#gemma chan icons

[peachy-ash]

𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 

[strngerph]

73 100px icons of Gemma Chan in Don't Worry Darling (2022)

caps from fancaps.net

edited by me

leave a like or rb if you used

DOWNLOAD HERE

[annscollections]

Gemma Chan icons for @starlingisms​

[nosensedit]

⊹ ִ࣪ এ credits on twitter ִ࣪ ⌁ like or reblog if you save! ♡ ¸. • *

[rpicondump]

GEMMA CHAN in ETERNALS

144 RP icons of GEMMA CHAN as Sersi in Eternals (Part1)

contains 60px and 100px sizes

these are base icons with no editing done to them. feel free to use and edit as you wish.

no credit necessary, just don’t repost them.

price: 2.30 USD

available via payhip or deviantart. link in the source!

[showmeyouricons]

8/40 March 2024 Vogue Cover Stars: Gemma Chan

[sinizade]

Okay, so Netflix is creating something for Baldur's Gate 3 and unfortunately we can't do anything to stop it… SO I WANTED TO CREATE A FANCAST BECAUSE I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT IT A LOT

Some of the actors and actresses chosen may not be to everyone's taste, but anyone who has more ideas about actors and actresses to play the game's characters can feel free to suggest them.

Ana de Armas as Shadowheart

Aldis Hodge as Wyll

Ioan Gruffudd as Astarion

Gemma Chan as Karlach

Michelle Rodriguez as Lae'Zel

Michiel Huisman as Gale

Mark Ruffalo as Halsin

I couldn't find his icon in good quality :(

Charlize Theron as Minthara

Lena Headey as Kagha

Emma Stone as Isobel Thorm

Elizabeth Debicki as Dame Aylin

Oscar Isaac as Enver Gortash

J.K. Simmons as Ketheric Thorm

(obviously?)

Keira Knightley as Orin, the Red

These were some that I wanted to do since they were my favorites, maybe I'll come back with a few more or maybe not, I just wanted to create something about it, who knows, maybe Netflix will see this post? or maybe i do some art abt this post, who knows?

[sinnamonscouture]

40 Vogue Icons Covers British Vogue March 2024 for Edward Enninful’s Last As Editor-In-Chief

On the cover: Adut Akech, Adwoa Aboah, Amber Valletta, Anok Yai, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ariana DeBose, Cara Delevingne, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, Cynthia Erivo, Dua Lipa, Gemma Chan, Gigi Hadid, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Iman, Irina Shayk, Jameela Jamil, Jane Fonda, Jodie Comer, Jourdan Dunn, Kaia Gerber, Karen Elson, Karlie Kloss, Kate Moss, Laverne Cox, Lila Moss, Linda Evangelista, Maya Jama, Miley Cyrus, Naomi Campbell, Oprah Winfrey, Paloma Elsesser, Precious Lee, Rina Sawayama, Salma Hayek, Selma Blair, Serena Williams, Simone Ashley, Victoria Beckham & Vittoria Ceretti

[sounds-of-some-day]

A lot of people are really upset about this Marvel/RDJ news. And I know a lot of people are just upset with the MCU in general right now.

And like, I wouldn't say that I'm upset with it, but I had definitely gotten to a place where I just didn't care about new MCU. I was in it for the OG6 and once the core of that was gone, I just didn't care anymore.

But this news actually makes me cautiously optimistic, so I'll go ahead and lay out why. This is just me, putting my thoughts out there as someone who once studied screenwriting and very much wanted to go into it. So this is where I think they are potentially going with this, because to me, this is both narratively logical (based on this latest news and rumors) and narratively compelling.

Obviously I don't have any actual inside knowledge and I'm just building this off of scraps of information I've picked up on the internet over the past day/few months. And everything I say here could end up being completely wrong. Or not. Who knows.

Caveat, I feel like I'm very rarely right about these things, but I just can't see any other reason for this casting choice, so here you go:

1. Okay, so the people saying he won't/shouldn't ever take off the mask, sorry that's just not happening. Disney isn't paying rdj-money for RDJ to wear a mask the whole movie*. This idea is absurd. If they were going to do this, they could have literally any actor playing the body and just have RDJ do voiceover work for much cheaper. Not that they would do that anyway, because again, this idea is just not how Hollywood works. It's not happening. The mask is coming off.

*There's a small chance it doesn't come off in the first movie if RDJ ends up being in Secret Wars. I don't actually know much about the plot of Secret Wars, but my very vague understanding is this is what collapsed 616 and 1610, so this is thought to be working as a soft reboot of the MCU. I don't think any of this conflicts with my thoughts, but look, again I have no inside knowledge.

2. The people saying this is going to be a new character not in any way related to Tony Stark are wrong (or in the case of Marvel and Kevin Feige, playing loose with the truth to mislead the audience). We're not talking about Gemma Chan or Alfre Woodard or Laura Haddock being cast in two roles, where one of these roles was so minor it could have been played by anyone. We're talking about RDJ/Iron Man, the cornerstone of the MCU. Yes, I know they said he's playing Victor von Doom - not just Doom. I know that. And yes, RDJ is a great actor, but there is literally zero reason to cast him if it doesn't tie back Tony. Again, Disney isn't paying rdj-money for this to not relate in some way to the most iconic and beloved character of the MCU. If it was just a Victor von Doom casting, then yes, this would be a ridiculous and stupid, and *stupidly expensive* casting choice. It's not.

