#early season cinematography was good too

[kitkatwinchester]

OH COME ON MAN!!

I EVEN ASKED NICELY!!!

I said DON'T touch Ethan and Kali!!

And now I feel bad for saying you could kill Aiden, because he was super ready to defend Lydia and I'm sorry that I said I wouldn't care if he died, because I do.

I do care. I really really do.

So please heal.

Please don't be dead.

Somehow.

Magically.

Please be okay.

That said.

That WHOLE sequence, dude.

First of all, we f*cking stan Ethan so much.

That man literally took the initiative to come to our little pack for help so that his own pack wouldn't kill Derek.

Also, the way he grabbed Lydia and held her when Jennifer dropped in from the ceiling was so sweet. (Also side note: "I think he said he was going shopping?" We love you, Lydia. XD <3)

I love him so much.

SO HE BETTER NOT BE DEAD!

We also f*cking stan Aiden, because as much as he tried to deny it, he really does care about Lydia, and he was ready to fight his own semi-pack leader to protect her and I love him for that.

SO HE BETTER NOT BE DEAD!

And honestly, I just feel bad for Kali at this point. Even she didn't deserve that.

However, the WAY THAT WAS SHOT AND EDITED!

OMG!

With the glass being lifted off the ground.

And the hole in the ceiling highlighting the moon and the brewing storm.

The "I should've ripped your head off" right before the glass just shoots at her in shards.

And then my favorite part.

When that one glass shard shows the reflection of Ethan and Aiden finally forming into their big powerful Alpha.

Sooooo cool.

SOOOO well shot.

The cinematography in this show, I swear.

...except now I'm super terrified for Lydia, so that's freaking awesome.

Thanks for that.

In other news, Scott's dad can go to h*ll, please and thank you.

But I love all of the sass our three teens are throwing at him ("Mine are both dead"), because f*ck you, dude, we have bigger issues.

Way to get all of you out of there, Allison. We love you, girl. <3

In other other news, Stiles crashed into a tree and that's not okay.

WE'RE SUPPOSED TO WIN IN THIS EPISODE GOSH DARNAT!

Update: THEY ARE NOT DEAD THANK GOD!!

(I mean, as upsetting as this scene was, the filming of it was INCREDIBLE. I wanted a gif of the reflection, but I couldn't find one, so this will have to do.)

[lonelym00n]

Max Fox x Reader - Headcannons

this is for all the max fox girlies out there. if you're a mikey madison fan and haven't watched better things just for her, shame on u.

this is likely going to contain max snippets from every season, so don't read if you care about spoilers.

GO WATCH BETTER THINGS!! seriously it's a really good show about a single mother raising three daughters.

also, LOOK AT BABY MIKEY. LOOK AT HER.

Pre-relationship

when max isn't with paisley or her boyfriend of the week, she's with you

you're the most chill of all her friends so she hangs out with you mostly when she doesn't feel like causing her mom an aneurism

sam loves you more than max's other friends

you always thank her for her hospitality and do the dishes for her if she cooks when you're around

max's favorite thing about you is that she doesn't feel the need to worry about if you think she seems cool or not

you love watching old movies with max because she always has such thoughtful comments on the cinematography

you always arrive early to her band's gigs just so you can cheer her on from the front row

you are max's personal Lyft driver when you get your license (sam is thankful that the bill has gone down significantly)

How you catch feelings

you fall for max first

your feelings for her start when she begins opening up to you about her dad and how much her parent's divorce has affected her

she tells you about the jealousy she holds for how much she has to share her mom with her mom's job and her two sisters

she also opens up about how she has no clue what to do once she graduates

you tell her that sam loves her just as much as she did before her sisters were born and that there's no rush to decide what path she wants to choose post-graduation

you realize your feelings for max when she surprises you by playing your favorite song on the guitar

the smile she gave you after she finished playing made your heart leap into your throat

you knew you had it bad for her after that

Unrequited feelings

you're too much of a chicken to admit your feelings to max because you don't want to ruin your friendship

you are horrified when she starts dating the 34 year old man, you tell yourself that it's not because you're jealous, but because max is only 16 (it's definitely because you're jealous)

max cried on your shoulder when she learned her dad had stood her up on her graduation day

you threaten to train chewy to bite him for the next time he shows up to interrupt her life

she laughs and your heart skips a beat at the sound

when max tells you about her decision to go to college in Chicago, you try not to cry (let's pretend you chose to go to college somewhere in LA)

you do cry when you drop her and sam off at the airport on their way to Chicago (cry is putting it lightly, you full on sobbed into max's shirt)

Other people notice your feelings

with max off at college, you have a hard time figuring out what to do with yourself when you aren't attending classes

you take to moping around the fox's house

frankie is the first to catch onto your feelings for max, after seeing you sniffle pitifully into a carton of ice cream for the third weekend in a row, they figured you must've loved max more than you let on

frankie doesn't say anything to you about their realization, concluding that you probably hadn't yet registered that you harbored more than friendly thoughts for max

sam doesn't question why she keeps finding you fast asleep on her living room couch, so she remains none the wiser about your love for her daughter

when max calls you crying one night and tells you about how she doesn't think college is right for her, it takes everything in your willpower not to encourage her to hop on the next flight back to LA

you tell her she has to make the decision on her own but that you will wholeheartedly support her either way

when she does return, you don't even hide how ecstatic you are

the pain of hiding your feelings for her does return, but it's nothing compared to how heartbroken you felt while she was away

when she starts dating olivier, you feel more depressed than you do jealous

max notices your more frequent sad moods and her heart pangs dejectedly whenever she asks if you're okay and you brush her off

you feel lost and decide to confide in rich about your love for max, you always thought he was such a good second dad to her

he isn't fully surprised at your feelings for the other girl, having sensed that something more was likely going on between you two

he's so happy that you decided to tell him and offers you words of advice that he had picked up from being in similar situations to yours

from that moment on, he's silently rooting for you and max to get together

Max realizes her feelings for you

with her new love for photography, she innocently invited both you and paisley to model for an idea that she wanted to shoot

paisley agrees excitedly while you agree with more reluctance

the pictures with paisley turn out great

when it's your turn, max is in utter awe at how gently your beauty comes across in the photos

you fit the image she had wanted to capture so perfectly and as she continues to photograph you, her heart thumps wildly in her chest

the slow groundbreaking realization of the love she so deeply holds for you creeps up her spine

she pushes you away the next week and the week after that, filled with panic

now that she has figured out how she feels about you, she knows she'll never be able to hide it from you

you feel hurt that max is avoiding you, but you figure it's because she's spending more time with her boyfriend (max didn't tell you that she had broken up with him directly after the photoshoot)

max tells rich about her feelings for you and he only just barely manages to hide his joy at the news

he reassures her there's nothing wrong with the way she feels about you and that her family would accept and support her regardless

after a week of gathering up her nerve (and a third week of avoiding you), she reveals her feelings for you to sam

sam is shocked but reassures max that she is so happy and proud

when max falls asleep for the night, sam rushes to frankie's room for advice on ways that she could be there for max

