#but seriously it would be a waste of a good actor playing a character that really fits fit him

[temperancevalkyrie]

Ok I can comfortably say that I truly support Joe Locke being Billy Caplan/Wiccan in the MCU ☺️

But I swear to God if Disney pulls another Ralph Boner...

Let's just say candy is dandy but liquor burns quicker.

[hotshotsxyz]

this method acting (might pay our bills)

(1.1k) (gen) 8x02 coda with spoilers from the 8x03 teaser. it's still thursday on the west coast, so i'm counting this as a same day coda. anyway brad torrence is a menace and i'm setting up camp in his brain

Let it be known to all, Brad Torrence takes his craft very seriously. So seriously, in fact, that when he’s called to a real emergency, he answers that call without hesitation. After all, what better to inform his performance than real experience? Tonight, Brad is a firefighter; he doesn’t just play one on TV.

His fellow firefighter, Buck, doesn’t seem terribly enthused about his presence. He generally seems to have a worried air about him, though, so maybe it doesn’t have anything to do with him at all. There’s a certain degree of vanity required in his profession, but he isn’t entirely self-centered. Honestly, he’s just glad that Buck doesn’t seem to be starstruck. That would make this entire situation far more difficult.

“Try Athena,” Bobby commands, but before Brad can ask for her number, Buck’s already dialing. That’s fine, he supposes. There’s no time to waste.

Brad’s not actually completely sure who Athena is. Someone important, obviously, perhaps his lieutenant? His character on Hotshots is a bit of a lone wolf, but maybe there’s something else there to explore. He makes a mental note to ask the writers room about adding a new character in the back half of the season, a lieutenant for him to butt heads and then bond with. They could even make it a bit of a will-they-won’t-they. He’s sure they won’t mind a few rewrites.

The phone rings twice, then, to Brad’s surprise, the call connects.

“Buck? Where’s—”

“I’m right here, Athena,” Bobby interrupts. His tone is magnificent. Calm but firm, no doubt inspiring nothing but faith in the woman on the other end of the line, whoever she is to him.

“Oh, thank god, Bobby,” Athena says.

Her voice is a bit garbled. It wouldn’t make for good television, but some concessions must be made for reality, Brad supposes.

“I’m on a plane,” Athena continues. “It’s—it’s not looking great.”

“Athena, if there’s anyone who can land a plane it’s you,” Bobby says. There isn’t a modicum of doubt in his voice.

“If there’s anyone who can land a plane, it’s a pilot!” Athena protests. Brad wishes he brought a pen and paper. Her comedic timing is excellent.

“She’s got you there,” Brad says, leaning forward until his head is between Bobby and Buck.

The look Buck shoots him is just shy of murderous. He’d be a terrible actor, Brad thinks. It’s all about focus and purposeful expression, neither of which seem to be at the top of Buck’s priority list.

“Who the hell was that?” Athena asks.

“Brad Torrence,” he says smoothly, “but you can call me Brad.”

Buck’s expression shifts from murderous to incredulous. Again, terrible actor.

“Don’t worry about him,” Bobby says.

He inflects his words with the tiniest hint of irritation. It’s brilliant – how better to redirect the anxiety Athena must be feeling into something more manageable. Brad only hopes he’ll be able to meet her in person once this nasty business is over.

“I’ve got plenty to worry about. He doesn’t even make the top ten.”

Buck snorts. Rude.

“Tell me what’s going on,” Bobby says.

“Air traffic control is directing us to LAX, but—Bobby, I’m not sure we can make it that far. The hole in the fuselage is getting bigger and our airspeed is dropping fast.” Athena sounds scared, desperate. Caroline could learn a thing or two from her about emotional resonance.

“Did—did you say there’s a hole in the plane?” Buck asks. His voice has a certain gravely, intense timber that Brad supposes would do well in some genres. Action movies, maybe, but not the high budget kind.

“What do you need from me?” Bobby asks before she can answer the question.

“Do you got a runway in your back pocket?” Again, brilliant comedic timing. She has that perfectly acerbic wit that any good heroine needs to have.

Bobby thinks for a moment. “Can you make it to the 110?” he asks finally.

“That, I think I can do,” Athena replies.

“Buck,” Bobby says, only it sounds less like his name and more like a command.

“On it,” Buck says. He twists around in his seat and looks at Brad. “Give me your phone.”

“My—why do you need my phone?” Brad asks. “You’ve got one right there.”

“Come on, man, now,” Buck says, all bite with no room for argument.

“Fine, fine,” Brad says. He slides his phone from the pocket of his turnout pants and hands it to Buck, who doesn’t even thank him for it.

Instead, he turns back to the front and types out a quick text before dialing a number. The call connects almost instantly.

“Maddie,” he says, “I don’t have time to explain. I need you to shut down the 110, get as much traffic off it as possible. We need it completely clear from Sepulveda to Torrance.”

The woman on the other end of the line doesn’t reply directly. “All available units, we’re shutting down the 110. Create roadblocks south of Sepulveda and north of Torrance. All traffic must be cleared between those exits.”

“Thank you, Maddie, you’re the best,” Buck says when she’s done. So, some people do, in fact, get thanked when they do something helpful. It’s fine.

“Is it Athena?” Maddie asks.

“Yeah,” Buck says. “They can’t stay in the air much longer.”

“Alright,” Maddie says. “I’ll coordinate with the IC over there, get triage moved as fast as possible.”

“I’ll keep you in the loop,” Buck says.

The line goes dead, and Brad’s expecting to get his phone back, but Buck sends another text and dials another number. This time, it rings thrice before the call is answered.

“Buck,” a man says on the other end of the line. His voice is warm and honey smooth. Brad should ask his dialect coach about that.

“They’re not—Eddie, they’re not making it to LAX,” Buck says, rushed and a little less polished than he was for Maddie.

There’s a short pause, then the quality of the sound changes. “Where?” the man—Eddie—asks.

“The 110,” Buck says. “South of Torrance. We need you over here, fast as possible.”

It’s odd, hearing his name this many times when he’s not the subject of the conversation. If this was meant to be a TV scene, it’d be far too repetitive.  

“Pack it up, let’s go!” another voice calls. She must be a captain, if the authority she speaks with is anything to go off.

“We’re coming,” Eddie says.

Some of the tension in Buck’s shoulders seems to bleed away. Interesting. “See you soon,” he says.

He ends the call, and Brad turns his attention back to Bobby. After listening for a moment, he realizes that they’re now on a conference call, and Athena is speaking to someone who knows a great deal more about planes than he does.

Brad closes his eyes and leans back. They’ll be at the scene soon. It’s time to visualize. As long as he stays in character, nothing can go wrong.

[nattaphum]

Mileapo’s interview with WorldY [08/29/2023] - highlights

*translated by google from thai tweets*

MileApo talked about KinnPorsche and their direction after that

Apo: i don't feel that there is anything in me that has changed from the KinnPorsche era. Porsche is still in my flesh with his determination and ambition. When I finished playing KinnPorsche, I said to myself that I would no longer play roles that I didn’t like. I will only accept the roles that I feel like doing. Because during this lifetime from today until the last day, we don't even know when we’re gonna die, so I think that, from now on, I will only do what I want to do.

Mile: The more I listened, the more I understood in which direction my ideas were going. Now, like Apo, I just wants to play in the roles I’m interested in. Be with a team that feels comfortable while working and has the same passion.

Host: What has changed for you after becoming an actor?

Mile: it helped me to understand myself better, understand what comes in during filming and after filming, making it possible to increase my performance skills.

Host: Apo's near and long-range goal as an actor is…?

Apo: I want to be a world-class actor. If it happens or not, it doesn’t matter. But I just want to dream because I feel that dreaming is not a waste of money.

MileApo talked about ChatKhem

Mile: Chat is a calm person. He has high survival skills and can overcome any difficulties,

Apo: Khem is a good-looking and talented person, but people only pay attention to his appearance.

Apo gives 80-99% similarity between himself and Khem’s character. The other 1% may be the difference in the context of the social environment. Khem is not playful but bright and serious. The difference is about the impatience, Khem is more impatient.

Host: what kind of tv series/movie would you like to try in the future?

Mile and Apo both reply a ghost movie.

(Ps. In the past Mile said his dream was to act in a ghost movie and Apo said he wanted too but only to make Mile happy because Mile made Apo happy accepting to play in a period movie with him)

Apo: I often listen to ghost stories.

Mile: I listen to them often too 🌚

Host: What kind of fashion has Apo never tried but wants to try?

Apo: Drag, I never tried it.

The clip below seems insignificant but i think it means a lot <3.

Mile was talking seriously when Apo suddenly teased him by imitating his gesture. Mile was focused on the topic and his eyes were focused on the interviewers in front of him but he still hinted a smile to validate apo. This is sooo subtle but so important 🥹

On intimacy and closeness (x)

Host to Mile: what level of intimacy do you have with Apo, from 1 to 10?

Mile: more than 10

Host to Apo: what level of compatibility do you have with Mile, from 1 to 10?

Apo: more than 10 *laughs*

MileApo: *shake hands*

[comfycuddles]

You know what I think...

It's time we start talking about Peter Capaldi.