So what do I think is happening? I think Marvel are *technically* telling the truth about the casting, but they are holding back a lot.

The only way this particular casting makes sense is if it has weight on the narrative, meaning of it relates back to Tony in some way.

Now there is apparently some universe where Doom body swaps with that universe's Tony. There's also a (616?) plot where Doom animates Tony's dead body <- I don't think they'll go this route because this is pretty bleak. Also, while the MCU draws inspiration from the comics, it's not beholden to them.

If they go this route, then technically they didn't lie when they said they cast RDJ as Victor von Doom, since it will be von Doom's brain in Tony's body. But they're also not telling the complete truth.

Why?

Because the thing that makes this casting choice interesting from a narrative standpoint is having the heroes (like, say Peter who's supposedly playing a large part in leading the Avengers moving forward) that loved and respected** Tony, having to fight someone who looks like/is in some way Tony Stark.

So I think that this is von Doom in Tony Stark's body from another universe. And I think that either Doomsday or Secret Wars ends with that universe's Tony back in his own body, and the universes collapse into one, and honestly I'm not really sure where they take Tony's story from there.

This also leaves room for an actual future Doom casting that's a different actor. Because I have no doubt that Doom has a very big role to play.

**Potential unverified rumors/leaks, do not continue reading of you don't want to know.

It's long been rumoured that Chris Evans has already signed on to play Steve Rogers in Secret Wars. And look, I'm obviously both a Steve fan and a Tony fan, so you can call me biased, but I don't think I am. I think a lot of MCU fans would agree that Steve and Tony were the heart of the Avengers and the MCU, and that losing both of them hurt the franchise.

I can absolutely see Marvel setting up a showdown between Steve and a villain that looks just like Tony. I can't imagine how that would fuck with Steve, having to, in a way, relive something he probably deeply regrets.

This is what I think is potentially really narratively interesting and compelling with this casting choice.

But hey, I might be completely wrong about all of this, and that casting rumor could be complete bullshit. 🤷‍♀️

[randomrichards]

TOP 10 BEST MOVIES OF 2023

10)                          BEYOND UTOPIA

Sometimes real life can be scarier than fiction, especially when it comes to tyrannical countries like North Korea as highlighted by the gripping documentary Beyond Utopia. Drawing from real footage, director Madeliene Gavin brings us into a North Korean’ family’s fleeing the country, a Pastor working to get them to safety and a human rights activist’s desperate attempt to save her son.

Gavin gives us a glimpse into the living conditions locals are subjected to in North Korea. You see the propaganda used to demonized “Western Countries” and manipulate its citizens. The Government’s attempt to glamorize their country’s contradicted by the hidden footage of citizens digging through wreckage for any scraps. That pales in comparison to footage of prisoners being tortured.

All of this makes you pray for the family as they stumble across forests in complete darkness with no certainty, they will make it to safety. Thankfully, they have an ally in Pastor Seungeun Kim. Through his non-profit organization Caleb Mission, Kim works hard to ensure the family gets to safety.

Gavin portrays not only the external struggle to escape but also the internal struggle. Even though they’re fleeing the country, the family still believes the anti-US propaganda taught to them. As defector/activist Hyeonseo Lee says “Imagine, waking up one day and realizing that you were born on a completely different planet.” But Lee embodies the hope that they can be deprogrammed.

Beyond Utopia keeps you on the edge of your seat.

9)            THE BOY AND THE HERON

Hayao Miyazaki once again comes out of retirement to create an animated feature destined to become a classic.

The Boy and the Heron highlights Miyazaki’s strength as a visual storyteller. He brings the same creative fantasy ideas that made Spirited Away, My Neighbour Totoro and Princess Mononoke. This time, he brings us an alternate world of anthropomorphic parakeets, marshmallow like spirits and the titular shape shifting Heron (Masaki Suba in Japanese, unrecognizable Robert Pattinson in English).

As always, Miyazaki and his animation crew lure us into fantasy through their dazzling animation. The Heron’s transformation is animated with slow detail, revealing one human feature at a time. That same detail goes toward the environments, which are animated with rich attention to detail. Whether it’s protagonist Mahito’s (Soma Santoki in Japanese, Luca Padovan in English) home, the underground library or the Gateway to the other side, every background is enchanting.

Miyazaki also has a knack for creating memorable characters. Mahito is not a bland boy hero but a troubled teen repressing his grief over his mother’s death. It gets to a point where he hurts himself with a rock. His personal life along has some engaging characters including his lovingly protective father (Takuya Kimura in Japanese: Christian Bale in English) and a group of nosy old women. And then there’s the Heron, a complicated untrustworthy character with uncertain motivations (at the start of the film at least) or a pyrokinetic girl (Yoshino Kimura in Japanese, Gemma Chan in English).

