#excellent cinematography & lighting

[thelighthouseandthekraken]

Everyone is firing on all cylinders on this one

[godsperfectwomanforreal]

Fuck just started watching Severance this shit is so well made what the fuck

[xoxochb]

— lost kitchen privileges ꣑ৎ‧₊˚.

warnings: none! pairing: husband! percy jackson x wife! reader a/n: okay here’s the very long awaited part two 🙏🏼🙏🏼

part one

“absolutely not.”

percy frowns. “that’s not fair.”

“not fair? well, I’m sorry, but you almost just burnt down my kitchen so I don’t exactly trust you.”

“your kitchen? this is our house, it’s our kitchen.”

“It was our kitchen until you lost your privileges about five minutes ago.” you point to the living room. “please exit the kitchen.”

“but what about— I’m hungry!” percy begins whining like a small child. you sigh and rub your face before ultimately crossing your arms.

“okay, find something to eat and then leave.”

his face lights up at this. swiftly, he takes your face between his hand and pecks your lips. “you’re my favorite wife ever, don’t forget that!”

and he runs off to the pantry. you shake your head and fix yourself a cup of coffee before going to find him. when you do— he’s sitting on the couch with a bowl of cereal and the television on.

“why are you watching children’s shows?” you inquire, placing your mug atop the coffee table and situating yourself on his lap, careful of the fruit loops he’s very ravenously eating (though the second you sit he puts them on the coffee table and wraps his arms around your hips).

“this is peak cinematography. it’s about this family of australian dogs and they’re blue and orange! but I hate that fuck ass poodle.” he ushers your gaze to the screen where there is indeed— a plethora of dogs talking with each other.

“okay…” you reach over and grab your cup, taking a long sip of it and placing it on your own lap.

“so, when am I allowed back in the kitchen?”

you think for a moment. “not until we get a new toaster. I’ll teach you how to properly use it and how to remove foil all the way.”

he averts his eyesight from the screen to you. “that’s not fair.”

“oh, the pain of it all! what ever shall you do?” you dramatize. he doesn’t find your show as excellent as you did, his attention returns to the television.

“you’re a mean wife.”

“you’re an idiot husband.”

you assume percy is aware he’s lost the argument. instead of fighting back, he very roughly presses his lips against yours. you make no objection to this.

[thealogie]

ok spoiler free wicked movie review for the three of you who said you want me to go see it early and tell you about it:

-Let's get the bad out of the way first because (surprisingly) I mostly have positive thoughts. Do you know when a movie is so dark you cannot see? This was the opposite. Multiple scenes/shots in this movie were so bright I could not see. One shot would be beautifully lit/colored and then the next would be completely washed out with bright overpowering lighting reminiscent of an influencer ring light. I am not even a cinematography snob but some of this was distractingly bad. There's so much money on screen. Let me see it?

-Similarly, Jon M Chu cutting frantically between different coverages/close-ups/wide shots was just not for me but tastes can vary on this. Someone would be doing beautiful choreo and suddenly we'd cut to a reaction shot or close-up in the middle of a mesmerizing choreo move. Bro, I was looking at that why did you cut away? "Singing in the Rain" was not shot like this, bro.

-Ok on to the positive, which was most things. Most important thing: the movie understood the story and the characters. I truly don't see anyone walking out of there being like "the movie didn't understand the characters or their relationship." In the same vein, I think the performances were out of this world, which was to be expected. But like, stunning. Chemistry, singing...all on point. And I say this as someone who is not an Ariana enjoyer at all.

-As you might expect, they added some dialogue/backstory to fill it out and make it feel like a movie. These additions were small and excellent and improved on the story every time, which is often not the case with an adaptation.

-The crowd i saw it with was NOT a "clap after every song" crowd AT ALL but we were all moved to applause after cynthia erivo's wizard and I. Truly, otherworldly.

-There was not enough lesbian subtext in the broadway show and there is not enough lesbian subtext in the movie but there was more lesbian subtext in the movie. Lots of tossing and turning on beds during "what is this feeling" and otherwise. A win.

-Really really minor spoiler: rip to glinda's yellow emerald city dress. You will be missed.

-Amazing use of special effects (which were used judiciously and well and not distracting) vs. practical effects (which were stunning and looked good).

-Dancing through life was so beautifully choreographed and performed. I'm gagged. I just wish I could have seen it better what with the bright lighting and the constant cutting to people's faces while my man J Bailey was doing stunning footwork. Again, Singing in the Rain would never do this.