When we talk about Doctor Who and our favourite modern doctors, we always go round and round in the same circles:

"David Tennant is the greatest Doctor!"

"No way! Matt Smith brought this goofy nature to the character, while maintaining the Doctor's eternal darkness!"

"Please! Nine was funny and sassy and just overall great. He deserved more credit. Eccelston was the best Doctor!"

And sometimes even a:

"I think that although she had to endure poor writing, a female Doctor was refreshing!"

I agree with this of course, and every Doctor brings something with them, you know who we don't post enough about? Or even generally talk about enough?

Peter fucking Capaldi. I seriously think he might be one of the most underrated Doctors of the modern era and It's a WASTE.

From the very beginning he was just amazing. "Do you know how to fly this thing?" ICONIC. His first episode was pure crack in the very best way. (The way he flirted with the dinosaur, anybody?)

Capaldi had this amazing connection with Jenna as Clara (Although I am a Clara stan idc so I might be a little biased about that) and their dynamic was so much fun to watch.

Not unlike David Tennant Peter is such a fan of the show. (As was confirmed by Jenna) But is also nice about it too. He doesn't go around just correcting everyone, but he wants everyone to know what an amazing show it is and wants people to love it just as much as he does.

Also 12 was so iconic??? Fighting fucking Robin Hood with a spoon? Awesome! Rolling into the middle ages on a fucking tank, calling people "Dude", making puns and dumb jokes and above else SLAYING that guitar?! Yes! A thousands times Yes! Just the best space grandpa ever!

Capaldi is so unhinged and has this chaotic energy while still appearing as the sanest person in the room. Just look up some stories about him fucking around on the set.

It was also very refreshing to see an older Doctor. I mean, I think Capaldi wad the oldest guy to play the Doctor since HARTNELL. He still had this youthful energy, but he just seemed so DONE with everyones bullshit. 12 handled things with a certain maturity that I kinda loved.

Like he has life experience, he KNOWS what his actions will cause and that's GOOD to see of the Doctor. And at the same time he's also forgiving himself for all the things he's done, which is even BETTER.

And don't even talk to me about his relationship with his companions and Missy. First of all the latter gives me life. And his relationship with Bill was so good y'all. I mean, he punched a racist in the face for her. (ICON!!!!) And were just adorable.

And my final point, the biggest point: Peter Capaldi is just an AMAZING actor. We all love "Heaven sent" and It's just the greatest episode EVER and this is party because Moffat wrote it so beautifully, but also because of Capaldi's Jaw dropping performance!!! If he wasn't SUCH an amazing actor the episode would have never worked. And I am certain of this fact. He did that y'all! HE. DID. THAT.

Capaldi gave some of the best speeches and performances in Doctor Who history. And everyone sleeps on it, and I say "No more!" Also his line. "Do you think I care for you so little that betraying me would make a difference?" DONE, SOBBING ON THE DAMN FLOOR. I need to say with this that I'm NOT an emotional person at all. But somehow that line hit me right in the feels and never stopped.

So yeah

Eccelston was hilarious and fun and amazing

David was awesome and I think It's definitely deserved that he goes down in history as one of the greatest Doctors.

Matt had some heartwrenging moments that I'll never get over, was as cool as bowties and just lovely

And Jody was unique and ADORABLE!

But y'all are SLEEPING on Peter Capaldi and 12 and that is SO undeserved.

Mister Capaldi Sir, if you ever see this, (You probably won't, but that's okay. I hope it does though) just know, that I love and adore you so much and think you are one of the greatest actors and human beings in the history of everything. And you DESERVE to know that. I will forever be proud to say that 12 that is my favourite Doctor of all time. And I say this without half a doubt in my mind. I'm a proud Peter Capaldi stan until the end of time. And just know that I and so many more people along with me have so much LOVE for you. (Most of us not in a creepy way though) and you are CRIMINALLY underrated.

Thank you so much for reading my rant.

This has been a Peter Capaldi/12th Doctor appreciation post. And I invite you to reblog this and show your love for the best Doctor. Only positivity though, stay nice.

[userautumn]

movies i've watched recently

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005) - 10/10

mr & mrs smith is a relic of a long-forgotten era of film history that we are desperate to get back to. a film that doesn't take itself too seriously and leans into its own absurdity, mr & mrs smith is extraordinarily fun, sexy, charming, and ridiculous. it's the perfect romcom, and that's just based on the plot alone, which is to say nothing about the actors themselves. even accounting for the way brad pitt is, at all times, painfully dead behind the eyes in a way that verges on disturbing, his technique is flawless, as well as his comedic timing. and though it doesn't need to be said, yes, his chemistry with angelina jolie really is that good. good enough to be, quite literally, history-altering.

the rise of "brangelina" ushered in a new era of pop culture that we still see the effects of to this day and, after seeing the movie, i finally understand why. they play off of each other so naturally, so sensually it makes them completely magnetic to watch. all good things - both their marriage, and the era of good romcoms - must come to an end but god, we got some good treats out of them.

Jack Reacher (2012) - 5/10

honestly? this movie was not as bad as i thought it would be. i went into this film expecting another bland political thriller, propaganda patriotism wrapped up in us military dicksucking and, full disclosure, there definitely was a hint of that here and there, by nature of the titular character's army background. but, at its core, jack reacher is a murder mystery wrapped in a thriller wrapped in something that could have been romance in another life, if such a thing weren't considered "girly" or "gay" by their obviously aggressively male target audience.

the film itself was... fine. painfully unremarkable and everything you'd expect a thriller to be, with a few fun twists thrown in there for variety that make the film not a complete waste of time. tom cruise, similar to brad pitt, is an actor in possession of such extraordinary technical ability with little emotional depth to back it up. but he's a gift to the film industry nonetheless, and it's refreshing and exciting to see someone on screen who can hold their own as both an actor and a stuntman.

would i recommend jack reacher to a friend? i mean, sure, if that friend is sitting in the waiting room at the dentist's office trying to kill time and definitely not think about their impending root canal. otherwise, there are far better thrillers out there that aren't afraid to develop and examine the emotional beats of their story, and i'd rather watch one of those any day.

Things We Lost in the Fire (2007) - 7/10

things we lost in the fire feels almost like a precursor to manchester by the sea to the point where i would be shocked if this movie didn't, at least in part, serve as its inspiration. there are significant divergences between the two films - the most significant being that things we lost in the fire skirts the line of romance a lot more heavily than manchester by the sea did - but overwhelmingly, these films feel achingly similar. these similarities aren't just because these films explore the often banal and nebulous waves of grief, but because their composition runs parallel, in both large and small ways.

things we lost in the fire isn't necessarily a good film (though not because of the talent; the chemistry between benicio del toro, halle berry, and david duchovny carried this film, especially in places it would have otherwise faltered with a weaker cast), but it is deeply earnest and heartfelt in its creation. this film is a patchwork tapestry at times and often feels like a series of connected scenes that were rapidly, sloppily spliced together, subsequently making the pacing atrocious.

things we lost in the fire feels more like a plot driven narrative than a character driven narrative, which is an interesting choice considering the type of narrative. but the care that went into portraying this story and these characters keeps viewers locked in until the very end, to the point where even the film's weak spots, significant as they are, only add to the film's now-vintage charm. if i were someone who watched movies more than once, this one would be one to watch again and again.

[bloodyshadow1]

so the percy jackson series was good, not just decent, but genuinely good. There are 5 criticisms that I have to make though to get them out of my system. Mostly small and 1 that will hopefully change as things move forward. Please dont take it seriously, the show has been great, but there are some things I need to get off of my chest as I watch it

I don't really like how the minotaur looked. just a preference I thought he looked too bulky and too much like a bull that happen to stand on 2 legs instead of a human bull hybrid. I was actually wondering for a while if they changed things and he was going to stay on 4 legs for the fight.

I dont' know if I like Percy having Riptide at the start. Personally Percy's first training session where he every normal sword doesn't feel right in his hands was one of my favorite scenes. I like how he does have a weakness where only certain weapons, (powered by the sea) feel right in his hands while others feel awkward to him. I don't know how they would do the scene in a show where you aren't having Percy's inner POV so I get it, I just feel sad that one of my favorite scenes is gone

Chiron sometimes just looked weird. Not the actor or anything, but the way they shot him sometimes. The scenes where he's walking with Percy, when they cut to him they show him from the waste up and without Percy by his side, like they cut back and forth between the two like the two actors were shot in different locations and they are trying to pretend they weren't without digitally editing them together. They also sometimes seemed to refuse to show Chiron's horse parts, I assume to save on CGI for it, but it looks awkward sometimes because the actor moves like he has a centaur body in some of the shots, but because they don't show the horse body the way he moves doesn't look human, like he looks very stilted and doesn't move his body like he's taking steps. Combine with the first part it doesn't even feel like Percy's talking to Chiron, the centaur, but Chiron, the 8 foot guy from a lower budget project.

