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haich-slash-cee · 1 year ago

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Murderbot TV show thoughts

Looking over the casting choice and also who is making the murderbot TV show and I'm just not excited :/

Rambling post with lots of opinions follows....

"Alexander Skarsgård will lead the series and will serve as executive producer." (source)

All the queer, PoC, ace, aro, agender, non binary actors out there.... All the fascinating choices... who the hell is this. Did the people making this show even read the books, like all the characters in there are PoC. Also, executive producer? To be clear I do not know this actor at all. I am seeing posts that he does deadpan well, and speculation that exec producer roles means he's excited to do the books, which is prob good news.... but as if there's not PoC actors who are also deadpan etc etc?? Also, again repeating other tumblr posts, the effect this will have on fanart, too.

"Martha Wells will serve as consulting producer." Well I'm glad she's getting moneys, but how much influence is she going to have??

although - THIS is why you have to specify if a book character is PoC instead of being vague about it (as white authors seem want to do)! Because otherwise people (esp white people) just assume the character is white! this is just how system racism works, it's not interesting or novel, I'm just parroting what so many PoC authors have pointed out. It means that a character who describes itself in the book as a mishmash of generic human while surrounded by a lot of brown skinned humans somehow gets a casting of Alexander Skarsgård. (even if secunit was explicitly described as having brown skin or being not white in appearance, Paramount might just whitewash the character anyway, but still)

Going on..... "The Weitz brothers will write, direct, and produce under their Depth of Field banner. "

The Pinocchio movie here is a live action disney remake, not the Guillermo del Toro stop motion one. If you're like me and perked up a little, on seeing the title, because you got the Pinocchio wrong.

I guess "Rogue One" was a little interesting if depressing, idk.

The company is also linked to the movie "Prospect" (gorgeous scenery and scifi immersion and really nice soundtrack, but I found the movie rather racist and the characters lacking and I personally didn't vibe with it) and "The Farewell" which I mean to watch because people have told me they liked it.

Well, not much of this combination feels like the Murderbot books, to me, tho. I'm kind of puzzled. Like what are they getting from the books. What am I supposed to expect with "Murderbot diaries" being part of the filmography above.

Well how about the execute producers. " David S. Goyer executive produces alongside Keith Levine for Phantom Four. "

What in the hell?? Noooo! This is like the direct opposite of the core of murderbot! It's like these people skimmed the skin of space dystopian gun pew pew elements and were "yeah this is what the books are about".

Earlier, I was jokingly telling someone "I feel like these people are trying to make James Bond or the Bourne Trilogy in space or something with Murderbot, sheesh" and I fear that is in fact what is happening.

(deep breath)

Murderbot stars an autistic agender aro ace icon character who in the 2nd book hides away in a transport watching TV shows for weeks on end or whatever and then gets called out for that by Pin-Lee in the 4th book. Murderbot and a university space ship bond over the space ship being afraid to watch its fav blorbo die in a fictional show and also the two do their best impression of trying to act like a human.

Also there's fighting and stuff.

Like, that juxtaposition is the fun of the books - like finally, the awkward get-your-gender-stuff-away-from-me a-spec neurodivergent characters have their day in bringing humanity into space dystopia pew pew gun theater. We want to play in this setting, too.

Oh and the books and SecUnit hate corporations and everyone is genderqueer with neo pronouns and polyamory abounds, and there's PoC everywhere.

"the fact that we're getting the corporation rim version of Murderbot and that everyone is kinda bummed about it" is a pretty good summary.

From a specific hurt/comfort whump blog POV -

How are any of these main producer etc people, above, going to grasp the emotional hurt comfort and humor and warm heart of these books? The Tenderness??

Like listen, I need to be clear, I had a blast watching "Blade" with some people a few years ago. It was great. Really fun late night party movie with the right people, A+ experience. However, do I trust Call of Duty Batman vs Superman any of these people to Grasp The Murderbot Books and Handle the Tenderness. No, I Do No, not especially.

. . . . .

Okay fine haich slash cee, who would you cast and hire as directors producers etc. Well first of all a bunch of queer people and PoC and queer PoC. Do you know how many of us want to play in space opera dystopian explosion gunfight theater too. Also I saw someone suggest Tig Notaro play SecUnit - and honestly, that's a fun idea, I would maybe hire a bunch of comedians and also activist types to grab the dry humor and and absolute abhorrance of corporations that permeates the books.

And I'd get a more indie studio production if possible. I know there's the action sequences and special effects and all that IS important in a genre way. Like we are here for all that. We are here for death agriculture robots attacking people and violent robot fights and space kaboom moments. I personally don't immediately know how or which producers studios etc to hire for all that to be included, while keeping slightly smaller studio vibes. Yes SFX action money, but like, more in the spectrum of doctor who budget money and special effects, if that makes sense.

The gunfights and special effects are still more of a secondary feature in my mind. I want to watch the awkwardness of SecUnit and a room full of caring compassionate researchers fully hit the mark but in the most subtle way. I'm here for Ratthi once again saying "what?" in the middle of like the 5th melee situation he's been a part of and Ratthi still is confused as anything. And also, there's some explosions and space travel happening.

As for actors, I'm not really up on actors much, but these tumblr posts have suggestions.

Actually.... Ok, so I like explosions as much as anyone, but what if some small but acclaimed indie character drama creators made Murderbot. Like what if that was one specific flavor of an adaptation. What if the murderbot books were shot primarily as a quirky indie character study tv show set in space. The filmography of the people making it are like: Indie drama - Indie comedy - Murderbot - quirky indie drama - (implying they made murderbot and then went right back to indie movies I guess) I'd be like, "huh, what version of space gunfight drama are we watching here?". Idk, I think it'd be fun.

thanks for reading along in my murderbot ramblings!

#murderbot #I agree with other commentators that this actor would be fine as like Gurathin maybe #Gurathrin is dry too he can be deadpan he'd be a fan fav with this casting easily come on

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dweemeister · 1 year ago

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2023 Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song Final

TAGGING (interested observers, non-participating observers, and participants): @addaellis, @birdsongvelvet; @cinemaocd, @cokwong, @doglvr, @emilylime5, @exlibrisneh, @halfwaythruthedark, @idontknowmuchaboutmovies, @machpowervisions, @maximiliani, @memetoilet, @metamatar, @monkeysmadeofcheese, @myluckyerror, @phendranaedge, @plus-low-overthrow, @rawberry101, @rosymeraki-blog, @shootingstarvenator, @stephdgray, @theybecomestories, @umgeschrieben, @underblackwings, and @yellanimal.

OPEN INVITES go out to (longtime followers and former participants who have not accepted/declined): @dog-of-ulthar, @introspectivemeltdown, @mehetibel, @noelevangilinecarson, @qteeclown, @shadesofhappy, @the-lilac-grove

Hello everybody,

A good day to you wherever you are reading this. Following the most dramatic preliminary round in Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song (MOABOS) history, it is now time for the final.

Might the final also have some surprises and razor-thin close calls in store? As many of you know, this is the eleventh edition of MOABOS (MOABOS XI) and the tenth with participation from family, friends, and tumblr followers. At the beginning of every year, I never know whether or not this admittedly strange competition will return for another year. That it has persisted all this time – and grown – has been a personal joy. And it is not possible without all of you.

I began record-keeping for MOABOS XI when I saw Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio (2022) on New Year's Day this year. From there, I kept a running shortlist until the preliminary began on American Thanksgiving weekend. That one song from GdT's Pinocchio has survived the entire year to get to the final. Over the rest of 2023, numerous songs from various movies filtered in and out on my master shortlist, culminating into this final round.

INTRODUCTION

For those who have never participated in this before, my classic movie blog traditionally ends the year by honoring some of the best achievements from movies that I saw for the first time that calendar year (the "Movie Odyssey", in which any rewatches do not count) with an Oscar-like ceremony. I choose all the nominees and winners from each category except for this, Best Original Song. Original Song is the only category which does not require you to watch the movies in their entirety. As always, MOABOS is considered a sort of cinematic-musical thank-you for your moral support in various ways over how long I've known you for. In addition, I think it's a fun, novel way to introduce to all of you films and music you may not have otherwise encountered or sought and to give everyone a little bit of film and music history.

However, MOABOS is but a foot-deep glimpse into my much larger Movie Odyssey for this last year. There are many films I saw this calendar year that I consider much better than the ones that appear here. But did they have any original songs? They did not!

WHAT'S IN THE FINAL

This final will be contested by fifteen songs.

In a preliminary round filled will thrills and spills, some popular titles have failed to make it this far. That includes Lady Gaga's "Hold My Hand" from Top Gun: Maverick (2022) and "Take My Breath Away" by Berlin in Top Gun (1986). But there's a Top Gun song in here, even more widely recognizable than both of these songs, that will be looking to assert its frontrunner status.

Snapping back from what was the first-ever monolingual MOABOS last year, the 2023 final sets the record for the most multilingual field ever with six languages represented – English, French, Hindi, Japanese, Portuguese, and Vietnamese. This breaks the previous record held by MOABOS VI (2018), which featured five different languages. After three-year absences, both Hindi-language and Japanese-language songs have progressed to the final. A Portuguese-language song marks the language's (and Brazilian cinema's) first appearance in a MOABOS final.

Two films from 20th Century Fox's Golden Age will also be contending. The first film, Sun Valley Serenade (1941), has two entries by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra. In addition to the appearance of Orchestra Wives (1941) in MOABOS IX (2021), this ensures that each song featuring Miller that has qualified for MOABOS has made the final. In addition, some big news as Shirley Temple – so often on the wrong end of the points totals in the preliminary round – finally sees a final round with Curly Top (1935).

Finally, in a round usually riddled with multiple entries for certain films, there's a distinct lack of films with two or more contenders for MOABOS this year. The only exceptions to that are, surprisingly, Sun Valley Serenade and Good Morning and Good Night (which I encountered for Viet Film Fest this year).

2023's winner will join this company (winners' playlist):

2012 (Special): To be contested

2013 (I): “The Gold Diggers’ Song (We’re In the Money)”,Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)

2014 (II): “Rainbow Connection”, The Muppet Movie (1979)

2015 (III): “Amhrán Na Farraige (Song of the Sea)”, Song of the Sea (2014)

2016 (IV): “Stayin’ Alive”, Saturday Night Fever (1977)

2017 (V): “Remember Me (Recuérdame)”, Coco (2017)

2018 (VI): “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing”, Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)

2019 (VII): “I Wish I Didn't Love You So”, The Perils of Pauline (1947)

2020 (VIII): “Can't Help Falling in Love” , Blue Hawaii (1961)

2021 (IX): “Lullaby in Ragtime”, The Five Pennies (1959)

2022 (X): “9 to 5”, Nine to Five (1980)

INSTRUCTIONS

Please rank (#1-15) your choices in order. The top ten songs will receive nominations; all others get "Honorable Mentions". There is no minimum or maximum amount of songs you can rank, but because of the nature of single transferable vote (the tabulation method described in the "read more"), it is highly recommended to rank as many songs as possible, rather than only one or two. Those who rank fewer songs run a greater risk of their ballots being discarded in the later rounds of tabulation. Since this rule change (first implemented in MOABOS VI in 2018), no participant who has only ranked one song has seen their choice win MOABOS. Again, this is all described in the "read more".

