet for anyone else to hear. They were more than enough to have you tense up, though.

You two sat the furthest away from everyone else. Tanaka, Daichi and Ennoshita were sitting on the couch, while Nishinoya and Asahi were struggling to share the loveseat – Asahi and his long legs were struggling to lie down in the position Nishinoya demanded from him, which honestly didn’t even look that comfortable, yet was always claimed the ‘ultimate movie night position’, whatever that means.  

While Ennoshita had grabbed blankets for everyone to share, Tanaka and Nishinoya had managed to pick a movie. Unsurprisingly, despite Tanaka’s fear of ghosts, they had ended up picking a horror movie. Nishinoya had challenged him, and God knows that man would never turn down a challenge so boldly having a go at his manly behaviour.

You were exactly five minutes into the movie when your boyfriend’s grip around your waist loosened. You felt yourself relaxing a bit into him, feeling a bit more at ease. Usually, this meant he had calmed down – that’s good, right? Normally, it would be.

Not today, though.

With his free hand, your boyfriend moved a hand to your inner thigh, squeezing the spot roughly. You let out a loud squeak in surprise, your hands flying up to cover your mouth – it was too late, though, everyone heard you. Against your neck, you could feel your boyfriend smirking, but he remained quiet.

“Geez, Y/N, I know the ghost is kinda ugly but you don’t have to offend him like that. And you call me a coward.” Tanaka spoke up, mocking your sound and playing it off as a joke since the ghost had just showed up on the movie.

“Haha... I just didn’t expect him to show up so soon, okay?”

“If you needed  to come cuddle between Daichi and me, all you had to do was ask. You’re invited too, Suga.” He kidded, knowing your boyfriend also wasn’t a fan of horror movies. He was boldly mocked for being ‘too nice’ to watch films were people got murdered, somewhere during your second year.

He’s really not helping the situation.

As soon as Tanaka’s voice reaches his ears, Sugawara’s digging his nails into your inner thigh – he’s not too rough, but it’s just enough to bring you a rush of excitement. He knows what buttons to push. Still, you’re embarrassed. You find yourself biting at the tip of your tongue to avoid any further embarrassing noises. You’re with friends, for God’s sake! Your boyfriend, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to mind in the slightest.

“Are you embarrassed? I haven’t even done anything.” He’s whispering into your skin again, and you’re certain he can feel how the back of your neck has heated up significantly, shame running over your body. He can’t seriously think you’re doing this, right? You’re not an idiot, you know what he’s trying to achieve.

Before you get the chance to reply, he let’s go of you completely and leans back into the couch. Now you’re confused. It’s like he’s changing his behaviour every two minutes, and you’re getting lightheaded just from trying to keep up. Wondering if perhaps he felt bad, you lean back against him once more and watch the movie for a little, though you’re barely paying any attention. You can’t help but let your mind wander – had you read him wrong? Maybe he wasn’t trying to do anything and you got flustered for no reason. Surely Koushi would never do that, right? He wouldn’t try anything in public like this, in front of all of his friends.

So why were you a little disappointed that he didn’t follow through with this idea?

You subconsciously press your thighs together, your heart speeding as you desperately try to mask the various thoughts running through your head.  You find yourself moving around in his lap, trying to find a more comfortable spot. If your movements go by unnoticed by everyone else, they surely don’t go by unnoticed by your boyfriend.

“I thought you were too embarrassed to play, angel.” He teases. You can tell he’s still in a bad mood, from the cocky way he’s speaking and from the way his fingers are ever so gently brushing against your skin, inching up your thigh agonisingly slowly.

“I-” You cut yourself off as you let out a small gasp. Sugawara’s pushing your skirt up to move it out of the way, and suddenly you want to yell at yourself for choosing this outfit specifically. He notices your surprise, and stops moving his hand. Instead, he reaches forward a little to press a kiss to your cheek, a silent question. Despite his jealousy, he would never take it too far with you – he was asking for permission.

And you want to yell at yourself even louder for the fact you didn’t hesitate to nod your head.

He seems pleased with the reply, because it doesn’t take long at all for him to start pressing kisses all over your neck, licking and sucking the skin far too comfortably for someone who’s in a room with all of his friends. You’re mostly covered by the blanket, and everyone but the two of you is paying attention to the movie, but it would only take a glance from any of the other boys for the situation to be really obvious.  

“Stop thinking about them.” Your boyfriend spoke up, and it was a tone you hardly recognised. It wasn’t a request or reassurance – it was an order. The tone was enough to have you squeeze your thighs again, the sudden shift in behaviour intriguing you. It was embarrassing, the tips of your ears were burning up and you had no doubts that you looked flustered, but there was something thrilling about the situation. Your boyfriend’s not happy with the way you’re sitting anymore, so he reaches to grab both of your thighs and roughly spread your legs, manoeuvring you around so you’re exactly the way he wants you. You find yourself unable to object.

“You better keep your legs spread.” He orders again and you’re struggling to keep quiet just from the way he’s speaking. It’s so, so rare for him to get like this. So you nod immediately, knowing better than to question him when he gets into these moods. It’s shameful, really, and the idea of getting caught should probably make you want to stop – but instead, it makes you want to keep going. You can’t help but wonder what would happen if someone noticed the two of you. Your legs tense as you desperately try to keep yourself from pressing your thighs together for the nth time that evening, and you feel yourself shake a little in anticipation as your boyfriend teasingly runs his fingers over your panties.

He’s smirking again, and you find yourself closing your eyes as he sinks his teeth into your skin, nibbling around a particular spot on your neck that has your knees going even weaker – if you weren’t sitting down, you wouldn’t have been able to hold yourself up, no doubt. You know why he’s smirking, too. There’s no doubt in your head that he can already feel how wet you are, and how amusing he finds it – he has barely touched you, after all.

He pushes your skirt further up so it’s completely out of the way before he’s moving your panties to one side, not even bothering to take them off. You shiver, the sudden cold hitting you and making you squirm around ever so slightly. One of his arms wraps itself around your waist, keeping you impossibly close to him so he’s able to keep pressing kisses all over your skin. His free hand moves down, teasing you as he brushes over your thighs and your stomach, yet purposefully avoids touching you where you really need it.

After what felt like an eternity, he takes mercy on you once you let out a small whine, inaudibly to anyone because of the yelling on the television, but loud enough for your boyfriend to get the point. He holds you down as his fingers circle your lips, teasingly moving his finger up and down your slit, and the simple touch is enough to make you shiver. He teases you for another few seconds, trying to see just how far he can push it, and you move your hips slightly, trying to get him to hurry up. For a second, you almost seem to forget your friends right next to you.

But Sugawara isn’t feeling that merciful yet, so as soon as he feels you trying to move he takes his fingers away completely. The barely-there touches were annoying, but having him move away was far worse. You’re about to apologise and tell him you’ll be quiet, but you don’t get a chance as he moves his fingers up and presses them to your lips. You don’t need him to speak, just the look in his eyes is enough to tell you what he wants. You feel smaller under his gaze, and you don’t even spare a glance to the side to make sure nobody’s looking before you’re parting your lips, looking up to meet his gaze. Koushi takes the lead, pressing his thumb against your tongue. You take the hint and stick it out, and he’s quick to rest his fingers on it.

“Go ahead, angel.”

You were waiting for him to speak up, and as soon as he does you’re closing your eyes, slowly moving your tongue around his fingers. You figure this is your one chance to tease him, and you’re so willing to take the risk, but he doesn’t even give you a second to think about it – his nails are digging into your thigh the moment you try to pull away, making a delicious rush of pain run up your spine. You open your eyes and you find him still staring at you, though his gaze has considerably darkened – he’s warning you, and with a whimper you submit to him again.

You suck his fingers into your mouth, greedily lapping up the juices he had collected – if anything, you’re eager for some praise. He doesn’t say anything, just keeps the eye contact and the tight grip around you, until he decides it’s enough and taps your thigh gently – taking the hint, you part your lips again. You spread your legs a little wider, and that has him smirking once again; he’s enjoying every little reaction he can get out of you, and he’s not being very discreet about it.

Your boyfriend wasted no time in pressing a finger against your clit, rubbing it teasingly to distract you before shoving the first finger in. Though you both already knew, that’s when you both confirm just how wet you really are, because it barely feels like enough. He sinks in easily, and you’re subconsciously squeezing around his finger right away, enough to have him groan a little too loud.

You’re just lucky that the movie is louder.

He barely gives you any time to breathe before he’s adding another finger, thrusting them in and out of you at a surprisingly quick pace – he’s usually much more gentle and caring, but he’s obviously still pissed off. You’re barely managing to keep in your moans as he quickens the pace, head thrown back slightly and resting against his shoulder, yet he doesn’t slow down in the slightest. Instead, he reaches his free hand to flick at your clit, and you let out a choked moan.

Tanaka turns to you.

You instantly flush, your cheeks and ears feel too warm, and you’re trying to stand up and move a bit further away from your boyfriend. He scoffs, following your gaze and locking eyes with Tanaka. He’s still moving his fingers despite his friend staring at both of you, and by now you’re not sure who’s more embarrassed – you, or Tanaka. In any case, it’s certainly not Koushi.

“I can’t believe you tightened so much just because he looked.” It comes out as a whisper from your boyfriend, but suddenly you’re far more aware of your own body – fuck. You really don’t feel a thing for Tanaka, but the rush of being caught like that was enough to make you wetter, and have you subconsciously clench around his fingers.

You can’t really tell if your friend has figured out what’s going on, but he seems a bit tense and ends up looking away to awkwardly stare at the movie. Your boyfriend’s still moving his fingers, though he has quickened his pace ever so slightly, scissoring them to stretch you out properly before adding in a third. You can faintly hear the squelching sound and it’s honestly obscene, you can’t help but think anyone else would be able to hear if they just paid attention, and that makes you have to bite back a moan.

“Angel... you’re so wet. Can you hear how wet you are?” He doesn’t need an answer, and that’s obvious from the way he starts speeding up his fingers again, still using his free hand to rub your clit, completely over stimulating you. Your head leans back further, and in order to keep quiet you can’t even think about answering his question, instead just nodding your head as you bite down on your lip in hopes of not letting out any embarrassing noises.

“Who would have thought? What a dirty angel you are, getting wet and spreading your legs near your friends like this. Do you want them to look? Do you want Tanaka to look again?” You lean against his neck to whine against the skin, in hopes of muffling your sounds to everyone else. Despite the rush, you don’t truly want anyone else to look, it’s mostly the idea of it that gets you going. So you shake your head as quickly as you can, and that has your boyfriend chuckling once more.

That seems to be the answer he’s looking for, though, because he starts moving his fingers again. By now, Koushi knows you well – he knows what you like and what you don’t like, and he’s certainly more than capable of finding your sweet spot even in a time like this. As usual, once he finds it, he starts abusing that privilege, and it’s getting harder and harder to stay quiet.

At the corner of your eye, you can see Tanaka shuffle around uncomfortably, unnaturally quiet, and that has you clenching again – He definitely saw, but he didn’t say anything, and you absolutely refuse to even glance his way. Sugawara, on the other hand, is keeping eye contact with him, locking eyes each time he glances over, a warning for him to look away.

It doesn’t take long at all – in fact, it’s almost embarrassing how quickly you’re nearing your orgasm. Your legs are shaking, thankfully still hidden by the blanket, and you’re desperately clinging to your boyfriend in attempts to keep quiet. He’s merciless, thrusting in faster every time you think that’s impossible, and as he flicks your clit you let go, a muffled moan against his shirt, alongside a call of his name.