I'm kind of mixed on the fight scene by the river in ep 2. It was well done, well choreographed but I don't think Percy ever steps foot in the water until Annabeth pushes him. The whole point of the scene was to show Percy gets a power boost when he's in the water, that he goes from a 12 year old to superman when he touches it. In the show, he just starts to get good, kind of like Jackie Chan mixed with the first Matrix Neo. I think it's to show him as a natural swordsman, but I liked that it wasn't just him, but the powerboost he gets due to being a son of Poseidon not just a prodigy. It is somewhat mitigated by him already having Riptide, a blade that fits perfectly in his hands instead of a basic camp sword that would already feel awkward in his hands, but still, I would have preferred it like it was in the books. Also Clarisse's scream at the end wasn't great either, should have done another take. Screams are hard though so whatever but still felt cringy. Also also, the whole strategy was to put Percy on boarder patrol near the river specifically so he would have the same advantage he had in the bathroom, not just him guarding a random road on the battlefield and stumbling into the river. The strategy still works because the main goal is to draw Clarisse away due to her grudge against Percy, but it would have showed off Annabeth's strategy chops to have multiple reasons

This one is gonna be controversial because the Actress playing Annabeth is already getting a stupid amount of hate, but I do think they sand down her edges and slightly girl power her up when it isn't necessary. Annabeth is one of my favorite characters in the series, tied with Percy for first, but I like her flaws and all. I like how she stood aside when Percy and Clarisse have their first clash, and got covered in toilet water too, I like how she has a dumb little girl crush on Luke who views her like a little sister and is embarrassed to the point of blushing when he addresses her, I like how she interrogates a barely conscious Percy about something he has no idea happened. I just feel like by reducing her screen time and letting Luke show Percy around it lessens who she is as a character and sands down her edges in attempting to making her a 'girl boss.' Which brings me to the other part of the issue, Annabeth is a super smart badass and talented action girl, you don't really need to say it if you're not going to show it. She doesn't need to be shilled, the character should just be allowed to be. That's why Luke's comment about her being the best warrior in camp kind of rubbed me the wrong way. The line could have been something about she's only 12 and one of the best warriors int he camp already and I think it would have amounted to the same thing and kept things more grounded. I don't mind her being hailed as one of the smartest or best strategists, but maybe it's just me being an adult, it's weird to say a 12 year old is the best warrior in the camp where they train child soldiers. That being said, she's only been in one of the two eps, she'll have plenty of time to show off her other skills. And again I want to be clear, it is not a flaw of the Actress, it's a flaw of the writing that I hope they course correct as a book reader

--> PS to point 5 Unfortunately, TLT doesn't have that many fight scenes compared to the later books and while Annabeth is the brains behind the quest, I'm not sure if she's going to get a chance to show off her fighting prowess unless they change the books so from a book readers perspective it just feels like a tell not shown line

-> PSS to point 5. Also another small nitpick, kind of feels blasphemous as a percabeth shipper, but I think the 'you drool in your sleep,' line wasn't delivered in the proper area. when Annabeth is being Percy's sleep paralysis demon, she interrogates him over what's happening on Olympus and the solstice, it felt weird to her just standing there just to say the line. I think she should have said the line at the toilets when Percy mentions seeing her in the infirmary and asks if she's stalking him. I think changing some things around makes it feel more real and less like a line they had to say, but that's just me

Other than that, sure there are moments that made me cringe, but I'm also an adult and the show is for kids, it's fine. I think the series is great and it's only been 2 episodes, there's plenty of time to find their groove. They change stuff sure, but eh, I'm okay with most of it and even happy in some cases. Even if I'm criticizing I'll only mention it in my posts if I think the books genuinely did a scene better.

[blade-liger-4ever]

Just saw this last night, and HOO-BOY, I LOVED IT!

So, I won't really get into the plot, at least for now, because I just gotta get the cast talked about first.

The casting of Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief is perfect! Pierce Brosnen nailed Chiron, and I get the feeling he would have stolen more scenes if he'd had more screentime (the moment he said "Are you kidding? This is the best part", he became one of my favorite background characters.) The kid doing Percy made me really like the character; I never read the books until recently, and even then I skipped straight to the second arc where the Romans are involved, but even with this current book where Percy is a POV character, I did and do not care for him as much as Movie Percy. Kid was great, ten outta ten acting.

Annabeth struck me as far more interesting in the movie than the books. Heck, even before I read from her viewpoint she didn't interest me at all; in the movie, she's rather arrogant and snobbish, but it works in the character's favor and makes her far more compelling. The actress did great, and props to her for endearing Annabeth to me: that was a feat.

Grover was THE BEST of the trio, I will not take criticism. He protected Percy, took everything in stride, and figured out what they were dealing with on the fly easily - all without being Mr. Perfect and still being humorous (e.g. when they leave Medusa's severed and sunglasses-laden head in the hotel sink, Grover responds, "Guys, really? I cannot pee with her staring at me." Top notch comedy, I need more films with this actor.)

Sean Bean was good as Zeus. I don't have much to say about his part, honestly; he wasn't there much, but 1 he made Zeus tolerable, and 2 he had the most presence out of all the actors, with Kevin McKidd being a close, and I mean close, runner up.

Speaking of, Kevin McKidd, AKA Fenn Rau from Star Wars Rebels (and the big draw of this film for me), was. Absolutely. AWESOME.

And he only really had ten minutes in the film!

Seriously though, he played Poseidon so well. You could tell he was thousands of years old, still in his prime, and resisting every instinct to run over, hug Percy, and never let him go when they were within a hundred feet of each other. Even when all you could get from him in the movie was his voice, the care and urgency for his son's safety carried through beautifully.

The other actors - Hades, Persephone, the mortal actors in the background - they were all equally great. They made the characters likable, despicable, or somewhere in between. Bravo, people!

And then there's the second draw of this film for me: Jake Abel as Luke, son of Hermes, and the true lightning thief.

If there was ever anything that showed how much wasted potential the writers of Supernatural had when consistently throwing Jake Abel out the window after having him appear like six times in the show, this film was it.

He made Luke funny, likable, and mischievous, garnering the love of the audience, and then broke the hearts of those who liked him when he turned around and revealed he was an angry, hurt young man who wanted to overthrow the Olympians and take over in their stead in order to "right" their wrongs of being neglectful jerks (the only one who wasn't actually completely neglectful on purpose was Poseidon. My guy was trying his hardest to stay in touch with Percy and did everything he could to help him out.)

Jake Abel, I'm sincerely sorry you never got the next four films that should have come after Sea of Monsters, and even more sorry that you got so dissed in Supernatural. Consider this post of mine a letter of apology.

Okay, plot discussion time - well, at least the gushing of how it was handled.

So, setting up the whole war between the Olympians actually doesn't strike me as horribly handled. Yes yes, there's more "concrete" reasons for it in the book, but for the public who have never heard of these books, it's not all that farfetched. I mean, public opinion of Hades is always bad (I'm sorry Hades, you really don't deserve that rep), Poseidon doesn't particularly care for drama, and his mood tends to switch on a dime, and Zeus? Please, we all know how much of a jerk-butt he is. Be honest: Is it really all that hard to believe Zeus declaring war if his master bolt isn't returned in two weeks? And as for him jumping to the conclusion of Poseidon's son stealing it - just look at the opening scene of the film. The way Poseidon got physical that fast, and moments before was practically spitting venom at Zeus for banning him from seeing his son, it's no wonder Zeus thought Poseidon would've done something to make Percy steal it from him.

Now before you come at me, let me put it this way.

Think of yourself in Zeus' mindset. You're a capricious jerk, who won't take the blame, don't care for your offspring at all, and are constantly at odds with your brothers over power/territory struggles. Using your kid is gonna be as natural as breathing to you, so why wouldn't you assume your brothers would do the same? Hmm?

Now, the family and school drama was done excellently as well, especially that moment where one of the kids at the school grabs another and slams him against a locker while Percy and Grover make tracks. Gabe was perfectly detestable, and it was immensely satisfying to see Grover wallop his butt. The race to Camp Half-Blood was done well, although the Chevelle didn't deserve that fate (I will, however, accept the obvious fact that it only got dinged up and lost the hood. A modern day car would have exploded on impact with the ground and sent shrapnel everywhere.)

The scenes with the camp were good, especially how it was quickly yet subtly established that everyone there had lived there for some years and were already pros at combat and other physical activities. Hades' entrance was great, the progression across the country was well-paced, and Luke's help throughout was done neatly and in a manner where the audience only got a glimmer of resentment from him before the bolt was found in the shield.

Speaking of, the scene in the Underworld is severely underappreciated. The effects were grand, the acting well-done, and the positioning of the Underworld in Hollywood is genius on many levels.

The fight scene in Manhatten was good, though I confess Luke's aerial combat was a bit spotty at the beginning. Otherwise it was great, and the first show of Percy's powers was magnificent. No joke, that CGI and other effects are gonna hold up for another thousand years.

Olympus was beautiful, quite honestly, and I love 1 the sheer difference in scale they showed between the humans and the Olympians, and 2 how Poseidon "sheds" water to shrink and appear more normal. More effects that are spectacular and underrated.

The last scene - the return to camp and training - not much to say, other than that it felt really organic, natural, and beautiful. All in all, a great film that's unfairly hated on.

Okay, now for some personal gushing on my part.