The tabulation method used in the preliminary round (10 points for 1st place, 9 points for 2nd, etc.) is being used for this round. However, it is used for the final only as the second tiebreaker (the tabulation method that will be used principally for the final – aka "single transferable vote" – is described in the "read more").

Please consider, to the best of your ability (these are only suggestions, not strict guidelines):

How musically interesting the song is (incl. and not limited to musical phrasing and orchestration);

Its lyrics (incl. and not limited to lyrical invention and flow);

Contextual use within the film (contextual blurbs provided for every entry for those who haven't seen the films);

Choreography/dance direction (if applicable; I know that almost none of us have a dancing background, but please do not dismiss this aspect entirely);

The song's cultural/sociopolitical impact and legacy/listenability outside the film's context (if applicable, and, in my opinion, least important factor)

Remember: you are not judging music videos.

A notice on audio/video quality and colorization of black-and-white film: Because it is sometimes difficult to find clean recordings of much of this music, imperfections in audio and video quality may not be used against any song while you are drawing up your rankings – you're on the honor system on this one. In addition, in respect to personal and blog policy, I will not provide colorized videos of films that were originally in black-and-white. You can call this snobby all you want. But to yours truly, film colorization of B&W is disrespectful to the artisans who plied their craft and made decisions based on the fact the film was shot in black-and-white. It is essentially redirecting a movie without consent.

You are encouraged to send in comments and reactions with your rankings - it makes the process more enjoyable for you and myself!

The deadline for submission is Wednesday, January 10 at 9 PM Pacific Time. That is7 PM Hawaii/Aleutian Time and 11 PM Central Time. That deadline is also Thursday, January 11 at Midnight Eastern Time / 5 AM GMT / 6 AM CET / 7 AM EET / 2 PM Korea Standard Time. This deadline – as it always seems to happen – will be pushed back if there are a large number of people who have not submitted in time. The deadline is later this year due to Christmas and New Year's being on Mondays this year.

All of the below songs can also be found in this YouTube playlist (but please note you may not judge the music video, but instead judge the song and how it is used in context).

Enjoy the music! Feel free to listen as many times as you need, and I hope you discover music and movies you may have never otherwise heard of that you find fascinating. The following is formatted... ("Song title", composer and lyricist, film title) and presented in alphabetical order (so feel free to shuffle the order!):

2023 Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song Final (playlist)

“Animal Crackers in My Soup”, music by Ray Henderson, lyrics by Ted Koehler and Irving Caesar, Curly Top (1935)

Performed by Shirley Temple

6th in Group B

Young Elizabeth Blair (Temple) and her elder sister, Mary (Rochelle Hudson) are living in an orphanage and are the primary entertainers for their fellow orphan girls. This number occurs early in the film and is quoted multiple times in the film's score. For those of you who despised this song's placement in those Shirley Temple DVD infomercials, I have no apologies to offer you.

For those familiar with Over the Garden Wall, this number inspired "Potatoes and Molasses" and its respective episode.

Where Alice Faye (MOABOS X's "A Journey to a Star" from 1943's The Gang's All Here) and Betty Grable may have been the two primary musical adult actresses at 20th Century Fox, Shirley Temple eclipsed both. Her modestly-budgeted movies showcased her childhood innocence and spunk, endearing her to a moviegoing public faced with the Great Depression. She was the highest-grossing actor in Hollywood from 1934-1938, and moviegoers of the Lost, Greatest, and early Silent Generations credit Temple's movies as needed morale boosters.

“Barsaat mein hamse mile tum sajan (In the Rainy Season, We Met One Another)”, music by Shankarsingh Raghuwanshi and Jaikishan Dayabhai Panchal, lyrics by Shailendra, Barsaat (1949, India)

(initial version) / (end-of-film reprise)

Performed by Nimmi (singing voice dubbed by Lata Mangeshkar)

Lyrics in Hindi (translations in the CC's in provided videos)

5th in Group A

Raj Kapoor was a major director/actor in the early decades of Bollywood. In one of his first directed movies, shortly after the Partition of India, we find Barsaat. This romance tells of two love stories of vacationing city men meeting women who live in Kashmir (a disputed region between India, Pakistan, and China). Later in the films, we will find Pran (Raj Kapoor) and Reshma (Nargis) quickly falling in love. But this song surrounds the womanizing Gopal (Prem Nath) and Neela (Nimmi), whose faithful love for Gopal goes largely unrequited. After much convincing from Neela, Gopal attends a local festival – and doesn't pay much attention to this Neela-led song-and-dance number.

In the reprise, Neela has died near the end of the film. Reformed, realizing too late how horrible he has been to Neela, Gopal carries her body to her funeral pyre as the monsoon rains – as hinted in this film's very title – finally arrive.

“Chattanooga Choo Choo”, music by Harry Warren, lyrics by Mack Gordon, Sun Valley Serenade (1941)

Performed by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, Tex Beneke, Paula Kelly, and The Modernaires; danced and sung by the Nicholas Brothers and Dorothy Dandridge

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song

Advanced directly to the final

Midway through this musical, the Phil Corey Orchestra (Glenn Miller and His Orchestra) are anxiously awaiting for their pianist (John Payne) before rehearsal for a Christmas concert in the ski resort town of Sun Valley, Idaho. He's been delayed by an unexpected detour while skiing down the slopes in pursuit of a young woman (Sonja Henie) who has been flirt-trolling him on the slopes. Phil is asked to "stall for time" by the band's manager (Milton Berle). But, quietly, Phil essentially says "screw it" and starts the rehearsal. As one of my tumblr followers put it, classic Hollywood's legacy of weird shenanigans at ski resorts continues.

Nicholas Brothers' and Dorothy Dandridge's segment feels separate from the rest of this number by design. White-owned theaters in the American South would refuse to show films with prominent roles with black actors, so 20th Century Fox structured Nicholas Brothers numbers in a way so that their dances could be easily cut for those theaters. MOABOS IX (2021) participants will recall that "I've Got a Gal (in Kalamazoo)" from Orchestra Wives (1942) and the reprise to the title song for Down Argentine Way (1940) were impacted similarly.

It's a brief, but memorable role for Dandridge in her early career. She would become one of the best African American actresses ever, thirteen years removed for her Best Actress nomination for Carmen Jones (1954).

This was the first of only two films made by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra while contracted to 20th Century Fox (RIP "Fox"). They were to make more, but then Miller decided to join the U.S. Army Air Forces (the predecessor of the Air Force) to lead its official band. Miller, an enormous musical figure of the swing jazz era, disappeared over the English Channel in December 1944. This was the first song ever to receive a gold record, and it was musically referenced across numerous Fox movies during the 1940s and '50s, becoming an unofficial studio anthem.

The city of Chattanooga and railways have and still embrace the song; localized Dutch, Finnish, German, and Italian versions of this song exist.

“Ciao Papa”, music by Alexandre Desplat, lyrics by Roeban Katz and Guillermo del Toro, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022)

Performed by Gregory Mann

3rd in Group A

In this adaptation of Carlo Collodi's Pinocchio, director Guillermo del Toro injects the tale with his signature gothic touch – moving the narrative up in time to Fascist Italy and not shying away from the original book's grotesqueness and the title character's sociopathy. This song appears as part of a montage where Geppetto (David Bradley) goes in search of Pinocchio (Mann) after Count Volpe (Christoph Waltz) abducts the wooden son. Pinocchio is performing for Volpe in part to avoid conscription into Fascist Italy's military.

“Danger Zone”, music and lyrics by Giorgio Moroder and Tom Whitlock, Top Gun (1986)

Performed by Kenny Loggins

Advanced directly to the final

This song first appears in the film's opening credits, as a number of U.S. Navy F-14 Tomcats are about to lift off from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise in the middle of the Indian Ocean. The Tomcats are being scrambled to address an incursion of what is heavily implied to be Soviet aircraft (and results in an exchange that should've immediately started WWIII, but the always-jingoistic Top Gun movies do not care about geopolitical consequences). The song is briefly played again for a similar scene later in the film.

“Esse Mundo é Meu (This World is Mine)”, music by Sérgio Ricardo, lyrics by Sérgio Ricardo and Ruy Guerra, Esse Mundo é Meu (1964, Brazil)

Originally performed a cappella by Antônio Pitanga; provided version performed by Marina Lutfi and Adriana Lutfi (lead vocals), Sérgio Ricardo (vocals), João Gurgel (vocal/guitar), Alexandre Caldi (winds), Marcelo Caldi (piano/accordion), Lui Coimbra (cello), Giordano Gasperin (bass), and Diego Zangado (percussion)

Lyrics in Portuguese (extremely rough translation... "Saravá ogum" is an Afro-Brazilian exclamation; I'm not sure what "Mandinga" means in the song's context, but it's an Afro-Brazilian word that either refers to an ethnic group or "magic")

2nd in Group A

In this film almost never screened outside Brazil, two separate romantic storylines – a white couple and a black couple – play out in a Rio de Janeiro favela. In the latter storyline, Antônio Pitanga plays a shoeshiner. One day, while setting up his shoeshining equipment along the beach, he sings this song – an optimistic number in hopes for a better tomorrow. Black Brazilian romance was and is rare in Brazilian cinema, and the inclusion of such a romance so prominently featured in this film makes it a landmark of the nation's film history, alongside the likes of Black Orpheus (1959; although Esse Mundo é Meu came from a filmmaking movement – Cinema Novo – that rejected the likes of Black Orpheus).

From the song's humble origins and use in the film, Sérgio Ricardo turned it into bossa nova. That's the late composer/film director himself in the provided video (the older man furthest to the left). The lead singers are his daughters.

“Hooked On Your Love”, music and lyrics by Curtis Mayfield, Sparkle (1976)

Performed by Lonette McKee, Irene Cara, and Dwan Smith

(use in film) / (soundtrack version with Aretha Franklin)

Advanced directly to the final

Loosely based on the history of the Supremes, the musical Sparkle is the story of the three Williams sisters (the late Cara as lead singer Sparkle, McKee as Sister, and Smith as Dolores). They decide to take their church singing experience to become a semi-professional group called the Hearts.

This song appears midway through the film, as the boys have dropped out to become managers and the girls have renamed the group Sister and the Sisters (I would've kept the original name). This is the debut performance of Sister and the Sisters. If you're wondering what's going on with the lighting here, that's because the cinematographer of Sparkle didn't know how to light non-white actors.