Confession

one morning, frankie urges max to confess to you

needless to say, max is pissed at sam for telling frankie

a big fight starts between the three of them (max upset with sam for telling frankie, sam mad at frankie for telling max that she had told them about it, and frankie yelling at max to just tell you how she felt)

you, completely fed up with being avoided by max, stomp into the fox household to give the girl a piece of your mind

the fighting comes to a halt when you walk in the door, frankie and sam quickly scurry away

just as you're about to speak, max gently grabs your arm and tugs you outside with her

she shushes all your attempts to talk and apologies for avoiding you

she looks nervous and so uncharacteristically max as she takes your hand in hers

when she tells you she was avoiding you because she realized she was in love with you, you nearly forget how to breathe

she looks at you so worriedly while she waits for your response

when you tell her you feel the same, her eyes crinkle in happiness

max leans closer and the two of you share a soft kiss

max lovers you better cause some commotion in the comments!! she needs more love and I won't be silent about it anymore!

[t-mblr-begone]

HI I JUST FINISHED TNG AND AM AUTISTIC I NEED TO TALK (warning long ass post, ramblings)

Q in his stupid fucking judge outfit???? Oh my god i love him so much?? And like?? I dont even think he wanted to put picard on trial at the end he says it was the continuums orders so did he even want to do that too him? Who knows!! We do know hes gay as shit though oh my god. I love him.

The past, the Encounter At Farpoint, picard yelling for Q on the bridge and everyone probably thinking hes insane. Picard not telling any of them whats going on, even though it doesnt affect the other timelines. Tasha Yar???? Hi Tasha!!!!!! Worf with his old sash, the old uniforms, the shitty dress deanna wore in the first episode (it slayed), data being. So autistic. Liek actually hold on can i talk about tha

This episode, with all its converging timelines, really shows how data grows- not just as a character just in general, as the years go by on the ship, he starts understanding idioms, somewhat. He. He gets more human. He really does. His movements more fluid, hes smarter. He really does grow, something about his neural net constantly evolving or something. Oh my god.

The shitty future?? Worf liking Deanna Romantically Cannon??? Riker was still holding on to the relationship this whole time?? (I never noticed really. Im. Autistic.) PICARD AND CRUSHER GOT MARRIED. And then divorced BUT STILL. Picard back on earth?? Tending to what i can only assume to be grape plants or something, like his brother. Data teaches at Cambridge. He has grey hair, thinks it makes him more distinguished. Geordi has eyes! Like in two different timelines he has eyes.

Thats another thing actually, like i could have sworn at least in the earlier seasons, he didnt want. Eyes? I thought?? But like. It seems like a minor Thing, cause it showed up in that one Riker Gets Kidnapped By A Child Alien Because Its Lonely episode. And again here, and probably other places i can't remember because ive consumed all of tng in 2 months.

The present. I dont have shit to say about that actually. It sure is season 7.

OH MY GOD THE BEGINNING OF THW EPISODE BEFORE Q REAVEALS HIMSELF?? How we dont know if he Is travelling through time or if hes Going Senile. The cuts?? I mean the cuts through the whole episode is so good the cinematography in general!!!! Oh my god. The close ups, the panning, THE ACTING?? TASHA YAR??? EARLY WORF? OLD WORF? I like worf. GEORDI? DATA???? love brett spiner.

And i mean who remembers the judge scene from the first episode at this point? The foreshadowing with the jury(?)/audience(?) i didnt even. Realize until they put Picard on the stand again.

DEANNA BEING FUCKING DEAD IN THE FUTURE HELLO?????????????

Oh my god but the end scene. The end shot of the poker game? Imagine seeing the future, all your friends, drifted apart, tense at each other with worf and riker. Seeing that. And then coming back to reality, to Your Time. And seeing your friends as they are right then. Why didnt picard join them for poker?

No like actually. Did. Did he have a reason for that? Some like, weird captain thing? Or like. Some weird barrier wall thing? Thing where he feels like he should isolate himself.

But the point is, he joins his friends for some poker, i dont think he had probably played poker in years. Its just. Amazing.

You know. I think this is one of the first times ive seen her again and not cried, which is progress because every other time it was. Not great.

But now that tngs over

Hey does tumblr have a word limit? We're about to find out.

But now that tngs over, theres still a lot i have to ask. Like why the fuck did they do that to wesley? Do we see wesley again? Is still dont know who b-4 is. Whats Ro doing now? Is she good? Do we see her again? Does she know kira? Do ro and kira meet? Probably not actually. Itd probably be cool though. Do worf and deanna get married? Please. I ne- oh wait no they cant bc worf has a thing with jadzia at some point. What the fuck is up with worf and jadzia? And also where is alexander now? When does worf join ds9? Probably season 3 idk. Or Barclay? Cheif o'brien? Cause the show ran concurrently for a bit. WHY DONR WORF AND DEANNA GET MARRIED THEYRE LIKE PERFECT???? What the fuck is that guy with the ears damar? Gamar? I think its damar? Idk. Why he look like that? IS RO GOING TO DIE??

Oh hey i get to meet sisko, hes cool. He gets like visions or some shit. Q doesnt like him i think "picard never hit me ):" "im not picard."

Q and Quark. Odo and Q. Do we get to see the cunty judge outfit again? Why does he have a mustache when hes boxing sisko or whatever?

OH I GET TO SEE FUCK ASS DUKAT THEOW DARTS AT HIM EVIL. Fun.