So, I'm sure you guessed by now that I was here for Kevin McKidd, mostly because I knew him first in Star Wars Rebels. This is my first time watching him onscreen, but it was amazing and captivating on his part. Not only did he make me believe that he was the Greek god of the seas, but he made me feel Poseidon's pain of not being with Percy and his desire to connect with him, and he certainly made me believe that Poseidon would do anything in his power to help Percy, no matter what loophole abuse he had to commit lest raising Zeus' ire.

As for the dynamic itself, I'm so so happy.

I love how Poseidon risked so much to physically be at the museum while Percy was across the street from him, just to make sure that he could both warn Percy completely and see him in case something went wrong. And although it's a sore spot for the fans, I love how Chiron shows Percy his own little home at Camp Half-Blood, and outright states that Poseidon built it for him. Just Percy, no one else; that's like a father making a specific room for his son, and the fact that they allowed Poseidon to be shown to love Percy more than anything through little things like that is enough to make me burst in happiness.

I loved how Poseidon guided Percy to the water to heal him and give him a second wind in Capture the Flag, and that he woke up Percy and refused to let him be lulled back into the Lotus Eaters' trap until he was sure Percy was back to his senses and able to get out on his own. And when Percy's in the hall of Olympus, Poseidon is practically begging Zeus, his younger brother, to let him speak with Percy, because he knows a chance like this won't arise again for a while. And the sheer relief in his face when Zeus allows it, man, I could've died at that.

The talk between father and son, it was beautiful. It makes sense that Percy has some remaining resentment toward Poseidon for leaving, for not kicking out his stepfather, and the fact that Poseidon doesn't even hold it against him is wonderful. The moment he explains why he couldn't see Percy, and the second Percy realizes the law forbidding the Olympians from seeing their children had been passed because Poseidon loved him so much he was abandoning his duties is golden. And Poseidon telling him that he was always watching Percy and helping him as best he could, and how he promised to always be there for Percy, even in his thoughts and dreams - beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.

And the icing on the cake? You remember that I mentioned a training round at camp at the end? It's between Percy and Annabeth, and they're on a hill, but guess what can be seen below the hill?

The lake.

Where Poseidon can watch his son training, and has an easier time of making contact with him.

This movie is a masterpiece, and if you're not a fan of the books and have never seen it before, please, go give Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief a watch! You won't regret it!

[unoisveimved-un-proffesional]

Been actually thinking about "A Minecraft Movie" recently, and like every broke wannabe artist thinking about a million dollar piece of creatively bankrupt waste of space in the cultural consciousness, it's about how I would've made it. Because as cliché as it is, there's still some potential in what they're going for. (That's code for "It'd be better if it was entirely different")

I wouldn't even really scrap the uncanny realistic look, what I'd do is have the half the movie be Minecraft machinima, and the other half be live action actors in a realistic Minecraft set, and it switches between the two whenever the shot/pov changed or the camera passes by a conveniently placed hill to make a super cool transition shot. I wouldn't make it a movie though, I'd make it a series made up of longer episodes with an anthology episode between each of the main episodes, the odd numbered episodes not following the main plot but one of its own by a guest director and writer entirely animated, each one with a unique style, including claymation and Lego Stopmotion! The main plot would still have the set up of real people being transported to the Minecraft world, but the main character would be an avid Minecraft player when they were younger who stopped playing when they got older and hasn't found the time to get back into it, but is the character who's most familiar with the world, still forgetting some things because it's been a while. Steve would be there too, first appearing as the protagonist of a stand alone anthology episode before being shown briefly in one of the main episodes obscured in fog as a reference to the first and most famous Herobrine sighting. Any time Steve appears, if the shot is in Live Action, it immediately switched to machinima with no change in tone. Imagine a dimly lit horrifying scene of one of the characters being attacked by a well animated grotesque giant spider, and Steve rushes in to save them and you see how goofy it looks from that perspective, but the characters are still taking it 100% seriously. All the other machinima/la switches are done in mind with the tone, but Steve has it as just a solid rule independent of that. He could have a voice actor, but you never get to see what he looks like in the live action POV. Steve's standalone episode is of course entirely in machinima. I mean I guess you could just put the special episodes in their own series and have the movie be all the main plot episodes stuck together and shortened, but as you can tell, I don't do good writing short so I would probably have to just be a co-writer or have a team of editors keeping me in check, each one kinda defeating the purpose of this thought experiment right?

The best version of A Minecraft Movie wouldn't be made by me, but if I was to say what the best version of A Minecraft Movie could be, it'd be an artistic hybrid of machinima and LA/CG/PE (Live Action, Computer Generated, Practical Effects) with a cast that represents the demographics of people who may see this movie like it already has, but with the main character being part of the demographic of people who could get the most out of it, avid Minecraft fans who have now grown up. The way the world works or how they got there or what any of the odd happenings really mean would be left up to interpretation because as important as some elements can be for narrative or thematic reasons it doesn't have to have a textbook of lore and logic to explain why. (Did you hear they tried to make the Green and Blue text that appears in the end poem actual characters in one of the spin-off games? That's so stupid) The important part of the story would be the strong emotional core of the narrative and our characters would go through a personal journey in the medium of Minecraft, their trials in the Minecraft world reflecting in some way their trials in reality and they learn not just about Minecraft but themselves through Minecraft. It could feasibly be a story told through any world made up or inspired by something, but it's in Minecraft because Minecraft is special to our main character, in fact every character should have some kind of character based reason that makes it make sense thematically why they're taking this personal journey in Minecraft. Like have an older serious character who's long since buried their childish creativity, or a youngster who hasn't been able to get in touch with their childish creativity! You could with some time, thought, and effort find some reason to have a reasonably sized cast of characters make sense from a narrative point of view to have the Minecraft Experience thrust upon them by forces beyond their comprehension (the writers). That's what I'd want it to be if I wanted it to be good anyway.

And also just fucking pay C418 royalties and let the Minecraft soundtrack be present. Licensed music to a minimum and always diagetic.

[world0fmadness]

Hey, Vera! Have you ever played any Resident Evil game? If yes, what's your favorite?

I hope you have a nice day today! 🖤

୨୧ i haveee played some of the resident evil games! i’ve played the resident evil 2 remake and resident evil 4 remake as well as the original, the resident evil origins collection, resident evil biohazard and resident evil village as well as the shadows of rose dlc ^w^

my favourite would just have to be resident evil biohazard! gosh, i played that basically right after it released and just loved it… it is absolutely a quintessential, must play horror game in my own, humble opinion! to be honest, i kind of really prefer the ethan winter games in comparison to leon kennedy, jill valentine and all of the others but i could not quite tell you why that is… my brain just likes his story better for some reason!

but yeah, i just absolutely love love love resident evil biohazard for many reason though i will keep it a little short so that tumblr doesn’t crash whilst i write this response lolol! it tends to do that sometimes…

resident evil biohazard just works so so so well for me! it had me hooked from the second it started, i immediately wanted to know more about the disappearance of mia, the baker family and all of that good stuff! it really had me glued from the get-go with the eeriness, the obvious mystery and suspense… not to mention the beyond clear influences from classic horror films like the evil dead, texas chainsaw massacre and so on! it just felt like i was playing a cult classic horror film whilst exploring the baker house and slowly uncovering the story of what the hell has been happening! not to mention the general atmosphere of the baker house and the surrounding southern swamps, just plain creepy but so great too! i was damn near constantly checking over my shoulder and keeping my ammo supply up in numbers… there was a nice couple plot twists that kept things really interesting without forcing the story to be convoluted and messy, it never became a drag to play and understand

whilst i would not ever root for a movie adaptation because it would likely be done by the wrong people and turn out just… not very well done at all, i think resident evil biohazard has the most movie adaptation ability of all the games in the franchise! it already just feels like a damn good horror movie to play, let alone seeing it with real actors, set designs and such!

resident evil village was very good too but it did not take manage to first place away from resident evil biohazard, at least not for me… one thing that kept it below resident evil biohazard for me was the lack of screen time for the four lords! i mean, seriously… all four lords, as well as mother miranda, were so incredibly awesome with such amazing designs and lore and yet i feel like they were almost wasted… especially donna beneviento! gosh, i just wish we got to see more of her! she was my absolute favourite lord

to me, it felt like as soon as you reached the house belonging to the lord, or perhaps i should say the area, you would be there for about an hour and a half maximum, not seeing all that much of the lord themselves before being launched into a boss fight and having to kill them which just kind of sucked… some sections of resident evil village just feel slightly rushed to me because of that! but i still very much enjoyed my time playing it, both the world design and character designs were beyond gorgeous and i often want to replay it just to see castle dimitrescu once more…

so, yeah! i definitely enjoy all of the resident evil games but my absolute favourite would always have to be resident evil biohazard whilst all of the others fall below! not an all time favourite franchise for me but i always enjoy my time playing the games and i most certainly do not think they’re bad games at all! i will always recommend resident evil biohazard to people looking to get into horror games

thank youuu for the ask, anon! i will take any chance i get to talk about video games hehe <3

[lonelier-version-of-you]

Well. There was once a time I would have said it was impossible to waste another well-known actor who's on a show for a year and playing a really interesting character with an implied tragic backstory more than Holby did with Paul McGann as John Gaskell.