[koreandragon]

@kdramaspace 2024 YEAR IN REVIEW | Cinematic Excellence | best cinematography or directing/director of 2024 Light shop (2024) dir. Kim Hee Won

[fierceyetflawed]

finished broadchurch season 1!!!

oh my god what a show right?!! I knew how beloved it was before getting into it and yet I'm only surprised at the sheer brilliance.

kept me on edge, kept me guessing but it was so much more than your basic cop drama. when the layers started coming off and we started seeing more and more about the townsfolk. it's fascinating how human minds work. the grey morals, the manipulation, the self justification and just how quickly one can cross that threshold and fall. it's all so complex and intriguing. the cinematography, the lighting and the camera work was so beautiful done. I'm just in awe. really beautifully made show.

david and olivia were excellent as always. loved the bickering and the bond hardy and miller shared. hadn't seen jodie in anything before this and oh my god I'm so impressed and in love with her performance! (makes me extremely excited to see her doctor when I come around to that)

can't wait to start s2 now <3

edit: finished S2!!!!!

[a34trgv2]

Why It Worked: Pacific Rim

Introduction: Pacific Rim is a 2013 science fiction monster action film directed by acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro. The film stars Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Day, Ron Perrlman, Robert Kazinsky, and Max Martini as Raleigh Becket, Marshall Stacker Pentecost, Mako Mori, Dr. Newton "Newt" Geiszler, Hannibal Chau, Chuck Hansen, and Hercules "Herc" Hansen respectfully. Distributed by Warner Bros. And produced by Legendary Pictures and Double Dare You Productions, the film premired on July 1, 2013, in Mexico City before being released worldwide on July 12 that same year. The film received positive reviews, with 72% of 294 reviews aggregated by Rotten Tomatoes being positive with an average rating of 6.6/10. The film was a modest box office success, grossing $411 million on a budget of $180-200 million. That said, it gained a cult following in the years since it's released and it even spawned a sequel, Pacific Rim: Uprising, in 2018 and an animated series, Pacific Rim: The Black, in 2021. I only recently got around to finally watching this film, and I wholeheartedly agree that this was a brilliantly made action film. For this post, we'll be looking into what made this film such a cult hit that continues to resonate with people to this day.

The Plot: Set in a world where kaiju attacks become as common as natural disasters, the world nations came together to build giant robots (called Jaegers) maned by 2 pilots to comebat these behemoths in epic battles. During one of these battles, Raleigh lost his brother, and the grief and trauma caused him to quit. But when Marshall Pentecost recruits him for one last mission to end the kaiju apocalypse, he must overcome his trauma to help save the world, while along the way help his co-pilot, Mako, overcome her own trauma. The story does a really good job getting us invested in this world with the cold opening of a kaiju attack on the Golden Gate Bridge and the subsequent attacks and fallout. The Jaegers become so successful at beating these monsters that the pilots become celebrities. The world building is handled very well with natural dialogue, genuine responses from the humans, and newsreels of the kaiju battles that unfold. This film also does a good job handling the themes of grief and PTSD and how they never really leave you, but there's always a light of hope. There's also a good amount of comedy thrown in to not make it all doom and gloom such as Newt's frantic nature and Chuck getting his but whooped by Raleigh for insulting Mako. Of course, the true highlight and main selling point of the film are the monster battles, and they more than delivered. The cinematography excellently captures the scale and intensity of these giants duking it out, the visual effects are very well crafted, and the score by Ramin Djawadi amplifies these scenes to a whole new level. The film could've just been robots versus monsters for 2 hours, but I'm happy to say there is, indeed, substance to the style.

Cast and Characters: This was a very well put together and well directed cast of characters. Everyone gives such honesty and urgency in their performance and sell every line of dialogue. Charlie Hunnam did a great job portraying Raleigh as a socially distant pilot who's still brave, smart, and clever. His co-pilot, Mako, is a very smart, cautious, and headstrong woman who has natural chemistry with Raleigh and is played brilliantly by Rinko Kikuchi. Idris Elba's Marshall Pentecost has got to be my favorite performance in the film. He has such a commanding presence and is the one who cares the most about saving the world. The more he appears, the more we sympathize with him as a character, and Idris Elba really captures that humanity really well. Charlie Day provides a good amount of funny comedy with his frantic nature as Newt with Burn Gorman's Herman Gottlieb being such a snarky foil to him. Ron Perrlman was such a delight to see Hannibal Chau, making him so charismatic and fearless. Robert Kazinsky makes for an enjoyable jerk character with Chuck that gets his comeuppance in a very funny way. Max Martini did a really good job portraying the seasoned and resourceful Herc. The cast did such a good job bringing these characters to life and kept me engaged, even in between the giant robot on monster battles.

Where It Falters: As good as the opening was, I thought it was a bit rushed. By that, I'm mean Raleigh's brother, Yancy, was killed almost as soon as he was introduced, which felt a bit too quick, in my opinion. I think showing more scenes with Raleigh and Yancy together would've helped add to the former's character development. If not a few more minutes in the beginning, then maybe in a flashback or 2. I just would like to know what Yancy was like before he inevitably bit the dust.