Okay yeah im done

[preseriesdean]

Talk to me about s2 supremacy. Spare no details.

thank you for asking and allowing me to gush 💕

maybe most importantly: it still has that early seasons 2000s vibe with flip phones and tape decks and newspaper articles and wide angle shots and americana and grainy film and desaturated colors and grittiness and loose layered working class clothing and shitty motels and grungy bars and this rough edge to everything

another main point is that it finds the perfect balance between monster of the week episodes and a season-encompassing story/myth arc by generally combining the two when necessary, unlike some of the later seasons

an overarching theme is the morality of hunting and whether or not truly every “monster” is really evil or deserves to die: “what if we killed things that didn't deserve killing?” (bloodlust, the usual suspects, croatoan, hunted, born under a bad sign, roadkill, heart) which plays into my next point

the pacing of the season works really well to set up everything about the season finale: sam's storyline with simon said, croatoan, hunted, born under a bad sign; and dean selling his soul, first through john’s deal with azazel, then with children shouldn't play with dead things (“what's dead should stay dead” / “when someone's gone they should stay gone. you don't mess with that kind of stuff”) and crossroad blues (“i think you did it for yourself. so you wouldn’t have to live without her”) and somewhat in croatoan where he's ready to die with sam

literally every single episode is a certified banger in my opinion. i can only think of 2 episodes that didn’t hit the mark too well for me personally but every other one i could rewatch endlessly, and those two still objectively have merit within the framework of the show/season

i won’t talk about each and every ep, but specifically the entirety of playthings, one of the most, if not THE quintessential, gothic episodes of the show. immaculate vibes.

the usual suspects, which shows how well sam and dean work together without even being in the same room and just how generally Weird they can be to outsiders, as well as continuing the theme of “demons i get / people are crazy” which was first set up in s1

as well as the entirety of what is and what should never be. no further explanation necessary i think.

also sam and dean look really nice

cinematography is on. point. the entire time. these shots alone from 2.09 and 2.04. museum worthy.

sam and dean’s relationship is just. sublime. “we were just starting to be brothers again” (2.01) – “he's the only one who gets to call me [sammy]” (2.03) – “you make a move on him, you'll be dead before you hit the ground” (2.09) – “if i ever turn into something that i'm not you have to kill me” (2.11) – “i can't, i'd rather die” (2.14) – “i thought it was supposed to, to be this perfect fantasy” / “it wasn't” / “we never went hunting and you and me just never, uh... you know” (2.20) – “i had to look out for you. that's my job” / “and what do you think my job is?” (2.22)

without taking the focus off the brothers as its core or feeling suffocating, s2 introduces more recurring supporting characters (bobby... kind of, as a rollover from the s1 finale; jo, ellen, ash, gabriel, victor henriksen, gordon walker) and expands on the monster lore, lending some depth to the spn universe before it begins to really ramp up with heaven and hell etc. from s3 onwards

the music was so good, too, although that’s true for other seasons as well. from ‘bad moon rising’ playing on the radio after the car crash in 2.01 and ending with ‘don’t look back’ in 2.22 and everything inbetween; dean singing along to ‘can’t fight this feeling’ in 2.05, ‘hellhound on my trail’ in 2.08, ‘renegade’ in 2.12, ‘back on the road again’ in 2.14, ‘house of the rising sun’ in 2.16, ‘silent lucidity’ in 2.17, ‘rooster’ in 2.19, ‘americana’ playing during sam’s death etc.

they just... did not hold back in all hell breaks loose part 1. earth shattering.

season 2 is funny (hollywood babylon, “maybe the spirits are trying to shut down the movie cause they think it sucks”) and heartbreaking (all hell breaks loose) and silly (tall tales) and deep (what is and what should never be) and philosophical (houses of the holy) and tragic (heart) and creepy (croatoan and pretty much all the rest) and intelligent (the usual suspects) and beautiful to me 💛

[ilvero-love]

Save Lockwood & Co

Lockwood and Co has become my latest obsession😍 So much so that it has once again inspired me to turn to Tumblr to deal with my need to microanalyse every second of it. And why not? It’s certainly worth doing so.

I only found Lockwood and Co through the Netflix show and despite being wary of Netflix’s propensity to cancel seemingly everything after just one season, I was hooked before they reached the front door of the opening scene. And it only got better.

For those of you that followed my thoughts on Miss Fisher, please consider watching Lockwood and Co🙏 The chemistry between the two characters is on the same level as Phryne and Jack, and whilst you may assume it’s just a teen show, it so isn’t.

The original source material, Johnathan Stroud’s book series is a wonderful tale, but in the hands of Joe Cornish and Complete Fiction, it’s taken to another level👌 

Masterful.

The show/story is so beautifully put together and, like MFMM, it’s greater than the sum of its parts. The lighting, the cinematography, the storyline, the acting all come together in a pretty much perfect story. 

Yes, I stand by that description. The care that has been taken by Complete Fiction in bringing this story to the screen, the attention to detail, continually amazes me. It is just too good 🤗

So, for any MFMM fans who are open to a similar vibe💕 (with a touch more danger thrown in), please give it a try. Like me, I think you’ll be hooked early on. It was the opening exchange between Lockwood and Lucy that really got me invested.

And if you’re concerned about starting a show that, at this stage, has no follow up season, rest assured the story arc is neatly wrapped up. It’s only when you’re so hungry for more and you devour the books, that you realise this is a brilliant story that just has to find its way back to our screens. I have hope that we will see it eventuate as there is an intelligent and dedicated group of people working to make that happen 👏

So please 🙏 join us in the delight that is Lockwood and Co 🤗💕

You won’t be sorry ⚔👻⚔

[microcomets]

can i ask for your thoughts on the netflix atla adaption? 👉👈 value ur opinion on media

aw, thank you!!! i admit i'm only halfway through watching s1, so my opinions may change as i reach the end of the season, but i can outline some of my thoughts so far!

pros:

overall, with a few exceptions, i think the casting so far is really solid. the asian and indigenous representation within the show is something they clearly took very seriously, and it shows! especially for a netflix show, that's something really groundbreaking and important and refreshing to see; and obviously a huge improvement on past whitewashed adaptations. overall, i think most of the effects are good, despite some weird cinematography choices — there are a handful of moments where the CGI looks particularly egregious, but overall, the bending and choreo look COOL. the opening scene of the pilot had me by the throat, even as it made very clear what a different kind of adaptation this would be. overall, i tend not to be too fussy about an adaptation altering things from originals to make more sense in different formats (with caveats, as i'll mention in the cons lol), so i wasn't mad about the way they've fused some of the storylines to make it flow better in a 60-minute format. (although i do question bringing in s2 stories so early, such as the secret tunnel.) there have been some moments where they've either built out character relationships (like zuko and iroh) or brought in supplementary canon from korra and the comics, which i have also enjoyed as a huge fan of the original. there are a few additions that i've really loved and had fun with — zuko's dream journal, for one, lmao, and his and aang's street fight in omashu.