I take it back. Congratulations, Casualty has wasted Nigel Harman as Max Cristie more than Holby wasted Paul McGann as John. At least John Gaskell's exit was sad in a well-done-story way and had been built up to. This was sad in an infuriating way and has come out of nowhere.

I don't believe this is in character for Max at all. This is just horrible and cold, him walking out on Jodie again like this. Even if he believes she's better off without him, which is the kindest to Max interpretation of his behaviour I can think of... how can he believe walking out while she's still recovering is what's best for either of them?

Look. Max Cristie is not and never has been a good man. He's a volatile, selfdestructive, emotionally dysregulated mess with anger issues who makes other people's lives worse as well as his because he has a terrible sense of judgement about what he should or shouldn't do. He runs away when things get tough and is frightened of emotional intimacy. He has also been a terrible dad to Jodie.

But he was trying to get somewhere with her and cared about her in some sort of messed-up repressed way. Maybe not enough, maybe not the way he should have done, but in some way. And I don't believe he could have done this if he cared about Jodie in any way.

As I say, Max running away when things get hard is something we've seen in him before. More metaphorically than Henrik - who I always think to compare him to because I think they're very alike in personality - perhaps, and more metaphorically than he did tonight, but it's not unheard of. But this was just terribly handled.

This would have been cold and hard to believe coming from Henrik. From Max, it makes no sense at all.

It might've done something if we'd heard anything about him wanting to work elsewhere before. Even a few lines, from Dylan maybe - "Max, you never could settle down for long" or something like that - would have done a lot to establish that he can't be expected to stay. Similarly, maybe if Max's backstory had been explained at any point - instead of vague implications of some sort of traumatic or difficult past that are never explained - this might be more believable. It's not forgivable, but it could have been written in such a way as to be understandable. As it is? I can't even say it's that.

I mean, seriously, Max gets three scenes in his last ep? Three scenes and that's it? All because about 90% of the time was going to Faith and Iain drama that I do not care about. Argh. I already felt unwell with a headache today, I didn't need this too.

There's definitely not going to be any aftermath for Jodie either, is there? She should be devastated by this, realistically. She should really struggle to trust others after this. But I don't think any of that will happen. We'll be lucky if we get one scene of her saying she's sad about it after this week.

The Faith and Iain stuff just really upsets me. The way Faith behaves towards and about Natalia is awful to see and I'm tired of the show pretending Faith isn't abusive. And now Iain's being awful too. Natalia is a grown woman - a young one, yes, but a grown woman nonetheless (she's, what, 19-ish? 18 at the youngest) - and yet they talk down to her and patronise her constantly. She's struggling, and they're just seeing her as a "problem" to put up with. I can't stand it. Obviously her behaviour towards Iain was also out of line, but it's understandable why she's misreading him and I don't think the way he's reacting will do anything good for her. Though tbf he did already try to let her down gently, I suppose. Also, I relate to Nat a lot so I can't be 100% sure I'm coherent on this. I might be projecting too much.

It was nice for Jacob to get screentime, but he can't bond with Siobhan soon enough - I'm tired of him being Iain's life advice counsellor.

There were some great patient storylines tonight. It was nice to see Dylan in Dylan Disability Advocacy Keogh mode again, and I thought the story with Charlie's patients was handled very sensitively.

I'm so glad Charlie apologised to Stevie. She deserved it, and it was a lovely scene. For once, I agree with Charlie - Stevie is great and I hope to see her back soon.

Next week, we get Zoe Hanna back! Yay!

[world-smitten]

Kdrama misc.

Wedding Impossible: eps 1 & 2 are great, especially Jun Jung-seo as A-jeong, who gives her all into her craft even if the returns are so paltry. The first 2 eps build up the situation between her and Do-han into a fascinating hotbed of conflict, and I was onboard. Then ep 4 pissed away all that goodwill, in record speed. Why would A-jeong, who takes pride in acting, let Ji-han publicly woo her in Busan when she’s supposed to be his brother’s fiancé? And why was Do-han sectioned away in the story, prevented from knowing this? Ji-Han jerking around A-jeong, A-jeong letting him do it, it all felt old-school, and I don’t mean that as a compliment. And Moon Sang-min still needs another year playing supporting roles so he can build up a deck of facial expressions. Will watch a couple more eps, just in case it gets better.

Queen of Tears: I’ve already talked a lot about this one. Technically, everything is well done, but man, I don’t care for that romance. The drama is at its best and most sincere when it’s being funny, and despite being oddly underused, the supporting cast are really holding everything together. I don’t get why you would create a world where Kwak Dong-yeon and Lee Joo-bin are a couple and not talk more about that. I want to see more of everyone that isn’t Hyun-woo. But I’m obsessed with how good Kim Ji-won is.

The red sleeve: So brilliant, even when it’s bad lol. I’m a Junho stan til I die, and Lee Se-young is a very dear addition to my ever growing list of favourite actresses. The script is delicious. Eps 8 & 9 are like, really bad though. Awful. What a waste of Court Lady Jo’s character, and a gorgeous Park Ji-young performance. It’s a choice to make a group of women who, verbatim, “want to choose their own king”, look like deviants. But between spoilers & reading about Consort Ui, it looks like the story is still going to come to the same conclusion as those women - that the monarchy are parasitic (even those that are good faith actors), extorting mental & physical labour from an underclass of powerless women. Makes no sense to suddenly go, “but these ladies took it too far!!” Lol, be serious. But taking them seriously might’ve complicated how we see Deok-im’s unwavering certainty in Yi-san’s ability to rule. Each time she throws herself into the line of fire for him, I get a little sad. Love her and Yi-san tho. Now, that’s romance.

[couldthisbetrue]

Let’s Talk About...

I've never been so... Undecided about my feelings for a tv show 😂... I've been going back and forth between 'I liked it' and 'I didn't like it' for the past 2 - 3 weeks, until I realised that actually what I was feeling was underwhelmed.

  Ever since I started writing this review/thought post I’ve tried so hard to justify/explain away the shortcomings in Şahmaran to myself (that’s how much I wanted to like the show 😂) unfortunately me being me, I couldn’t ignore them no matter how hard I tried.

   I had/have been looking forward to Şahmaran since before we even had a solid storyline (since the only name attached to the tv show was Serenay's. I kid you not, it has been (at the very least) a year. So you can guess just how high my expectations for Şahmaran were (and they only got higher and higher as time went on with further news about casting/storyline etc).

On the surface it had everything to make it really good - a strong cast, main leads that looked like they would be  🔥 together and a strong, interesting storyline to match everything else it had going for it. Unfortunately, Şahmaran was also let down by all of the things I just mentioned. How so? Well, let me count the ways...

(Apologies in advance for the length of this post 🤣...)

  The cast/characters

  Probably one of the first things I learned about the show (after the fact that it would be about a shape-shifting snake) was about who was going to be part of it.

   I cannot explain my level of excitement on seeing Serenay back on tv after (what was it,) eight years or so? And that too in a show with such a unique premise? I was all like

As if that wasn't enough, Netflix announced that Burak Deniz had been cast as Maran. Call me superficial but two gorgeous people on-screen together, more importantly two that we hadn't seen paired together before? Sign me up! I was looking forward to seeing how the both of them would play off each other on the show.

   They're both brilliant actors so when I saw how their potential was being wasted on Şahmaran I was heartbroken. Oh don't get me wrong, the chemistry and the s**ual tension was there and it was 🔥 BUT I feel like their (non-intimate) scenes together were lacking the emotional depth that would've taken them to a whole other level, as it was though their scenes felt a little empty to me but I think that that had more to do with the depth/emotion missing from the storyline rather than anything else (because I’ve seen both Burak and Serenay (separately) in other shows and trust me, they have no problem bringing it).

  The supporting cast… First of all, let me just say I think it's a real shame that more people aren't talking about the supporting cast and their performance(s) in the show; from  Mustafa Uğurlu to Mahir Günşiray, Şahmaran is full of actors and characters that aren't getting the credit they deserve (in my opinion), Mustafa Uğurlu and Mahir Günşiray are legends of Turkish tv and it shows in their performances, the finesse with which Mustafa Uğurlu played Davut was brilliant, even when I didn't want to keep watching/fast-forwarded my way through episodes (because it was DRAGGING on) I kept watching and would even stop fast-forwarding on his scenes, Şahsu's grandfather's pain was almost palpable thanks to the way that Mustafa Uğurlu portrayed the character. And Mahir Günşiray as the slightly eccentric father but also with an air of seriousness (someone who’s used to being revered and respected) about him? I LOVED IT. Only he could've pulled off that character the way that he did I think.

  I can't talk about supporting characters and not mention the characters of Medine and her husband. On the face of it, I was left thinking (at least at first), 'What was the need for these two characters?' but once I finished watching it and went over my thoughts about the show, I realised that actually theirs was one of the most (quietly) beautiful relationships on the show, even with the lack of screen time they were given. I'm looking forward to seeing where their storyline ends up in Season 2.

   Mert Ramazan Demir - The first time I watched anything featuring him was Yalı Çapkını and I'm glad to see that they didn't change his character in Şahmaran to completely match that of his character Ferit in Yalı Çapkını (with how popular the character of Ferit has become with audiences, I actually thought they might) I liked seeing this more serious side of him, yaay for not type-casting! 