Conclusion: Pacific Rim certainly lives up to the hype surrounding it. With a very well told story, a great cast of memorable characters, excellent cinematography, incredible visuals, and a superb score, this film more than delivers on what it promised. My only regret was not seeing it sooner. If you haven't seen it yet, I highly recommend giving it a watch. This is especially true for die-hard kaiju and anime fans as this is basically the closest y'all will get to a live action Gundam movie. Thank you so much for reading, and I'll see you soon ;)

[wiltedprayers]

i know Bastogne is universally recognized as the Best band of brothers episode and listen, I get it and also agree in the sense that the story portrayed is the most interesting and overall it's incredibly well written. but I'd just like to point out the excellence that's episode 5, "Crossroads."

(Crossroads is the episode that focuses the most on Dick Winters — ep 1, 2, and later 10 also do but it's not as centralized as it is here — We follow Dick through an anachronistic series of events, and the episode ends with E company moving towards Bastogne. It's directed by Tom Hanks.)

I love this episode because of all the different creative choices it has and how it stands out visually and sonically in comparison to all the other eps. so in technical aspects, it's my favorite of the bunch. this distinction is exemplary in the sequences that go from Dick writing his report quietly in his office to him leading the attack on the SS companies. It's very interesting to me how loud and obnoxious the typing gets for both Dick and the audience after a while; in the battlefield, there's nothing to pull Dick out of his concentration, always the focused leader. he has a mission to do, and he intends to carry it out as smoothly as possible (as seen in this episode). in the office, though, he's distracted, losing track of time, almost physically feeling the noises of the typewriter as if it was the sound of a gun going off inside his ears.

the back and forth between time periods is amazing. the sound design in this episode is my personal favorite (in a show with explosions and rifles, you wouldn't think a clacking typewriter and a man out of breath would be the reason for this). the combined sounds of Dick writing with the gunshots going off, the change in paragraphs with the tearing of the tape? Dick and the company running towards the enemy (clearly screaming) with nothing but the sounds of their breaths and footsteps making noise? just excellent sound design.

also, the cinematography. I could talk for hours about how good this episode's photography and lighting are. there's this particular moment I love after Alley is shown to be hit and bleeding on the barn table, where we immediately cut to Dick writing about this in his report. it's all about the stark contrast between the lived experience of seeing one of your men badly wounded and then simply writing and reading about it.

the night shots as well. it's very easy to fail in making a night scene both properly lit but also indicative of the time (some shows make it look dark as shit basically), but band of brothers does it well: in the first pic, you only have the moonlight as illumination, which is not much, but it helps to get you into Dick's perspective of having to go through this mission in the depths of night with such a limited field of vision.

there's several night scenes in this episode, most notably the battle on the Crossroads, but also Operation Pegasus, the night Moose is shot, Dick in Paris, and then Easy company going into Bastogne.

finally, the color grading. band of brothers is a strange show that's always changing in its color grading — maybe the different directors had no prior discussion before filming the episodes, as it happened with the writers' room, but I doubt this — nevertheless, Crossroads' color grading stands out, specially in the long-awaited scene of E company charging against the SS companies.

the high contrast of the dark shadows with the desaturated greens (and later reds) make for quite a sight, especially if you compare it to the warmer tones of the present scenes of Dick writing. the show wants you to know how different these moments are for Dick, who under fire is collected and focused but is ultimately crumbling under the bureaucratic pressure.

also I freaking love all the shots and framing of the typewriter. nothing to say other than they're cool as hell.

and this isn't even covering the emotional and character-driven aspects of the story! (that's a post for another day, maybe). for me Crossroads is a masterpiece of an episode in what it means to use camera, lighting, and sound to make your story as immersing as possible; it connects beautifully all technical aspects of filmmaking and, in my opinion, delivers one of the show's best episodes (that's accompanied with a great script.)

[leafpoo1]

*spoilers for Sonic 3 and slight Steven Universe Future*

I'm still thinking about Shadow's scenes in Sonic 3. All of them hit the beat for his character in such a subtle but poignant way.

With Maria in the beginning we see the development of his character and his true heart. It's essentially the Finding Nemo scene in the beginning when Marlin finds his last remaining son in the wreckage of his home. The love and the devastation go hand in hand that just breathes empathy for Shadow's experiences, and lets all the audience know the basis of his actions. It also establishes that he is really just a kid, same as Sonic, same as Maria. Without those flashbacks, we wouldn't feel quite as understanding for Shadow's cold shell he projects for most of the movie. Also just the cinematography for the scene where the record player is going before flashing back to the presence with the now dusty disc, implying that Shadow was trying to play it, triggering the flashback sequence. The stark difference from the happy memories to the cold present just... movie magic.

Then the scene on the Moon (Just the whole Space sequence) lives in my head rent free. While the parallel of Sonic and Shadow's past I think was an excellent writing idea that provides a bridge of understanding for them there was a little too much "telling" on Sonic's side of the story (not you Shadow honey you're doing fine). Still at the apex of the two character's conflict they're able to see each other's pain and that scene on the moon is able to foster a powerful understanding and resonance between two kindred souls who are still all things considered... just two kids trying to recover from the past. It was giving:

"I was badly hurt, how did you stop hurting?"