cons:

honestly, my biggest gripe so far has been the alterations to characterization and character motivation. the cast and crew were sort of smugly talking about removing misogyny from the original and "updating" it, which is ironic because i think the live action is actually more sexist in many ways.

my BIGGEST disappointment has been katara, with no shade to the actor. this is one of the characters who means the most to me from the original, and the character that has hands-down been the least recognizable in natla. her fire, her temper, her unruliness, and her bossiness — all to say, her human traits — have been completely sanitized, presumably to avoid drawing any kind of criticism that she's "annoying." her anger is quite literally what kickstarts the entire show: katara losing her temper with sokka cracks open the iceberg that releases aang. katara's anger is, in a lot of ways, an outlet not only for her sense of injustice in the world, but also an outlet for coping with 1) immense colonial trauma and 2) the burden of being parentified. this, in my view, is IMPORTANT for young girls and particularly young girls of color to see — that anger doesn't have to be something you shy away from, but that you can embrace as a weapon of resistance. this anger is missing entirely, except in small snatches, from natla katara. the moments that make katara a flawed, interesting character — such as her stealing the waterbending scroll and getting jealous of aang's natural prowess — have been scrubbed completely. it is nearly impossible, at this point, to imagine this version of katara bloodbending or taking vengeance for her mother in s3. i think the re-characterization is a big misstep, due more to poor writing than anything. even the agency of katara's bending is "unlocked" and coached by male characters like aang (ep 1) and jet (ep 3), when katara is supposed to be the one teaching aang!

the inversion of sokka and katara's relationship — that is to say, parentifying sokka and making katara more of a "little sister" figure — is also a huge misstep IMO, because it misses a lot of the characterization fundamental to katara's arcs in the original, and even her later conflicts with other characters like toph. in s3 in the original, sokka says when he pictures his mother, he can only picture katara's face — this is, again, a central aspect to their dynamic and to katara's character! my guess is that they removed katara's overmothering qualities to avoid accusations of being anti-feminist, but ironically, by not acknowledging that in-text the way the original does, it bakes misogyny unspokenly into the atla world rather than explicitly acknowledging and challenging it. to clarify again, i have NOT seen the end of the season yet — i am curious what they do with katara's confrontation with paku, which is one of the biggest grapplings with misogyny in the original text. but for me, removing katara's motherly qualities/parentification, and above all her unsavory traits, are not accomplishing anti-sexist work the way the writers think they're doing, but rather sanitizing the original's social commentary on gender altogether.

one of my biggest squicks thus far has been suki and sokka's relationship; i saw suki's characterization described by someone here as a farmer girl p*rn trope where a naive village waif looks to a man to show her the outside world, or w/e, and i hate that this is what they did to suki's character. they keep her warrior qualities, yes, but this is undercut for me by the cringe comphet romance tropes of making her a wide-eyed blushing virgin around sokka. the insta-romance in the original makes more sense to me, obviously because of the format, but because in the span of 20 minutes, suki has taught sokka what it is to respect and reevaluate his relationship with women and femininity. the writers bragged about removing this from the natla representation, so what we have now is that suki doesn't really teach sokka anything substantial about himself, other than some moves. rather, it's sokka teaching suki about what it is to be "worldly" and how to unlock carnal desires. tbh, i hate that! lol! but that's just my onion.

zuko has been one of the strongest and most well-acted characterizations by far, but i do have a gripe with how they shifted his primary motivation from regaining his honor to reclaiming the throne. zuko at his essence has never been a power-hungry character. his entire drive, as we are told exhaustively through both the show and memes of the original, is regaining his honor — which is also an important cultural trope for many japanese warrior characters (though others not me can speak far more in-depth to this). his search for lost honor is incredibly important, if not central, to his entire character arc, which is zuko discovering that his honor does not come by acknowledgement from his abusive family or even imperial power, but through his own integrity and ethical code. so to have him make several lines about rightfully regaining what's his, the throne, and to make that the primary point of contention between him and azula.....is a misunderstanding, again, of the crucial aspects of zuko's character.

my other nitpicks with the characters are smaller — i miss sokka's slapstick, which has been substituted with very dry humor (and i understand this makes more sense for live action). i am still on the fence about how i feel about making ozai and azula such central characters in s1; i understand why they felt this was necessary for live action, but having those two be shadow figures in the original s1 was a really cool narrative effect for not only establishing zuko initially as a villain within his own right, but for building narrative suspense as to the fire nation's motivations.

ultimately, there's just some secret x ingredient that's missing from the live action that the original nailed effortlessly — maybe it's the sense of fun and wonder? i haven't really had fun watching this adaptation; i'm more just spectating, like watching some pretty fireworks before i move on with my day. my opinion may change slightly, as i hear the show is stronger in the second half; i wouldn't even say it's a BAD adaptation, but overall i feel like it's just kinda....meh, and i still question why it needs to exist in the first place when there are some things that animation as a medium just does far better.

also i just want to point out that i find it extremely frustrating that this show leans very hard into showing the atrocities and Moral Evil of genocide in literally the first 20 minutes of episode 1 and that while netflix wants the virtue-signaling brownie points for that, they'll still continue to give giant paychecks and platforms to brazen zionists. because after this dies down, the stranger things promo cycle is going to start up.