I make this next point specifically because of the 'The only reason Mert Ramazan Demir was included in promotional interviews/marketing for Şahmaran was because Netflix wanted to capitalise on Yalı Çapkını's success’ comments floating around, and as much as it pains me to say this - after actually seeing the show - I have to say I agree. As much as I’m all for Mert Ramazan living his best life (and getting ALL the success), going off the storyline, it would have made more sense for them to have Mustafa Uğurlu (Şahsu's grandfather) in the promo pics rather than Mert Ramazan Demir. I mean the guy’s even mentioned in the description for the show:

"When Şahsu goes to Adana for a lecture, it’s the perfect chance to face her estranged grandfather."

That seems like a pretty important character – and one that should be featured in promo photoshoots with the main characters – don't you think?

   In all honesty? I think all of the supporting characters I've mentioned and those of Bike, Diba and Hare (Maran’s sisters) are what made the unwatchable/boring parts of the show watchable. We need more of them all in Season two please writers.

   The Storyline

  I think that 95% of the problems with Şahmaran (or that Şahmaran had) could have been avoided/would not have been present if the script/storyline had been stronger than it was.

   Let me start off with pacing, you can have the best script/storyline in the world but if the pacing is off? It can spoil everything - and that's what happened in the case of Şahmaran - except Şahmaran, unfortunately didn't have the best script/storyline to begin with, but more on that later.

  Getting back to pacing, it was REALLY slow (at least for me). In a show about shape-shifter snakes, I expected a much faster pace than the one we got. Some viewers have said "Oh well, slow-burn relationship between Şahsu and Maran = the reason for the show’s slow pacing" but that argument doesn't work because you can have the best slow-burn relationship without it (the slow pacing) leaking in to the rest of the show.

   I tried to justify/explain away the pacing issues saying that maybe the reason for the slow-pacing was because they were really going for/playing in to the sleepy, rural, town feel for where Şahsu's grandfather lives hence the deliberate slowness, and okay let's say that's the reason why but then by that same logic shouldn't it have picked up once Şahsu got there? (Because her inadvertently shaking things up was the entire premise of the show) but nope it stayed the same. And again, I think that was because there wasn't enough substance in the overall storyline (so they dragged out whatever they could and ended up affecting the overall pacing of the show).

   There was no sense of urgency in scenes that felt (and were being acted) like they should have had it but that was just one of the many areas where the storyline was lacking to be honest. The majority of each episode felt like a filler episode/full of filler content with maybe one or two scenes (in each episode) that actually took the story just a teeny bit forward each time.

  The issue with pacing could have all been fixed (I think) if only the writers had looked towards the myth/folklore that the tv show was based on for help with more story ideas for their script. I mean you had/have a plethora of (different countries) takes on the legend of Şahmaran to pick and choose bits from, so why not pull from those? Actually, even if they didn't do that, from what I've heard, if they took more inspiration just from the Turkish version of the myth they would have had plenty to make the show REALLY good/something to talk about instead of this bland (for want of a better word) version that we were given.

The tv show was apparently based on this book which maybe explains the constant anti-climactic feel of the episodes and ultimately of the show itself (because sometimes what looks good on the page doesn’t translate well to screen due to time constraints etc) saying that though, I haven't read the book so I can’t speak to how true of an adaptation the tv show actually is of the book, but if following the book is the reason for the problems in the storyline then the responsibility was on the directors, producers and writers of the show and whoever else was in charge of taking the book to screen to make sure that what we saw was both as accurate as possible (to it’s source material) whilst also keeping it exciting enough to keep viewers interested.

I mean as a reader myself, I feel that readers and fans (of any book that is adapted for the screen) don’t want to see a word for word or scene-to-scene adaptation of every single thing exactly the way it was in the book otherwise they would’ve just re-read the book itself right?

  I talked (earlier) a little about how there was no emotional depth to any of Şahsu and Maran's interactions (aside from the intimate scenes) and I think that has more to do with the writers opting for the tell instead show angle when it came to their scenes together. There's a lot of talk about how hard Maran finds it to stay away from Şahsu especially seeing as they're destined to be together etc etc you get the picture but that's all it was - talk. I would have liked to see that struggle translated on to the screen, like-wise show me Şahsu struggling with her attraction to Maran and with the strange goings on in the town instead of just telling me about it.

  It's a shame really, there was so much potential there (if only the writers had been able to get a good balance between the storyline and the mythology it was based on) but it was all wasted and in turn, I feel like Burak and Serenay's talent was wasted too, they didn't get to show the full scope of their acting, and if I'm being completely honest, ended up coming off almost emotionless and cardboard-like in their performances at times (I've seen them both in other shows before and they were really good, so I don’t really know what went wrong here except maybe it was nervouseness or something, stemming from them not having worked together before? Or having to do intimate scenes together without having gotten (the time) to know or get comfortable with each other beforehand?)

   I've gotta say though the emotion really came through for me in the scene between Şahsu and Maran just before the season finished (not the one right at the end but the one just before it where Maran is asking Şahsu to listen to him, for those of you who have watched Şahmaran - and for those of you who haven't, I tried to be as little spoiler-y as possible 😉)

  Something smells Twilight-esque

  According to an entertainment website, the author of the book that Şahmaran was adapted from has previously said (apparently) that she took inspiration from Twilight when writing it (as her children were fans of it). I read about that before I started the show so I knew there may be some similarities to it, I wasn't prepared for just how much some scenes would remind me of Twilight though...

These three scenes stood out to me specifically:

  1) That scene of Maran joining his family at the town festival and them all walking in slowly together - it was very reminiscent of this one from Twilight.

   2)  The Maran - Şahsu - Cihan of it all was very similar to Edward, Bella and Jacob's love triangle, actually the love angle less so, but the animosity that Cihan has for Maran (I'm trying to be as un-spoilery as possible but 😕) definitely gave me Jacob and Edward vibes - especially when you factor in that Mert Ramazan Demir looks a lot like Taylor Lautner/Jacob from certain angles (at least to me and I’ve only noticed it in Şahmaran so far and only during certain scenes). I don't know if the casting directors cast the character of Cihan/Mert Ramazan with that in mind but

3) Maran's siblings' abilities matching those of Nikki Reed and Ashley Green's characters' from Twilight - this one was pointed out by someone else, it's been a LONG time since I watched Twilight so I can't really say for certain if they do or not.

  Overall thoughts

   There will be a Season two apparently (they finished filming it a couple of months ago) so maybe the bulk of the story/mythology is reserved for that season and this one was meant to serve as more of an introduction to the characters/mythology of Şahmaran? I don’t know, I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Also, I think I have an idea of who will be playing the lady on the marble (again trying to be as less spoiler-y as I can be but

at not being able to/not wanting to spoil it) and its gonna get GOOD and twist-y next season! (at least it will if I'm right in what I'm thinking for the storyline ahead).

  Before I finish up this post, a special mention to the colour scheme used in the show and the almost spooky-like ambience/atmosphere they managed to create - that (and that kind of feel) was what I wanted more of in the show itself, it was all spot on, I really liked it. Oh and I hope we get to see more of Maran's sisters - with their own storyline's (independent of Şahsu and Maran's) in the next season.

I will (hopefully) be watching season two because despite everything I still see potential there and I want to see where the writers go with it (especially seeing as how season one finished). Here’s hoping the next season makes up for what season one lacked.

NOTE: Although inspiration has (apparently) been taken for the show from Twilight, Şahmaran is not intended/recommended for a younger audience due to scenes of a sexual nature

[changingplumbob]

Villareal Household: Chapter 3, Part 4

Devin and Luna visit their doctor, before Devin plays a doctor in her guest star role on Residency of the Heart.

Luna: Thank you for having an after hours clinic

Dr: Well babies never stick to work hours so why should we. Will your wife be joining us?

Luna: Oh she's already in the office, we're so excited

Dr: Glad to hear it. Always helps when both parents are in sync Luna: Pretty sure our hearts beat in sync

Dr: Lie down and we can start the ultrasound

Devin: This is so exciting

Dr: Before we get started are you wanting to know the sex?

Luna: Yes please Dr. We're already thinking of too many names. It would be nice to narrow our selection

Devin: If only by half

Dr: I know what you mean

Devin: You don't let paparazzi in here do you?

Dr: Rest assured Mrs Villareal, all your records will be kept private and confidential

Luna: It would be nice to tell people ourselves

Dr: Now you know your baby will be an individual right? What sex appears on the ultrasound will not necessarily fit

Devin: We're part of the queer community, we get it

Luna: He's just being thorough schatz

Dr: The gel will be cold but you shouldn't have any pain. What trimester are you?

Luna: First trimester. Will you be able to find-

Dr: Don't worry, I've been doing this for a long time, just relax back for a sec

Dr: There we are. Now this machine can be buggy but I can see both of your boys. Congratulations, you're having twins

Devin: Twins?

Luna: Boys?

Devin: Will they be identical?

Dr: This technology can't tell unfortunately but you'll know when they get here

Luna: And they look okay? The right size?