The film isn’t perfect. Miyazaki takes his sweet time before he gets to the plot, which may turn off some audience members not used to Miyazaki’s structure. The internal logic of the fantasy elements may be difficult to comprehend. Thankfully, that hasn’t stopped many moviegoers from enjoying the film.

At the core of the film is the lessons Miyazaki draws from the classic Japanese children’s book How do you Live? I won’t give too much away. I will say that the journey Mahito gives him an important lesson on accepting tragedy and how to move on with his life.

The Boy and the Heron delivers the enchanting fantasy that has made Hayao Miyazaki’s films so beloved.

8)            GODZILLA MINUS ONE

Godzilla’s film history is quite strange. The iconic Kaiju began as an allegory for the nuclear bomb, bringing destruction and death to innocent people. Then it’s flip flopped between being a source of destruction and being a saviour of humanity while fighting/teaming up with other Kaijus. Now writer/director Takashi Yamazaki takes Godzilla back to its original source material with his surprise hit Godzilla Minus One. This time Yamazaki uses the iconic kaiju as an allegory for World War 2’s aftermath. Taking the place in postwar, the film focuses on a small group of former soldier and locals forced to take on Godzilla as it brings destruction to Japanese towns already devastated by the war.

Yamazaki delivers all the destruction you’d expect from a Godzilla movie, with one gripping action scene after another. One notable standout is a scene where a tugboat tries to get away from Godzilla. Yamazaki draws the original film acknowledging innocents lost and homes destroyed in Godzilla’s wake. He also gives Godzilla regenerative powers to add more stakes.

A frequent problem with most Godzilla movies is the human characters. With rare exceptions, their story arcs are never as interesting as the Kaiju fight scenes. The Monarch-verse is most notable, with the most interesting characters being killed off too early. Yamazaki breaks that cycle by paralleling the Godzilla elements with a realistic depiction of Postwar Japan. The result is a full cast of complex, relatable characters whose struggles to find a life within the wreckage makes the human stories as compelling as the action scenes.

At the centre of the storyline is Koichi Shikishima (Ryunosuke Kamiki), a kamikaze pilot wracked with guilt for surviving the war and failing to save a crew from Godzilla. Kamiki gives a compelling performance as a man coming to terms with survivor’s guilt. He’s surrounded by an array of engaging characters including Koichi’s minesweeping crew and his embattled neighbour Sumiko (Sakura Ando). Even if you take out Godzilla, their struggles to pick up the pieces of their devastated homes are still incredibly engaging. Through it all is a surprising message about the importance of life.

Godzilla Minus One became a surprise box office hit alongside The Boy and the Heron and both are very deserving.

7)            FALLEN LEAVES

After a single date, Holappa (Jussi Vatanen) accidentally loses his date’s (Alma Poysti) phone number. To make matters worse, he doesn’t even remember her name. This sounds like a premise for a classic romantic comedy but, Aki Kaurismaki is not the type of writer/director who makes Hollywood romantic comedies. In fact, Fallen Leaves couldn’t be more different than said romantic comedies.

Kaurismaki brings his trademark style to create a deglamorized romantic comedy. While other romantic comedies star matinee idols whose characters have posh lifestyles and comfortable jobs, the leads in Kaurismaki’s films are middle aged, downtrodden folks working minimum wage labour. His date Ansa is a supermarket clerk who sorts recyclable plastic. Holappa is a construction worker who can’t keep a job due to his alcoholism. Plus, they live in run down apartments.

While other romantic comedies are filmed in glamorous locations shot with bright colours, Kaurismaki ‘s characters live in a world of run down apartments and seedy bars shot with muted colours. He also shoots at a distance as the leads stare off into sad sack space.

This may sound depressing, but underneath the droll look hides some serendipitous hope and dry humour. In a classic romantic comedy movie, Holappa spends evenings waiting by the movie theatre in hopes of finding Ansa. The journey also forces Holappa to confront his alcoholism. There’s also a delightful karaoke scene involving “Mambo Italiano.” 

Kaurismaki’s films have a unique sense of hope. While most films try to reassure the audience that these characters will escape their poor circumstances, Kaurismaki has faith in his character’s ability to endure their circumstances. For Fallen Leaves, he assures the audience that they don’t need a fancy condominium or grand gestures to earn romance. At the film’s core is a belief that middle aged store clerks and construction workers are as deserving of love as the Ryan Goslings and Chris Evans of the world.

6)            KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON

Martin Scorsese stares into the abyss that is American History with Killers of the Flower Moon, a biopic about the atrocious Osage Murders and the conspiracy behind it.

A lesser filmmaker would have gone the safe, white saviour direction by making it a crime drama centered on the agents investigating the murders. But Scorsese has always been a filmmaker who examined humanity’s dark side. So, he centres his film on an accomplice; Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio), war veteran who marries indigenous local Mollie (Lily Gladstone) whom his uncle William Hale (Robert De Niro) schemes to steal her fortune by murdering her family. While Ernest was worst in real life than portrayed in the movie, Scorsese and DiCaprio still makes a bold move in portraying Ernest as dimwitted moral weakling; a man repressing some guilt but is too easily manipulated to make the right decision.