[nereidprinc3ss]

not sure if you’ve already answered this but what’s your favorite season of criminal minds? & if u have one LOL what’s your very favorite episode? for me like it’s hard to explain but i feel like i don’t really notice the changes going by because it’s so gradual (unless a main character leaves or something) but then like i’ll be on season 10 or something and then come across a tiktok from s1 and just get hit with a wave of nostalgia like OMG DEREK USED TO HAVE HAIR. LMFAO or OMG remember when jj used to present the cases … or OMG the cinematography used to be like this etc etc like 😭 and then i start getting super nostalgic u know?? like i was watching the ep when gideon dies and all of a sudden when morgan and rossi started acting out like “ok i’m the unsub i came in this way and did this because of this etc etc etc” i got so much nostalgia again because i feel like they stopped doing that in later seasons 😭 like that was such a gideon era thing! i love some of the plot lines in the later seasons and i adore some of the new characters too but i do think pretty much every show declines in quality as time goes on even though again there’s lots of new plotlines that i just adore that weren’t there in the first few seasons but sometimes i get nostalgic for the quality of the first few seasons too 😭😭😭 so i always end up not being able to pick

sorry this turned into me rambling like a crazy person i’m not sure i explained my thoughts very well 😭😭😭😭😭 sorry again

i’ve been thinking about this too since i started my second rewatch LMAO the show really really severely declines in quality in every aspect, acting, writing, story, etc like it’s just not as good and it gets soo corny it’s a huge bummer!! my favorite episode is the one with the little girl who goes missing at the mall, i think it’s called seven seconds?? imo that’s one of the best done episodes in the entire show. that and 100 are fantastic in every way!! i think their best season streak was early to mid seasons, like 3-7. its just peak criminal minds vibes, before they lost the thread with all the characters, good stories, yk. and i also noticed that morgan stopped doing the “i’m the unsub” thing which was like his trademark! he’s introduced as the obsessional crimes expert and i feel like that really kinda tapers off and is never mentioned again!

[narnianwizard]

Halloween Film Frightstival Day 6: The Evil Dead (1981)

Okay so I’ve been wanting to watch the original Evil Dead for fucking ever and it’s finally on a streaming service (it’s on tubi rn) and during spooky season too!

I watched the 2013 one several years back when I was a horror wimp, but still enjoyed it as an early foray into the actually scary stuff (I specifically recall enjoying making fun of the characters for doing immensely stupid shit like opening and reading aloud from a cursed book that has warnings written all over it)

Okay I was gonna try and just watch instead of keeping track of a running commentary but 10 minutes in and I just noticed one of the characters is wearing a Michigan State sweatshirt, alma mater mention! It’s fitting cause MSU is haunted as shit (well so is the entire state in general but)

Ooh the creepy exterior shots looking through the windows are goood, in fact a lot of the cinematography was good, I liked the interesting uses of angles and zooms for unsettling atmosphere. There were even oblique angles which is one of the only things I remember from the film class I took in high school and that’s the only reason I mentioned it

~ This is movie is exactly why the woods are scary, if you’d shown me this as a child who was afraid of the woods and any suspiciously woods-ish groups of trees I would’ve shit bricks ~

They all have such old people midcentury names (random thought I had because I can’t watch movies like a normal person and have to constantly make fun of the characters)

The prosthetics and makeup are soo fucking good though (the fakeness of the gore kind of throws it off sometimes, but to some degree it’s what I would expect a Sumerian demon killing coeds to look like in real life)

I think it’s interesting that they subvert the final girl trope with the order of killings, I knew enough about the franchise going in to know that there wasn’t a final girl but to have them all go first was different. I guess with Ash as the main character there’s more implications of the difficulty he’d have killing them since he has a girlfriend and a sister there

I also found it the tiniest bit campy with the wild kind of silly things that happen and the disregard for physics vis-à-vis chopping a head off with a shovel

Okay and the stop motion, while useful for what they needed to do and executed well, is not the vibe imo (I’m not the most fond of stop motion in general but that application of it brought the scare factor down for me)

The ending scream into upbeat credits music was a vibe though, I love when they put peppy music at the end of horror movies it’s so silly

Anyway I very much enjoyed that, it’s my favorite era of horror movies and borders on my favorite subgenres, I think I might have held it to too high a standard while watching because it was lower budget than probably a lot of the other horror movies I like (I just looked it up and it had like half the budget of Friday the 13th) and taking that into account it seems like even more of an impressive film. I’d probably say that was my favorite so far this week, I’ll probably check out the sequels sometime 👍

[gaypeoplemusic]

my partner has introduced me to so much less well-known British TV over the years and here r some of my faves:

Inside number 9: a comedy/horror/genre-bending anthology series where every episode is completely different. It’s best watched by googling “best inside no 9 episodes” and going from there imo cause there are some absolute stinkers. People thought there would be a secret episode this season but it was actually entirely plausible given how Weird the show is.

Utopia: a brilliant dark comedy, sci-fi mystery series. Beautiful cinematography. Kind of a mix between Killing Eve and Fargo. Sadly cancelled too early but not forgotten. I think there was an American version that wasn’t as good.

Feel Good: a comedy about a stand up comedian (tumblr darling mae Martin!!!) and their relationship with an ostensibly straight woman. Excellent portrayal of addiction recovery. If you enjoyed any of the Mae Martin standup floating around tumblr you will love this I promise. I wish this was in every wlw TV rec list <3 it’s so so good and only two seasons!

Flowers: a dark comedy about a dysfunctional family. Olivia Colman’s in it!!

We Are Lady Parts: I’ve only seen the first episode so far but it’s a comedy about a Muslim female punk band. Super silly and funny so far and super underrated.

Chewing Gum: another comedy about a virgin brought up in a strict household who tries to explore her sexuality. She’s such a cringefail loser but very loveable. Michaela Coel’s breakout starring/writing role.

Sugar rush: a comedy-drama about two teenage girls in Brighton in the early noughties who have a classic bad-boy, good-girl relationship. Is it “good”? Not really. Is it fun? Yeah it is. It’s a product of it’s time for sure though

Peep Show: peep show

Misfits: a blatant Skins ripoff about kids doing community service before magical realism happens. It’s so fucking bad that it’s good (until it’s just bad again).

Some Girls: it’s the inbetweeners but with girls from south London. It’s definitely aged badly but everyone I knew was so obsessed with it when I was 13 so gets an honourary mention.