"I didn't"

(Volleyball, Steven Universe)

To me, there's such narrative power in character's finding strength in each other. Not because it fully heals the pain, but because it shows that they're not alone. Misery likes company, and on the moon above, Sonic and Shadow are quite literally isolated from the rest of the world, a visual representation of how they're seen by society. Also the symbolism of stars was beautiful (Constellations by the Oh Hellos is their character arc will hopefully elaborate in a future post). Shadow is once again stargazing just like he did with Maria so long ago. And just like his friend did in the past, Sonic is there beside him to show him that there is light inside him too. Then, as if Maria herself appears to show her support, the sunrise appears and illuminates Sonic and Shadow, chasing away the darkness. It's serene as the two share this beautiful moment together. No words for this scene, it's the banana sundae on top of this already heartfelt scene. Then Live and Learn plays and I ascend into the heavens above.

I have so much I love about this movie might write more please gab and yap with me if you have anything too. <3

[stuff-diary]

Nosferatu

Movies watched in 2025

Nosferatu (2024, USA)

Director & Writer: Robert Eggers (based on the German movie by F. W. Murnau and Henrik Galeen)

Mini-review:

I've been looking forward to this movie for years, basically, and it was everything I wanted it to be: a dreadful, spine-tingling nightmare. Robert Eggers has a gift for creating dark, suffocating atmospheres that grab you and never let go. In this specific case, it wouldn't be possible without the show-stopping cinematography; listen here, Hollywood, this is how you film low-light or nighttime scenes. And of course, the entire cast is in full command of their craft, with Lily Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult and Bill Skarsgård giving particularly gripping performances. The costumes and the production design also excel at every turn, too. In the end, one thing's for sure: Nosferatu is a film only Robert Eggers could make.

[thewarmestplacetohide]

Dread by the Decade: The Uninvited

👻 You can support me on Ko-fi! ❤️

★★★★

Plot: After buying an abandoned manor, a brother and sister find themselves embroiled in another family's tragedy.

Review: A strong entry into the genre, this haunted house horror boasts genuine chills, charming characters, and an intriguing mystery.

Source Material: Uneasy Freehold by Dorothy Macardle Year: 1944 Genre: Ghosts Country: United States Language: English Runtime: 1 hour 38 minutes

Director: Lewis Allen Writers: Dodie Smith, Frank Partos Cinematographer: Charles Lang, Jr. Editor: Doane Harrison Composer: Victor Young Cast: Ray Milland, Ruth Hussey, Gail Russell, Alan Napier, Donald Crisp, Cornelia Otis Skinner, Barbara Everest

-----

Story: 4/5 - With fleshed-out characters and an evocative twist, it opts for subtle horror to great success. Only its end struggles slightly with pacing.

Performances: 4.5/5 - Excellent. Milland and Hussey are notably funny and chemistry abounds.

Cinematography: 4.5/5 - Beautiful framing, lighting, and camera movement.

Editing: 4/5 - Fluid and purposeful.

Music: 4/5

Effects & Props: 4/5 - The ghosts and time lapse footage look very good.

Sets: 4.5/5 - Lovely. Windward House and its spiral staircase are especially gorgeous.

Costumes, Hair, & Make-Up: 4/5

Trigger Warnings:

Anti-Roma racism (criticized by film)

Forced institutionalization and medical abuse

Stereotypical discussion of mentally ill people

Use of a anti-indigenous slur

[klanced]

i just finally watched the batman (2022) and need a repository for my thoughts

anyway yes i know i am the voltron blog but you all must understand. and this is key to my lore. that i am an insane batman fan. i haven't kept up with comics in recent years but i am a total sleeper agent when it comes to batman and i've been waiting literal months to watch The Batman (2022) and i finally watched it last night and have been marinating in my thoughts since. and also my parents are tired of hearing my ranting and watching me walk around in circles.

ANYWAY.

-

cinematography

this is literally the best looking batman film in years, if not the best looking one ever. the color grading was like a balm to my eyes, especially after the slog fest that is some of the other superhero movies... even with the constant rain the city never looked washed out, reeves and his set designers made such awesome choices when it came to fluorescent and neon lighting... the DINER SCENE!!!!!!!!!!! also omfg the way they made battinson the Red and Black Batman like what an excellent color combination. i loved it. i need to buy some of the theatrical release posters post HASTE.

more than anything this movie was SHOT like a comic book and so many scenes looked like they were ripped straight from a comic book, like i could visualize the paneling and everything... so freaking baller.

my family wasn't super impressed but i think it's because they expected an action movie but No You Don't Get It. batman sees the world as a gritty detective noir movie but to everyone else in gotham they're living in a horror movie and that is BATMAN CINEMA!!!!

when the riddler was arrested i was like 'wait there's still 40 minutes?' and then i preceded to have my mind completely blown. i kept questioning what reeves was doing only for him to IMMEDIATELY correct me minutes later. literally, let this man cook he knows what he's doing. when bruce lit the flare i didn't immediately get it -- and then the little mayor's boy reached for batman without any hesitation. and then the crowd began to follow him, closing the distance. and then he began to lead them to higher crowd. And Then I Got It.