De Niro delivers another masterful performance as the ultimate cinematic villain. He puts on a front of sympathetic ally for the Osage community but underneath his gentlemanly demeanor, he is a greedy, manipulative psychopath. The way he casually justifies his atrocious murder plot is disturbing. Just as disturbing is how many local authority figures were in on Hale’s plot as Scorsese and co-writer Eric Roth bringing hints through Ernest and William’s interactions. The normalization of white supremacy becomes disturbingly clear in one scene of Klan members marching in a parade.

But the key to the film is Mollie, who serves as a reminder of the human cost of Hale’s evil plot. As one family member after another is killed, Gladstone makes us feel Mollie’s pain. But through her ordeal, Gladstone maintains a sense of dignity for Mollie. It would have been appreciated if there was more of Mollie’s and the Osage people’s perspective. But again, Scorsese is more interested in people’s capacity for evil.

This film plays like a crime drama, but underneath the western demeanor is a horror film about a racist system designed to murder a group of people for the crime of striking it rich while Indigenous.

5)            PAST LIVES

Writer/Director Celine Song begins her directorial debut with a distant shot of Nora (Greta Lee), her husband Arthur (John Magaro) and her estranged best friend Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) conversing at a bar. We don’t hear what they’re talking about, but we do hear unseen strangers gossiping about the protagonists. We hear them assume that Nora and Hae are a couple since they’re conversing the most while Arthur seems to sit by himself. Just from this scene, Past Lives has us under its spell.

At the core of the film is Nora’s relationship with Hae Sung. We first see them as childhood friends in South Korea before Nora’s family moves to North America. Decades later, Nora and Hae Sung reunite via video chats. Their lives have taken different paths with Nora becoming a happily married playwright in New York while Hae Sung has stayed in Korea to become an engineer. In their meetings together, Nora and Hae Sung rekindle the special bond they had.

Most films with this premise centre would lead to Nora and Hae Sung ending up back together in the end (usually after a series of misunderstandings). But Song isn’t here to make a Hollywood romance. Instead, she’s created a mature drama about two people reconciling with the circumstances that led them in different directions. In their conversations, Nora and Hae Sung ponder over the circumstances outside of and within their control that led them to the lives they had now. This leads them to face the dilemma of whether either can leave their current life behind and live together.

The performances achieve the balancing act of being both grounded and engaging. Yoo makes an excellent romantic lead delivering excellent chemistry with Lee. Magaro also deserves credit for his performance as the other man who allows Nora to figure her situation out while secretly hoping he doesn’t lose her in the process. But it’s Lee who makes this move, letting the audience in on Nora’s inner turmoil.

Celine Song’s career has taken a fascinating turn from a staff writer for The Wheel of Time to creating a haunting romantic drama about accepting the paths you’ve left behind.

4)            THE HOLDOVERS    

Alexander Payne is an expert in finding comedy in misery. He certainly has lot of misery to work with in The Holdovers, a bittersweet dramedy about Scrooge-like history professor (Paul Giamatti) forced to watch over a rebellious student (Dominic Sessa) abandoned by his parents at their boarding school on Christmas.

This film feels like a time capsule from the 1970s with vintage looking camera work by Eigil Bryld’s cinematography making the snowy background pop. David Hemingson’s screenplay itself feels like the kind of dramedy that would have been made by Mike Nichols or Hal Ashby with its dry comedic focus on character’s inner turmoil over social expectations.

The strength of Payne’s direction is how he makes us feel for the characters even when we’re laughing at their circumstances. Professor Paul Hunham (Giamatti) certainly comes off as a total stick in the mud when he forces the students left behind to continue their schoolwork during the Christmas holidays, but you come to realize this is his way of finding a sense of order as the world changes around him. His student Angus Tully (Sessa) may constantly be at odds with Hunham, and yet he’s the only student passing Hunham’s class. Cook Mary Lamb (Da’vine Joy Randolph) has a tough time opening up after her son’s death. As the film progresses, they start to open to each other, gaining a better understanding of each other’s struggles and force each other out of their comfort zones. Thankfully, Hemingson avoids the shmaltzy ending in favour of a bittersweet ending.

Of course, none of this would work without the cast. A lesser actors would have made Hundham and Angus unpleasant jerks. Thankfully, Giamatti brings a world weariness and masterful comedic timing to Hundham that allows us to empathize with him. Sessa shows a lot of potential in this role, bringing out the pain underneath the snarky energy. But it’s Randolph who gives the film its heart as Mary uses her job to avoid confronting her grief.

In a time that makes many people feel lonely, Payne has created a Christmas movie that celebrates unlikely human connections that empathy can create.

3)            OPPENHEIMER

Nolan’s always been that rare filmmaker with the ambition to combine non-linear structures with labyrinth plotting while still being accessible to a moviegoer. Only Christopher Nolan could get away with making a 3 hour biopic about the theoretical physicist and then intertwin it with a courtroom drama about the senator who launched a smear campaign against him. If that wasn’t enough, he also shot half of it in black and white while making the whole movie on film. Not only does that but makes it a major event that results in a blockbuster. That is the miracle that is Oppenheimer, a compelling character study of the man who called himself the destroyer of worlds.