The film's original soundtrack does not contain any of the original performances. Instead, Aretha Franklin sings all the songs from the film in the soundtrack.

“I Know Why (And So Do You)”, music by Mack Gordon, lyrics by Harry Warren, Sun Valley Serenade (1941)

(initial version) / (reprise)

Performed by Glenn Miller and His Orchestra, Lynn Bari (dubbed by Pat Friday), The Modernaires, and John Payne; reprise by Payne and Sonja Henie

6th in Group A

This song's melody forms the backbone of the film's score throughout. In the opening minutes of this musical, we find the Phil Corey Orchestra (Glenn Miller and His Orchestra) rehearsing in preparation for a Christmas concert they will be headlining in the mountainous resort town of Sun Valley, Idaho. The first 48 seconds of the first video are an instrumental version of Glenn Miller's "Moonlight Serenade".

The reprise occurs near the end of the film as Norwegian refugee/figure skating extraordinaire Karen Benson (Sonja Henie, a 3x Olympic gold medalist in figure skating) and pianist Ted Scott (John Payne) find themselves stuck in a mountainside cabin. Karen, who has fled Norway due to the Nazi takeover there, has been pursuing Ted for almost all of the film, and Ted finally succumbs to her charms here – to the outrage of his girlfriend (Lynn Bari). Suffice it to say nobody should watch 20th Century Fox musicals for the plot (but refreshingly, they're not pretending to be any more than what they are).

What the heck is an Olympic figure skater doing and singing in a movie? Well, Henie was used in a handful of Fox musicals in musical numbers set to an elaborate figure skating sequence. These days, Henie's movies are largely out of print and hard to find. Her popularity was such that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) hired aspiring swimmer Esther Williams (unable to compete at the canceled 1940 Summer Olympics) as response to Fox's Sonja Henie movies.

“I’m Just Ken”, music and lyrics by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, Barbie (2023)

Performed by Ryan Gosling and company

3rd in Group B

The Kens of Barbieland have taken over power from the Barbies after Ken (Ryan Gosling) learns about patriarchy in our real world. In response, the Barbies, Allan, and Mattel employee Gloria and her daughter Sasha have manipulated the Kens into fighting each other (or, in the Kens' parlance, "beaching off") while they attempt to reestablish control. According to director Greta Gerwig, the dance segment seen here was influenced by "Lullaby of Broadway" from Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935; see the warm-up playlist I sent to many of you) and "The Broadway Melody" from Singin' in the Rain (1952).

The production design and overall look of Barbie was meant to have a sort of plastic toy aesthetic. Gerwig wanted to achieve an "authentic artificiality", injecting a sense of child's play into the filmmaking, and spiritually inspired by the production design of The Red Shoes (1948) – especially its 15-minute ballet sequence.

“Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister)”, music by Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton, lyrics by Quincy Jones, Rod Temperton, and Lionel Richie, The Color Purple (1985)

Performed by Margaret Avery (singing voice dubbed by Táta Vega)

Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song

1st in Group A

Based on the book of the same name by Alice Walker, The Color Purple stars Whoopi Goldberg as Celie Harris in her breakthrough role. Celie, forcibly married off to Albert "Mister" Johnson (Danny Glover) as a teenager, has grown resigned after a lifetime of parental and spousal abuse. Mister has a mistress named Shug Avery (Margaret Avery), who works as a showgirl in Memphis. After one stormy evening, a sickly Shug appears at Mister's homestead for the first time and, over a few weeks, Celie nurses her back to health. The two grow attached and, as tribute, Shug performs this song at the local riverside juke joint.

In the book, the romantic relationship between Celie and Shug after this moment is more explicit. Director Steven Spielberg's greatest regret over this film was not making more of this romantic relationship. Given that the movie was released at the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis and in an environment where LGBTQ+ themes were verboten to the major movie studios, I don't believe much more could've been done in 1985.

“Qu'est-ce qu'on fait de l'amour? (What Do We Do with Love?)”, music and lyrics by Vincent Courtois, Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia (2022, France)

Performed by Pomme

Lyrics in French (rough translation)

1st in Group B

This song appears at the top of the end credits of this sequel to 2012's Ernest & Celestine, which was nominated (against the odds) for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature. The original was, as I wrote back in 2014, "cinematic friendship at its most rewarding and profoundly beautiful." In this sequel for our dynamic mouse and bear duo, Celestine (the mouse) accidentally breaks Ernest's (the bear) precious Stradibearius violin. It leads the unlikely friends to search for an old violin maker acquaintance of Ernest's back in his homeland of Gibberitia ("Charabïe" in the original title, a name derived from "charabia", the French word for "gibberish").

A further shameless plug for all of you reading this to seek out animation that is not from the major American and Japanese studios.

“Return to Sender”, music and lyrics by Winfield Scott and Otis Blackwell, Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962)

Performed by Elvis Presley

5th in Group B

The eleventh of Elvis' 31 movies (if MOABOS returns for future editions, let's just say there's a lot more Elvis to come) and the second shot in Hawai'i after 1961's Blue Hawaii, Girls! Girls! Girls! is a misnomer as there are only two girls vying for Elvis' affections (it would be an appropriate title for many other Elvis movies). My sister thinks this film should've been titled Girls? Girls. Girls!

Here, Ross Carpenter (Elvis) is a fisherman who spends his evenings as a nightclub singer. Fellow nightclub singer Robin Gantner (Stella Stevens) and the secretly wealthy Laurel Dodge (Laurel Goodwin) are very much attracted to him. This number occurs after Ross starts seeing Laurel, inflaming Robin's suspicions, and resulting in a spat at the bar that immediately preceded the song.

“Suzume”, music and lyrics by RADWIMPS, Suzume (2022, Japan)

Performed by RADWIMPS and Toaka

Lyrics in Japanese (extremely rough translation)

2nd in Group B

This song's melody (especially the eighteen-note vocalized motif) appears throughout the film. But this version, with lyrics, only appears as the second song in the end credits. In this film, 17-year-old Suzume and a young man named Souta must journey across Japan to close a series of mystical doors. Mysterious phenomena are passing through these once-locked into our world, and are causing natural disasters.

Makoto Shinkai's latest, unadjusted for inflation, is the fourth-highest grossing Japanese film of all time. MOABOS regulars will recall previous entries from Your Name (2016) and Weathering with You (2019) – all RADWIMPS compositions. Suzume directly addresses a trauma that Your Name and Weathering with You danced around: the 3/11/11 earthquake, tsunami, and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster.

“Tiền”, music and lyrics by Trần Khắc Trí, Good Morning and Good Night (2019, Vietnam)

Performed by Trần Lê Thúy Vy, Hà Quốc Hoàng, and company

Lyrics in Vietnamese (translation in provided video)

4th in Group B

In this romantic musical influenced heavily by Richard Linklater's Before trilogy, indie musician Tâm (Hà Quốc Hoàng) unexpectedly forms a deep connection with Thanh (Trần Lê Thúy Vy), a rideshare driver who challenges his view of life, love, and art over a full day traversing Saigon. This song appears about a third of the way through, after a conversation about money ("tiền" means "money" in Vietnamese). Most of the numbers in this film are composed in a style suited to Vietnamese indie music.

“Trời Sáng Rồi, Ta Ngủ Đi Thôi (Good Morning and Good Night)”, music by Phạm Hải Âu, lyrics by Phạm Hải Âu and Chung Chí Công, Good Morning and Good Night (2019, Vietnam)

Performed by Hà Quốc Hoàng and Trần Lê Thúy Vy

Lyrics in Vietnamese (translation in provided video)

4th in Group A

In this romantic musical influenced heavily by Richard Linklater's Before trilogy, indie musician Tâm (Hà Quốc Hoàng) unexpectedly forms a deep connection with Thanh (Trần Lê Thúy Vy), a rideshare driver who challenges his view of life, love, and art over a full day traversing Saigon. This song appears at the top of the end credits. Most of the numbers in this film are composed in a style suited to Vietnamese indie music.

Have a question or comment about MOABOS's processes? Maybe you would like to know something more about a song or a movie featured in this year's competition? I'm the one to ask! If you are having difficulty accessing any of the songs (especially if region-locked) or if there are any errors in the links above or the playlist, please let me know as soon as possible.

Once more to all, my thanks all for your support for the Movie Odyssey, the blog, and for me personally over this last calendar year and beyond. However long you've known me – it has been and is a distinct privilege and a pleasure to share all this music and (at least excerpts of) these movies with you. It's my hope you find this entertaining and enlightening about cinema and the music that goes along with it. Do not worry too much about this if you cannot participate, although I will be checking in as the deadlines get close. Happy listening, and I hope you have fun!

A happy holiday season to you and yours!

PS: TABULATION

The winner is determined by a process distinct from the preliminary round. For the final, the winner is chosen by the process known as single transferable vote (the Academy Awards uses this method to choose a Best Picture winner, visually explained here):

All #1 picks from all voters are tabulated. A song needs more than half of all aggregate votes to win (50% of all votes plus one… i.e. if there are thirty respondents, sixteen #1 votes are needed to win on the first count).

If there is no winner after the first count (as is most likely), the song(s) with the fewest #1 votes or points is/are eliminated. Placement will be determined by the tiebreakers described below. Then, we look at the ballots of those who voted for the most recently-eliminated song(s). Their votes then go to the highest remaining non-eliminated song on their ballot.

The process described in step #2 repeats until one song has secured 50% plus one of all votes. We keep eliminating nominees and transfer votes to the highest-ranked, non-eliminated song on each ballot. A song is declared the winner when it reaches more than fifty percent of all #1 and re-distributed votes.

NOTE: It is possible after several rounds of counting that respondents who did not entirely fill in their ballots will have wasted their votes at the end of the process. For example, if a person voted the second-to-last place song as their #1, ranked no other songs, and the count has exceeded two rounds, their ballot is discarded (lowering the vote threshold needed to win), and they have no say in which song ultimately is the winner. No one who has ranked only one or two songs on their rankings and nothing more has succeeded since this tabulation method was implemented. I highly discourage, but do not forbid, these practices.