[dwellordream]

thoughts on TLOU episode 6

the episode definitely moved much much faster than i expected. i thought we’d have a full episode devoted just to reaching Jackson and exploring the community there before seeing ellie and joel leave again.

that said, i understand there’s only 3 episodes left in the season, and they will probably devote at least an episode and a half to the entire David-and-the-cannibals plot point. 

i initially thought they were going to tease joel having a heart attack or something, but it seemed like he genuinely had a panic attack after leaving the elderly couple’s home.

by the way, i think the couple were fun characters, though i wish we’d spent at least the first ten minutes of the episode with them, rather than just two. 

the shot of joel in the cave by the fire, and ellie outside watching the aurora borealis from the cliff was so visually stunning and an excellent example of how good the cinematography in this show is. a lot of post-apocalyptic TV (like the later seasons of TWD) don’t bother at all with being visually interesting beyond gore. 

it’s nice that they included ellie’s love of space and desire to be an astronaut exploring new horizons this early on, since it’s not really mentioned much in the first game.

ellie barking at someone who is clearly a young dina spying on her was really funny, as was tommy’s shock when he realizes that he’s been a communist for like five years now.  

the show adding the fact that tommy is going to be a father is a good change, i think, because it gives tommy more cause to deny joel’s request for help, as was the scene where joel spots a woman who looks uncannily like an older sarah, and her small daughter. had sarah lived, joel could easily have been a grandfather by now.

maria having a 3 year old son who died during the initial outbreak is heartwrenching. 

joel waiting to reveal to tommy that ellie was infected but never succumbed right after ellie goes to see a movie with hundreds of other people seemed perfectly calculated to give tommy a heart attack, lmao.

i do like that the show has been acknowledging joel’s age a lot more than the game ever did, and not just because it’s an actor on screen without any mocap animation. joel’s not as strong as he used to be, or as fast, or as quick-thinking. the reality is his health is likely going to deteriorate very fast after the life he’s led. 

cutting out the part where ellie flees from jackson to an abandoned house and instead having the confrontation just happen in the place they’re staying was the better option, because ellie seems too smart and perceptive to run off in a fit of temper at this point.

the monkey part really did give me a nice jump scare. 

joel getting stabbed was probably a lot easier to film than joel falling out a window while grappling a guy and being impaled on some rebar.

[star-mum]

TWD Pilot Live Star Reaction

.... how long did y’all think it’d take me to actually do this? Be honest !

ALRIGHT LETS GO !

I actually think I have watched the first episode of this before but it was lifetimes ago and all I remember is he wakes up from a coma well into the apocalypse

Fun fact: I was not gonna watch this today but as I was looking for a background show that wasn’t Community of B99 I stumbled upon this (I didn’t know it was still on netflix)

Fun fact 2: both my sister And my dad have watched a SHIT TON of this show, neither of them are caught up but they watched a good amount of seasons

Is that thing gonna explode? I just realized I don’t know WHY he’s in a coma/in the hospital

OH MY GOD THE HORSE !!! NO I REMEMBERED THE HORSE !!!! NOOOOO

Is this already apocalypse time? That’s too many abandoned cars

OOP- oh that dead woman is getting up from that fucking car my dude, I can feel it

Is my tv too low or does the pilot start intensely quiet?

A DEAD ZOMBIE CHILD !! .... i guess all zombies are dead huh

Oh my tv is very quiet hold on

DOES HE NOT WAKE UP IN A HOSPITAL ????

Jon Bernthal is in this ???? Does he die early on ? I feel like tumblr would Not let me ignore the presence of this man in this show

Rick (?) very pretty beautiful man, i know he’ll look like SO HOT with the beard but fresh faced like that he’s just Gorgeous

Oh no wife mention.... wonder who dies in the next scene ?

OH YEAH HE HAS A SON !!! I don’t think he dies early, I’ve seen that mop headed kid around here enough times

Cop 3: says something dumb

Rick: what I think Leon, is you gotta stay focused

🤭 alright damn

WERE THEY EVEN GOING FAST ENOUGH FOR THE CAR TO DO ALL THAT ????

OOOOHHH HE GETS SHOT !! That’s why he’s in coma !!

See if I didn’t know about the timeskip I would’ve been gagged at this scene with the flowers and the beard (that’s on cinematography babieee)

Why his tiddies just out like that? (Yes ik he got shot in the chest, cover them up slut)

Kinda insane the hospital is CRAWLING with zombies tbh, i mean it’s Fucked Up dont get me wrong but there should be so much more

ooooohhhh they’re locked up, okay MY BAD CARRY ON

NOT THE SCARY STAIRS IN THE DARK !!! NOOOOO !! i know zombie shit is automatically some type of horror but I didn’t expect this show to so Spooky Scary

This scene is here to remind me that I’d never want to survive in a zombie apocalypse, amount of flies alone is a no from me

Also sorry but this is an hour long pilot with the least amount of lines/dialogue in existence and it’s INCREDIBLY MOVING AND —> the director said cut and Andrew Lincoln heard Cunt

Lori ? Is his wife not dead ? OH is this the plot where the wife and bf stick together and end up in a relationship while he was gone ???? Isn’t there a plot like that in this show ????

A FATHER !!!! This kid is READY TO FIGHT sksksks good for him

I love when ZA media has their own silly little names for zombie

This man has a wedding ring on ;-; did him and his son watch his wife die ? They did 🤧

IS EVERY ACTOR IN THIS SHOW GONNA SERVE ABSOLUTE CUNT IN THESE EMOTIONAL SCENES ????

DAMN ! Reason 2 why I’d never want to survive in an apocalypse: NOT HOT WATER ??? NO SHOWERS ??? Could not be me, I’m not a camping girlie

If Dwayne dies I’ll commit arson

They’re both dying aren’t they ? Oh god the mom is gonna be upstairs isn’t she? At least inside the house somehow

I didn’t even have any smart ass comments that scene was just fucking sad (the mercy killing + dude trying to mercy kill his wife)

OOOOHHH HES HERE !!! BEST FRIEND JON BERNTHAL AINT DEAD YET !!

I think I remember that older guy in their group, I have a feeling he’s gonna be an asshole and betray us tragically

And I was right about the wife x best friend thing !!!!!

Again, that photo reveal would’ve left me gagged had I not Known

When does Negan show up? Just genuinely curious, I’m pretty sure he is The Worst Man in existence in this show

THE HOOOORSEEEE NOOOO !!! Actually cried a little bit, that scene is fucked up

*encourages Rick to shoot a guy sitting inches away from him* he did not think that one through, and neither did it

“Hey dumbass... yeah you in the tank” ... *very confused* is he hallucinating...?

*recognizes the voice and lets out a gasp* GLENN !!!!

.... I MUST SEE HIM ! GODDAMNIT ! Okay starting ep 2 please wish me luck not to stay up all night

Anyways this is always thank to and specially for my bestie, light of my life @tenpintsofsundrop

[lasenbyphoenix]

Tag someone you want to get to know better

I was tagged by @wuxia-vanlifer thank you!