Half of the film follows J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy)’s journey from an arrogant Oxford student to the man racing against time to create the atom bomb to a physicist torn by the consequences of his action. In the process, we see many moments in Oppenheimer’s life including his attempted poisoning of a professor, his conversation with Albert Einstein (Bill Conti), his complicated relationship with his wife (Emily Blunt) and an interrogation by Roger Robb (Jason Clarke) just to name a few. And through it all, Nolan and Murphy reveal the many layers of this intelligent but conflicted man.

Oppenheimer’s story is intercut Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.), a senator who led a secret smear campaign against Oppenheimer over an apparent slight. While Oppenheimer’s section plays like a character study, Strauss’s storyline plays like a political courtroom drama of the 1960s complete with black and white cinematography. This serves as the central structure for the film as Nolan and editor Jennifer Lame intercuts between Strauss’s plotline and moments in Oppenheimer’s life. Downey Jr. truly shines in this performance as he reveals the deep seeded pettiness under Strauss’s polite demeanor.

Nolan balances these storylines with an intricate attention to detail that keeps the film engaging from beginning to end. He also surrounds Murphy and Downey Jr with an endless calvacade of stars including Matt Damon, Florence Pugh, Rami Malek and Gary OIdman just to name a few.

Of course, Nolan is known to avoid CGI whenever he can in favour of practical effects and he certainly keeps this principle with the testing of the atomic bomb, leading to a hauntingly beautiful scene.

Oppenheimer shines as bright as that atomic bomb, delivering an ambitious and haunting look at a man forced to live with creating a means of destroying the world he was trying to save.

2)            POOR THINGS

Yorgos Lathimos closed out 2023 with one of the year’s horniest films. What are the odds it would be a Frankenstein-like satirical epic called Poor Things?

From the moment she is resurrected with a baby’s brain, Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) regards life’s pleasures like a kid in a candy store. And involves sex (even becoming an escort at one point). Meanwhile, many of the men try to seduce Bella only to be driven nuts by her lack of social etiquette and cluelessness. And through it all, Lanthimos mocks and interrogates the ideas of social norms with a Bunuel-esque satirical tone.

Poor Things serves as Lanthimos’ most visually stunning movie. He sets most of the first act in black and white, mostly in mad scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter’s (Willem Dafoe) home. The setting resembles the kind of prim European settings of Luis Bunuel. It’s when Bella is taken away by playboy gambler Duncan Wedderburn (scene-stealing Mark Ruffalo) that the settings truly pop with grand buildings and neon-coloured skies that look like they came out of a Terry Gilliam.

Lanthimos uses these grand sets to sneak in Bunuel-like satire mocking social mores, class systems and patriarchy. Watching the film, I kept being reminded of a film trope that infantilized women that you see from the likes of Lolita, Leeloo from the Fifth Element and most Marilyn Monroe Characters.[1] Some men in Bella’s life seemed to be attracted to (or want to take advantage of) her childlike innocence. But Lanthimos and Stone push the childlike behaviour to its furthest conclusion forcing the men to put up with Bella’s temper tantrums and social cluelessness. That behaviour causes Duncan to become hilariously unhinged as she destroys his life.

It's easy for a maverick filmmaker to find their style restricted when given a bigger budget. Thankfully, Lanthimos maintains his boundary pushing satire even on the most epic stage.

1)            SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE

One can only image the pressure of making a sequel to an animated feature as groundbreaking and beloved as Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse. Making a sequel already comes with its own challenge with the arduous task of expanding on the pervious material without becoming repetitive or losing the original’s appeal. It’s made more challenging when the first film changed the game of animated film. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse not only meets the challenge head on but has elevated the franchise to create another action packed, side-splitting masterpiece.

Writers Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have long demonstrated a mastery with comedic storytelling through Clone High, 21 Jump Street and the Lego Movie. Even apart, they create unforgettable works with Lord co-writing Into the Spider-Verse with Rodney Rothman and Miller creating the criminally underrated series The Afterparty. All this work highlights their mastery of parodying genre tropes while creating compelling storytelling starring unforgettable characters. Joined by co-writer Dave Callaham, Lord and Miller take their boldness a step further by centering the first 15 minutes entirely on Gwen Stacy/Spider-Gwen/the Ghost Spider/Spider-Woman (Hailee Steinfeld). Her story arc would make an excellent movie on its own as she finds herself targeted by her father George Stacy (Shea Whigham), who blames Spider-Gwen for the death of her universe’s Peter Parker (Jack Quaid), not realizing that she and Gwen are the same person. And yet the writing trio manages to make this a compelling story while meshing it with the rest of Miles’ (Shameik Moore) storyline. Directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson also deserve credit for keeping the story focused while delivering pitch perfect entertainment from start to finish.