Tiebreakers: 1) first song to receive 50% plus one of all #1 and transferred votes; 2) total points earned (the preliminary round's primary tabulation method); 3) total #1 votes; 4) average placement on my ballot and my sister’s ballot; 5) tie declared

For reference: 2013 final 2014 final (input from family and friends began this year) 2015 final 2016 prelim / final 2017 prelim / final 2018 prelim / final 2019 prelim / final 2020 prelim / final 2021 prelim/ final 2022 prelim / final

#Movie Odyssey Award for Best Original Song #Movie Odyssey Awards #MOABOS

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leporellian · 2 years ago

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I'd love to hear some more of your thoughts on what people get wrong about "Into the Woods." I'm sure you have some smart things to say on the subject that most of us never would have thought of. :)

the thing is i kind of resent into the woods and not because of anything it actually did but because of what it did to the art of theatrical adaptation.

into the woods is able to make a very sincere story out of fairy tales. however it does this, of course, by subverting said fairy tales (everyone and their dog knows this sorry.) what people took away from it isn’t the sincerity but the like… “haha! they did the fairy tales but ironic and dark! because clearly fairy tales are dumb!”

so now it seems every time a folktale or something is adapted for the stage it’s gotta come with some ironic twist or satirical curl or something and not just “we added some things and changed some things to make this iteration interesting”. and these twists are so often… well they’re stupid and subversive for the sake of it. jack and the beanstalk… WITH A TWIST!!! persephone and hades but THE MOM IS THE BAD GUY???? look at how DUMB romeo and juliet is why didn’t the two families just TALK??? like genuinely it is so annoying.

you can turn a story on its head without disrespecting it or attacking the audience’s suspension of disbelief (see guillermo del toro’s pinocchio for a good recent example). and you can bring personal flavor to a story without making it ‘topical’. you have to bring respect and childlike wonder to these old stories if you’re going to want to make them tick- after all, really, that’s what into the woods actually does but everyone gets lost in the “not so happily ever after AFTER ALL” thing.

and it’s so tiring and it makes me want to throw things off bridges!

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adarkrainbow · 2 years ago

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Masterpost 4: The end of a year

2022 was actually the opening year of my blog! And you’ll find here most of the posts I made at the end of 2022, as well as some from the beginning of 2023.

Fairytale study tips: How to date a critical work about French fairytales ; jokes in madame d’Aulnoy fairytales ; madame d’Aulnoy’s expansive tales ; thesis about the devil in fairytales ; d’Aulnoy VS Grimm ; Fairytales were not meant for kids ; Folklorist VS literary studies ; more about folklorist vs literary

Perrault’s jokes: part 1 and part 2 and part 3

Some French things: Guillermo del Toro wasn’t the first one to make a fascist Pinocchio ; a reblog about a work of Pierre Dubois ; Did Cinderella drop the shoe? ; A theory about Perrault’s writing

Some illustrations: Puss in Boots ; Sleeping Beauty’s ogress queen ; witch or ogress ; flirty Puss in Boots

Various asks: If I was a fairytale character ; Christmas and fairytales ; an ask about Petit Prince and Tistou ; folklore and fairy tales ask game

The world of the fées (a rushed and incomplete transcription:translation of a book): Part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4

A manual’s take on fairytales (transcription of a French school manual): part 1, part 2, part 3

Various considerations: Fairytales 0%, fairytales and nursery rhymes ; “Fairytale Fantasy” ; wondering about mixed fairytales ; What OUaT did ; comparing two books

Self-reblogs from my main blog: About the Norse god Tyr (turns out there’s fairytales in there) ; Frau Holle ; The Snow Queen

#masterpost #fairy tales #fairytales #french fairytales #charles perrault #madame d'aulnoy #fairytale study

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outeremissary · 2 years ago

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Top 5 angel or angel-adjacent characters?

OKAY so this was delayed by my computer restarting against my will and destroying the draft. It's okay :') I feel like my list is probably going to be lamer than expected anyway, haha. I suspect this will be a very lame list as well... the shameful fact is for all the time I spend looking at illustrations with angelic motifs, I don't spend much time with angelic characters in stories.

Tristian (Pathfinder: Kingmaker)

This game has some kind of malign influence on my life.

2. Gabriel (Constantine)

I don't think Constantine is a good movie and I did not enjoy rewatching it as an adult. It turns out the reason I remembered it as being a bit befuddling when watched as a child (I think I caught the back half on tv once?) is because it's just not very good. But do you know what was even better than the pristine memory burned into my mind? Gabriel. Gabriel. Gabriel is so unspeakably perfect on screen. So soft and imposing. So lethal and forceful. Beautiful when in that prim and proper suit, and a vision as a white clad warrior! That twisted philosophy of making humanity "worthy" of love... this had some kind of profound impact on my developing brain, I fear. As a side note, I think there aren't a whole lot of feathery wings that look good in live action stuff, but Gabriel's are actually pretty solid! It probably helps that they're not onscreen much, and not generally static when they are.

3. Angel of Death (Hellboy II: The Golden Army)

I'll be real with you, I remember borderline nothing about Hellboy II, which I last watched when I was 9. But do you know what I remember? The Angel of Death. I remember the Angel of Death so vividly that when my ex had proposed we watch Hellboy I got Really Excited about seeing the Angel of Death and finally getting some context on that vague memory. And do you know what happened? The Angel of Death isn't in the first movie! Betrayed! Bamboozled! And for the rest of the night my ex kept calling me an angelfucker because I was so vocally disappointed.

4. Satan (Devilman)

I'll be real with you, I absolutely saw Crybaby before any other Devilman related thing and this is ummm. Not insignificantly influenced by my feelings about long haired Satan. Anyway. I love a good Satan. Everyone loves a good Satan. I love the deep commitment Satan has to his/their chosen people (the demons) and how desperately he/they works to preserve them. I'm also a huge sucker for a good pyrrhic victory, so what I'm really hooked on is the sincere, pure affection that Satan then develops for one special human who refuses to be taken in and sheltered and protected and saved from the annihilation of humanity. The ultimate symbol of Satan's victory is the destruction of that precious connection, and that's all it takes to make it all feel like it was for nothing. What a pure heart! And then there's all the time loop stuff as well, which is Spicy

Anyway, all Satans are valid but I'm only including one pic, so enjoy long haired Satan.

5. The Wood Sprite (Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio)

This is mostly an aesthetic pick... the truth is that as a character I liked Death better. But like. What an aesthetic. Is it cheating to pick two del Toro designs? I resisted the temptation to add Death as well!

Still, it feels a more substantial choice is needed. Thus, I cheat:

5. 82 White Chain Born in Emptiness Returns to Subdue Evil (Kill Six Billion Demons)

White Chain is a fantastic character with a substantial character arc dripping with ye olde trans allegory (we love a good trans angel in this house). She struggles throughout the series with the conflict between what she understands to be her duty as an angel upholding cosmic law and her compassion for mortals and desire to protect them. Already an outcast among her peers, she fears further alienation. Her form has also been becoming steadily more human-like: messy, complicated proof of connection she's desperate to deny and her superiors wish to stamp out. Her struggle to grow into her own identity is one of my favorite side character arcs in the comic.

4. Satan (Devilman)

Anyway, all Satans are valid but I'm only including one pic, so enjoy long haired Satan.

Honorary mention purely so I can add pictures of her: Eniale

Comedy isn't really my favorite genre, so I didn't expect much of Eniale & Dewiela. But the characters certainly have a lot of charm, and Kamome Shirahama's breathtaking art does a lot to make every moment feel special in a very light hearted series. I have a very strong fondness for Eniale. She's just a little goofball. She's a terrible angel and doesn't work even half as hard as her demonic counterpart (and self-consciously notes that she's far less powerful). She means so well, but she's shallow, airheaded, and selfish, and just tends to cause as many problems as she solves. Despite that, she's incredibly sincere and passionate when it counts. I really love that. She's just a goofy lil scamp! She's a goofy lil scamp and she makes me smile. Also here are some pictures of her.

#eniale & dewiela also has a very lovely gabriel! the other gabriel who didn't make the cut was ultrakill's #I really love how expressive eniale's wings are! ahh... when I look at them I want to work a little harder #anyway sorry this took so long and then isn't a super interesting list haha #there's someone on twitter with a really lovely feathery abomination angel but I don't know the character's name...#ask me emithing #ask game #turbulentpumpkin43

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excusethequality · 9 months ago

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My 2024 in Film: March, part. 1

It would seem that I watched too many movies in March for Tumblr to handle!

By which I mean that it turns out there's a limit on the number of images you can attach to a single post and I watched more than that.

But I've been liking having a picture to go with each entry, so I'm gonna have to just split this one into two posts. Which means that you get two big posts instead of one monstrous post.

So really this is probably for the best?

Anyways, it was a month of extremes. Some soaring highs and some rage inducing lows.

So join me as I ramble about such things as: classic documentaries, experiments in gender, why the Academy can die in a fire, the difference between bad movies that are interesting and bad movies that make you wonder why you did this to yourself, and more!

* = rewatched

37.

Scream VI

(2023)

— Meta Horror Directed by: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett

The people who were still alive after Scream 5 are back, weirdly not harboring any sort of PTSD from what they lived through, and living in NYC. That's right: Scream is lost in New York.

Both these new Screams want to create a new franchise with a new cast of characters. Cool. I always appreciate when someone tries to move the timeline forward instead of just remixing the original.

But it's hard for me to care about these new characters, because there's shockingly little character development. I'd swear the last movie never happened, because the new crew seem utterly unfazed from having narrowly survived being brutally slaughtered and having witnessed the deaths of close friends and family.

And the two main characters are the most boring of them all!

I know a lot of people would disagree with me and love this one. So clearly there's a difference of opinions out there.

I will say that I liked this a LOT more than 5. Moving the location from Woodsboro was a great move and was a lot more fun than I was expecting.

And, I know this isn't what I should have been focusing on, but the Halloween costumes in this movie?! They are fantastic. There are so many great ones lurking in the backgrounds of shots. Far and away my favorite part of the movie was trying to identify all the Halloween costumes.

38.

An American Pickle

(2020)

—Comedy Fantasy Drama Directed by: Brandon Trost Based on: “Sell Out” by Simon Rich

An immigrant to America falls into a pickle vat in 1919 and is preserved until it is opened 100 years later. Now lost in the strange new world of the present he tracks down his last living descendant and the two try to find common ground.

There's actually a really interesting idea at work in this movie. But more often than not the whole thing was just played as a bit instead of really developing the metaphor.

I'm not really the target audience for this one though, so I'm open to the idea that parts of it were just going over my head.

39.

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio

(2022)

—Animated Fantasy Adventure Directed by: Guillermo del Toro Based on: Le avventure di Pinocchio. Storia di un burattino by. Carlo Collodi

A woodcarver's drunken wish is granted when a godly being brings one of his creations to life.

Eagle-eyed readers might be thinking, "Hey! Didn't you previously say that you had beef with Netflix and would never give them money? Then how, pray tell, did you watch this Netflix original?"

Well, dear readers, it's because my local library had it due to it being released in a physical format from the Criterion collection. So there!

I'm going to be upfront and let you know that I am biased against this, because I have never liked the story of Pinocchio. In fact, that's why I never went to see it in theaters even though it was playing at the theater I worked at and thus could have watched it for free.

[In a particularly memorable day at the theater I made a man cry when I had to tell him he couldn't bring his dog to this movie. Then he went around telling everyone in the lobby that I broke his heart and ruined his day. So...yeah, that was a weird day.]

But I digress! [surprising no one]

I still don't love Pinocchio, but I will say that this is far and away my favorite adaptation. del Toro adds a lot of depth to the story by setting it in Mussolini-era Italy. Plus I love when people attempt stop-motion animation.