You’re panting, still holding onto him, and he’s still moving his fingers through your orgasm. He takes mercy on you, however, knowing better than to overstimulate you in a position he can’t take care of you properly, so instead he brings his fingers to your mouth again and waits for you to clean them for him.

He helps you get dressed again, and now that you’re paying more attention you can feel his how hard he is, pressing against you. You almost feel bad. Almost 

He presses a kiss to your temple, a silent request for you not to worry about it – he can always tell what you’re thinking, especially after all these years. So instead, you allow yourself to catch your breath and lean to cuddle up to him.

“You’ll take care of this when we’re alone, angel.”

...

“You guys are fucking disgusting.”

Shit.

[makeitquietly]

I must’ve made a faux pas.

Great acting from Babe there and some fabulous tie-play too. Notice how the hat flies because of Stan’s eye poke. Magic!

After immediately thinking the worst of Stan, verbally abusing him and dragging him back to confess, Ollie gets embarrassed and Stan his revenge. The scripted version had Fin still at the house revealing the “only a play” part and the man who accidentally put his wallet in Stan’s pocket be one of the players arriving for the rehearsal, seeing Ollie hold his wallet and accusing him of stealing it. Stan and Ollie then flee the scene. The end.

The story goes that Stan changed the ending so that his daughter Lois could see him capable of defending himself against Ollie. Apparently Lois was afraid of Babe because he kept hurting her dad. Would be nice to know why they didn’t write the revenge ending for the film right away if it was something on Stan’s mind at the time. Besides, when was the last time Ollie even was as mean to Stan as he is in this movie? And wouldn’t it have been better to show his character in a more positive light instead of have him make Stan cry? Simplest of course would’ve been to keep an impressionable three-year-old away from watching the movies if they upset her. OTOH, what with everybody saying that Stan and Babe didn’t socialise outside work, why would it matter how she felt about Babe?

I don’t think it’s revealed if this approach worked or if perhaps Lois started fearing her dad too after seeing him ax nice lady’s shed. 😛

Seriously though, I guess the relevant question is if Stan’s rage at the end makes up for Ollie’s behaviour towards him. For me it doesn’t quite manage to restore the balance. One minute you’re sharing a tiny tent (for the record, I’m not happy about missing a chance to see them sleeping together in it) with somebody you’ve known for years, the next you accuse him of stealing money from a kind woman who offered you a free meal. Mars the friendship in a way their antics don’t usually do.

How about a sincere apology from Ollie?

[shinidamachu]

i feel like yashahime is gonna end up being one of those sequels that probably shouldn't had happened due to the messy plot holes sunrise has basically poked in it like a kids juice box when you keep missing the hole to put the straw in

and from the looks of it

it might end up crashing and burning

what do you think will happen to yashahime future from what you have heard and seen since i know you dropped the anime pretty much

Damn, Tomoe. How does it feel to be always right?

Thank you for making me laugh at “messy plot holes sunrise has basically poked in it like a kids juice box when you keep missing the hole to put the straw in” in these trying times.

I agree. It’s a Cursed Child situation, minus the child.

My take is that $essr!n shippers will be the only people to see this mess as canon, if their ship gets confirmed. If that’s the case, I have no idea how long they want the show to keep going, but I think they're gonna lose a considerable part of the audience. Sunrise will probably face some backlash from antis, too.

If not, there are still a lot of things that bothered me way more than the plot holes. Like the possibility of $essr!n happening, for instance. Or the poor way they treated the female characters, especially Kagome. Or the art style being inferior to the original by a long shot. Or how they baited Inukag shippers for audience only to have Moroha as a comic relief, Inukag crumbs and Sunrise giving to other characters moments, paralels or objects that is symbolic to Inukag (the photoalbum scene, the Tree of Ages, the New Moon night). Or how the writting, overall, it’s... not compelling, to say the least, because I care about the Inugang and what happened to them and the main characters don’t.

It was frustrating and it felt like they wanted Inukag shippers to give audience to a story that is actually about $essr!n. I don’t like feeling used, so I dropped it. And Sunrise proved me right to do so every single saturday. It was the best for me.

Long story short, when this is over, Yashah!me will be even less relevant than the movies. And Sunrise is working pretty hard to make it so. Gotta give them credit.

[letterboxd]

How I Letterboxd #6: Sean Boelman.

Talking 2020 movie trends, the year’s best documentaries, and Elijah Wood’s death-stare with peach emoji lobbyist Sean Boelman.

“Honestly, there’s not much I like to do other than watch movies or go to theme parks, and one of those things wasn’t an option for months.”

In a year like no other for the movie business, it’s still possible to see hundreds of new films if you have the right connections. For professional critics, the downside of missing the in-person festival buzz and tent-pole previews is somewhat offset by the upside of being able to pace out your screenings in the comfort of your own home.

Wondering who might possibly hold the title of “the Letterboxd member who has watched the most new releases so far this year”, we poked around in the server room and found Sean Boelman, who has logged well over 400 films from 2020 in his diary. So far this year, Sean (20) has covered the Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, Florida and Fantasia Film Festivals; he also reviews films via screeners sent through from PR firms. Sean hails from Orlando, Florida, and is the founder of movie review platform disappointment media, which he created to promote a wider range of voices in film criticism.

Park So-dam and peach in ‘Parasite’ (2019), directed by Bong Joon-ho.

How long ago did you join Letterboxd? I joined Letterboxd back in 2015. I attended a film class that summer and the teaching assistant had an account and encouraged all of us to create our own. I’ve been using the app religiously ever since.

You’re our youngest ‘How I Letterboxd’ participant to date. How would you describe your experience on Letterboxd as a teenager? When I was in high school, I was one of the earliest adopters of the app, so I told all of my friends about it and suggested that they use it too. By the time I got to college, it was already in the mainstream within the film community, so I was just the guy with the most extensive account. I love how Letterboxd is a community for film fans to talk about films we love, and with the exception of a few trolls every once in a while, it’s really conducive to good discussions.

Which features have you found the most useful? I’m definitely an obsessive logger. The diary feature is without a doubt my favorite part of the app. I started logging in June 2015 and have logged every feature-length film (and some shorts) I’ve watched since. I made the decision not to retroactively mark everything I’ve seen in my life as watched, because that would be too monumental a task. I also find Letterboxd particularly useful during a festival. It’s interesting to see the buzz about what movies people do and don’t like so that I can adjust my schedule accordingly.

And what’s a feature you wish Letterboxd had? I really loved when you guys changed the stars to flames for Portrait of a Lady on Fire. It would be awesome if you started doing that more regularly for releases that get a sizeable following. Like, give Parasite peaches.

Ivana Baquero and Doug Jones in ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ (2006), directed by Guillermo del Toro.

What film kicked off your passion for cinema, and specifically, which films or community of film fans motivated you to watch as many films as you can find for the current year? I’ve loved cinema for as long as I can remember, but the film that I credit with really birthing my love for film as art is Pan’s Labyrinth. When I saw that in theaters at the—probably too young—age of six, I felt like [Guillermo] del Toro transported me into Ofelia’s world, and I then realized what magical capabilities the medium of film has.

As for why I’m motivated to watch so many new releases, I have a bit of an issue with saying no, haha. As a film critic, I’m inundated with requests to review movies, from major studio releases to B-movies most people have never heard of. I’ve done my fair share of adding titles to TMDb. I end up reviewing anywhere from ten to twenty new releases a week, depending on the season.

You’re a film critic, but you only post short summaries on Letterboxd instead of your full reviews. Why share only brief thoughts? Much of this boils down to the fact that when I watch something, it’s still under embargo for full reviews, so I can only log it in my Letterboxd diary and leave a little blurb. I also find that there isn’t as much room for humor in my full reviews, so I like using this platform to get my jokes out.

So, as of writing, you’ve ranked 457 films from 2020. What percentage of your total films seen are from these new ‘Roaring Twenties’? Out of the films I’ve logged on Letterboxd, it seems like about ten percent are listed on Letterboxd as movies from 2020. The actual percentage would be quite a bit lower than that, though, since my Letterboxd doesn’t include anything I watched prior to June 2015.

Before Covid-19 shutdowns, how many of these films did you have the opportunity to see in theaters? Which were your most memorable theatrical experiences of the year? In 2020, I was able to see 29 films in theaters, either paid or in a theatrical press screening, before they shut down. I’ve also gotten to see some since the shutdown in drive-ins or from the Florida Film Festival holding socially distanced, in-person screenings. But I definitely went through a bit of theater withdrawal. I missed the smell of popcorn dearly.

For my favorite theatrical experiences in 2020, seeing The Invisible Man on opening night with a packed crowd was definitely a hoot. I was sad at first to have missed the press screening, but like most great horror movies, it was awesome to see it with an audience and hear them gasp in surprise in the action sequences. Another one was getting to see Weathering with You in 4DX. Normally you wouldn’t think of that as a big, spectacle-driven 4DX movie, but it was super-immersive in all of the Sunshine Girl scenes.

And I have some awesome memories from SXSW 2019. At the world premiere of Us, I was pushed into Elisabeth Moss. I once got a death stare from Elijah Wood who seemed to think I was going to approach him. Don’t get me wrong, I love his work—but I wasn’t going to because of etiquette. I watched Long Shot with one of the world’s leading geneticists and then got to see Boyz II Men perform live. And I laughed hysterically when Robert Patrick said in a Q&A that even he didn’t understand the movie he was in. It’s a fun time. I definitely encourage any cinephiles to attend an in-person festival when things get back to normal.

You have more than seventy films in your 2020 list with five or four and a half stars. Would you describe yourself as a generous rater? I was definitely a lot more generous when I started my Letterboxd than I am now. I’m sure if I rewatched some of those films I logged in 2015 and 2016, they’d get a lower rating today. But I really don’t mind it. I don’t see my purpose as a critic as to tear apart the filmmaker’s art—I want to appreciate it. Maybe I’m a little liberal with my five-star rating, but what can I say? Gosh, I love movies. And for me, a five-star rating doesn’t mean perfect, it means great. I don’t think there’s such thing as a perfect film. A five-star [rating] from me means that it connected with me in an extraordinary way. I reserve the ‘like’ for films that set themselves apart from the rest of the five stars by some virtue. If I give it a five and a like, now that’s something you should definitely not miss.

Tunde Adebimpe in ‘She Dies Tomorrow’ (2020), directed by Amy Seimetz.

Your best film of 2020 so far is Amy Seimetz’s She Dies Tomorrow—it’s also your number three of all time. What resonated so strongly with you about the film? Are you surprised about its divisive reaction? I absolutely adore She Dies Tomorrow. I’ve really admired Amy Seimetz’s work as an actress for a long time, and her work behind the camera on this blew me away. I haven’t seen Sun Don’t Shine yet, but it’s on the top of my list. It connected with me because it really captured some of the anxieties I’ve been going through recently. She obviously didn’t set out to make the definitive Covid film, but that’s what it ended up being. And of course, how could you not love that film’s extraordinary use of color. It looks magnificent. But I’m not at all surprised at how divisive it is. It has a very segmented and unorthodox narrative, and not everyone is a fan of that type of structure. I understand why it hasn’t worked as well for some people.

What are the other most overlooked films of 2020 so far? In terms of overlooked 2020 films, I think the big one is the Russell Simmons exposé On the Record. I think that Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering’s The Hunting Ground is one of the most harrowing documentaries I have ever seen in my life, and On the Record combines a lot of that relevance while also offering a really compelling look at the life of a powerful woman in the music industry. It’s great, and only about one thousand members have logged it on Letterboxd. Watch it on HBO Max!