Dr: Development looks normal for both. Now, have you thought about your birth plan?

Devin: We were busy just trying to get pregnant

Dr: No problem, take our information booklets and consider the options. Call us when you have an idea and we can get the ball rolling

Luna: Thank you

Dr: Happy to help

At breakfast the next morning the couple start to narrow down name ideas.

Devin: I would like a nod to some of the great artists in film

Luna: Such as

Devin: Cary, James, Clark, Alfred

Luna: I veto James, I knew a bad James

Devin: What names are in your head

Luna: Some literary names of course

Devin: Not Heathcliff

Luna: How about Edward

Devin: Not like Cullen right

Luna: No, like Rochester. Or we could pick a name from Narnia like Edmund

Devin: Didn't he fall for the white witch's trap?

Luna: He redeemed himself. Or there's Diggory, Caspian, Rilian

Devin: Puddleglum

Luna: OMG imagine

Luna: I'm craving something sweet

Devin: Pancakes aren't sweet

Luna: Blame the boys

Devin: Okay let's go

Luna: Go where

Devin: There's a small sweet shop by the park

The pair fetch some sweets for Luna but upon arriving home Luna is hit by nausea. Guess 7am chocolate cake isn't always the best idea?

9am sharp Devin reports to the studio for her guest role on Residency of the Heart. Once again it appears multiple groups are using the stages. Devin wastes no time getting into hair, makeup and costume as soon as she can. It appears they're not a requirement anymore but Devin takes her craft seriously.

All dressed up Devin goes to practice her lines with Anaya. Devin was paying extra attention to the hospital staff during the ultrasound appointment. TV drama may not be reality but Devin wants to do her best at appearing as a serious character instead of plain comic relief for the other actors.

Before filming starts Devin checks on Connor. Good thing she did as he is feeling very uncomfortable. Devin takes time to reassure him the blonde looks fine and that the audience won't think less of him for not sticking to his natural colour. A pep talk seems to be just what the doctor ordered.

The first scenes to shoot are the patient ones. Anaya and Devin steady themselves before springing into action. The patient Anaya is playing seems to be trouble and tries to refuse lifesaving treatment. Luckily Devin manages to outwit her objections and the treatment is delivered just in time.

Next up are the romance scenes with Connor. He's shaken off his uncomfortableness and is a great acting partner. The script has Devin as the instigator of the romance so she channels her most charming self. At the end she and Connor grab a quick selfie to celebrate a job well done.

The studio becomes hushed as Devin gathers herself for her character's death scene. She takes a deep breath, thinking of how she would feel to die before seeing her babies, and the guilt at leaving Luna alone. As she falls to the ground and waits to hear cut she is sure she hears a few sniffles.

Norah: CUT

Devin: Phew

Norah: That's a wrap everyone

Devin: Did I do okay?

Norah: You were a star today Devin, everyone was impressed

Devin: Thanks, good luck with the editing

When Devin arrives home she's on a high from a job well done. She decides to do a house expansion for Luna and their boys.

Devin takes care of some chores and works on upgrading the showers so they will break less often. Luna arrives home feeling super confident, as she should. Luna has been promoted and decides to go down the professor path. She loves learning and this feels like the best way to carry on.

Luna: What happened to our house

Devin: I expanded, we couldn't exactly fit twins before

Luna: Aww, look at our wedding photos

Devin: Are you crying

Luna: I'm hormonal okay

Devin: Understood. Do you like it

Luna: You gonna give me the tour

Devin: First stop is the bedroom

Luna: *giggles*

Devin: You have the vacation days

Luna: I know but I just got promoted

Devin: Exactly, they'll expect you to have time to celebrate

Luna: You know I'm a workaholic

Devin: But a baby shower would be a great chance to see everyone, we haven't seen your brothers since before Jacques died

Luna: Right

Luna: Hi, yes this is Mrs Villareal. I will need someone to cover my lecture tomorrow

Devin: Yes!

Luna: Yes the notes are all prepared and colour coded. Right in the middle of my desk.

Devin: You're so damn smart Lu

Luna: Shh! No, no, not you. You've been a great help. Thank you. Yes I'll rest up.

That evening Devin works on adding mobiles to the cribs while Luna stress bakes.

Devin: What are you making

Luna: Marshmallow squares, we need enough food for tomorrow

Devin: I don't think eating is a requirement for baby showers

Luna: I'm always hungry at the moment so how could it hurt?

The pair settle on the spare bed and Luna begins to read to the twins inside her

Devin: Lu the book is upside down

Luna: I know that and you know that but you don't have to tell them

Devin: *chuckles*

Luna: Once upon a time there was a mall dinosaur

Devin: Small

Luna: Right, upside down reading here

The women work their way through the book, taking turns to read aloud to their boys

Luna: They're going to love the voices you use

Devin: I hope so, they will be my harshest critics

Luna: They'll love you, hear that boys! You'll love your mama

Devin: *giggles* Their mummy needs sleep

Luna: I do I do

Previous Part ... Next Part

[armando-triplepapito]

I read that there's a rumor that Zarick León will play Armando's lawyer which makes me wonder so many things 🥴 Also, I don't know why it brothers me that neither Betty nor Armando are wearing glasses on the new pictures. This was such a signature for their characters. Dude, I also thought they would have more kids, I think the new writers got lazy and didn't want to add more children to the story. It seems like Camila will be the typical rich spoiled daughter from what I've seen.

I'm trying to be hopeful that it will really pay homage to Fernando Gaitán's legacy, but also trying to be realistic about the fact that sometimes actors just want to get their paychecks even though we envision them as having a lot of fondness for their characters.

Maybe it's because I saw how much of a mess Pasión de Gavilanes 2 was and how they ruined all the main couples' marriages even if they did not dare to break them up for good and had them reconcile, and to think that all the actors were on board to continue the story like that, it doesn't give me high hopes for Betty's new series 😭 Happy to be proven wrong though. Sorry for this nonsensical rant, just needed to vent about everything I'm seeing.

That’s weird why would he need a lawyer?! And now that I think about it someone did mention how a lawyer will be involved. Also, I heard a rumor that Camila will have a fake love interest who will try to steal Ecomoda’s designs so that might be a reason why a lawyer should be involved? But that still wouldn’t make sense why Armando himself would need a lawyer 🤔 I swear if they even bring up the thought of a divorce imma riot!

YYEEESS!!! Armando and Betty not wearing glasses REALLY bothers me!! They’re not them without their glasses! Betty looked so adorable with hers and I liked how she had sort of a habit to readjust them when she was nervous. Armando is NOT the same without his glasses!!! Someone mentioned how Armando would remove his glasses when he was being vulnerable (a scene that comes to mind is his and Betty’s first night). This is something that always brought so much tenderness to me cause I feel like he would mostly remove his glasses when he was with Betty🤧 another scene that comes to mind is when he was exposed to the junta. Baby boy looked so sad and vulnerable 😭

Removing Betty’s and Armando’s glasses is off to a bad start😾

In my head B&A had at least three children so when I heard that they only had one child I was devastated! I feel like Armando would’ve loved to have as many kids as he can with Betty. I would’ve LOVED to see how they would’ve raised a boy! You think if they had a son he would’ve end up being a womanizer like Armando? Or be a momma’s boy and be respectful to women because of Betty’s influence? Ahh I’m so sad they only had one seriously! The writers are definitely lazy! Or at least not thinking things through? Idk I would’ve loved more children being included instead of adding random people like Sandra’s gf or that new girl that seems like she’ll be part of the cuartel. Tho it seems like the new sequel will only have 20-30 episodes so ig it makes sense they won’t have time for more characters 🙄 tho I am salty that their doing that dumb side plot with Camila getting tricked by a guy just for her designs. I just feel like they’re wasting time with that😑

Yea you can already tell that Camila is gonna be brat🗿. She also seems like she’s a daddy’s girl so maybe Armando spoiled her too much but then what about Betty? Did she not do anything to prevent having a spoiled child? I’m really curious how Betty’s and Camila’s relationship is gonna be like. Definitely not good since Betty always looks concerned when Camila is around. Idk I have a feeling that I’m not gonna like Camila😬 also someone mentioned that Camila and Marcela will have a good relationship and idk how I feel about that, especially since I don’t really like Marcela as a person but I’m hoping her personality did a 180 or something.

Honestly I doubt they’ll pay homage Fernando Gaitan’s legacy, they’re definitely doing it for the money😞 well for the writers at least, I hope it’s not the same for the actors and I do have a bit of hope for some of the actors. Tho I have to admit AMO and JEA kinda disappointed me during one of their interviews. They were asked if they feel pressured for the new sequel and they both said no that they feel relaxed or something like that. Idk why this comment bothered me maybe because I’m dramatic but when I don’t feel pressured to do well in a “job” it’s because I don’t care for the outcome I’m just doing it because I have to. So in my head I feel like they returned because they only feel a sense of obligation. It doesn’t help that I saw another interview from the past and they mentioned how they did feel pressured because they wanted to do a good job on portraying their characters well. Ik that everyone experience pressure in different ways but I just hope that the cast actually care about their characters and speak up to the writers if they feel like something is off. One thing I liked about the filming in ysblf is that the cast did had the privilege to voice out their opinions and share their ideas!