That being said, I have some issues on the animation in this though. I really love the animation of the non-human characters, but the human characters faces didn't match the level of emotions the voice actors were giving and the result was a discrepancy that had me convinced I was watching a dub.

I looked into it and it seems to be because the non-human characters were generally done by swapping the model's face plates between frames [a style of animation you might recall from films like The Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline]. Meanwhile the human characters had models with faces that were built to be physically manipulated to change their expression [like in Fantastic Mr. Fox].

There's pros and cons to both methods, but I can't say I'm a fan of them both being used simultaneously. It was really breaking my immersion when different characters had completely different limits on their ability to emote. And there were so many times a voice was giving tons of emotion and the character's face was giving like 20% of it.

Okay, I'll stop ranting now...

Ewan McGregor was miscast in this and they had Tom Kenny in the movie and gave him like a line or two? What's the story there?!

Okay, okay, I'll be done for real now.

40.

Dick Johnson is Dead

(2020)

—Documentary Directed by: Kirsten Johnson

Having already lost her mother to Alzheimer's and with her father now beginning to succumb as well, filmmaker Kirsten Johnson seeks to create a record of who he is while also trying to document what it's like dealing with the inevitable death of a loved one.

"Netflix again!" you say to yourself. "Truly he is lying to us and doesn't want people to know that he actually has Netflix!" Wrong! Once again I got this from the library, because once again it had a physical release from the Criterion collection.

Suck it, Netflix!

Libraries for the win!

In more relevant news, Kirsten Johnson is ruling the top of the my movie rankings for the year. First there was Cameraperson and now this! She is out here doing fascinating things with the medium of documentaries.

I wish it was easier to say why you loved something than it was to say why you disliked something. Because this is such a hard movie to convey the tone of.

It's funny and heartbreaking, morbid and sweet, reverent and irreverent all at the same time.

Johnson is like a magician who tells you exactly what's up her sleeves. She'll show you what the trick is and how she's gonna do it. Then somehow she still manages to surprise you when she does it.

And it's not a true documentary in the sense that she's basically going in the exact opposite direction of cinema verite style. But she's also always documenting her process of breaking the rules.

In someone else's hands this could be a mess, but she's just such a master of the form that she knows exactly what rules she can't break, which ones she can bend the shit out of, and which ones she can ignore altogether.

41.

Dioses de México

[English title: “Gods of Mexico”]

(2022)

—Documentary Directed by: Helmut Dosantos

An unspeaking look at the resistance to modernization in Mexico as we witness the people still versed in the old ways.

This was one of my roommate's picks for our theme of: "Oh!...So That's a Thing".

The fact that there was no narration or really any dialogue made the whole thing rather fascinating. There were times I was dying for someone to tell me exactly what people were doing in a scene, but then again that's kind of the point, isn't it?

It's so easy to take modern machines for granted, that when you see someone making something the old fashioned way it almost makes the steps seem like a kind of magical alchemy.

42.

Oklahoma!

(1955)

—Musical Rom-Com Directed by: Fred Zinnemann

A woman gets mad that her pseudo boyfriend assumed she was going to the local dance with him instead of asking her and tries to make him jealous.

Although I watched a lot of musicals growing up, this was one that I was aware of, but never saw.

I know that this is true of many older musicals, but there's a lot of crazy shit going on in this. And yet there is practically no story or character development at all...and the movie is over 2 hours long?

How does almost nothing happen in nearly 2.5 hours?

And then against the grain of everything else in the movie, you've got this girl [woman? how old are they supposed to be?] having a whole subplot about how she just wants to sleep around?

Probably a good one to watch with a friend, because you can talk to each other and not have to worry about missing anything.

43.

Grey Gardens

(1975)

— Documentary Directed by: Ellen Hovde & Albert Maysles & David Maysles & Muffie Meyer

A look into the lives of a reclusive mother and daughter, who once belonged to high society, but now live by themselves in a dilapidated house of questionable safety.

Since documentaries have been dominating the top of my best of the year list, I've been making an effort to watch some of the famous documentaries that I've never bothered checking out before.

I never bothered with this one because it sounded a little bit cringe.

One of the inherent questions of journalism and documentary filmmaking is what is the ethical line for documenting something as it is instead of trying to change it? For instance is documenting someone dealing with mental illness encouraging their delusions? Or is it bringing to light the ways a detachment from society can have on a person's life?

I don't have the answers. But you can find some very interesting arguments as to whether or not this documentary crossed an ethical line.

But I do now understand why this has had such an impact on people. I don't even know what to say about it. It is one of things you have to see to truly understand.

44.

Dating the Enemy

(1996)

— Sex Shift Rom-Com Directed by: Megan Simpson Huberman

A former couple wakes to discover they have swapped bodies and are forced to try and navigate lives in the other person's shoes.

So on a whim a started making a list of movies I've been calling "Experiments in Gender." Because an esoteric subgenre of movies I love is movies that play around with ideas of gender. Things like Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde, She's the Man, Titane, etc.

And so sex shift fantasy movies are likely candidates for the category. HOWEVER, a lot of them are Freaky Friday style movies that aren't about learning about life in a different gender, but specifically learning about life in someone else's shoes. Which interests me considerably less.

The trouble is that the specific nuance of how this is tackled is usually not apparent from just a trailer or a synopsis. So the only way to find out where they land is to watch them.

"Why are you telling me this?" some of you might be wondering. Well, if you plan to keep up to date on these movie lists o' mine this is relevant information, because there's more of them coming.

Anyways, it turned out that this is not an experiment in gender, it is just a Freak Friday body swap scenario.

And there was no point in a Freaky Friday scenario because their relationship failed, not because of mutual misunderstanding, but because the dude was TERRIBLE and treated her like shit.

Also I think it made me realize that I don't like Guy Pearce.

Post swap, Claudia Karvan is acting like Guy Pearce's character is in her body. But Guy Pearce is just acting like his generic idea of a woman is in his body. He's not even trying to act like her character at all! And this made me start to question everything I've ever seen him in.

I will give it bonus points because they do have sex with other people while in their swapped bodies. But minus the bonus points again for the film moving right past this and ignoring the fact they both technically just had gay sex.

Things like this are why you aren't on the list. You gotta deal with the nuance of the situation!

Further proof that it doesn't count is that he didn't even get a period while in that body. Because, as previously discussed, the movie is a coward.

45.*

Waiting for Guffman

(1996)

—Mocukmentary Directed by: Christopher Guest

Cameras follow a small town's attempts to create a play about the history of their founding.

Rewatching Best in Show last month gave me a nostalgic taste for mockumentaries, so here I am.

I think I've only seen it once before so my memory on it wasn't the best. But when I heard the stool song I specifically remember watching that with my best friend's family back in the day.

It's definitely not the best of Christopher Guest's movies, but it's also not the worst. Although I will say that I've noticed that a bad habit of Guest's is making native american jokes. And I know he's not specifically making jokes at their expense per se, but through them he is still perpetuating the racist stereotypes from old westerns and they haven't aged well at all.

On the brighter side Parker Posey is in it and every scene with her is a delight.

If you love mockumentaries I think it's definitely worth watching. But if you only watch one Christpher Guest movie this isn't his strongest outing.

46.

The Aggressives

(2005)

— Documentary Directed by: Daniel Peddle

A look at the subculture of masculine presenting people of color in New York City.

I combined my documentary kick with a @gayverlyearp recommendation, because I am a master of efficiency!

Anyway it was a quality recommendation and a really interesting movie. It's especially interesting when you see the ways that gender expression has changed over the years. I hear the director made a follow up movie somewhat recently and I'm really curious to see if I can find that somewhere.

47.

Pachyderme

[English title: “Pachyderm”]

(2022)

—Animated Drama Short Directed by: Stéphanie Clément

A woman looks back at her childhood through memories muddled by time and trauma.

I attempted to go down the rabbit hole of watching the Oscar nominations for Best Animated Short. I couldn't find them all, but I did find the majority.

And I started off strong, because this one was my favorite of the lot. It's just beautiful and heart breaking and sticks in the crannies of your brain after you're done watching it.

And can we talk about the way it uses a picturebook illustration art style? That was such a brilliant choice. The way they use it portray childhood memories that have faded with time and become these stories we tell ourselves? The subtle way they use the composition to give scenes nuance?

It's so friggin' good. Highly recommend giving it a watch.

48.

Ninety-Five Senses

(2022)

—Animated Drama Short Directed by: Jared Hess & Jerusha Hess

A man on death row reflects on his life through each of his senses.

Another best animated short nominee.

It didn't hit with the weight that Pachyderme did, but I like how they both use really creative ways of talking about memories.

Specifically looking at a life through the lens of memories you associate with a particular sense is such an interesting prompt. I have some issues with this one that I can't go into without entering spoiler territory, so I didn't l love it, but I do respect it.

[I do get chatty about the films on these lists, and one can't talk about a movie with "spoiling" something. But I do purposefully steer away from just telling you the entire plot.]

49.

WAR IS OVER! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko

(2023)

—Animated Short Directed by: Dave Mullins

Two soldiers discover that war is bad by playing a game of chess via carrier pigeon.

Don't even talk to me about how the Oscars handles the category of Animated Shorts unless you want to hear me rant at length. I'm still not over the fact that they give the tritest, most Hallmark Card-iest, cliche Inspirational Poster-iest entry the Oscar last year.

And they did it to me again!

Is this some sick joke on me? Is this personal, Academy? Did you hear me talking tons of shit about you and decide to get some revenge using a smaller category that the average viewer doesn't care as much about, but that I love?

Please keep in mind that I hold nothing against the animators who had to work on this project, because the animation is not on trial here. But this short SUCKS.

Some nepo baby pulled the sentiment "War is bad, okay? Don't do war" out of their ass...and they gave it an Oscar?

It is LITERALLY the worst entry in the category!

50.

Our Uniform

(2023)

—Animated Short Memoir Directed by: Yegane Moghaddam

The filmmaker reflects on the ways her uniform shaped her past.

Using the uniform as the animation medium to talk about uniforms is a truly brilliant move. It lacked the real emotional depth that Pachyderme and Ninety-Five Senses had, so I didn't think it would win. But I really liked it. And for a directorial debut? For a filmmaker that wrote, directed, and animated it herself? Fantastic work. Really curious to see what she makes next.

51.

Poor Things

(2023)

— Fantasy Drama Adventure Directed by: Yorgos Lanthimos

The result of a bizarre experiment goes on a grand adventure of self discovery.

I have a love-hate relationship with Lanthimos' films and I never know if I'm going to love them or just be utterly baffled by them. But with all the Oscar noms and wins I figured I had to check it out.

I actually don't have anything of note to say about this. As an asexual I felt thoroughly out of my depth here. The film has such a strong focus on sexuality that I can't really relate to most of it. I asked a couple ace friends what they thought of it and they had similar takes of enjoying elements of it, but feeling disconnected from it on the whole.