-

2. gotham

yes i'm devoting an entire section just to the city.

gotham city is one of the hardest things to get right in any kind of batman media. like gotham is Not Normal and that should always be something hovering in the background. but many directors just don't bother because gotham architecture is so fundamentally different from normal sensibilities that building lore accurate sets would be both incredibly costly and almost impossible to do. but matt reeves tried and the movie was so unbelievably better for it.

bvs gotham was basically just new york city and don't even get me STARTED on how futuristic minimalistic modern the nolan movies were. ugh.

but when bruce and alfred were in their penthouse suite surrounded by fifty layers of gothic style trim my dad verbally said 'are they in a fucking church or something' and like YES DAD! that's the POINT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! gotham is supposed to be borderline CAMPY GOTHIC like the city itself is not just a setting, it's a full blown supporting character. the city looking batshit is essential lore and PIVITOL to the world building that has produced a man dressed up as a bat to fight crime like you DON'T GET IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! batman is divorced from our reality but he is GROUNDED IN GOTHAM!!!!

actually side note i've been playing gotham knights on the PC and 1) the game is way better than critics gave it credit for and 2) GOTHAM LOOKS SO GOOD IN THIS GAME. THE LIGHTING IS CRAZYYYY. best adaptation of gotham city fr, i loved the arkham video game series but the panache. the style. it became so diluted after arkham asylum fr.

my one criticism is that reeves needed to make one more rooftop set it was so silly that all the characters kept returning to the same gcpd roof with the bat signal on it.

-

3. plot

FINALLY A MOVIE WHERE BRUCE IS A DETECTIVE. i've waited literal years for this. i do wish batman had been a little bit more active/proactive in the plot, i.e. not strictly following with riddler's games, but this is also early batman so i'm more forgiving of his rookie mistakes... however in the second movie i expect him to be on his BALL GAME!!!! give me plot-armor-borderline-prescient batman PLEASE MR. REEVES I BEG OF THEE.

LOVED this adaptation of the riddler. using the zodiac killer as an inspiration for the riddler was amazing, brilliant, showstopping, spectacular. and they kept a little bit of camp in paul dano's performance which i appreciate. i don't think we'll ever go back to batman forever levels of camp, but that's okay </3

there was a nod to the character of hush in the movie (at least that's how i'm choosing to interpret it) but i don't think they could ever use hush in the future because they already adapted so much of his gimmick for the riddler... but that's okay tbh i don't think hush is that interesting anyway.

at its core the batman was a buddy cop movie and i LOVED that. jeffrey wright KILLED it as lieutenant gordon and the dynamic between batman and gordon was amazing. excellent usage of our favorite future-commissioner, you could really see they already had an established rapport but their bond was becoming even stronger... their conversation in the interrogation room was so amazing, as well as their scene with the penguin.

my one criticism is that alfred became non-existent after a certain point. also lowkey the lego batman movie did a better job at the 'bruce realizes that his trauma has made him reluctant to form bonds or deepen them because of his fear of losing anyone else' subplot. lego batman movie on top!

-

4. characterizations

everyone and their mom has already talked about how this version of bruce wayne is more focused on developing his identity as the batman versus his identity as brucie wayne so i won't repeat those essays. but i will say that i have such high hopes for bruce's development in the sequel. like the way the movie ended with him emphasizing how he needs to become a 'symbol of hope for the city' reads to me as him preparing to finally re-enter gotham society as Billionaire Bruce Wayne and i am SO READY FOR IT.

but what i actually want to talk about is how amazing catwoman's development is. i love how much backstory they gave her in this movie. i will always love the nolanverse version of catwoman but you really learn almost nothing about selina in TDKR. but in the batman selina's is this fully fleshed out character. you can immediately guess what her life has been like. and her motivations in the story... the way she was prepared to run until she found annika... and then she immediately changed gears and focused on vengeance for annika and her mother... god, i love it.

cobblepot's character was also so, so good. you can intimately tell that he's a two-faced bastard who's spent years being a yes-man purely so he can climb the social ladder. i know colin farrell is going to rock the HELL out of that monocle in the sequel.