There are a lot of great movies released in 2020 that are widely available and [fewer than] 5,000 people having logged them on Letterboxd. A White, White Day is a great little revenge thriller from Iceland. But what makes it stand out from the genre is that it’s a lot more understated and character-driven than most. It has similar vibes to You Were Never Really Here, but perhaps even quieter. Maria von Hausswolff’s cinematography is absolutely breathtaking, and Ingvar Sigurðsson gives one of my favorite performances of the year. It’s just a gorgeous film.

Hlynur Pálmason’s Icelandic revenge thriller ‘A White, White Day’(2019).

The Painted Bird is a bit harder to recommend because it is by no means fun, but it’s one of those that you have to watch once and will never want to see again. I described it as “auteur shock cinema”. It’s a three-hour-long Holocaust drama that’s bleak and filled with torture, but it’s powerful, heartbreaking and harrowing. It also features great performances all around, especially from child actor Peta Kotlár.

I think Michael Winterbottom is one of the best directors working right now and I’ve always loved what he did with the Coogan-Brydon combo in his The Trip series, and this year’s entry, The Trip to Greece, is probably the best one yet. Over the course of the decade the series has spanned, Coogan and Brydon have changed a lot, and this series—in which they play themselves—has adapted to reflect that. This one’s a lot more heartfelt, but still features plenty of great impressions and tantalizing food shots. This really is one of my favorite film series of all time, so you should check all four out! Some other overlooked films I can think of are Jasper Mall, Aviva and Sword of God.

Which 2020 films would you say are the most overrated? Any absolute must-avoids? This is going to be a really hot take, but there was a trifecta of homebound horror flicks that came out in July—Relic, The Rental and Amulet—and I didn’t care for any of them. I think all the directors are talented and show a lot of potential, especially Natalie Erika James, but I wasn’t a fan of any of the films. As for ones to avoid, I try not to call out bad movies unless there’s a reason to [do so], and there are only two of those this year: Coffee & Kareem and Elvis from Outer Space. Coffee & Kareem is just offensive, and Elvis from Outer Space tries to be so-bad-it’s-funny and falls flat.

Jahi Di’Allo Winston in ‘Charm City Kings’ (2020), directed by Ángel Manuel Soto.

What films that you’ve been fortunate to preview via screeners or film festivals are you certain will be a big deal once they’re available on general release? Ugh, there are some I wish I could talk about but I’m still under embargo! So I’ll have to talk mostly about festival ones. Alice Gu’s The Donut King is wonderful. It was supposed to debut at SXSW, but obviously that got cancelled. On one hand, it is a food doc about donuts—who doesn’t love donuts?—but it’s also a moving story about the immigrant experience. It scored distribution from Greenwich and should be released soon. Charm City Kings is great, and HBO Max picked that up to be released sometime this year. That’s a really awesome coming-of-age movie with a story by Barry Jenkins. And I saw a work-in-progress cut of this indie called Millennium Bugs made by an up-and-comer named Alejandro Montoya Marín. He was part of the Robert Rodriguez show Rebel Without a Crew. It’s a great little movie about Y2K and the Latinx experience that will be debuting online at Dances with Films and is looking for a distributor after that.

Fill in the blank: “2020 is a great year for ____ in film”. What patterns have you noticed? I really think that 2020 is a great year for documentaries. We thought 2018 was a great year with Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Free Solo, RBG and Three Identical Strangers, among others, but this year is shaping up to be even better. Boys State, The Donut King, On the Record, Rebuilding Paradise, Dark City Beneath the Beat, A Secret Love and Disclosure are all excellent, and that’s just scratching the surface.

I think what makes these documentaries stand out is their ability to make the viewer feel connected to their story. I love documentaries that take a story you might not have otherwise heard of and tell it in a way that feels intensely personal. By taking these stories like the problems inherent in American democracy, the immigrant experience, the California wildfires, the #MeToo movement, and issues with trans representation on screen and telling them in a way that people can relate to them even if they can’t personally identify with their subjects, these documentary filmmakers are making the world a more compassionate place.

What films are you most looking forward to that are scheduled to release in 2020? Any awards season predictions you feel strongly about? In terms of mainstream releases, I’m most excited for No Time to Die, unless it gets pushed to 2021 like some have rumored. I’m a huge Cary Joji Fukunaga fan, so I’m excited to see what he does with the franchise. For indies, I’m really looking forward to seeing Promising Young Woman, The Green Knight, Save Yourselves!, Nomadland and Another Round.

For awards seasons predictions, there are a few I’m pretty confident about based on what I’ve seen. Boys State is an early frontrunner for Best Documentary. I think Eliza Hittman will get some love for Never Rarely Sometimes Always. Dev Patel is a pretty good bet for a Best Actor nod for The Personal History of David Copperfield, even though the movie itself probably won’t get much more love. And there’s an upcoming Netflix movie that has a screenplay nomination in the bag, and maybe a couple other categories too, but shhhh, I’m under embargo on that one so I can’t say more.

Dev Patel in ‘The Personal History of David Copperfield’ (2019), directed by Armando Iannucci.

You keep thorough distributor rankings as well as year and franchise lists—how would you sum up the way each of these recently formed companies inspires you? Obviously A24 and NEON have amassed a pretty big cult following, and for good reason. There’s a particular identity their films have, despite the differences in genre, and I enjoy ranking them because of that. For the streamers, their films are a little more diverse, but I use my lists as a way for people to discover some of my favorite films they can watch at the click of a button. And for Blumhouse, it’s just because I absolutely adore the work Jason Blum does in supporting filmmakers’ voices. I’m usually pretty cool-headed around celebrities because interacting with high-profile people is a part of our job as critics, but I admittedly froze when I met him at SXSW since I’m such a big fan of his. I’ve always said that once I score an interview with him, I can “retire” as a critic, haha.

You’re of Guatemalan descent. Which films do you best relate with your Latino heritage? Of course, Pan’s Labyrinth is a big deal for me given the fact that it was a formative film in my life. [Alejandro] Jodorowsky’s The Holy Mountain is one of my favorite Latino classics. El Mariachi is great because Robert Rodriguez is the epitome of Latino DIY filmmaking and has always been such an inspiring figure. I got to interview him last year for Alita: Battle Angel, and it was an awesome experience. And in terms of more recent films, I think the Netflix doc Mucho Mucho Amor really captures the importance of community amongst Latinos.

What films are highest on your list of shame? I will say that I’ve seen more classics than I have logged on Letterboxd, but there are still a few embarrassing gaps on my list. I love the work I’ve seen from Akira Kurosawa, Brian De Palma, Agnès Varda and Chantal Akerman, and I really want to finish up their filmographies. Probably the most shameful omission I have is the fact that I’ve never seen a film by Ingmar Bergman. I’ve been lightening my workload for my site a bit, so I’m hoping to catch up on some of those soon.

Who are three Letterboxd members you recommend we follow? My friend Camden Ferrell who co-founded disappointment media with me. He’s also very passionate about film and does a lot of reviews for the site. Another one of our contributors is Sarah, who came on to the team during Sundance this year. She’s great and basically started the Portrait of a Lady on Fire fandom. I also want to give a shout-out to Jon Berk who was actually the critic to challenge me to start a blog back in 2016 when he was doing the Doug Loves Movies challenge, and now I’ve gotten to where I significantly outpace him, haha.

Sean’s site accepts story pitches from, and offers constructive feedback to, aspiring writers from under-represented and minority groups. Email Sean to find out more. Check out these 2020 rankings from Letterboxd members who have watched more than 100 releases this year: Orlan Harris, Austin Burke, Jerome, Joey Magidson, Kevin Yang, Jack, Jordan Raup, Matt Neglia, Weather Boy, Julian D, Johann Rucker, Mikey Brzezinkski, Ewan Graf, Denis Eremeev, Aaron King.

[moviepower]

Why do people criticize Jojo Rabbit?

We'd say that this is uncharted territory for distributor Disney, but the company did previously give us their futures face. Hmm. I saw Jojo Rabbit in the best place I could for movies, in my opinion.

For this list, we're looking at why Tyco ITTS 2019 black comedy has proven. So polarizing for critics just to clarify the critical reception thus far has been mostly positive and even watch mojo gave the film a rave review following its TIFF premiere.

Nevertheless, we can definitely see why a movie like this. Wouldn't win audiences over everywhere. Hey Joe, Joe, my old friend. Hi adults. Number 10, the controversial premise. I don't think I can do this last. Of course you can simply by reading it synopsis, you can tell why Jojo rabbit has stirred up so much controversy.

In the midst of world war II, a young German boy named Joe Joe dreams of becoming a Nazi upon learning that his mother has been harboring a Jewish girl in the attic though, Jo Jo begins to reevaluate his outlook on life. I tell them you will be in big trouble throughout this coming of age journey. Our titular character is guided by his imaginary friend.

Is it worth to watch Jojo Rabbit full movie

Who just so happens to be a flamboyantly incompetent, Adolf Hitler, as inventive as the premises, it was guaranteed to ignite passionate feelings. Critics are unsurprisingly split as to whether the film's premise is inspired or irresponsible. I wish more of our young boys had your blind fanaticism. Okay.

Number nine, how it stacks up to other satires and this world is ruined for everyone and the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone. The way of life can be free and beautiful, but we have lost the way Jojo rabbit. Isn't the first film to satirize Hitler or Nazis 1940 twos to be, or not to be was criticized upon release for its farcical, spin of Nazi occupied Poland.

But today is viewed as a comedy classic. I know you're quite famous in London kernel. They call you concentration camp Earhart. Yes. Yes, we do the concentrating and the poles do the camping Hitler. Technically isn't the protagonist and the great dictator. It's obvious who Charlie Chaplin was parodying. We can learn more about actress playing mother Jojo on Wikipedia.

Arguably the most famous sendup of Nazi Germany is Mel Brooks. The producers. In which two con men put on an intentionally horrible musical entitled springtime for Hitler. Practically a love letter to this own run a week week. Are you kidding display? It's got the close on page four. Some critics are ready to place Jojo rabbit alongside these revolutionary respected comedy.

What do critics write in reviews about Jojo Rabbit?

Others, however, would claim that the film has more in common with the bridge sit-com Hile, honey I'm home, which was so misguided and tasteless that it only lasted one episode. Oh 10 night. You will make an schnitzel. What a joke. You must be real mad at me, honey. I'm a very, very bad Hitler. Number eight, what's going on in the real world right now?

Fuck man. The house, although world war II is in the past. The same, unfortunately can not be said about bigotry. Nowhere was this more apparent than at the 2017 unite the right rally in Charlottesville, which attracted several hate groups, including neo-Nazis. Since prejudice and discrimination remain prevalent in today's world.

It's obvious why various critics would object to a film that makes light of Nazi Germany. Nevertheless, satire can reflect modern times as well as history in ways that straightforward drama can't. Some might argue that now isn't the right time for a Nazi satire, but others would debate that society needs a movie like Jojo rabbit. A great story about the Irishman is here.

Now more than ever, you're not to nuts. Jojo, tenue kids likes dressing up in front of you. If somebody wants to be part of a club. Number seven, the humor, the best weekend ever.

Soundtrack in the highest level of production

Wow. Your enjoyment of Jojo rabbit will hinder on how hard you laugh. Or of course, if you laugh, the film didn't tickle. Roger Freedman. Funnybone who wrote in his showbiz four one, one review Jojo rabbit is actually borderline antisemitic offensive on many levels and not even funny. Sam Adams of slate couldn't have disagreed more proclaiming for Jojo rabbit comedy.