So yeah. I dunno! Go ask an allosexual if you want an in depth take on this.

52.*

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

(2004)

—Comedy Directed by: Adam McKay

A local anchorman in the 70s has his world flipped upside down when the station hires a woman to be his co-anchor.

I loved this movie back in the day. But it doesn't make me laugh nearly as much these days. There's still some parts I love, but it just doesn't hold the same magic for me that it once did.

53.

The Sex Trip

(2016)

— Sex Shift Comedy Directed by: Anthony G. Cohen

A womanizing pickup artist is cursed with a new body by witch until he can learn to respect women.

Ohhhhh, what to say about this one...

I kind of want to force someone to watch this with me, because it is just so wild and I want someone else to stare into the abyss and witness the madness that I have seen.

One nice thing about sex shift movies is that in most of them if you don't like the person playing the main character, you can wait a little while and they'll get a new actor in there.

And that's something you can't say about most movies.

There's this weird thing that can happen when bros accidentally wander into queer territory, because sometimes their extremely "no-homo" way of thinking can lead them into accidentally nuanced territory. And other times it will just be dumb and offensive.

But you know what? I'm counting it as an experiment in gender. Our protagonist gets a period, he realizes how annoying breasts can be at times, he experiments with his new set of genitals. He's got a best friend who is either secretly bi, or possible straight but specifically gay for his friend? I certainly don't think the writer/director was aiming for the best friend to be queer, but no straight man would be so eager to accept a threesome with his best friend. You can't convince me otherwise.

Would I recommend this to the average movie fan? Uh, no. It is not a great film. It is a weirdly interesting film, but I wouldn't say it's by any means a film of quality. In spite of it accidentally wandering into interesting territory, it's still very clear that some bros wrote this movie. There's plenty transphobia and misogyny and just plain cringe.

But I've learnt that while most people watch movies to enjoy them, I watch movies like a field researcher. I'm like a biologist in the field, looking under rocks and climbing trees to see what kind of weird stuff I can find. So if you're like me, well, this a fascinatingly fucked up little specimen for sure! You can see such odd little features such as: Tom Hanks' brother, Sylvester Stallone's brother, a man getting cursed for having the gall to not want to kiss a stranger he just met, a man try desperately to sleep with his best friend in a way that won't be gay, the worst blooper real I have ever seen, and more!

54.

Rubber

(2010)

— Meta Horror Directed by: Quentin Dupieux

An audience gathers in the desert to watch the live performance of a story about a tire coming to life and killing people with its psychokinetic powers.

While I love movies that are so bad they're fun, I hate movies that purposefully try to be bad movies. I assumed that that is what this was, and thus I never bothered with it.

However, it turns out that this is not really a movie trying to be a bad movie...it's...

I don't really know what this is actually. And I'm not entirely sure what it was trying to say....

But I do know that I didn't like it and don't plan to ever watch it again.

55.

Grizzly Man

(2005)

— Documentary Directed by: Werner Herzog

After Timothy Treadwell was killed by a bear while creating videos to help protect bears, Werner Herzog used his footage to create a documentary about Treadwell himself.

Another classic documentary that I had never bothered watching. I was slightly uncomfortable with the concept potentially being a little too close to a snuff film.

But I get it now. I get why it's acclaimed. This was not what I was expecting.

I was especially certainly not expecting Herzog to just periodically drag this dude? I was also not expecting that this dude clearly has issues.

56.

Victor/Victoria

(1982)

— Musical Rom-com Directed by: Blake Edwards

A female singer creates a hit act by pretending to be a male female impersonator, but along the way learns to love the lifestyle.

Oh ho ho, dear reader, this one came close to glory. If I liked the songs in this more, and if they didn't force a weird romance angle in there? This would truly be top tier.

That being said I still love it. Definitely an experiment in gender. It goes so much harder on the subject than I was ever expecting.

And the cast? The cast is exquisite!

Do I wish it was just sliiightly different? Yes.

Did I have a great time regardless? Yes!

57.

Tootsie

(1982)

— Monstrosity Directed by: Sydney Pollack

After burning every bridge he ever came across, a pretentious actor finds that he can no longer find work. Instead of bettering himself in order to repair his image and professional relationships, he decides to pretend to be a woman and steal some jobs from them.

Now do you see why I spent that time all those movies back explaining my quest to create an experiments in gender list? Has it not given you a peek into the process and important context for multiple films on this post?

Anyway, this is not an experiment in gender. This is just a fucked up movie.

I've heard about this movie a fair bit over the years, but all I've heard was that, A) it was really funny, and B) that Dustin Hoffman is amazing in it.

I was surprised to learn neither of those things is true. I was too busy being horrified to laugh at the terrible jokes. And Dustin Hoffman is either terrible in it, or doing an amazing job portraying a terrible, terrible person. You be the judge!

I hate this movie so much, y'all don't even know.

It's so fucking reductive, yet it acts like it's progressive. The whole movie is based on the premise that of course he's able to get the role, because he's a man while everyone else auditioning for the role were mere women.

Oh! And don't even get me started on the bizarre headgames and manipulations this dude pulls on the women in his life.

Ugh...I could rant about this movie forever. Truly terrible. I feel personally offended for having sat through it. And look at some of the weird shit I've watched so far this year! I watched a movie where a pack of people ravenously consume a rotisserie chicken with their hands while watching a tire kill people in the desert!

And the fact that I seem to be the minority in thinking it's terrible drives me even crazier.

We are 57 movies into the year and you better believe I threw this into dead last so fast.

And the very bottom of the list is the stuff that I wouldn't even watch with a friend. I would have to be bribed extensively to even consider seeing this again. You better be bringing plenty of booze and food or some cash and even then I'd have to really think hard about wanting to do that to myself again.

——————

Previous Month's Posts:

Jan | Feb

#xcusethequality

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somemovieguy · 1 year ago

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Animated Films of 2023

November 12th 2023 (Blog #6)

I should probably preface this by saying these are the only animated films released in 2023 that I've seen (though there have been 4 or 5 others released in theaters). From the wisdom of Guillermo del Toro, animation is cinema, and I believe we deserve more animated films! After the master pieces that are the Spider-Verse films, as well as del Toro's own version of Pinocchio released last year, we have seen time and time again that this medium is not only for children, and is a legitimate art form deserving of more legitimate attention. But back to your regularly scheduled program...

#3 The Super Mario Bros. Movie

Despite the indescribable success of the Mario Bros. games since their initial release in 1983, no successful film adaptation had ever been made about the series. There was an adaptation, released in 1993, simply and similarly titled Super Mario Bros., though it was... not exactly the same quality as the games were. This long-awaited animated film adaptation did exactly what it set out to do: it had cute 3D animated versions of the iconic Mario characters as they fought against Bowser. It wasn’t spectacular, but it also was not a bad movie. It just wasn’t revolutionary. I do believe that such a beloved franchise deserved a movie that had the same level of cutesy animation that the games provided, and this did just that. This film is a great choice to watch with your family.

#2 Elemental

Disney-Pixar’s newest film did not disappoint. Elemental follows a fire-girl who falls in love with a water-boy. The love story is enticing, but there is a lot going on in the underlying society: Many believe that bad things will happen if different elements “mix”, and the city is informally segregated because of this belief. After the two fall in love, they decide to test it out- how bad could it really be?- and, lo and behold, literally nothing happens. The inability for different elements to mix was based on nothing but fear. The fire-people are the most feared because others believe they could cause damage to other elements, and thus faced intense discrimination and were kicked from their lands. This doesn’t really get a conclusion, but the element-mixing leads to people setting aside their fears for a more integrated city. I think that movies like Elemental are great ways for children to learn about the prejudices all around them. Sometimes, these things are just too difficult for young minds to understand at face-value, so putting it into an analogy like elements helps them understand. There are absolutely some issues to be had with the fact that the elements, which are stand-ins for race, actually are different, but that’s a different critique for a different post!

#1 Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Comparing this film to the two previous films kind of feels like "hydrogen bomb vs. coughing baby". The Spider-Verse films are not only the greatest super hero films ever made in my opinion, but also the greatest animated films. They are so, so gorgeous, it is hard to put into words. Many films have moved away from using any intense color palettes, and are opting for more subdued colors, but these films completely ignore this trend and make what are probably the most colorful movies I’ve ever seen in my life. They look just like a comic book, but not in a tacky way, and not in a way that will age badly, I don’t think. They are simply the perfect comic book movies. This addition to the series not only lived up to expectations set by the previous release (in 2018), but completely blew its predecessor out of the water. Where the first film was inventive, colorful, emotional, and perfectly-comic-book-y, this film did it all 10x better. The only bad thing about this one is that it doesn’t have any kind of conclusion, as it is the first part of a story to-be-continued and resolved in the next release, the end of the trilogy. Into the Spider-Verse (2018) created this world, introduced Miles Morales, showed us what this trilogy set out to do, and introduced the idea of the multi-verse. Across the Spider-Verse (2023) takes the idea of the multi-verse and dives right in, displaying a world of not only 6 or so Spider Men, but an infinite number of them from an infinite number of universes, all in need of protection from collapsing the space-time continuum. I cannot recommend any other animated films as much as I recommend these! (Though I don’t blame anyone for wanting to wait until the finale of the trilogy is released. Its such a cliffhanger!)

#across the spiderverse #into the spider verse #spiderman #peter parker #miles morales #gwen stacy #spider gwen #atsv #mario bros #super mario #mario #mario and luigi #super mario bros #elemental #disney #disney pixar #pixar #pixar elemental

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marisramblings · 2 years ago

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Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is a Mess

(Did no one reread the script?)

The Good

The animation is lovely. Let’s get that out of the way. I love stop motion. Pinocchio’s design is fantastically creepy, he’s an annoying little shit, and I liked the death aspects. Positives are done.

The Bad

The plot of this movie is terrible. The story beats and characters aren’t fleshed out, the plot progression is clunky, and the music was unneeded. This movie is about 2 hours long, more than enough time to tell a wonderful story with characters that are good. I felt nothing during the finale because the relationships were not developed.

Let’s start at the beginning. We have a younger Geppetto and his first son, Carlo. The mom and wife? Dead. It’s a cute opening, skip some stuff, Carlo gets blown up and only Carlo, I think. Maximum sadness, etc.etc. Geppetto, understandably, becomes a drunk and is miserable for 5-10 years. A tree grew in the time between Carlo’s death and Pinocchio existing. No one in town seems to have consoled him in any way, but that’s not really a criticism of the movie. He goes all Victor Frankenstein and a creepy blue fairy thing brings our puppet to life. There’s also a talking cricket who I think is just there because the original had one. He’s not magic. There’s just a walking, talking cricket that reads, writes and plays violin. The monkey can also talk, through puppets, but mostly speaks in monkey gibberish. I’m more okay with that than the cricket; I can’t tell you why. It’s a “kids’ movie” but that is doing the work of gods.