I’ve actually never watched Pasión de Gavilanes but I did hear that they didn’t get good reviews and that some of the actors from that series are gonna appear on the ysblf sequel. And yea I’m scared! Like how you said if the actors were on board in working on a series with a bad storyline then I’m kinda scared for the new sequel (they for sure are in it for the money -_-). Either ways I have low hopes for the new sequel. Ever since I heard that they’re going with the amnesia plot I kinda lost interest for the plot itself 😬 I’m only looking forward to B&A’s interactions, I’m really hoping for some nice steamy kiss scenes ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

No need to apologize!! I love it when people rant to me, it warms my heart🥰 tho the problem is that I go on a rant myself 💀🤣

[flowervolcano]

I know I have seemed anti Antonia Dreykov but it’s not like that at all. I just get mad that she wasn’t a well written and fleshed out character and I hope for some new things for her.

Originally I thought ooh he could be Marvel’s first trans character, have Tony transition to male that way “look he’s a male” and I’d really be down for this idea

But if not, idc we could do a female Taskmaster, just let her have spunk, energy, charisma, let her get her own personality anything that isn’t all drama filled. She deserved better than that.

So I want some things for her, which is; figuring herself out, after years of being silenced I want her to be a mouthy little troll like her comic counterpart, she uses the “my father silenced me my whole life now I’m making it your problem” excuse whenever someone on Thunderbolts gets annoyed with her excessive banter/talking. She has so much she missed out on, she could be like a little socially awkward at first but then really just kicks it off. Maybe she picks up skateboarding randomly just because she saw someone do it. I want her to reclaim some humanity and personality. All things she was dismissed from having. Let her thrive and grow into a real person. I’m afraid they will just keep blandly writing her with no soul and she’s only “I was a weapon” like Bucky, Yelena and Ghost weren’t. (Not all of them are as moody but you get the point)

Then I also really want them to utilize her powers more, explain that the chip in her head is actually just because her father is a control freak and was limiting her to a program. That the powers don’t have to be computer functional. Idk taking away a super hero skill like that sucks imo and that was one of my major complaints when it first came out

BRING BACK THE CAPE PLEASE!!!

The main reason I’m upset with the “reveal” was mainly because Taskmaster’s identity never mattered to him, he was a just a dude who loves his skull mask and refuses to take it off so when she took off the mask in the movie it felt jarring (not because she was a woman btw) but because it felt so not like Taskmaster to do so. I didn’t care who was going to play Taskmaster as long as the actor kept the mask on 90% of the time. It’s kinda not fair to such a great actress though, which added to my distraught feeling. It felt like so many good things and potential was wasted. Because no I feel like her identity is more important than her skull mask (rip) but that’s a simplistic argument

Instead it would have been devious if she wasn’t actually Dreykov’s daughter but staging that to get under Black Widow’s skin (I say this because the timeline makes no sense in 2008 Antonia was around the ages of 7-10 which I would be around the same age as her, and she does NOT pass for 16-20 years old, let me remind y’all that BW was set in the year 2016, so if she was let’s say born in 2000 (like me) by the time it’s 2016 she would only be 16. So that is still making the least amount of sense in direction of writing. If honestly would have been better if instead of trying to connect her in that way, sure go with “victim” but not if the timeline makes no sense. Sorry I’m rambling a little it’s just I take my timelines very seriously and can’t stand when the math ain’t adding up.) ignoring the mess up in the time line I just didn’t like the needing to be related to someone to hurt Black Widow, and having her only exist like a pawn was upsetting for me. And the character as a whole.

Instead she could have just been anyone who was being abused. Maybe Dreykov found her and her unique abilities and abused that to his will and forced her to work for him. She could have been in the explosion but not related to him even, but he uses that event against her. “I saved you and made you what you are, you are in debt to me” or even worse the old “I took you in when you had no one, I’m the only one who would care about you now” obviously he’s a gross manipulative old man who had no regard for women. But there was so much to work with to make him even more evil and disgusting. He never cared who anyone was even his own daughter yikes— while I like the idea to a point it didn’t quite work in the long run and execution. But we can work around that! Let Antonia shit talk him constantly after he’s dead. It would be funny. Let Antonia be lazy too. I think she deserves to kick back and annoy people a little. I just want to see her healing and I’m trying to morph her into the little bastard Tony Masters any way I can.

She can really be an interestingly complex character, she could only be in it for money like Tony usually is, and that works, some people are just like that. Maybe she feels like she has nothing else in life (because she doesn’t) so money is the only thing that makes her happy. Besides this absolutely works for the name change to Toni Masters, who would want to keep the Dreykov surname??

All in all I had much to write about but started ranting and losing my process. What I really think is most important is letting her be a character, a unique one. Just because she’s gone through traumatic events doesn’t mean she has to be a brooding, serious, depressed character, let her be goofy and whatever because she went through a lot and this is how she copes!

Just let her own it and be a fresh take, something free from everyone. She doesn’t need her dad, sympathy, pity, Black Widow, nobody she is her own hero. And she just wants to do some shots at a bar because why not.

Oh and finally, let her date Ghost/Ava. I think they’d have a wonderful chemistry together.

[emonthlynews]

Liam Neeson’s Confession: Why He Thought a “Taken” Scene is Cheesy

In his lengthy and illustrious acting career, Liam Neeson has portrayed a number of iconic roles, but Bryan Mills, the former CIA agent with a unique set of skills in the 2008 action thriller Taken, may be his most well-known performance.

Even Neeson, who played the lead role in the movie, admits that he was taken aback by the movie’s enormous success and the character’s immortal phone call speech.

“I certainly did sound scary, but I thought it was corny,” Neeson recently said in an interview with Vanity Fair. “It was a cornball. I really did feel that. It’s nice to be proven wrong.”

For those who may not be aware, the speech in question occurs toward the end of the movie, when Mills is on the phone with the kidnappers who have taken his daughter. In a now-famous monologue, he threatens the kidnappers and vows to track them down and kill them if they do not immediately release his daughter. He does this in a cool, collected manner.

Despite the speech being a fan favorite, Neeson has frequently stated over the years that he never expected it to be taken seriously, much less turn into a memorable movie moment.

He acknowledged in a 2012 interview with Empire Magazine that he had to be persuaded to give the speech with conviction by director Pierre Morel because he initially thought it was “just plain old-fashioned cheese.”

Read also: Elizabeth Banks Confirms Interest in Directing “Cocaine Shark” with Two Key Conditions

Successful Corniness

Even though Taken inspired two sequels in 2012 and 2014, Neeson admitted to Entertainment Weekly in 2020 that he had no confidence in the film’s box office success.

“I thought, ‘Well, this is going to go straight-to-video. A short little European thriller, it might play okay for a couple weeks in France and then it will go straight-to-video,'” he recounted at the time. 

“But Fox took it and they very cleverly did a good trailer and put it during various sporting events around the country and they made it a real success. I remember the first weekend it came in at No. 3, and then it came up to No. 2 and then No. 1, and then it went down to No. 4, and it came up to No. 3 again. It just had this extraordinary cycle.” 

But as it turns out, Neeson’s initial misgivings about the speech were unfounded. Audiences were immediately drawn to his tough yet vulnerable portrayal of Mills, and the phone call speech quickly became a cultural touchstone, inspiring countless parodies and homages in the years since the film’s release.

Although Neeson found some parts of Taken a bit cheesy, he had a great time filming the movie and appreciated the opportunities it brought to his career.

“I had no idea that it would lead onto other films and other action scripts,” Neeson said in an interview with EW in 2019. “They started sending me action scripts and you’d see ‘Leading man, age 37’ crossed out and ‘late 40s, early 50s’ written in instead. I feel very privileged, and a little bit guilty. I’m having fight scenes with guys half my age and I just can’t stop laughing.”

Taken: A Legend

Part of the speech’s appeal lies in its simplicity and straightforwardness. Mills doesn’t waste time with flowery language or grandstanding; he simply tells the kidnappers what they need to hear in order to get his daughter back. 

And Neeson’s understated delivery only adds to the power of the moment, as he conveys a quiet intensity that makes it clear he is not to be trifled with.

In the years since Taken became a surprise hit, Neeson has reprised his role as Bryan Mills in two sequels and continued to play tough-as-nails characters in films like The Grey and Non-Stop. But for many fans, it is his turn as Mills in the original Taken that remains his most iconic performance, thanks in no small part to that unforgettable phone call speech.

In 2008, a little action movie called Taken hit theaters, starring veteran actor Liam Neeson as a retired CIA agent on a mission to rescue his daughter who was kidnapped by human traffickers. Little did Neeson know that the film, which he initially thought would tank at the box office, would go on to become a fan favorite and a cultural phenomenon.

With Pierre Morel as director and Luc Besson and Robert Mark Kamen as writers, Taken follows the story of Bryan Mills (Neeson), a former government operative who is forced to use his “particular set of skills” to save his daughter Kim (Maggie Grace) from being sold into sexual slavery while on a trip to Paris...Read More

Read also: Unpacking the ‘Love Actually’ Storyline That Still Leaves Viewers Wondering: Sarah and Karl

Source: Entertainment Monthly News