Isn't a means to minimize, but to analyze wise, to pry at the way, hateful ideologies can be embraced as a comfort and how beneath their promise to. Blame how the world really works is an understanding no more sophisticated than a child's it's time to buy some books. Since humor is subjective, we guess there isn't always going to be a clear line between what's offensively funny and what's just plain offensive.

Oh God. Number six. Jewish jokes. Did you know, Jews can Z to each other's mind. So tell us, you know, who saw one? They could look just like us of Tyco. ITT satire is clearly the Nazis. However, the director who's of Jewish and Maori heritage also pokes fun at Judaism. Hi, well, the real Jordan Rumi was horrified by the audience's reception at the screening he attended.

Writing, you have no idea how it is to be surrounded by thousands of people laughing at jokes, specifically directed at Jews. That being said, Rumi seemed to be in the minority of a group that found the film. Hilarious. As with Borat and South park, many would argue that the humor and Jojo rabbit isn't intended to mock the Jewish faith, but to criticize how ignorant and Semites are a cute number five, the life is beautiful comparison, right?

Jojo Rabbit's reaction to mom's death

Yeah. Critics have stocked a Jojo rabbit up against numerous other films. But life is beautiful. Seems to be the one that's invited the most comparisons this 1997, Italian dromedy also presented world war II through a lighthearted lens, centering on a Jewish man who uses humor and imagination to shield his son from the horrors of the Holocaust. It's interesting what they write about this movie on Amazon.

Well, the film won an Academy award for best foreign language film, and even got nominated for best picture. There were those who found the movies comedic tone, inappropriate. Over two decades later, we will continue to debate if the movie is a life affirming fable or a dated misfire. It's actually eerie how much these two films have in common, especially since both one TIFs peoples choice award.

That is the strongest thing in the world. Number four, is it shocking enough? I was your age. I had an imaginary friend come in so much stuff even before the first trailer dropped Jojo rabbit was being built up as one of 20 nineteens most controversial movies. Weirdly enough though, some critics have expressed disappointment that the film isn't more shocking.

Well, audiences have arguably gotten more sensitive with time. There are still patrons who crave comedy that pushes the envelope to its limits. It's time to burn some books. Brian Talarico of the Chicago sun times felt Jojo rabbit played it too safe. Writing the final scenes of Jojo rabbit are too easy for a film that needs to be dangerous and daring. 

Are the best scenes already included in the trailer?

Even if the film doesn't go all out with its edgy concept. Seeing Tyco, ITT dresses, Adolf Hitler will be more than enough to make a few jobs drop. What am I going to do? No idea. Going down the house in Glen Winston church one, negotiate number three. It's depiction of Nazis. The playlist Charles romesco took issue with the films, humanization of antisemites writing.

YTT concedes that a good percentage of Nazis really do hold hate in their heart. But maintains that at least some of them aren't you two seem to be getting on. Well, it doesn't seem like a bad cost. How much pain and suffering the Nazis caused many audiences will understandably struggle with this message.

However, if Ron Jones proved anything with his third wave social experiment in 1967, it's that even ordinary people can get swept up in the dangerous ideals of fascism. Likewise, Jojo rabbit poses, a challenging question. If we're not willing to acknowledge the bad and the good in people, how can we ever rid ourselves of prejudice?

Nothing makes sense anymore. Yeah, I know. It's definitely not a good time to be a Nazi. Number two it's message. And mother took me. She's kind me like a person, whatever your thoughts on Jojo rabbit, Tyco ITT clearly wanted to spread an anti hate message. YTT also claims that he started writing the screenplay before Nazis regained relevance in the media.

There's little doubt that why TTS intent was noble, whether or not the final product successfully gets his message across is where critics are split. A doubt of the a V club felt that making fun of Nazi Germany had been done before. Thus taking away from the movies, broader anti hate theme. Peter Howell begged to differ in his Toronto star review writing Taika YTT knocks it out of deer park with the meaningful lunacy of his anti hate satire, which is equal parts.

Adolf Hitler's thread in the movie

Mel Brooks, West Henderson, and  own whimsical brilliance growing up too fast. Ten-year-olds and the celebrating war and talking politics. Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified a better latest videos. You'll have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.

If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications. Number one it's depiction of Hitler. Well, they call me a scared rabbits. Okay. Let's address the giant rabbit in the room. Tyco YTT spends most of his screen time prancing around in a Nazi uniform and toothbrush mustache. If you want, you can read here about preparations for making a movie and other curiosities.

Without a doubt, YTT, didn't set out to deliver a serious or dignified portrayal of Hitler. Rather YTT aspired to make the fewer look as goofy and idiotic as possible. Oh, . Just painting Hitler as a wacky, even likable buffoon desensitized us to the atrocities. He committed though. Some may say yes while others may argue that it leaves audiences more informed and open-minded.

At the end of the day, everyone is going to have a different opinion of Jojo. Let them say whatever they want. People used to say a lot of nasty things about me. Oh, this guy's a lunatic. Oh, look at that psycho. He's going to get us all killed. Do you agree with our picks, check out this other recent clip from watch mojo and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.

[agent-yolk-writes]

Friends Like You and Us - Venom!Reader- Ch. 3

Instead of going to sleep and doing this in the morning, I’m uploading the next chapter to Tumblr right now! 

In today’s episode, we take a blast to the past (AKA a week prior to the main story) to share a snapshot on how Venom and the Reader met along with a very special guest cameo. I hope you guys enjoy!

Content warning: It starts with depictions of nausea and vomiting which is a no-no to some people, so be cautious when diving down. I know I’ll properly tag it, but still.

Previous Chapter

AO3 version here!

You didn’t even process your own scream, but you’re sure as hell awake now.

"Hello, (First Name)." The thing in the mirror had the audacity to greet you almost casually in your reflection. You dunked your head into the cold water thinking it’s just a figment of a dream you had. You felt your body pull yourself back up when you were certain your muscles were lax.

“Who...Who are you? What the hell are you?” You sputtered.

"I...We are Venom." He leaned closer in the mirror, and so did you. “We are not from here.”

“No shit.” At this point your breath is just uneven, struggling to voice proper words. “So...so what, you’re like from space or something? Mars? Alpha Centauri?” If your voice was this bad, you could only imagine looking like absolute crap.

Before he could answer, it happened. You don’t remember falling. There’s that feeling in your mouth when you bite your tongue too hard. An inhuman sound can be heard, and it took a minute to realize it was coming from you...or was it that Venom thing? Just as you became aware of everything that’s happening, it stopped. Your eyes couldn’t open properly as the singular light in the small bathroom became all too bright.

You raised your arm to block it out. You didn’t realize you couldn’t feel it until you saw it. Different colors flashing in random intervals as your hand twitches in a way you know isn’t human. There were moments just before you blinked where your hand split into two, one that you know it’s yours and while the other resembled yours, the black hue and the unnatural way the fingers are positioned and shaped said otherwise. When you opened your eyes again, whatever you saw was gone. What came next was a wave of nausea seeping in from everywhere at once. Your head felt like lead, vision swimming as you sat up.

There was a soft knock on the door and a call of your name. “I heard yelling. Is everything okay?” Your aunt asked, peaking through the doorway. You could barely process the concerned look on her face.

“I...I think I’m…ah...” You didn’t finish your sentence. Instead, you clobbered over to the toilet and spilled your guts out.

Needless to say, you didn’t go to school that day.

~

“Are you sure you’ll be okay by yourself?”

“Uh-huh.”

“There’s soup in the cabinet. Make sure you drink plenty of fluids, okay?”

“I know.”

Aunt Mary’s worried expression hasn’t changed. You really did look like shit, didn’t you?

Gently, she cupped her cool hands over your heated cheeks. “Just make sure you only get up when you need to. I’ll pick up some medicine after work. We’ll go to the hospital if you don’t feel better, sound good?”

No! No hospitals!

“...Sounds good. Love you.” Ignoring the new voice in your head, you bent your head down so your guardian could plant a kiss on the top of your head, hoping she didn't see you flinch when that thing spoke in your head.

“Love you too. Take it easy, dear.” With that, Mary gathered her things and left the apartment.

You stood in your living room for another minute before your nails started clawing at your clothes and skin. “Come out, you weird alien. You haven’t answered my question.” On cue, your fingers got caught into your shirt, if you can even call it your shirt anymore. It began to blacken and ooze under your hand, shifting around like it was alive. In your sick daze, it took you longer than usual for you to realize it really was alive. This thing, whatever it called itself, assimilated into your clothes! Peeking at the nearest reflection, it started to look like a body suit that got slapped by movie magic. You almost jumped out of your skin when you brought your eyes back and see a tiny version of what you say in the bathroom, still attached to your body, looking at you.

“We already told you that we are Venom.” He said.

“There’s no ‘we’ in this.” You rebutted. “What makes you think I’m the perfect candidate for an alien abduction? How...How did this even happen, anyway?”

“You don’t remember?” Venom squinted his milky eyes at you. “We are a symbiotic life form, I depend on a host to live. You just happened to be standing at the right place at the right time.” It took a moment for all the pieces to fit into place as you vaguely remember the events last night.

You recalled being in Times Square for something you’ve always planned on seeing. It was a school night and Mary wanted you home before a set curfew. Time, however, runs on its own schedule. Before you knew it, it got dark and you needed to get home pronto. The subway that takes you straight home was experiencing delays due to an earthquake that happened earlier that day. So you decided against your own judgment to cut corners by weaving in between buildings and construction sites to save you some time. You...don’t remember how exactly you got home in time.

“You thought a bird took a shit on you.” Your already flushed face turned redder in embarrassment. You would’ve remembered that for sure. With a sigh, you gave up on prodding more info out of him. You plopped yourself on the couch, reaching for the remote so you won’t be alone with your thoughts and your uninvited guest as you turned on the TV.

You couldn’t keep your eyes on whatever daytime game show on the screen. You want to find something to eat, but the energy to do so probably went down the toilet with your vomit. A good nap wouldn’t hurt…

...Until a feeling of alert woke you right up after who knows how long.

It’s him!

“Wha-“ Without warning, your body shot up and scrambled to the widescreen TV, hands clambering over the newsreel playing footage of Spider-Man you sure was playing yesterday when it was more relevant. The afternoon news starts after the game show, so that nap didn’t last as long as you hoped.

“Do...do you know him?”

“We were bonded together.” Uh oh, that tone didn’t sound good.

“Do you mind if I ask what happened?” There wasn’t an immediate response, but the feeling of heartbreak-no, betrayal-flutters in your chest. “Venom?”

“...He didn’t want us anymore. Said we corrupted him. He slammed into a bell to get rid of us.” You’re not crazy into the superhero scene, but it doesn’t a fanatic to know that that isn’t what Spider-Man does. You oughta give him a good talking about abandoning those in need.

“...You know what? We should talk to him!” You stood up too quickly, grabbing the top of the television as balance. “Let’s give him what for!” Too caught up in your own plan, you didn’t feel your companion shifting your clothes around until the feeling dissipated when your hands automatically moved on their own, covering your mouth just before someone knocked at the front door. Surely you weren’t talking that loud...right? Did Mary forget something? It couldn’t be, she would just enter without warning and get whatever she needs.

“Hello? Anyone home?” Relief rushed over you when you realize it wasn’t the police but your neighbor across the hall. You might as well open the door before the actual police, or the landlord, arrive.

Who’s there?

“A good guy, don’t worry.” You assured him as you made your way to the door. Without looking through the peephole, you opened the door just enough to poke your head out and see none other than Aaron Davis, your neighbor.