The movie sets itself up to be a story of Geppetto working through his grief and accepting that Pinocchio is not Carlo. Pinocchio is learning how to be a real boy. We have one day of him going to school. He is then picked up by an evil carnie. We spend more time with that than developing the relationship between our protagonists. I’m not against this plot point, I just think it could’ve been shortened or been the main focus. I didn’t get a sense of time progressing with Pinocchio and Geppetto interacting in close proximity. Pinocchio dies, we get an interesting death sequence, and then runs away to join the circus because of a contract. I’m paraphrasing. Geppetto misses Pinocchio and I don’t know why. It’s been a week. Am I supposed to believe that this man cares about a living puppet this much so quickly? He travels Italy to find him. With how much history plays a role in the background, you’d think a talking puppet would be burned by the catholic town. Anyway, a whale eats him. The cricket is eaten as well, but I don’t care. He gives a few unearned speeches. He’s trying to live inside Pinocchio. That was a thing.

The movie still has an hour at this point. All of this could’ve been stretched out so we could truly experience this journey.

Anyway, Pinocchio makes fun of Mussolini and is killed. Then the secondary villain kidnaps him so he can fight in the war. We have a brief interlude where Pinocchio spends one day at a training camp and Candlewick, son of 2nd villain, has his character arc. Then the camp is bombed. Candlewick seems more concerned for the puppet he first attempted to incinerate than his dead dad and falls of the face of the earth. Evil carnie comes back, dies, Pinocchio and his new monkey pal get eaten by the whale. The time wasted on fridging Geppetto and Pinocchio’s foray into war would’ve been better spent developing their relationship. While I enjoy the historical perspective, shoehorning in a lesson on “facism is bad” was unneeded. You don’t have the time. The whale is there because of the original story. It could’ve have worked.

Anyway, they escape, Pinocchio dies blowing up Brendan Fraser, and sacrifices his immortality to save his dad. I don’t mind this, I just wish we had a little more focus on the afterlife aspect of the film. It’s really interesting. For some reason, Pinocchio dies despite having no lungs or a heart. Cricket gives an unearned speech to make the fairy bring him back. Seriously, what did Sebastian actually do? He spends most of the film with Geppetto. He taught Pinocchio two things??? At least they were self aware enough to mention it.

The Opinion

I like the movie, and I see it’s potential, but nothing was earned. If its time was better distributed, I think this movie would be a fantastic adaptation with a beautiful story. We spent time on a side character who was barely relevant and literally disappears with no resolution. Fascism also disappears. No one came for the talking puppet? Pinocchio fosters no relationships with the townspeople, he has no discernible arc because immortality wasn’t something he desperately wanted, so…

No one read this damn script. We are thrown lessons that aren’t learned by the characters, plots are dropped like stones and once again, what happened to Candlewick? Did he die? Why don’t we see him grieve over his father?

Score: 4/10 this might’ve worked as a limited series.

Post Script:

Fuck the cricket. What did he actually do? Why is he such a major part?

Don’t give me shit about Pinocchio trading his life to save Geppetto. He was alive and drowned. How does that work???

#pinocchio #guillermo del toro #pinocchio netflix #Candlewick #can Mari spell fascism?#no #mari’s rambles #movie review #this wasn’t spell checked because I’m not paid for this #ps Guillermo supports Roman Polanski #fun to learn

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cookinguptales · 2 years ago

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So! Thoughts on Pinocchio!

(under a cut for length)

So I finally got to go see Pinocchio a couple days ago (open captioned!! yes!!) and I really enjoyed it. I love stop-motion and the art direction and character design was just so fucking good. It was fantastic. Pinocchio himself in particular is such a radical departure from a lot of older depictions of him, but it really worked. Like, obviously indebted to Gris Grimly! But there was a real sense of unfinished love and naïveté that they brought to the character that I think was really beautiful.

As for the story and writing... I'm a little of two minds, honestly. I really love a lot of the new concepts that del Toro, McHale, Robbins, and Gustafson brought to the old story, and I think the script itself was very impactful... but at the same, I felt that it was held back a little by its own source material sometimes? Like it's still Pinocchio, and del Toro clearly loves that book! So of course he wants to incorporate all of those somewhat disparate story lines. But I do think in the end that made things feel a bit episodic and rushed, particularly in the transition to Monstro.

Maybe it would have worked better as miniseries... Like we all know Patrick McHale can handle one of those. lmao

So I had this somewhat... hmm, I guess like a restless lack of fulfillment after I left the movie because I loved some of the ideas so much and some of them felt like they didn't get a chance to be fully realized in a movie that had a lot of ground to cover. I get that some of the message of the movie is that war cuts short lives and stories and you don't always get a satisfying resolution to things as a result, but... like, you know, you're in the scene with Candlewick and his father, the war is crashing down, etc. and then suddenly you never hear from any of that again while Pinocchio is down there being crucified and then Monstro happens and that very rapid cycling from plot line to plot line made me sit here like. I wonder how the impact of these scenes would change if they were given the chance to breathe a little.

For example, I... assume that Candlewick also died during the bombing? But it was very unclear. I get that the point of the scene was, y'know, the juxtaposition of play with war, childhood with adulthood, standing up to a fascist figure, the true nature of courage, the death of the Podesta, etc. But it sort of feels like the full magnitude of the message isn't fully realized when you never get the child's reaction to his father's death or the fact that he'll probably never see Pinocchio again. You never know if he died in that bombing or if he joined the military and died for another dictator or if his rebellion actually stuck. And I get that some of the point is that you lose track of people in war and those relationships are as much a casualty as the actual lives lost, but... from a writing standpoint, I was just left sitting there like. Oh. That was a very abrupt end to that plot line.

I guess to me it felt less like purposeful ambiguity and more like we were being quickly shuffled along to the next part of the story, which was the return of Volpe and subsequently Monstro.

I suppose it frustrated me because I did think so many of the ideas in the movie were fascinating. I wanted to see those ideas fully fleshed out and taken to their logical conclusions, y'know? Given some space to breathe and exist. A good thing that could have been a little better will always frustrate me more than something that was just bad. lmao

Presenting Pinocchio as this simulacrum/Frankenstein/Christ figure was so interesting, though. This reoccurring idea of sons disappointing their fathers but earning love and/or respect through sacrifice which -- okay honestly it makes me feel like a lot of men need therapy because of continuing cycles of toxic masculinity, but. The nails sticking out of Pinocchio's neck in a way that sometimes reminds you of Frankenstein's bolts, sometimes reminds you of nails sticking awkwardly from a cross, like it was beautiful.

Presenting him as this Christ figure while simultaneously introducing this idea that life derives its power from its inevitable end is a really interesting idea. Like... did this religious idea only gain so much traction because the deity died? Is the power in the sacrifice, the death, or the resurrection? I guess you ask yourself that about Pinocchio, too. Does Pinocchio's resurrection lessen his sacrifice? Was he only a "real" boy so long as he could die? What does that make him now that he is once again unending? What understanding of death does he have now that he has died and come back and now must watch everyone else pass before him?

Also the ideas of incompletion and growth... Both the crucifix and Pinocchio as works in progress, the fact that Pinocchio was created from "dead" wood (and other dead things...) but still had the potential to physically grow, this concept of being alive and dead and unalive all at once, and what that truly means for living... Carlo being the seed for what would later metaphorically and physically become Pinocchio... Pinocchio becoming emotionally complete after losing the same arm that the "incomplete" wooden crucifix had... I mean, there was just a lot there, and I think I'll need to sit with a lot of that symbolism for a while to fully make sense of it all.

I think the most fascinating decision to make was to have Pinocchio be a slapdash simulacrum of a real dead child. The concepts there of individuality and replacement and grief making way for new kinds of love were really beautiful. The fact that, like Frankenstein, Geppetto was appalled by what he'd created. The fact that, unlike Frankenstein, Geppetto finally decided to take responsibility for his son and love him....... There's a lot to chew on there.....

The fact that the creature that gave Pinocchio life was clearly an allusion to a Biblically accurate angel while still explicitly being a nature deity. A "wood sprite" looking over a creature made of wood answering a prayer that Geppetto had made to a God that I don't think was ever listening. (Like God killed your kid in a church that you were actively building for him, Geppetto, I don't think he's giving you your son back.)

Again, I guess it just comes back to the symbolism of trees and wood and seeds and growth, doesn't it? Wood's a malleable material like that, I suppose. You've got the wooden crucifix and the wooden boy and the wooden cross. You've got a living boy gathering pine cones that would grow into a living tree that would be cut down to create a living puppet. You've got dead wood that can grow -- but only when it lies. God. There's a lot there.

And I mean, obviously you've got the strong thread of antifascism in the movie, but... this is a del Toro film. lmao. That's almost just implied from the start, isn't it? But I guess it's still a lesson that's needed these days, especially the implication that it's always easier to stand up to a fascist if you stand up for those who are being oppressed first. Stronger together, etc.

There's just an awful lot to say about the film, and I've only just scratched the tip of the iceberg. I'll be here all day if I keep going, though. It really was thought-provoking and I really did like it. I just felt such a weird sense of frustration with it. Like... if they'd just had a little more room it could have been more.

I came out of that film with like... the oddest thought that the script was good and the art was just fucking incredible, but as far as story cohesiveness goes... I think Puss In Boots of all fucking things did it better??? Which was a wild thing to think, but I think it's true. (And the art in that, of course, was also fascinating and beautiful.)

I think Pinocchio will still get the Oscar, but, and I know this will sound wild coming from the woman who is fucking still not over Brave beating ParaNorman a decade ago, I think I would not throw a fit if Puss won. I'd personally still choose Pinocchio just because I'm a slut for stop-motion and I think the writing was a bit more layered, but I think that story-wise Puss In Boots was probably a bit more cohesive and its characterization and messages were also surprisingly profound. (Though it did kind of get hit with the Up curse, which is when you can practically hear the executive say "an animated film about death??? put some stuff in there for the KIDS" when you're watching certain scenes.)

God, both movies were so mired in death and resurrection and questions about what value life holds for you if you're never truly afraid of losing it. lmao. Never fucking thought I'd say that about a Pinocchio film and a glorified Shrek sequel, but here we are.

people really doin it this year, and I will continue to watch!!

(a post about the MoMA exhibit later, btw, this is already long enough. I had an incredible time at the exhibit, though, and I cried a lot on IG while sitting on various chairs and benches around the museum.)

#somewhat meandering thoughts on the movie lmao #pinocchio #del toro pinocchio #god if I don't get to go to that laika exhibit in seattle before it closes I will CRY

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haroldgross · 2 years ago

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New Post has been published on Harold Gross: The 5a.m. Critic

New Post has been published on http://literaryends.com/hgblog/oscars-2023-final-call/

Oscars 2023 (final call)

Talk about a range of material to get through. From the heights of absurdity to flights of fancy to numbing and sobering reality. But you have to make some choices…and here are mine.