They all managed to do this while introducing an endless array of memorable characters from the damn near perfect Pavitr Prabhakar/Spider-Man India (Karan Soni) to snarky hologram Lyla (Greta Lee). Even the cameos are unforgettable with he likes of a live action Prowler (Donald Glover), Cowboy Spiderman called Web Slinger and even a Spider-Rex. But the most notable standouts are the villains. Miguel O’Hara/Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaacs) starts out like an authoritarian who wants to maintain the status quo. But we come to understand his misguided need to maintain canonical events. And then there’s the Spot (Jason Schwartzman). He starts the film as a walking punchline but as he discovers his ability to travel across universes, he becomes an intimidating threat. And Kudos to the writers for turning a throwaway sight gag from the previous film into a character motivation.

Just as memorable are the gags, which come fast and furious in a variety of forms from easter eggs to one liner. You have Ben Reilly’s (Andy Sandberg) overdramatic moodiness, Pavitr’s calling out Miles over “Chai Tea” or Hobie Brown/Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya) contradictory philosophy (“I don’t believe in consistency”). They work with every actor bouncing off each other with effortless timing.

And then there’s glorious animation. Directors Dos Santos, Powers, and Thompson along with their animators apply a variety of animation styles for each universe. They use a watercolor style that drips across Spider-Gwen’s universe. Spider-Punk is animated with a collage-like art style. There’s even a Lego universe animated by a 14-year-old. The directors and animators manage to keep a perfect balance of style and substance by using stylizations to enhance the story while delivering some awe-inspiring action scenes. That and the animation is so gorgeous that it must deserves to be in a theatre.

The writers and directors keep all the style grounded with parents and child relationships serving as the emotional core of the film. Miguel’s grief over the loss of his daughter unintentionally causes the destruction of a universe. Peter B. Parker (Jake Johnson) begins his responsibility as a father to Mayday who has inherited his powers. Of course, at the centre of it all is Mile’s and Gwen’s relationship with their parents. Miles need to hide his Spider-identity puts a strain on his relationship with his parents, forcing to face the dilemma of whether to reveal his identity. Unfortunately, Gwen’s story is more devastating when she’s forced to confront her father about her superhero identity.

Unfortunately, testimonies from former animators recently revealed Lord and Miller had led to a toxic work environment for the animators, forcing them to work 11 hours a day for 7 days a week, even overruling the directors. Consider this review a celebration for the directors and the animators. Hopefully, conditions are much better for the animators of the third film. This praise goes out to those animators who made this masterpiece work.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS:

ANATOMY OF A FALL

When her husband is found dead in front of their cabin, writer Sandra Voyter (Sandra Huller) finds herself charged with murder. We follow Sandra through a traumatic ordeal as every private problem is brought to the public eye and every little detail is scrutinized to make her look guilty. Huller gives a powerful performance as a grieving woman left with the painful task of proving her innocence.

BARBIE

In a summer overwrought with superhero movies and sequels, Greta Gerwig’s Barbie blew up the movie theatres like a pink-coloured supernova. About every element made this movie special from the colourful set pieces to the surprising commentary on the patriarchal society and performative feminism. Margot Robbie shines as a stereotypical barbie going through an existential crisis. Ryan Gosling steals the film as a childlike Ken desperate for Barbie’s attention.

It's not a perfect movie. It’s solution to undoing the Patriarchy is more of a first step than an actual solution.[2] The subplot with the Mattel businessmen gets resolved too easily. Beyond this, it’s still an entertaining movie.

STOP MAKING SENSE

The main reason this one’s not on the list is because this is a reissue of a 1984 concert movie. But it’s hard to leave out one of the greatest concert movies of all time.

Late director Jonathan Demme and David Byrne structured a Talking Heads concert in a unique and engaging manner. They start with a minimalist design by having David Byrne perform “Psycho Killer” alone on a barren stage with only a guitar and a boom box. Byrne manages to hook the audience with such a bare minimum. Then each band member appears on stage after each song. Before long, the one-man show becomes a New Wave orchestra complete with chorus girls, an array of keyboards and three giant screens.

Every band member is on their A game, bringing a lot of energy to all the songs. And let’s not forget Byrne’s iconic giant suit.

[1] Here’s a video that does a better job explaining this trope than I could.

[2] To be fair, this message could be meant for the younger audience.

[breadharmskoi]

goncharov (20XX) reboot cast - core trio

(no don't run i promise these are really good)

OSCAR ISAAC as GONCHAROV

he has the range. saw someone casting him as andrey and that works too, but tell me you can't picture this man slowly unraveling under the chains of inevitable cyclical fate and outrageous fortune. goncharov's themes of sacrificing one's own self for power and security would be beautifully portrayed by an actor as versatile as isaac.

WINSTON DUKE as ANDREY DADDANO

imagine: andrey as not a skinny white twink but with the broader build, naturally distinguished bearing, and endless gaze of duke. picture the iconic clocktower scene, goncharov, visibly unraveling, with his shaking hands and unsteady gun - juxtaposed against andrey who stands perfectly still and unworried with the clock ticking behind him, lighting his cigarette.