“Goooood...afternoon, Mr. Davis,” You paused your greeting to remember the time, opening the door a little bit more. Mary knows him a little better than you do, and the only thing you do know from the idle chatter over the years is that he tends to work at night doing who knows what. You amuse yourself sometimes imagining him making drinks for the drunk college kids with fat wallets. He’s too gentle to be a bouncer, but you don’t want to piss him off to find out if he does have some hidden strength in him.

“Hey there, kiddo.” He greets back. “Shouldn’t you be in school by now?”

“I would, but I caught something fierce last night.” You exaggerated a dry cough that triggered your reflexes, resulting in making you actually cough. You didn’t catch the raised eyebrow Aaron had on his face.

You could see him stifling a yawn before letting out a tired chuckle. “Guess I’ll leave you so you can rest then. Don’t want your aunt on my case if I catch it too.”

“Don’t worry, she will.” You returned a chuckle of your own. “You know you’ll have to eventually accept her invitation to dinner one of these days. Maybe she’ll get off your back if you could bring your nephew over when he visits again to liven up the dinner party.”

“I’ll...look into it.” Aaron turned away to unlock his door. His reply was curt and short. It’s most likely going to be a no for him then. “For now, I’ll need to sleep on it.”

“Well, then I won’t keep you any longer then. Good night, or afternoon...Whatever’s better, I suppose.” Before you slid back into the safety of your home, you heard your name being called again. Poking your head out one last time, you listened to what Aaron wanted to say.

“I like your costume by the way. Could use some color if you want to fit the part.” With that, he closed the door without a moment for you to question him. Costume? What costume? You’re wearing an alien pajamas...right?

Catching your reflection in the closest mirror, you did a double take at what you were actually wearing. Your once short length nightwear was nowhere to be seen. Your body from the neck all the way down to your feet was devoid of color with the except of some silver lines going this way and that. You tore your gaze to chase one of those lines until you led you to a somewhat familiar insignia plastered on your chest.

The same one Spider-Man has.

Wha...what is this?

It’s ours.

[slothcritic]

Dragon Ball Z Abridged - Episode 4 Review

Hit-or-miss introduction makes way for some golden moments.

The opening skit for Snakeway to Heaven has a satisfactory comedic weight to it, though upon re-watching it for this review, I noticed an editing mistake I had never noticed before, despite becoming a fan of the series in 2012. When Goku falls off Snake Way, the scene actually freezes on that frame. It wouldn't be noticeable if the truck itself hadn't frozen as well. Small gripe but I thought it was an interesting observation to share.

[Title Sequence]

Goku's scream carries over into the first few seconds of the intro and resumes near the last few seconds, which I found to be a well played editing decision.

Once Goku has stopped falling, we're treated to an amusing take on the filler ogres from hell. The blue one is given the Swedish Hansel-und-Gretel accent while the red one speaks like a German or Austrian. And puritan as ever, KaiserNeko made sure to use the original, unedited footage. It would’ve been funny to see them maybe have a scene or two with the ogres wearing their different HFIL shirts, or maybe a bit more fun poked at the Ocean Dub, but no such luck in this scene.

TFS doesn't spend too much time on this scene at all, really. It’s filler, and so nothing here really matters to the story aside from laugh-factor. The comedic nature of this first scene is that it’s rushed. Goku swindles the two ogres out of a fight, like he’s trying to swindle the show into skipping this filler arc, as he immediately guns it for the exit... and then stops?

It would've been a much more emphatic punchline if the scene had changed right here. Instead we have an awkward stop-and-go motion to the scene they're trying to orchestrate and it feels stilted. A lot of this scene after Goku finds the exit I find to be entirely unneeded. Raditz has already been established as being in Other World so the callback here wasn't necessary, the special King Yemma fruit could be argued for having no plot relevance as it never existed in the manga, and we didn't really need that post-Goku scene to get the hint that these ogres were very chummy with each other when it came to subjects like oil wrestling and speedos.

But then, where would they put that great joke about the Blood Fountain? And the small dialogue about Dabura I did find risible as a fan of the original DBZ, despite my usual curmudgeonly take on yet-to-be-established jokes. Like many things, this does get much better as the series continues, eventually turning some moments of sequence-breaking into moments of well-crafted foreshadowing. This is just a funny pointless joke, and a nod to fans of DBZ, that has no impact on the actual story of DBZA itself.

Again, this isn't too much of a big deal. Just a whole work-with-what-you've-got bizarre scenario likely due to bizarre source material. Yet this was all deemed funny enough to edit, voice and keep in the episode instead of trimming it out like the other 90% of this mini-arc. I'm not convinced the presentation was done to par, but I do feel that the inclusion of "Goku in Hell" is necessary for the sake of tying loose ends together. Also, it would've been a far more egregious decision to have that cold open end in a do-nothing cliff hanger. So, a goofy scene and perhaps iffy writing, but not terrible.

We then return to the person who has so far been the breadwinner of the series, and Piccolo hasn't let up on either the humor or Gohan. Kind of a contrast to how somber he is in the show. It's not whack-a-doodle humor, it's exaggerated frustration and exasperation, which lands almost dead-center on my humor nexus.

But even better than Piccolo has to be this next scene - Debatably the first "meme" or seriously quotable moment in the show's history: Popo's Pecking Order.

On paper this doesn't look like it'd be necessarily funny, but when you attach to it a very do-nothing character like Mr Popo and turn him into a sadistic dictator, combined with the special emphasis and excellent delivery of the line, it's simply outstanding, and raises the bar for this entire episode.

Now I've said before that the source material of Z shouldn't factor into the end product that is DBZA. If I were to show this episode to my mother, I shouldn't have to show her all 291 episodes of Z so she can understand it. The show should be able stand on its own. That's not to say parody should have zero factor in the writing of this, or that there should be zero references at all, ever. By god what a silly thing to imply. But people can still enjoy Spaceballs even if they haven't seen Star Wars.

However, in the case of Mr Popo, DBZA does a good job of setting up Popo in the same way Z does. He initially speaks in a low, subdued tone, and is spoken of by Kami as some kind of adviser, or perhaps a respected peer, but as someone who is indirectly and respectfully implied to be below him. After all, it's called Kami's Lookout, not Popo's Lookout, and Kami is literally regarded as "The Guardian of Earth" while Popo just appears to be... there.

That all changes the second Kami leaves the outdoor area and Popo is entrusted with the reigns of the new Z Fighters. LISTEN UP, MAGGOTS!

The Krillin Owned Count also chimes three in this scene, and shows its first signs of picking up momentum.

Back on Snake Way, Goku gets eaten by the head of snake way, which leads into Jadoshin's palace. This is such a quick, cheesy, quirky but funny edit that I'm not sure what to say beyond I enjoyed it. It just hits you and then boom, you're in her castle.

The joke of Jadoshin being voiced by Solid Snake (Princess Snake, Solid Snake, on Snake Way) seems like a bold strategy but I think it's one of the better jokes they've committed to that ended up being really good, at least this early on. The voice even lends itself to the awkward dialogue that would've simply lost its charm or fallen flat otherwise.

Unrelated, but one of my favorite lines from the dub happens in this scene, where Jadoshin's attendant simply says "I've got something to show you. And it's my gun.", and then kills herself with it. I didn't expect to see that in this scene, but a small part of me did hope.

When Goku finishes up in the hot springs (with a Metal Gear Solid box gag to boot) and tries to leave, Jadoshin then states that she wants Goku inside her. Goku is confused, of course, and smash cut to Goku flying for his life from a massive green fire-breathing snake trying to eat him.

Jadoshin however still has the voice of Solid Snake even in this form, complete with periodic grunts as they maneuver through the air. This eventually transitions into Jadoshin saying waka-waka, and the backdrop changes into a Pac-Man map. The Pac-Man skit was perhaps a bit overdone, with Goku finding meat instead of the normal fruit, but on the whole this was a very "solid" scene.

During the Ozaru scene, I feel like Piccolo just screaming "MOOOOOOOON!" in the DBZA Kai version is funnier than the "Stop mocking me!" we got in DBZA proper. Also, donkey kong barrel, really? It's not bad, but it's an "oh, brother" moment, like hearing a very bad pun.

When Gohan transforms back into his human (or Half-Saiyan technically) form, his junk is censored with a Dragon Ball. This is an interesting contrast in philosophy over the years, as KaiserNeko explained the decision "to not censor baby dicks" in a Episode Breakdown livestream on the Broly Abdridged movie, where Broly's baby wiener can be seen uncensored in a few scenes of that movie.

The episode ends with Goku continuing down Snake Way, having tied Jadoshin up into a tangled ball, prompted the GAME OVER screen and someone yelling "Princess Snaaaaaake!"

Conclusion

Despite my lackluster thoughts on how Hell was handled, this episode had a lot going for it compared to it's predecessors! Most of the episode was spent on two strong scenes, and while I didn't think the Ozaru scene was anything special, it didn't feel out of place or off-kilter, but provided more insight and I suppose world-building into the relationship between Piccolo and Gohan and the constant reminder that they're training to eventually face off against the Saiyans. This is further reinforced by Stinger #2 with Nappa and Vegeta en route to Earth.

This was almost opposite to Episode 3, which I felt had strong bookends. While I didn't find the end of this episode to be bad, it was simply "alright" when compared to the Popo and Jadoshin scenes. Characters are starting to have stronger internal identities instead of simply being parodies of their original counterparts. Though it is noteworthy, and rather obvious, that this only applies to characters with speaking lines. Tien, Yamcha and Chiaotzu made their first appearances but had nothing to say. Maybe it would have been cluttered or detracted from the pacing of the Popo scene, but it may prove challenging to properly attach sentimentality to these characters in the short few episodes they have before the inevitable happens. 

Because y'know, nobody watched Dragon Ball.

Score: 73

Passing Thoughts

I liked that Stinger #1 dealt with the actual ramifications of DESTROYING THE MOON unlike the series proper did. I guess it was just no diff for the Dragon Ball world?

"He made a horrible mess of the blood fountain." "Looks fine to me." "IT USED TO BE WATER!"

"I killed everything here with my bare hands. Including the bear hands." -Pictured in the top left of the frame are actual bear hands.

"Stop grunting, it's creepy!"

"CLOTHES BEAM!" and “That is easily my most metro attack.”

[spooky-scary-imagines]

Could you write something sweet for Norman? ^^

((Always!  I doubt you care but I went on IMCDB so now I have to share this info. The car they drive in this is a 1947 Ford Coupe, only relevant cause this exact car was used in Psycho IV but also due to the fact that, while in the original Norman is never seen driving, every notable car in the film is a Ford due to the fact that the company was funding his television show. So know you know I’m a huge dork, and some useless trivia! Anywho, spot the movie references (Are they even references if I’m directly alluding to them lol)! Bonus points if you can figure out the film they end up seeing. ; ) Warning: This started out sweet and fluffy and it still ain’t smut but I was listening to Britney Spears when I wrote this, it gets pretty suggestive, and y’all make-out so I figured I should say something.

Business at the motel had been very good lately. While the creation of the highway had initially nearly drove the place out of business, just recently, a new factory complex had moved its central location to a town right nearby, leading to a large increase in foot traffic around the motel. While it did mean you and Norman had to work pretty hard to keep everything running tip-top, the extra spending cash laying around was a pleasant change. It allowed for nights like tonight. You and Norman had been planning a date night for awhile now, just a chance for you two to get out of the motel for bit. You had arranged for a trusted friend of yours from in town to watch the place for a bit. That way no profits would be lost, and Norman wouldn’t spend all night worrying something was happening to it.