Favourite Colour

Purple! (Also silver and green, but purple first and foremost)

Last Song

Last Movie

I saw an early release of A Haunting in Venice just last night! A story by Agatha Christie, a séance in a haunted house on Halloween, and a murder or two just to make things interesting. I loved the cinematography and the mood. Kenneth Branagh and Michelle Yeoh were great as Hercule Poirot and the medium he was trying to discredit. Tina Fey and Jamie Dornan were good in their roles too but I did find them too recognisable which distracted from their performances.

Currently Watching

2 weeks ago I binged 25 episodes of Mysterious Lotus Casebook in 2 days because it was so good, but I've actually gone back to rewatch it from the beginning at a slower pace so that I can really enjoy it. I'm back to about episode 17 I think.

I'm also halfway through Tale of the Nine Tailed 1938 which I started watching with my sister while we were waiting for her to go into labour. 6 weeks and a whole baby later, we're still trying to find a time to sit and continue it.

And for when my brain can't fully focus on subtitles and I need to watch something in English, I'm up to season 2 of The X Files. This is my first time watching and I'm really enjoying it. Scully and Mulder are just so good together!

Currently Reading

I'm not actively reading anything right now, I haven't picked up a book in about a year and I'm only reading short fics that I can finish quickly. I dont know if it's not having the brain space or the time, but I've really gotten out of the habit of sitting down with anything longer to read.

Currently Working On

Artwork for the WIP Bing Bang, a lovely angsty action FuBa fic by @tenillypo

Current Obsession

Being an uncle! But if my new nephew doesn't count, then it would have to be Mysterious Lotus Casebook.

Tagging @tazzy-ace @dual-domination @stupid-lemon-eater @scaredysap only if you want to!

[lemonhemlock]

GoT vs HotD?

it's too early to tell. when GoT was good, it was REALLY good, probably the best TV on air at the time. for all we criticize it, HotD is not /bad/, it just started off with a lot of potential and turned mediocre bc they failed to properly humanize & critique both sides. so instead of a compelling exploration into the darkness of the human psyche and the tragedy of hubris, it transformed into a basic woman-spurned-by-the-patriarchy storyline.

frustrating it may be, but HotD never reaches "bad pussy" lows. technically-speaking, i loved it. the cinematography (so many scenes are framed so beautifully, like paintings + the colours), the music slaps, the editing, the pacing, the way the dialogue is composed etc. these are all elements i loved about GoT, as well. i know we all have some issues with the time jumps, but i do appreciate the pacing of the show. compared to smth like oppenheimer or the diplomat (a random show i tried to watch lately), the scenes have room to grow and build and it doesn't feel like a rushed, irregular compilation of 10-second scenes stringed together

but it's still hard to judge an 8-season show vs an unfinished production with only one completed season.

[cauldronofmorning]

was supernatural a good show in the early seasons? like i’ve gathered from everything i’ve heard about the show that the later seasons were really bad. but were the early seasons like a season 1-4 game of thrones kinda thing where the first four seasons (and the books) were deeply misogynistic, but still written well (but then seasons 5-8 were utter garbage).

I have not watched Game of Thrones so I can’t speak to that comparison, but I really genuinely love s2 and s4 for having complete storylines, lots of subtext and gorgeous cinematography. S1 and s3 have a lot of good too, and s5 is kinda half and half. But yeah the misogyny starts out bad and just gets worse as the seasons go on.

[bakafox]

Animated critical role rambling- possible spoilers if you haven't seen S3 trailer or heard some of the hints being dropped at cons by the cast.

I for one actually am quite fine, even thrilled, with the idea that there will be edits made to LOVM and even M9 animated shows to deviate them a bit from the live play. There's definitely (bathtub) scenes I really hope to see in particular, but I just saw it's been teased that the LOVM trip to hell may dredge up some EXU: Calamity stuff and seriously I am for that.

I view it like the differences between book and movie- and also just... look, I want the main story beats, and also yeah the stories between all CR campaigns are intertwined in ways that weren't gonna be visible in C1 or C2 and I am absolutely FINE with throwing that stuff together early in the name of a smoother serial storytelling.

And there's absolutely stuff that happened in the live games I won't miss if it's left out, and if a few things I wish were in aren't (BATHTUB?) I won't be heartbroken. I just want a familiar-enough-that-my-anxiety-lets-me-watch-it fantasy story told in really damn good animation and LOVM, esp in S2, was delivering on that.

I think anyone who didn't go into seeing animated CR with the understanding that 1000's of hours of live play being condensed into a smoothly paced story that's comprehensible to people who've also never watched the live plays meant changes were going to happen were kind of just not thinking it through.

Especially when we're gonna have seasons of animation for TWO campaigns running in tandem, at that. And I would again, much rather there be tweaks to LOVM and M9 animated than have to wait for LOVM to be done with (hopefully) 5 or so seasons before stepping into M9.

Anyway I just saw a clip of a hint that LOVM going to Hell in S3 rather than fire plane may involve Xerxes from EXU:Calamity and I almost screamed. And I am not going to lie also if at some point Brennan Lee Mulligan voices Azmodius in animated I am going to completely lose my fucking mind and go fully feral because MY GOD his Azmodius was amazing.

PPPS-

Any followers of mine who like good animation and good fantasy and are OK with some toilet humor and bawdiness and some animated gore, if you haven't looked into Legend of Vox Machina, even if you never were into CR, I do still rec it? The first 2 episodes go a little buckwild with the bawdy and toilet humor and some puking to sort of I guess 'warn' what sort of show it is, but then stuff smooths out to what I at least feel is a very good balance of funny and heartfelt and gory. Ep 1-2 give a decent idea of the BASEST baseline of the characters and set up some plot stuff, and then ep 3 of S1 takes off, and S2 gets even better than S1 which already I loved.

The love of animation and anime as an art form held by the original cast and the animation studio is fully on display, the cinematography and camera work and fight scenes have some truly epic moments and they are NOT ashamed of their anime roots while still having a more western feel to things too.

And for people who like to go 'aaaargh' over how some modern shows seem to need to hold hands, LOVM doesn't. You may miss important plot ticks that are hinted at, or forget something you did notice earlier but there's just- massively important shit sometimes going on in just background conversations and little moments that seem almost throwaway or ignored that do Come Back.