GEMMA CHAN as KATYA MICHAILOV

i am most proud of this one you couldn't pay to convince me that this wouldn't absolutely fuck. chan's katya perfectly portraying goncharov's seemingly graceful and innocent wife, showing her teeth only at first in select scenes - the early poker scene comes to mind. the coolness of her gaze perfectly matching andrey's, further emphasizing the nature of them being narrative foils for each other. also who doesn't want to see gemma chan wearing fur and pearls and splattered with blood?

(okay that's all i got for now thanks for not running!! don't be racist in the notes or i'll bite you thankssss)

[sighonaraa]

🍓

WHERE TO BEGIN............. first of all. First Of All! when i see your icon i automatically think you're gemma chan which is bonus five billion points in your favor already.

more seriously though. your mind! Your Mind!!!! you have this vast array of original characters and wips that you're working on and i have been lucky enough to get to hear about them and it's just. gah. your creativity is boundless and beautiful, i am in awe of it always. and you're the sweetest person!! all of your posts are A+ top-tier content; even if i am not involved in whatever fandom it's for, your opinions are correct and i can tell anyways. i Light Up every time i see you in my notifs, and you're such an encouraging presence for fic writers and other creators on this site!!!! literally I Love You. MWAH <3

[leilawhittaker]

The MMCU Cast Page has been updated!

Faceclaim Changes (OCs)

Leila Whittaker: Melisa Asli Pamuk → Eiza Gonzalez

Riley Branson: Claire Holt → Nora Arnezeder

Xu Ziyi: Wang Yiren → Angelababy

Ay-Lee: Gemma Chan → Lars Mikkelson

Blake Everly Harper: Blake Lively → Liu Wen

Lyra Dash: Eiza Gonzalez → Zion Moreno

Billie Spector: Nora Arnezeder → Medalion Rahimi

Chase Battier: Tom Ellis → Colin Morgan

Andy Webb: Halsey → Sasha Calle

Andrew Pierce: Scott Wolf → Daniel Day Lewis

Roscoe Miller: Kit Young → Andrew Liner

Lucy Osborn: Taylor Momsen → Whitney Peak

Dez-Voss (name changed from Evie): Phoebe Bridgers → Phoebe Dynevor

Faceclaim Changes (Canons)

Bruce Banner: Oscar Isaac → Mark Ruffalo

Clint Barton: Hayden Christensen → Boyd Holbrook

Daisy Johnson: Jessica Henwick → Natasha Liu Bordizzo

Barney Barton: Jensen Ackles → Ewan McGregor

Yelena Belova: Phoebe Dynevor → Florence Pugh

Gwen Stacy: Nicola Coughlin → Milly Alcock

Shuri: Duckie Thot → Letitia Wright

Ulysses Bloodstone: Daniel Day Lewis → Simon Baker

Harry Osborn: Thomas Doherty → Kit Young

Character Additions

Iskra Ivashkova (OC)

David Alvarez (OC)

Amelia (OC)

Quentin Beck (Canon-ish)

Other Changes

Notes for characters who have separate faceclaims for their younger selves have been added to their descriptions. (Leila’s is Jenna Ortega; Seth’s is Tanner Buchanan; Jace’s is Iris Apatow; and Fury’s is Jonathan Daviss.)

Icons were changed for Peter Quill, Tasya Petrova, Cullen and Elsa Bloodstone, and Luna Snow.

Druig was moved to earlier in the page to indicate an earlier appearance in the story (👀)

Ned Leeds’ icon was changed from Thomas Doherty (a mistake that none of you pointed out) to Jacob Batalon.

Ilana Kaspi’s name was changed to Vira Kaspi.

As previously mentioned, Evie’s name was changed back to Dez-Voss.

[showmeyouricons]

[themosleyreview]

The Mosley Review: The Creator

There was a brilliant storyteller in the 80's that crafted a story that nobody believed could come true. It sparked a bit of fear in the real world and slowly over the course of 40 years, we've come to the point where it actually is coming true at a terrifying rate. That genius created a film franchise and an iconic character known as The Terminator. Sure, James Cameron's revolutionary tale is a bit far fetched with time travel being a factor, but it does paint the picture of humans becoming their own destructor. Well, here we are with another film that paints a very bleak, scary and emotionally driven possibility of what could happen. The sci fi genre is known for tackling the themes of advancement in technology and showing how quickly mankind uses it and then demonizes it. This film does that and asks that question of what is the difference between humanity and robotics? If we make them to be like us, feel like us and live like us, are we the enemy for trying take the lives we've created even if they're robotic in form? That is only a fraction of the many layers this film fantastically tackles in a brilliant and satisfying way. What I really loved is the integration between human and machine and how it reflects the earlier years of our genocidal history against ethnic groups. The real villain was not only technology, but humanities desperation for control and superiority. All of this is conveyed beautifully from a stellar number of characters and all their layers of humanity on display.