-

5. hopes for the future

i know it's too late but i reallyyy don't want joker to be in the sequel. i unfortunately think that's more or less guaranteed though since they've already casted barry keoghan. and his performance was really good. i'm just tired of seeing the joker in batman media. (inb4 keoghan absolutely kills it in the sequel and makes me eat my hat). i don't really consider batman to have one arch nemesis, only that the joker has consistently ruined batman's life more often than all the other villains.

literally the one hill i will die on is that reeves NEEDS to include robin at some point. PLEASE. you can't have batman without a robin, he gets so lonely. literally that's all i want. i want battinson to become a dad so, so bad. you have no idea.

and (and this is key) robin must be a kid. a pre-teen aged 14 or younger. "oh but that's so unrealistic, child superheroes totally break the immersion" well I DON'T CARE. FULL THROTTLE ON THE CHILD ENDANGERMENT. let children fight crime, for the culture.

[okay, okay. make it a robin origin story where dick grayson is introduced and is plot-relevant but he doesn't actively patrol and fight crime and only becomes robin at the very end.]

introduce robin in batman 2, and then have robin be a participating older teen/adult in batman 3.

my incredibly indulgent ideal batman 2:

at least two years have passed (bruce is more or less settled and has finally hit his stride). he has mastered air gliding and now attacks villains from the rafters instead of just constantly walking out of the shadows. i want to see arkham-level combat So Bad.

selina is mentioned, but doesn't really appear (and there are no other love interests.

actually wait i change my mind about joker. joker can be included in the movie IF the red herring "main plot" is that he's using a circus as a base of operations (because clowns and circuses).

i say red herring "main plot" because the movie starts with a joker crime spree, so you think the movie is going to be all about the joker, but then he leads batman to his circus base and it turns out that PSYCH! THIS IS ACTUALLY A DICK GRAYSON ORIGIN STORY. because joker's base of operations is haly's circus.

batman is snooping around looking for evidence and that's when he comes across dick grayson, age 10.

kid dick grayson. PLEASE. PLEASE.

batman decides to visit the circus as bruce wayne. You Know What happens.

plot plot plot

COURT OF OWLS SUBPLOT.

bruce has to balance hunting down the joker while also protecting this little kid he pretends he isn't totally attached to.

this is incredibly indulgent because i have no idea how you would balance joker screentime with that of the court of owls. idk. that's what's fanfiction is for i guess c:

i have decided that over winter break i am going to rewatch all the batman movies from 1980s onwards so i can revise my Batman Cinema power rankings. i will create some kind of metric or spreadsheet so i can grade and quantify each movie.

hell i should also replay all my favorite batman video games. because those are basically just movies anyway. and i miss kevin conroy :(

thanks for reading. god i love batman.

[callmearcturus]

do you know how frustrating it is to have your threshold for action movies get set by Mission Impossible and John Wick, any almost every time you see a movie that bills itself as "ACTION MOVIE WITH STRONG CHARACTERS" you go "oh boy, i love that!" and then you watch and its like "wtf is this"

i just want movies with

jaw-droppingly beautiful cinematography

good lighting of course obvsly

practical stunts and lusciously choerographed fights that reflect the individual fighting style of each character and their specific body shape and physicality

strong thematic arcs

beautiful locations and set design

motorcycles (pls)

above-average to excellent character writing (plot is less important)

Lorne Balfe banging out the tunes (this bitch loves drums and by god so do i)

THAT'S IT IS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK?????

[ichooseviolence]

If they make a Dunk & Egg show, I think it would be neat if it had a 1980's or 1990's flare and style to it. Everything from cinematography, costumes, settings, lighting, and decor. Practical effects??? I miss those, too. (And also, I want to bring the grainy aesthetic back..) D&E is such a unique story within ASoIaF, I think it would be neat if we got something different than HotD and GoT. I'm tired of the dim lighting and lack of flare, and imo, it wouldn't fit the story of D&E, which is an adventure and mostly optimistic.

The 80s: gives off a magical vibe, natural color palletes, beautifully flashy costumes. Editing was much better than it is today. There's too much overediting in films today (American films at least), and the end result is a choppy story. Jacki Chan once touched on this himself. The use of practical effects. Sometimes, practical effects are more magical than CGI.

Excalibur (1981)

Dragonslayer (1981)

The NeverEnding Story (1984)

The 90s: *STUNNINGLY SOFT VISUALS*, the lighting is a little brighter, slightly less grainy than the 80s, excellent cinematography (wide shots are *chefs kiss*), there was a healthy mix of CGI and practical effects, the optimism in story-telling, has a romantic style to it.

Jurassic Park (1993)

The Mummy (1999)

I think I'd opt for a 90s film style for D&E. Soft, romantic, and adventurous with a certain irony in the humor.

[jugeullae]

I had very high expectations for Light Shop and it did not disappoint! It was great! It was written and created by webtoon artist, Kang Full, also the creator of Moving. I love Moving so much! It was an excellent drama and a tough act to follow. It won so many awards including Baeksang and Blue Dragon Daesang. Light Shop was also directed by rookie director Kim Hee Won, who also starred in Moving. It really is a multiverse. Moving nation, go check it out! There are Easter eggs at the last 15 minutes of episode 8. Moving Season 2 here we go!