You two decided to go to the movies together. Norman had confided in you previously that he never really got to go on dates in high-school. And how, while he didn’t mind too terribly, there was a part of him that felt like he’d missed out. So, you figured this was a nice place to start. The evening started nicely. He picked you up at the door to your room, clutching a modest bouquet, and beaming like a teenager watching his prom date descend the stairs. He fidgeted in the doorway as you found a vase for the flowers. With one last check that you had everything you needed for the evening, you headed out. You made sure your friend was all set up in the motel lobby, Norman nervously going over the rules and “Just-In-Cases” for what must have been the fifth time. You helped reassure and usher him along out to his old Ford, deciding against the sometimes 20 minute battle to get your old junker kicking. 

 When you finally reached the cineplex, the sun had begun to set, casting a warm pink over everything it’s rays could reach. The theatre was largely empty, which is what you two preferred, and why you had chosen to go on a weekday. There were a meager selection of movies to choose from, not unusual for the small town. “There’s the nuclear fallout flick with Gregory Peck?” you shot Norman a teasing glance, “I heard that heart-throb Anthony Perkins is in it…”

  “Wh-Wha-” he sputtered, “How-How about this one, it-it’s ab-bout birds. And it’s by the man who made Rope…”

You glanced at the poster for Tippi Hepburn’s debut thriller, “Mmmm, maybe…though I’ve heard it’s not very scary…and the director tends to be hit-and-miss. Oh! There’s that one comedy with Paul Newman on a chain-gang, that could be fun? Or…” you gasped, “That one!”

  “Al-alright, that could be fun. He was in The Graduate, and that was well-liked…”

You grinned and took his hand in yours as you ordered two tickets. You lead him to the snack counter and, ignoring his insistence that he be the one to pay for them, you bought him a bag of red vine licorice to nibble on throughout the movie. The man had such a sweet tooth! The theater was otherwise empty and you two made your way through the aisle til you were smack dab in the middle. As Jon Voight drove from Texas into New York on that rickety bus, you leaned against him. He stiffened under you momentarily, before relaxing into your touch, resting his head on yours.

  Some time had passed and Joe had finally met Ratso before you felt Norman’s fingertips brushing questioningly against your knuckles. You smiled and took his hand in yours. There was an awkward, but somewhat funny (at least on your end) moment during the scene in the movie theater. It was amusing to watch your boyfriend squirm in his seat and get all red in the face. Every time one of the more dirty scenes would come on, Norman’s breath would hitch a little. Even in the dark theater, you could see the tips of his ears and neck turning scarlet.

  During one of the more relaxed scenes, you leaned over the armrest and pressed a kiss underneath his jaw bone. He inhaled sharply, but kept his eyes trained on the movie.You pecked him on the cheek before trailing kisses down his neck to the collar of his shirt then back again. You felt him gulp as you made your way to his collarbone. He murmured out your name and squeezed your hand. “Uh-huh?” you whispered, “What is it, honey?” He made a keening noise low in his throat before turning and pressing his lips to yours. You couldn’t help but smile against his mouth as his hands slowly moved to cup your face. All this time together, and he still touched you like everything was his first. Your hands moved to rest on the front of his sweater and you bit at his lower lip, earning a soft and muffled moan from your boyfriend. 

In a rare move of him taking the lead, he buried his hands in your hair. The kiss deepened, and before you knew it, his tongue was in your mouth, tasting like peppermint and candy. Your hands traveled down to rest against his hips and he subconsciously bucked up into your touch, no pressure where he really wanted it. Due to the nature of the theater seats, there wasn’t much room to maneuver but you made due, practically crawling over the armrest to press against him. You broke apart for a moment to catch your breath, Norman always kissed like a man starved, taking your breath away literally. You leaned your forehead against his and chuckled against his mouth, breath coming from both of you in short pants. “Baby…” you murmured.

  “Mhmmm”

“I think the movies about to end…”

He tucked his head into the crook of of your neck, “Y-Yeah?”

   You looked up at the screen as Joe Buck closed Ratso’s eyes. “So pretty soon the light’s are gonna come on…”

Realization hit him and he whipped his head up, “Oh-oh goodness.” He hastily tried to smooth out his beshelved hair and sweater, pulling it down over his lap a bit. You giggled and brushed your fingers through your hair, you decided against telling Norman about the small hickey poking out of his shirt collar. The credits rolled and with and unspoken promise to pick-up where you left off at home, you both made your way back to the car. The car ride was a bit awkward as you tried to ignore the tension that was building as you got closer to the hotel.

  “What was your favorite part of the movie?”

“I’ll a-admit I was a l-little, erm, distracted. I couldn’t really p-pay attention.”

You gave him a wry grin, “Guess we’ll just have to go there again…”

He turned to you wide-eyed, before shaking his head and smiling. You were going to be the death of him.

[destiny-smasher]

Kingdom Hearts 3 impressions

So, uh, I will ONLY be talking about stuff up until the very start of the second World, and only AFTER the break. Kingdom Hearts 1 was an incredibly important and influential piece of media when I was growing up. I was writing fic based on Smash Bros. just before KH rolled onto the scene was like, “Yo, Disney and Final Fantasy, BAM, fuckin’ random? fucking RADDDD” and I was all about it. You had FF characters remixed with OCs remixed with Disney characters, and the villains were all crossing over to form the League of Bad Cartoons, it was a great time. And then Nomura realized his gamble was a win and decided to waste the next 15 years of everyone’s time shoving in every trope he liked, every IDEA that felt “cool” together into a mish mash of whatever the hell this “narrative” has become. Suffice it to say, I’ve got beef with Kingdom Hearts as a “story.” It just occurred to me today that a big part of this is thematic/tonal.

But it’s also VERY rare, maybe even unprecedented, for a piece of media like Kingdom Hearts 3 to come around. For years, then months, then weeks, then days, I told myself, “It’s not real, that game doesn’t exist, I won’t believe it until I’m literally playing it” and just could not be bothered to be hype or interested, if only because Nomura’s “vision”, from my perspective, warped something I admired in my youth into a fucking train wreck, leaving me very little to feel emotionally invested in outside of Aqua and by proxy the two lads she is trying to protect. (also I GUESS I’m slightly invested in Axel/Xion/Roxas.../Namine? for similar reasons now that I think about it?) Well, guess what? Kingdom Hearts VERY WELL might be real, and I very well might be about three hours into it. And for all of the beef I have with the plot, I am fucking relieved that those three hours have felt/sounded good, as a video game. NOW we’re gonna talk about the first World. --

When I first heard that Olympus was gonna be the first World in KH3 I was disappointed and BAFFLED. We’re visiting that place a THIRD time? And why THAT World? Turns out, there’s actually some substantial thematic relevance and that’s actually A-OK, not to mention that starting with a familiar world after ALL OF THIS TIME is not such a bad way to kick things off. First off, structurally, I actually really enjoyed the way this world played out. Two of my biggest problems with KH as a video game series have been that worlds feel like empty, vacant, haunted houses, and that said worlds are usually small and linear with a lot of pointless backtracking. Olympus fixes all of this. There are NPCs. Actual fucking PEOPLE in this world. Sure, they’re just people in danger, calling for help, but they’re THERE for once! And they have vocies! EVERY line of dialogue (except for like one “plot” moment) has actually been voiced so far! About time. Also. This World is not as linear as most KH Worlds. In fact, it help more open and dynamic than ANY World in any KH game so far, not to mention it featured three, THREE (wtf) unique and distinct types of settings. The city, the mountain, and Olympus. Nice. ALSO also. The music. We’ve been here before. We KNOW that Olympus theme from earlier games. And as you traverse the city, up the mountain, you hear this more sweeping, movie-like version, and it’s like “oh whoa nice” aaaaand then you get TO Olympus and it KICKS in, the old song, up to modern snuff. That was great. That was a thing that really helped convey “Kingdom Hearts is back, baby.” The World was big, compared to typical KH worlds. It had multiple nooks and crannies to explore, side-paths to go down, treasure to find hidden away. There is a LOT of verticality. Running up walls and seamlessly hopping over things in the environment makes traversal more enjoyable than it ever has been. Even though a lot of the World is technically a linear path it’s not structured like a path. Going off and exploring rewards you with items and the like, and the World is big enough to actually feel like you have places to poke around in. Having said this, WHY is there no...map? Like. You literally COLLECT Maps from Chests like you used to. But near as I can tell, there’s no way to pull up an actual MAP, to seer where the main path is, to see where the side paths are. It’s boggling. Maybe the game has the option hidden away somewhere but if so, that’s just silly. And if there’s just no actual map option at ALL that’s just...baffling. There were barely any load times for how much SPACE there was to navigate, and things looked very shiny and pretty, and ran at a smooth 60 fps MOST of the time. Tech specs aren’t everything, but when your brand is built on “looking pretty” it sure af helps when you bring scale AND a smooth framerate to match. It’s weird, and a bit jarring, sometimes in a good way, to see all of this stuff rendered in modern tech. Stuff looks...a little too plasticy a lot of the time, (which actually ought to pay off when we get to Toy Story?) but the environments so far feel rich and vast and detailed all at once in a way we just have never seen the series, because we’re basically jumping from PS2-level tech to PS4. So that difference in production is more noticeable for the wait -- I just wish things looked a bit more...I guess cel-shaded? Like the original trailer. Things (specifically, characters) look a little too flat/plasticy at times, for how pretty things are. Combat seems to be as flashy as ever and I’m sure I’ll feel differently as I get further in and unlock more options but it’s still too easy, simple, and mashy for my tastes. I am HOPING we get more moments that require quick reflexes and specific tactics like the harder moments of older KH games. The amusement rides mechanic is...weird. It’s given NO context in universe. And they last a little too long/feel too overpowered for how easy they are to utilize. Similarly, there are frequently seemingly random party-member tag-team attacks that...just seem like “press triangle to win” moves. I wish they entailed more interaction, and/or felt less common/random. I like the IDEA of these kinds of moves, especially ones that change your controls/method of attack for a few seconds (like Hercules’ team attack) but the execution makes them feel too cheap and easy to abuse, with combat that’s ALREADY skewing on the “too easy” side for the genre. I like the “form change” for keyblades, and that you can swap keyblades in the middle of a fight. Really hoping this allows for some good tactical stuff later -- buuuuut that would also require the game to ASK OF ME to do more than “mash X,” which KH as a brand typically does not do... Characters SPEAK in reaction to gameplay moments, when you initiate things in the environment, etc. It’s a nice touch that makes them feel more like characters in an RPG. Donald and Goofy are ALWAYS in the party, alongside the Disney member(s). NICE. Maybe KH3 is putting its best foot forward, but overall, I was pleasantly surprised with Olympus. It single-handedly corrected MOST of the issues I’ve ever had with Kingdom Hearts level design. I only hope the momentum keeps going. Moving on, Gummi Ships. What little I played is easily the best they have every been. I love having an open world with optional places/fights to explore, while still giving me those shmup-like bursts of action. The Gummi Phone seems like a fun mechanic, and taking selfies/photos makes SENSE for this game because of how visually detailed it is -- but the pleasant surprise was how I took selfies with Donald and Goofy and they REACTED to it, starting to pose and commenting on it. On the other hand, the loading screen being nonsensical “social media” posts from KH characters...I don’t like it thanks go away. x’D I’ve spent only a few minutes in Twilight Town and INSTANTLY I am so much more enamored than I ever was in previous games. Not just due to the bump up in visual fidelity, but also because -- GASP -- NPCs??? Are you trying to tell me this is an actual TOWN that people LIVE IN?? Holy shit, Kingdom Hearts, I never knew! For all of this stuff I liked, though, KH3 is still...a KH game. Which means after you get through the intro, after you gear up to land in Olympus, the game flashes the title: “Kingdom Hearts II.9″ ...no. Just no. Fuck. Stop doing this shit. Whenever an Organization 13 member (or EX member) shows up and starts speaking all cocky in riddles like the flamboyant anime jackass they are, whenever Mickey starts dead-ass blathering about weird nonsense whenever the plot HAS to acknowledge “oh right Sora golly gawrsh ya FURRGOT this random bullshit a-FYUCK better shove this expository throwaway dialogue right in here before we go n’ furrget again!” whenever Kairi continues to be irrelevant and invisible after ALL THIS TIME whenever Rikku has to say some obligatory thing about his darkness or his copy of himself or Ansem or whatever whenever the plot informs Sorta/Dornold/Goffy about another convoluted ridiculous THING that we already know about and they MAYBE already know about because it is OBLIGATED to because this game’s entire purpose has become to “wrap things up already Nomura” I am reminded of the freshly opened scar on my heart from how much SHIT this series has dragged itself through for...what? Nothing worth all of this, IMO. Thankfully, these moments feel less and less pressing in KH3′s opening hours than they certainly could be, though I’m sure the closing hours of the game -- once they’ve tidily gotten all of that silly, inconsequential DISNEY CONTENT out of the way (even though that’s the BULK of the game environments and HALF of the series’ identity/purpose) -- those closing hours will surely be packed to the gills with all of this crazy crap. Maybe by then I might finally care enough to finally get the catharsis I’ve waited over a decade for. I dunno. I’m just relieved the game looks, plays, sounds, and feels as good as it does so far. EDIT: almost forgot to mention this since it hasn’t actually come up yet BUT I picked up a BUNCH of “ingredients”??? Like. FOR COOKING??? Which is one of my all-time favorite mechanics in a video game?? (thanks Paper Mario) So I’m at LEAST excited to see what THAT is all about.