John David Washington leads the film as Joshua and he does an exceptional job. The amount of heartbreak and pain the character goes through in just the opening minutes of the film, set the stage for the eventual growth of the man. He truly became disconnected from any form of emotion to the robots in the film and for good reason. Its a classic emotional journey of forgiveness the character goes through and it felt more real thanks to Washington's stellar performance. Madeleine Yuna Voyles as Alpha-O was outstanding and through her eyes, you start to see the horrors of war. I loved that she was constantly and quickly learning what it is to be human even though she is not. Her chemistry with Joshua comes to life mid way through the film when there is actually a moment for them to connect. The power of her performance comes from the innocence in her eyes in the middle of the violence around her. Gemma Chan was fantastic as expected and brings the heart of Joshua to life as Maya. I loved the scenes we got with the two of them together and even though they were short, they were impactful. Ken Watanabe was awesome and strong Harun. His fighting spirit and willingness to protect the lives of his fellow cyborgs made my heart heavy. Allison Janney was intense and strong as Colonel Howell. She represented the always on mission and brutal nature of a soldier that can't see past the violence. She knew what she was doing was rough, but it was her programming in a sense. I liked that her and Joshua had at least one bonding moment that showed that she does have a heart. Ralph Ineson was cold and cunning as General Andrews. The typical high ranking military characters are always portrayed as the ultimate enemy and here he was just that. He took pleasure in the killing of the cyborgs and that's what made him even more menacing. Now another character in the film was not human at all, but its presences was ever looming. The NOMAD was terrifying and acted as the constant reminder of time running out and immediate destruction once activated. I was instantly on edge as soon as its light blue targeting out line was activated.

The score was equally looming, intense and emotional and it is all handled by legendary composer Hans Zimmer. He really knows how to evoke the feeling of pain and love in just a few notes and I loved every minute of his score during the latter half of the film. Visually, this film was stunning. I loved the Vietnam War feeling the sweeping shots brought of brutal human and cyborg alike violence that could make anyone feel uneasy. This is a darker world that is reminiscent of films like Blade Runner, Terminator and even Apocalypse Now. The visual effects were some of the best I've seen in so long and it reminded me of the seamless work of District 9. There are problems with the conveniences of characters showing up in certain places and some scenes were a bit disjointed in the editing. At times it felt like there was another plot point missing and there was a bit of rushing to the next scene that sometimes took me out of it. There really isn't that much space for down time in the film which helped with the tension, but the film could've benefitted from a short breather at times. Other than all of that, this was another fantastic entry into the sci fi genre that not only speaks to the current technological climate we're in right now, but acts as yet another painting of what our society could turn into. Gareth Edwards has directed another stellar film and I can't wait to see what he does next. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

[trulyinspiringmovies]

Don’t Worry Darling

“Don’t Worry Darling” was a movie I was initially excited about, but then the drama and bad reviews ruined my excitement, and I ended up putting off this movie for months.

Alice Chambers is a housewife who is in an extremely loving relationship with her husband, Jack. Everything seems to be perfect until one day, one of the neighborhood wives, Margret, starts going down the deep end. She becomes an outcast for going out into the desert they were forbidden to go to with her son, resulting in her losing her son. Now Alice is starting to see the cracks in her reality and thinks Jack’s boss, Frank, has something to do with it.

When I first saw this trailer, I instantly wanted to watch it. Florence Pugh is great in everything she’s in. Harry Style was surprisingly good in “Dunkirk” and I was looking forward to seeing his potentially budding career in Hollywood. Gemma Chan and Chris Pine are also actors who I know from high-quality works, so this was shaping up to be a movie filled with powerful performances. I also love the idea of an idyllic 1950s suburbia hiding something sinister under the surface. After watching the trailer for the first time, my mind was racing about all the different reasons why the strange happenings were going on in the movie. Maybe the husbands were working on some Manhattan Project-level machine that was changing the fabric of reality. During the lead-up to the movie, I couldn’t escape the behind-the-scenes drama of this movie. I was scared that it would negatively impact this movie. Then the reviews started pouring in and it was clear that this movie was a flop. This was enough for me to lose interest in it entirely and catch it if it was ever convenient for me. After watching the movie, I can say that the reviews were right. The majority of the movie had nothing for me to latch onto. I knew something was off about the world, but a majority of this movie kept reiterating that something was off about the world. It doesn’t do what other great mystery movies do and slowly peel back the layers for an eventual answer. Instead, the movie seemed content with just leaving the layers alone and then unenthusiastically ripping off all the layers at once. What was left was uninspired, to say the least. The big twist is contrived and also not thought out at all. It left me with more questions than answers, and definitely not in a good way. The questions are more about how the ending wouldn’t make sense for a myriad of reasons within the context that was given. Then, all the aspects that were never given any context just seem to be planted to make the movie more enigmatic. It sucks too since I was loving the 1950s aesthetics and the score. They would’ve been iconic supplementary parts of the film if the story was actually good. It also sucks because Florence Pugh was giving it her all with her performance. She’s carrying the movie on her back and if it weren’t for her, this movie would easily be two stars from me. After watching the movie, I found out that Olivia Wilde made “Booksmart” which was a movie I enjoyed quite a lot. Maybe she’s better off sticking to comedy for the time being because mystery thrillers are definitely not her strong suit.

★★★

Watched on January 1st, 2023