It started out as horror but as the story unfolds it seemed more of a melodrama exploring human relationships. It's a journey of the human soul: denial, acceptance and finally transition. It's very interesting and unique concept with a refreshing way to tell a story. It definitely piqued my curiosity. Everyone is theorizing who is actually alive, who is dead, where and when and how. The cast boasts an ensemble group of talented actors. The cinematography is gorgeous and the CGI is good. The set design is well-crafted and extremely detailed. Wonyoung's shop is just exquisite! It looked like it came right out of a Studio Ghibli movie.

I don't really have any criticism towards the drama but it would have been nice if some actors got a little more screen time. I think it would have been great to see Ju Ji Hoon and Park Bo Young at least in one frame together. Having said, that the cast gave an outstanding performance in all their scenes. Lee Jung Eun gave one heck of a performance with the limited minutes she had and worthy of an Oscar. Although technically she is an Oscar winner. I understand that the original webtoon is actually just very short. The cast is huge but the drama only has 8 episodes. They definitely made the best out of it. Adding fillers would have probably just made the drama dragging and lose sight of focus. That is why it was crucial that Disney brought Kang Full on board to be part of the drama's creative process and to ensure consistency. Looking forward to their future collaboration(s).

Kudos to the directorial debut of Kim Hee Won. I think he did a fantastic job! He had his hands full for the past few years. Acting in Moving, directing Light Shop, and also acting in the movie Project Silence alongside the late Lee Sun Kyun. Ahjusshi, you are missed. I hope you found the light. 💡

[technicolorfamiliar]

Contraband (Blackout) Dir. Michael Powell 1940

This one has been on my rewatch list since I first saw it last year. It was one of the few films in the epic Connie watch-a-thon that felt like it had some kind of curative powers, in the surprising way some movies do. I never expected it to lift my spirits and lighten my heart the way it did.

10/10 no notes. I absolutely love everything about this movie. Except the randomly shoehorned "White Negro" scene. It's so out of place in an otherwise pretty progressive film. That cabaret act literally could have been anything, why choose that?? (I couldn't find a lot of info about the choreographer, but it sounds like he was into romanticizing and exoticizing African and Caribbean people in his work… which is not great, but pretty typical of that time I guess. Ugh.)

But otherwise delightful, a romp from start to finish. Apparently someone on IMDB slammed Contraband for being "camp expressionism", but honestly? Hell yeah. I'm 100% here for it. In fact, "camp expressionism" my new favorite genre if it means cute, quirky, risqué, well-directed, well-shot, romantic spy comedy with a tight script and excellent performances.

I've also seen people comparing it to American screwball comedies of the era, but that doesn't seem quite right or even fair. Contraband, thanks to Powell, Pressburger, the editor, and the cast, has a very light touch compared to the comedies coming out of Hollywood in the '30s and '40s. It's not as heavy-handed, it doesn't beat its message to death with over-done gags or affected performances. Michael Powell even said the movie was "all pure corn, but corn served up by professionals." And that's the Powell and Pressburger difference, baby.

The comedy in the script is executed with relative subtlety. The movie isn't telling you HERE’S THE FUNNY BIT, LAUGH NOW the way screwball, slapstick Hollywood would. You almost have to be looking for the humor here to catch it, and it pays off. It's a cheekier type of comedy, not really driven by jokes and punchlines. And as someone who never really liked American comedies of that era, I really appreciate this kind of film. It's silly, even outright stupid in some scenes, but it's not playing down to it's audience. I mean, the whole brawl in the night club is almost like the big fight at the end of Blazing Saddles where more and more people keep joining in, but the action stops for half a second while someone delivers a line. It's stupid. And I love it.

The espionage stuff in is a little convoluted and kind of treated as a throw-away. But really, if you're not paying super close attention to that part of the story, you're not missing much. The spy plot between the British and the Nazis is really just there to give the lead characters something fun to do, and you know what… that's ok with me.

The cinematography also helps elevate Contraband above just being a regular old comedy. Featuring the London blackout is actually really clever. It forces a number of scenes into almost total darkness, which was a risky move and could have been a huge mistake, but it adds yet another interesting layer to the film, visually and in terms of story. There's an unusual POV (possibly handheld?) tracking shot, when Andersen and Mrs. Sorensen are walking up to her house in town, that's just lit by their flashlight. We don't see either of them, except for her hand briefly putting the key in the lock, until after they enter and the camera pans around the hall. And there's a moment a while later when they're in the basement after being tied up where Connie's face is entirely in shadow -- we know he's looking at her, but his expression is completely hidden in darkness. On paper, it sounds like a bad shot, a mistake, but this "expressionistic" lighting and camera work adds a little extra special sauce that I for one greatly appreciate.