[todisturbtheuniverse]

so i inexplicably dove into reading New Canon sometime at the end of last year. it was Leia that really kicked it off. i’d been reading various books as they appealed to me--The Force Awakens and Rogue One novelizations about when they came out, A New Dawn right after Rebels wrapped up, Dark Disciple because Thom was like, “you’re going to like this for x, y, and z reasons and be mad at it for a very big reason.” (and boy was he correct.) after reading Leia i decided, okay, fine, clearly we’re rebooting that time when i was 13 years old and scouring the Barnes and Noble for all the EU books i could find, let’s fucking do this proper.

and damn. it was worth it to get to Thrawn. more blathering, not at all cohesive, and containing spoilers and references to various New Canon books ahead...

my huge hesitance about doing New Canon proper was the, uh. glut of Empire-POV books that i saw on our shelf. (we’ve been buying them for a good six-eight months now to make sure they were all available to us whenever we wanted to dive in.) there was something unnerving about that. i got hit with Lords of the Sith and Tarkin pretty much at the outset of my little jaunt, which was rough at times.

i’m of two minds about these books. i mean, 1) i am definitely interested in anything that gives us more of a look about Vader’s headspace post-lava incident, however narrow. The Clone Wars sold me on Anakin Skywalker in a way no movie has ever managed to, both in making him more interesting and likeable to me and in making his fall seem so much more plausible (don’t get me started on how i would restructure the prequels). so getting a look behind that weird faceplate--finally--is bloody and Very Bad but also interesting. he remembers Ahsoka in Lords of the Sith. he remembers Rex. he thinks on these things, as if he can’t stop himself.

but 2) there’s only so much, ah. rooting. that you can do for the Empire. obviously. i think i’m safe in assuming that’s not the point of these books (and indeed Lords of the Sith gives us a nice look at the early Free Ryloth movement to root for and a truly absurd goal for them to accomplish, so there’s that), but i find myself wondering what the point of these books are. for all that Tarkin cut such an imposing figure (and still does, definitely) my cynicism can’t let me believe that he was more than a good plot tool rather than a particularly complex character--i doubt all this stuff about Tarkin’s backstory, which comes up in the novel, was ever in Lucas’s dizziest daydreams. but i sure got treated to a lot of Weird Tarkin Backstory in Tarkin. is it necessary? is it relevant? i’m having a hard time figuring out how.

but again, the bit of fun i had with this book? it was in Tarkin’s interactions with Vader. specifically his musing on the identity of the creepy fellow in the weird armor, who certainly shares some qualities with Anakin Skywalker. The Clone Wars revealed that Anakin had actually known Tarkin, before the fun trip to the lava seaside. it stands to reason that Tarkin, who at the very least was hailed as Scary As Shit and Good At His Job at the time of the original trilogy, would put some clues together.

so that’s...interesting. maybe its own purpose was to be interesting, idk. i’m probably overthinking what is clearly an enormous cash grab by Disney, or something.

all this to say: this was the kind of Empire-POV stuff i was having a hard time thinking i could get into. because they’re just Evil doing Evil. Vader might think about Ahsoka on rare occasion but he’s not going to stop force-choking people because of it. that redemption ship doesn’t come into harbor for a fair bit.

and then. we get Thrawn.

as i mentioned way up there, there was a time after i’d first discovered Star Wars that i perused high and low for the Extra Content. i think one of the first things i came across (bearing in mind that the EU was not supremely organized or continuous or anything) was the Thrawn trilogy. being that this was nearly fifteen years ago and i haven’t reread them since, all i really remember is that Mara Jade is The Best, Thrawn was a villain like no other villain my child self had come across, and i loved them. a reread is probably in order and will maybe disappoint me, or so i always thought, until Timothy Zahn threw Thrawn and Alliances at me and said, take that, i’ve still got it.

Thrawn sort of gets into some of the same traps as Tarkin, except that they felt way less like traps because i was interested in how Thrawn comes to be part of the Empire. that was always part of what made him interesting, to me; he’s somehow a Grand Admiral, has risen through all those ranks, even though he’s not human. so even though we take these little leaps of backstory through years of Thrawn’s early existence in Imperial space, and it feels like we take a lot of time to catch up to the actual plot--it’s neat as hell, because we’re seeing the Empire through the eyes of not one, but two people who are outsiders to it. and yet, simultaneously have to exist inside it.

it’s so easy to generalize the Empire as this grayish blob of evil. many of the random crew and deck officers in Rebels don’t even have distinguishing facial features; i’ve heard Liam O’Brien’s voice come out of an awful lot of them, with the brims of their caps pulled low over their eyes, their faces cast in an odd grayish light that seems to wash the life from them.

it is evil. it is definitely, definitely evil. but there are so many people in it--people like Eli Vanto, the second individual referenced above--who are just existing in it, trying to make the best of it, because they have no real options (or power) to do anything else. some of these people Get Out and join the rebellion, or just Get Out and vanish, but not many of them have the resources to do that, and that’s the look that, to me, gives this grayish obelisk of evil some kind of complexity worth looking at.

and then Alliances. the neat past-present switch that juxtaposes Anakin/Vader, Mitth'raw'nuruodo/Thrawn. i loved that shit. it showed more new stuff about Vader, probably reminded me of all the reasons i was fascinated by Thrawn as a kid even if i can’t really remember, and best of all, delighted me with various instances of Thrawn just. flat out. trolling. Vader. and not dying. imagine! all these not-at-all-subtle hints that Thrawn knows exactly who Vader is under that mask and the entire book Vader just keeps thinking, no. even this asshole. this tactical genius. cannot possibly know my true identity. it’s impossible. The Jedi is dead. 

(that was another cool thing, btw. Zahn really took how Vader thinks and elevated the shit out of it. having him always refer to his past self as The Jedi was very effective.)

all these dueling loyalties come out to get real ugly on the surface: Thrawn, having sworn to serve the Empire, still manipulating the scene in whatever way he can to benefit his people. (how is Eli doing in the Chiss Ascendancy? I CAN’T FUCKING WAIT TO FIND OUT.) Vader, recalling The Jedi’s past trouble with those dueling loyalties--to his people (the Jedi, the Republic) and to his people (Padme). having now decided that “even rescue” is, as Thrawn once said, not worth sacrificing victory.

but Vader’s loyalties are still in far more flux than he would let himself believe. because he is sure, on the one hand, that Thrawn is walking the line of treason. Thrawn throws every tool he has at this to get his way, to do things and have the outcome he wants, up to and including calling in a debt that Anakin Skywalker owes him--expecting Vader to repay it. and Vader, who has murdered people for far less, lets himself be talked into it, lets his curiosity string him along, lets the probing comments about “the last time we were here” and “we discovered this about cortosis” and all this we, we, WE that refers to The Jedi pass without incident.

all this to say: he sure wishes The Jedi was really dead. that would make his existence so much easier. and i’m probably reading into it, and all, but i think Thrawn and his weirdly opaque analytical mind sees that and is poking at it a-purpose. to what purpose, who can say? Thrawn’s always about a dozen steps ahead of everybody else, by design. he has a long game.

this is just a stream of consciousness ramble at this point about how many Thoughts i have about Star Wars, and it’s very late on a Friday night and i’m tired, so i’ll stop blathering on. TL;DR--i was wary of reading books from Imperial POVs and while not particularly gracefully done in some cases, they surprised me. there are some gems in there.

[kalena-henden]

@onlymorelove said: Now I have to ask you: fave movie(s)? Fave Cap moments? Only if you feel like answering, of course. No pressure!

Yes, absolutely! I want to answer. I love Marvel too and not just the MCU. 

I grew up in a fanasty/sci-fi family. Our main trifecta was Star Wars/Star Trek/Doctor Who but there was always a healthy dose of superheroes in there as well. As a kid I watched superhero cartoons (Spiderman/X-Men/Batman/Superman) and live-action (b&w Superman, 60s Batman, 70s Wonder Woman, 90s Flash and Lois & Clark) shows, and of course some of the Superman and Batman movies. In the 2000s, I saw most of the Spiderman, X-Men, Batman & Superman movies. But the MCU has really outdone itself. I'm so impressed with the level of continuing connective storytelling that is usually reserved for tv shows. It's allowed for real character development. Also, it made me truly care and love characters that I had not been aware of previously. Since I've been watching these movies slowly unfold over the last decade, it's not hard for me to choose a favorite. Each time I would see one, the question I would ask myself was is this better than the last MCU movie I had seen? Early on the answer was often yes until the bar was set very high.

It stopped at Captain America: The Winter Soldier. This is my benchmark film. Civil War came close. The Guardians movies came close. Infinity War may be it's equal. I need more time to mull that over. Below is my whole list, in order (yay, I'm gonna do it):

My Tier 1: Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Infinity War, Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America: Civil War, Thor: Ragnarok, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers. 

My Tier 2: Avengers: Age of Ultron, Thor, Thor: The Dark World, Black Panther, Iron Man 3. 

My Tier 3: Iron Man, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, Iron Man 2.

Won't be watching: The Incredible Hulk with Edward Norton.

Honestly, I enjoyed all these movies. Even the Tier 3 (which is 3 out of 5 stars) are still good. They do such a fantastic job of making you fall in love with the characters even if the storylines might not be the greatest. That’s a pretty impressive thing to accomplish.