Anyway I need more people I can enthuse with over this T_T I acknowledge I'm not as excited for Veilguard as many of my best friends and mutuals (I'm looking forward to it mind you) but in return most of them aren't as excited as me about this lololol.

[tocinephile]

Oscars 2024

Airing an hour earlier than usual on the day following daylight savings... does anyone else feeling like they're hurtling towards the Oscars?

My deep affection for awards season and devotion to this blog doesn't appear to be increasing. Changes to the latter may or may not be coming down the road. Suffice to say I'm here now with my scant award show thoughts.

All in all 2023 was a good year for cinema, save for a couple of major union strikes, and further dilution of Marvel stories. I saw every Best Picture nominee and there wasn't a bad one in the bunch. So I guess it is unfortunate that amongst a well-rounded list, the clear frontrunner is a story about US history and the white male at the centre of it. Also the year that the most beloved film about a female icon... didn't garner Best Actress and Best Director nominations for Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig. That said, I liked Oppenheimer, it was a fine cinematic achievement. Christopher Nolan remains one of my favourite directors and though this film wasn't my favourite amongst his repertoire, it was still an incredible piece of work.

To play favourites, Poor Things was the film I liked most. Additionally I am chuffed that Past Lives is also on the Best Picture list. The Zone of Interest really scarred me. Anatomy of a Fall left me guessing up to the end. Barbie gave me (and the entire world) all the feels. Killers of the Flower Moon didn't test my patience as much as I feared and I took a lot away from it. Maestro was a timely watch for me (I'd just finished listening to a podcast about Leonard Bernstein's life in New York). The Holdovers didn't move me as much as the majority of audiences but it was an intricate piece. American Fiction was refreshing and wholy enjoyable.

With that let's get to my predictions and additional thoughts:

For full list of the nominees: https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2024

Best Picture

Will win: Oppenheimer

Should win: Barbie

Actor in a Leading Role

Will win: Cillian Murphy

Should win: Cillian Murphy

Sidenote: no shade to Colman Domingo, but Rustin turned out to be one of those films that I had higher hopes for, that didn't wind up being very outstanding nor memorable.

Actress in a Leading Role

Will win: Lily Gladstone (but Emma Stone is on my official ballot)

Should win: Emma Stone

I actually had Emma Stone on my Oscar Ballot before Lily Gladstone emerged as the runaway train sweeping many of the award shows this season. There's no doubt she's phenomenal, especially as a newcomer. I thought not enough emphasis was placed on the transformation of Emma's character in Poor Things and how that fell entirely on her to portray. Sandra Huller also seemed like a shoo-in early on giving one of the best performances of the year. Carey Mulligan is my 2nd favourite performance though, I thought her performance was largely overlooked. Also she might have fared better in the Supporting Actress category.

Actor in a Supporting Role

Will win: Robert Downey Jr

Should win: Robert Downey Jr

Actress in a Supporting Role

Will win: Da'Vine Joy Randolph

Should win: Da'Vine Joy Randolph

Animated Feature Film

Will win: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Should win: The Boy and the Heron

(The latter is also the only film I've watched in the category)

Cinematography

Will win: Oppenheimer

Should win: Oppenheimer

Shout out to Killers of the Flower Moon too!

Costume Design

Will win: Poor Things/Barbie (Poor Things is the official pick on my ballot)

Should win: Poor Things... or Barbie

Directing

Will win: Christopher Nolan

Should win: Christopher Nolan

Shout out to Martin Scorsese too!

Documentary Feature

Will win: 20 Days in Mariupol

Should win: 20 Days in Mariupol

I didn't see a single one of the nominated films this year, it's rather shameful. The film I most wanted to see was 20 Days in Mariupol and I admit I passed on a couple of opportunities, shame on me. In fact I just made the decision right now that I'm going to make another charitable donation based on my oscar guesses... I will donate $1 for every correct guess and $3 for every incorrect guess to support the refuges of Ukraine.

Film Editing

Will win: Oppenheimer

Should win: Oppenheimer

I'm only leaning slightly towards Oppenheimer for this category as I actually found the earlier parts of the film made more confusing by the non-linear cuts. By the end the editing clearly differentiates itself from its competitors in this category.

International Feature Film

Will win: The Zone of Interest

Should win: The Zone of Interest

I know this film didn't capture 100% of its audience (what film does aside from Barbie?) but the juxtaposition and sound design stunned and incapacitated me. I don't know that I will ever want to see it again, but it has left its mark.

Make Up and Hairstyling

Will win: Maestro

Should win: Maestro

Music - Original Score

Will win: Oppenheimer

Should win: Oppenheimer

Music - Original Song

Will win: "What Was I Made For?" from Barbie

Should win: "What Was I Made For?" from Barbie

I'm a Billy Eilish fan but the performance I'm most excited for is "I'm Just Ken"!

Production Design

Will win: Poor Things

Should win: Poor Things

I didn't get around to seeing Napoleon, I'm sure it's a strong contender as well but Poor Things is most innovative in my opinion.

Sound

Will win: The Zone of Interest

Should win: The Zone of Interest

This category might just go to Oppenheimer as well though... but I hope not.

Visual Effects

Will win: I have no idea but I hope it's not Godzilla. Not because I don't respect the team that can bring a giant monster to life on screen but I don't want to encourage studios to keep making these movies. (My official pick is Mission Impossible)

Should win: Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One

Writing - Adapted Screenplay

Will win: American Fiction

Should win: Damn this is a stacked category, I would back any of these scripts! (the other nominees being: Barbie, Oppenheimer, Poor Things, and The Zone of Interest)

Writing - Original Screenplay

Will win: Anatomy of a Fall

Should win: Past Lives (ok, that's more of a "I want it to win"... but I really think it's 2nd amongst its fellow nominees in this category)

The following categories I wildly guessed at, not having seen most of the titles, so they do not follow the "Will win/Should win" format...

Live Action Short

Best guess: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar (which I did watch)

Documentary Short

Best guess: The Last Repair Shop

Animated Short

Best guess: War is Over! Inspired by the music of John and Yoko

I won't be live-tweeting this evening (if you think my interest in awards season and this blog has waned, that's doesn't even compare to X following the Elon Musk takeover!) but I'll endeavor to come back here with an update after the show. If you are part of one of the private Discord channels that I'm a part of, we will be chatting live on that platform. Enjoy the show!