The supporting cast is all generally pretty good. Hay Petrie is fun in a double roll. There's the scene in the rowboat where he looks like he's going to get sea sick… despite being the first mate who practically lives on a ship. Little character touches like that throughout the movie make it delightful: The girl in short shorts doing exercises in her room when Connie bursts in on her, the line delivery of the woman who works in the kitchen with Uncle Erik, the guy outside lighting his pipe during the blackout letting those two cops HAVE it. I love a character actor driven movie, all these people in bit parts adding so much color to the story. Brilliant.

Valerie Hobson is so good in this. First of all, she's a boss bitch with an incredible wardrobe. Every look she's serving is iconic. The tweed jacket and headscarf that matches her blouse? The dress with the crazy angular shoulder pads? The big, wide-brimmed hat? Slay. She's authoritative without being shrill, she's got a confident swagger you don't see a lot of actresses getting to showcase at that time. Still, she's not really a femme fatale either. Mrs. Sorensen is independent, intelligent, stunning, and into dangerous spy shit because she enjoys it. She's someone I'd want to hang out with, but would be too scared to talk to because she's so cool. I mean, she almost missed the train at the end because she went back to get Andersen's watch! I have two words for you: Wife Goals.

Sadly, it sounds like Val didn't really get to do a lot of other fun roles outside of the two films she made with Connie. Which is a real shame. Someone on Letterboxd said they're better together than Tracy and Hepburn, and I fully agree. Val and Connie have a natural chemistry that neither feels feel too personal or too studied. Their on screen work together feels easy, without all the baggage and volatility of IRL romance.

The first time I saw Contraband, I think I was simply charmed by Connie as Andersen. Getting to see him as a fun, heroic, romantic lead is incredibly satisfying. But this time around I realized how funny he actually is. He's is so cranky, he starts the movie already at like an 8.5, he's so fucking over it. It's one thing after another -- Mrs. Sorensen won't wear her life jacket, British contraband control wants to hold up them up, someone stole the landing papers, and of course it was Mrs. Sorensen AND Mr. Pigeon. He's so grumpy from the get. (My theory is that he's hangry. He's temperamental and irritable up until he gets a decent meal at The Three Vikings. So relatable.)

It was fun to rewatch this one to catch all the comedic beats Connie is doing with his gestures and facial expressions. They're choreographed, but not affected or over done. His timing and delivery is subtle and finely tuned, which is always funnier than an actor who deliberately plays up the laughs. For example, the long pause after Mrs. Sorensen corrects his pronunciation of the name of the restaurant, he furrows his brow and looks around and finally mutters, "…VI-kings." His comedy is so understated, which keeps the rapid-fire pacing of the bits from being obnoxious.

Andersen is an interesting guy, too. I feel like his macho vibe is just a mask he wears as captain of his ship. He's so used to being That Guy, but, based on Connie's performance, I get the impression that deep down Andersen doesn’t really subscribe to all that traditional masculinity. Later in the film it's easy-ish for him to eventually drop the façade, adjust his expectations, becoming more flexible, malleable in his ideas about sex and gender. This of course is because Conrad Veidt was in reality a proto-feminist wife guy. Andersen isn't played like your standard manly man movie heroes of the time, because that's not who Connie was, that's not an image he wanted to project or support (and I feel one reason why Hollywood couldn't figure out what to do with him in the '40s, but that rant is for another post).

Andersen and Mrs. Sorensen are pretty evenly matched. In fact she has the upper hand and more progressive, dominant role especially once they arrive in London. On his ship, he's the boss, but on shore he's met with one disadvantage after another. Mrs. Sorensen has to be the one to pay for his bus and cab fare, confidently navigating her way through the blackout like a pro. Meanwhile, Andersen is pretty much a bumbling fool, a sidekick to Sorensen's spy adventure. But he's not totally incompetent either (I MEAN IT LOOKS LIKE HE KNOWS WHAT HE'S DOING WITH THOSE ROPES, HE IS A SAILOR AFTER ALL *eyes emoji* *sweating emoji*), he's the one who comes up with the plan to rescue Sorensen from her Nazi captors (although I get the impression she probably would have found her own way out without his help). But what's great is that he doesn't do it alone, he goes back to The Three Vikings to round up a small army of Danish essential workers to back him up. And I love how Connie plays the whole last act of the film like he's actually on an adventure; you can see Connie the actor having the most fun ever getting to be the big movie star hero, tussling with cops and Nazis, solving puzzles with glee, getting the girl -- who is just as much of a badass as he is -- in the end. It's so good. And it's so much fun to watch.

There are so, so many wonderful little touches in this movie, many of which I only caught during this second watch. I have a page of scribbled notes I wrote while I was watching that ends with, "The cutest shit I have ever seen!" From the performances to the writing to the technical details, it's hard not to fall in love with this one. Contraband is easily one of those films I could rewatch over and over again and never get sick of it.

OH I can't believe forgot about The Boys:

The goodest boys.