Okay, what makes The Winter Soldier my favorite movie? Where do I start? The storytelling is so tight! There’s not a moment wasted. There is tension, humor, amazing character development. This is the first movie I really felt like I got to know Natasha and Nick Fury as people. We got to dive deeper into Steve’s psyche and discover Bucky’s trauma. Sam comes in and immediately is a great friend and ally. It has intriguing moral questions which are discussed and debated becoming dilemmas requiring decisive action. All the characters make important choices about what to do with their lives. The fight scenes are amazing and retain their danger and intensity with repeated viewings which is a hard feat, in particular the elevator scene and highway scene. I LOVE all the hand to hand combat. It’s like a dance. In fact, there’s a wonderful video putting the highway scene to Britney Spear’s Toxic. The more I watch this movie the more little nods to past stories or insights into a character’s journey I discover. 

I don’t know if you’ve noticed but Steve rarely talks about himself. This is unlike most of the Avengers who can’t STOP talking about themselves. lol He talks about ideas, strategy, missions, beliefs, people, but rarely his life. Most of what we know of Steve is by watching his journey ourselves (so we know his history), friends talking about him or things they’ve done together, and by people asking him questions directly. The last one is most relevant to this movie. More than any other Marvel film this story is quite literally asked a TON of questions by the characters, revealing not just plot points but who they are and what is important to them. Also, I’m a huge fan of ensemble films. While they rightfully never take the spotlight off of Steve, they are also able to utilize him to shine a light on other characters. The way they balanced out all the characters’s development was truly impressive. 

It highlights why the Russo Brothers were the right directors to take on Civil War and next Avengers movies. (Though let’s not be too hard on Joss Whedon because there are now 4 people--2 directors and 2 writers--doing what he alone did for the first 2 Avengers films.) I’m a fan of Honest Trailers which playful poke at the plot holes of films. Interestingly, the Honest Trailer for The Winter Soldier is mostly praising the film cause it’s so good and has few plot holes, so instead they jokingly start nitpicking. When Civil War was about to come out, Screen Junkies (who makes Honest Trailers) had the Russos do a reaction video to The Winter Soldier Honest Trailer. They directors mentioned that they tried to “Honest Trailer proof” the story during the making of TWS to keep plot lines logical and also answered the questions the Honest Trailer asked.  

Some favorite things/moments about The Winter Soldier:

Steve’s angry petty snark “Neighbor” as Sharon walks past him in the hall at Shield. It’s rare that we get to see him like this. lol

Steve and Natasha’s friendly banter as she tries to find a date for him the entire movie. It shows how much she cares and wants a normal life for him. 

Sam’s “I do what he does just slower.”

Bucky’s calm lithe walk as carries out his missions. He barely says anything in this movie but his body language speaks volumes. I wasn’t a big Bucky fan in the first movie but I was absolutely entranced with him in this one. 

Bucky: “But I knew him.” Gah, rip my heart out why don’t ya?

Steve and Natasha’s parallel conversations about what they want in life and trust aka “you might be in the wrong business”. I love their friendship.

“On your left” hahahahaha

Peggy as his confident again. So much love there.

Natasha teaching Steve on the fly how to slip away in plain sight from the enemy surrounding you by using psychological spy techniques and Steve’s funny responses. “Walk don’t run.”/”If I run in these shoes, they’re gonna fall off.”  “Public displays of affection make people uncomfortable.”/”Yes, they do.”

“You’re my friend.”/”You’re my mission.”

[Note: Sorry this took so long. I don’t know why but it’s always so hard for me to sit down and write stuff. Anyway, I decided to post the first half now cause I don’t want to make you wait any longer. I’ll answer my fave Cap moments in another post eventually. I have too many Cap thoughts that have been percolating for a decade, they’re hard to condense. I feel like it’s going to come out as more of a meta.]

[mdwatchestv]

Westworld 2x05: Ain’t Nothing To Fuck With

How did all these disparate threads come together to create this nightmare? HOW INDEED FARES FARES, HOW INDEED.

Anyway welcome back to Westworld! I was pleasantly surprised by the cohesion and thematic relevance of last week's episode, and while they weren't able to deliver as tight a narrative this week, the hour did manage to deliver something often sorely missed on this show - fun! Sure, there was still some gloom and doom, but there was also like adventure! Comic relief! Action! Wu-Tang! And from what well did this welcome variance in tone spring? Why from Shogun World of course! My preferred setting for the rest of the series, please and thank you.

Shogun World was teased in season one, as well as a couple episodes ago when Maeve and her crew accidentally stumbled into it, but now we finally get to explored it in full. Shogun World is set during the Edo period (1603 - 1868) in Japan, which was marked by the rule of well...shoguns! Shogun World boasts incredible scenic beauty, as well as awesome samurai-based violence. Simon Quartermain describes it as the World for people who think Westworld is too tame. Lol okay. Of course I also have to point out that Shogun World also has its own MOUNT FUJI. This iconic Japanese geographical feature, and giant ass volcano, only furthers my theory that the location of these parks is a twist/important. I mean, they have a whole mountain!!!! But while no expensive has been spared in the environment, there was clearly some budget saving in the narrative department....

Maeve and her unlikely band are captured by a group of samurai, Maeve's robot voodoo doesn't work on them, nor does their automatic translation feature. Her group is taken into a...vaguely familiar town square, and by the time Paint it Black kicks in, we know what's happening. In a shot for shot sequence we see Sweetwater's vault robbery event (led in that world by Rodrigo Santoro and Armistice) enacted by a new, but not TOO new, cast of characters. Simon admits he may have lifted the character's and story from world to world to save time, as a writer I do not blame him. But besides other-world doubles of Rodrigo and Armistice (Hannibal's Tao Okamoto featuring a dragon tattoo instead of a snake), there is of course also an alternate universe Maeve and Clementine. At the end of the robbery Maeve comes face to face with Akane (Pacific Rim's Rinko Kikuch). Like Maeve, Akane is quick, cunning and fiercely loyal to Sakura, her surrogate daughter. Seeing Maeve, and a bevy of other characters, come face to face with themselves was the kind of boost this show desperately needed. Finally we get to see the  show poking a bit of fun at its own expense, and it could not be more welcome. After hours of unrelenting Very Serious Mystery Time, it was nice to have a scene about Rodrigo having an inherent mistrust of his Other (every TV show ever's Hiroyuki Sanada). This is what we want from you Westworld!

The plot thickens as the local Shogun's messenger comes to buy Sakura from Akane, who bloodily refuses by going off-script and stabbing him in the eye. Our combined super-group makes a plan to return to Sakura's homeland Snow Lake (ps there is a whole-ass lake in this world too, where ARE we) but their plan is foiled by NINJA. ACTUAL NINJA. Imagine I am using the handclap emoji when I say this-is-what-I-am-talking-about. In a fantastic fight sequence that pits our brawlers and gunslingers against NINJA, Maeve's control powers get a major upgrade. Not only is she able to verbally instruct other hosts, apparently she can now even control them with her mind. Perhaps she is able to cognitively access the host network, issuing commands via cyberspace. Or you know, maybe she's a witch. But beside Maeve’s newfound ability to plug directly in the matrix, Sakura is captured anyway.  No sooner have the ninja been defeated by the power of Maeve's brainwaves than who should role up but the Shogun's guard. In an amazing development, that the best samurai movies would be jealous of, it is revealed that ronin Hiroyuki Sanada is the ex-captain of the guard, and at the behest of Akane he rides out to confront the new, shittier, captain. Truly, I could live in this storyline forever. 

[Note: I started writing this at work where I apparently left all my notes. So from here on out I’m flying blind people!]

The Hectors’ and Armisti allow themselves to be taken prisoner by the Shogun’s army allowing Maeve, Akane, and Simon to escape. Maeve is bent on helping Akane rescue Sakura, another mother trying to reunite with her daughter. Once they arrive at the Shogun’s camp however things don’t go quite so smoothly. The Shogun has gone a bit mad and had all of his men’s ears chopped off so Maeve can’t influence them with her witchy words. This seems sort of impractical for a number of reasons, but it’s whats happening. The Shogun says he will release Sakura if Akane also agrees to dance for him, and she reluctantly agrees. In the dressing room Maeve attempts to level-up Akane and free her mind, but Akane rejects the “freedom” Maeve offers her.  She chooses to stay in the reality of her personal Matrix, with Sakura,  rather than waking up and realizing she is really in ugly sweater land (it’s been a long time since I’ve seen the Matrix okay). 

Sakura and Akane prepare to dance for the Shogun, but the Shogun murders Sakura in front of Akane and then demands she proceed with the performance, and proceed she does. In one of the season’s best sequences, Akane lays down a beautiful geisha dance, that turns into a brutal decapitation of the Shogun, all set to cover of Wu-Tang’s C.R.E.A.M. This was one of the rare scenes on Westworld that really exceeded the sum of its parts. The unexpected cover song, the grand aesthetic of the setting and Akane herself, and the emotional stakes of the scene, all came together to create a truly effective and memorable sequence. Westworld often boasts individual cool or compelling elements, but rarely do they all come together to create such an effective and engrossing narrative moment. These past couple episodes have been some of the best of the series in terms of episode construction and payoff, even displaying emotional connection, which the series has struggled with. However despite the sheer badassery displayed by Akane, she and Maeve are captured and set to be beheaded by the Shogun’s soldiers (they yell orders to each other which is weird because I thought they had no ears?). As they are about to be executed, Maeve tells Akane she is a true mother, and Akane thanks her. Akane has put Sakura before all else, her happiness, her freedom, even her life. However before the blades can fall, Maeve uses her new psychic power to turn the soldiers against one another (and she had to use mind power because all their ears were cut off...but then why were they JUST talking- never mind). Bloodshed and violence ensues, and armed with her new power, Maeve turns her eyes to the horizon, the future, and her daughter.

And that’s it! What a great and enjoyable hour (plus) of television. An engaging story with great new characters powered by a stand-out guest cast, new locales and exciting action. I can’t believe this episode was able to avoid the usual drudgery and angst of most of Westworld, what a welcome reprieve, what a tight- oh wait.

That’s right these guys. For all the delightful surprises to be had in Shogun World, Teddy and Dolores’ storyline came to an all-too predictable head. Back in Sweetwater Dolores’ gives Teddy one final “test”, metaphorically asking him how he would protect an infected herd of cattle. His answer is of course reflective of Teddy himself, gentle and caring: protect the sick, hope for the best. The answer Dolores is of course looking for is: burn it down, burn it all down, and if there are casualties so be it. Teddy and Dolores’ finally knock boots, but it’s more of a goodbye before Dolores sets him up for a full reboot (get it, boots, reboot. I work hard on these things). This “twist”, if we can even call it that, has been projected from the beginning as Teddy has consistently failed to adapt to Dolores’ new world order. However we know that Teddy is still going to end up floating in face down in a lake, so maybe this reboot won’t be as effective as Dolores’ hopes. Dolores tells Teddy that ‘to grow, we all need to suffer’, and she clearly sees sacrifice as the way to do that. She has cut away all the ties that made Dolores, well Dolores, and is living largely as the Wyatt personality. In Maeve’s storyline though, she grew by seeing a reflection of herself, and another path she could take. Akane was fully devoted to Sakura, and even though Maeve is dedicated to finding her own daughter, it’s unlikely she would have sacrificed the knowledge and power she currently has to do so (unlike Akane). 

The introduction of the new worlds in Westworld is the best thing the show could have done. The time spent in Shogun World, as both a new setting, and a foil to the world we are familiar with, was a refreshing change. The return to the scenes in Sweetwater felt like a big clunk in an episode that otherwise soared. Like Maeve and Dolores, I as the viewer am also ready to venture out into a larger world, the new world. 

Can you believe we are only halfway through the season?

XO MD