Actor In A Leading Role

Austin Butler (Elvis) Colin Farrell (The Banshees Of Inisherin) Brendan Fraser (The Whale) Paul Mescal (Aftersun) Bill Nighy (Living)

There isn’t a weak performance in this category, but only one really stood out for me in the end, making this an easy choice. And I think the general wave of agreement is with me on this one, though Butler could easily surprise me. A lot of people were turned off by The Whale’s subject matter…and even I dreaded the idea of watching it…until I did. And it is one of my favorite films of the past year. So we’ll see how many folks actually watched the movie rather than reacted to the tonnage of foam fat.

My Choice: Brendan Fraser

Actress In A Leading Role

Cate Blanchett (Tár) Ana De Armas (Blonde) Andrea Riseborough (To Leslie) Michelle Williams (The Fabelmans) Michelle Yeoh (Everything Everywhere All At Once)

Again, some very strong entries, if not always great movies, but Michelle Yeoh has a popular wave of support that should take her deservedly over the top.

My Choice: Michelle Yeoh

Actor In A Supporting Role

Brendan Gleeson (The Banshees Of Inisherin) Brian Tyree Henry (Causeway) Judd Hirsch (The Fabelmans) Barry Keoghan (The Banshees Of Inisherin) Ke Huy Quan (Everything Everywhere All At Once)

The lock here is really for Ke Huy Quan, who’s comeback story is one Hollywood just can’t resist. But he is among some great company.

My Choice: Ke Huy Quan

Actress In A Supporting Role

Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) Hong Chau (The Whale) Kerry Condon (The Banshees Of Inisherin) Jamie Lee Curtis (Everything Everywhere All At Once) Stephanie Hsu (Everything Everywhere All At Once)

For the longest time during awards season, it appeared that Angela Bassett’s portrayal of a mother and queen in mourning was the inevitable win. But Jamie Lee Curtis, my other favorite choice for the year, has had some late momentum. Both have many nominations and awards, and neither has ever won an Oscar, and both are older women being nominated in genre stories. However, that said, I still think Angela Bassett has the edge. Her performance is heart-rending but subtle. Curtis’ is solid and in support of the story, but without the same kind of depth. Either winning is a great outcome.

My Choice: Angela Bassett

Directing

Martin Mcdonagh (The Banshees Of Inisherin) Danel Kwan/Daniel Scheinert (Everything Everywhere All At Once) Steven Spielberg (The Fabelmans) Todd Field (Tár) Ruben Östlund (Triangle Of Sadness)

While Spielberg may pull this one out on a popular wave of love and the highly personal tale he delivered, the momentum is clearly the Daniels’. I don’t honestly think they deserve it…EEAAO is really a bit too long. But, to be fair, Fabelmans is too. And while Banshees is a great flick and subtly directed, it’s probably too dark to come out ahead. So going with the popular momentum on this one.

My Choice: Danel Kwan/Daniel Scheinert

Animated Feature Film

Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio Marcel The Shell With Shoes On Puss In Boots: The Last Wish The Sea Beast Turning Red

This may be the toughest animation year in a long while. Every one of these features managed to strike a chord with audiences for good reason. There are also two stop-action in the mix, which was great to see. And, interestingly, they are the front-runners (based on other other awards bodies that have already had their ceremonies). In the end while Marcel is cute and unexpected, the depth and risk of Pinocchio, as well as it’s results, take it to the top of the pile even if it wasn’t quite as perfect as I’d have liked. But there isn’t a one on this list you shouldn’t queue up at some point.

My Choice: Pinocchio

International Feature Film

All Quiet On The Western Front Argentina, 1985 Close Eo The Quiet Girl

Without question, All Quiet on the Western Front is the film to beat in this category. It has swept up awards around the globe. It’s a powerful and beautifully done anti-war historical. But, I have to admit, Argentina, 1985 is a better film to my mind. That said, I don’t think it has a chance, so going with the momentum.

My Choice: Argentina, 1985 My Prediction: All Quiet on the Western Front

Best Picture

All Quiet On The Western Front Avatar: The Way Of Water The Banshees Of Inisherin Elvis Everything Everywhere All At Once The Fabelmans Tár Top Gun: Maverick Triangle Of Sadness Women Talking

Three genre, three social commentaries, two war films, a memoir, and even a musical. How do you compare such disparate efforts? Honestly, Women Talking is the best of this lot for what it achieves. But there is a popular groundswell that is likely to overtake it in Everything Everywhere. Still, I won’t be surprised if the dark horse wins.

My Choice: Women Taking My Prediction: Everything Everywhere All At Once

Documentary Feature Film

All That Breathes All The Beauty And The Bloodshed Fire Of Love A House Made Of Splinters Navalny

A range of topics, but only one entertained, educated, and still managed to make a strong statement for me. House Made of Splinters or Beauty and the Bloodshed may surprise, but even with the heartstrings aspect on their side, they were both late to the game.

My Choice: Navalny

Documentary Short Film

The Elephant Whisperers Haulout How Do You Measure A Year? The Martha Mitchell Effect Stranger At The Gate

I haven’t been able to see most of these yet, frustratingly. but Martha Mitchell stood out for me in surprising ways. It isn’t just that it is well made, it also recast my perspective of that era and events even though I lived through them. That takes some talent. Elephant Whisperers may outpace it…and it’s a fine docu, if not entirely satisfying for me. And the Academy skews older, so hoping the historical aspect will take Mitchell over the top.

My Choice: The Martha Mitchell Effect

Short Film (Animated)

The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse The Flying Sailor Ice Merchants My Year Of Dicks An Ostrich Told Me The World Is Fake And I Think I Believe It

I’ve, again, only seen a few of these so far. I’ve heard great things about the others I haven’t as well. Given the range of material, it’s anyone’s guess. My Year of Dicks is probably the outlier that will grab attention. But The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse is an absolute delight and beautifully executed. I’m going out on a limb to say it will win. It has had good distribution and hits a sweet note in a dark year, which could be really helpful in the voting.

My Choice: The Boy, The Mole, The Fox And The Horse

Short Film (Live Action)

An Irish Goodbye Ivalu Le Pupille Night Ride The Red Suitcase

Based on nothing in particular, I’m going with Le Pupille. It’s a weird little tale of orphans during a Christmas holiday. It doesn’t make a lot of sense, but it doesn’t try to. And it is executed well. Though I also hear An Irish Goodbye is very effective.

My Choice: Le Pupille

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

All Quiet On The Western Front Edward Berger, Lesley Paterson & Ian Stokell

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Rian Johnson

Living Kazuo Ishiguro

Top Gun: Maverick Screenplay By Ehren Kruger And Eric Warren Singer And Christopher Mcquarrie; Story By Peter Craig And Justin Marks

Women Talking Sarah Polley

In the center ring is All Quiet and Women Talking to duke it out. For me, there isn’t a question: Women Talking. But All Quiet has been sweeping most of the globe…until recently.

My Choice: Women Talking

Writing (Original Screenplay)

The Banshees Of Inisherin Martin Mcdonagh

Everything Everywhere All At Once Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert

The Fabelmans Steven Spielberg & Tony Kushner

Tár Todd Field

Triangle Of Sadness Ruben Östlund

Everything Everywhere keeps surprising me by snagging overall, script, and directing awards. I loved it, don’t get me wrong, but it is flawed in many ways, however fun and poignant it is. And Banshees, an early favorite, seems to have vanished from the pack. I honestly don’t know what will happen here. I think this may be Banshees’ consolation prize. But given all the other sweeps, I’m going to stick with Everything Everywhere.

My Expectation: Everything Everywhere All At Once

Music (Original Score)

All Quiet On The Western Front Volker Bertelmann

Babylon Justin Hurwitz

The Banshees Of Inisherin Carter Burwell

Everything Everywhere All At Once Son Lux

The Fabelmans John Williams

The front runner here, based on the rest of the season, is All Quiet. Babylon, however, has a rich and huge original score. And John Williams is simply beloved and Fabelmans isn’t going to be picking up much during the evening. So, really a toss up. I’m going with momentum for this one, but may well be wrong.

My Expectation: All Quiet On The Western Front

Music (Original Song)

Applause From Tell It Like A Woman; Music And Lyric By Diane Warren

Hold My Hand From Top Gun: Maverick; Music And Lyric By Lady Gaga And Bloodpop

Lift Me Up From Black Panther: Wakanda Forever); Music By Tems, Rihanna, Ryan Coogler And Ludwig Goransson; Lyric By Tems And Ryan Coogler

Naatu Naatu From RRR; Music By M.M. Keeravaani; Lyric By Chandrabose

This Is A Life From Everything Everywhere All At Once) ; Music By Ryan Lott, David Byrne And Mitski; Lyric By Ryan Lott And David Byrne

Naatu Naatu is the runaway bet. None of the rest of the songs integrate into their films nor draw as much of an emotional reaction.

My Choice: Naatu Naatu

Cinematography

James Friend (All Quiet On The Western Front) Darius Khondji (Bardo: False Chronicle Of A Handful Of Truths) Mandy Walker (Elvis) Roger Deakins (Empire Of Light) Florian Hoffmeister (Tár)

Up until recently, I’d have bet on Friend taking this. But it’s quite a field of talent. And, like the Best Actress category, a chance to break some barriers with Mandy Walker as only the third woman to ever have a nomination as Cinematographer… especially with so much being equal in quality here.

My Choice: Mandy Walker

Costume Design

Mary Zophres (Babylon) Ruth Carter (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) Catherine Martin (Elvis) Shirley Kurata (Everything Everywhere All At Once) Jenny Beavan (Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris)

Normally, I’d have said “look for the period piece” but so many of them are. And several of these are hugely ambitious. For scope and quality I think the match is between Babylon and Elvis. And given the pervious ceremonies, I’m going with Martin.

My Choice: Catherine Martin

Film Editing

Mikkel E.G. Nielsen (The Banshees Of Inisherin) Matt Villa And Jonathan Redmond (Elvis) Paul Rogers (Everything Everywhere All At Once) Monika Willi (Tár) Eddie Hamilton (Top Gun: Maverick)

If anything other than Everything Everywhere gets this award, my teeth will drop. The seamless result of jumping between all the worlds in this film is invisible (from and effort point of view) and incredible. But Top Gun not only has a real shot, and excellent work, but it has picked up guild awards already. I’m almost always wrong in this category, so won’t be surprised if I am again if Top Gun wins it.

My Choice: Everything Everywhere All At Once

Makeup And Hairstyling

All Quiet On The Western Front The Batman Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Elvis The Whale

There was an easy and obvious answer for me in this category of The Whale. But the more I learned about Elvis and the subtle, practically invisible, work that was accomplished, I am switching my prediction. Either is worthy, but they are from different ends of the perception scale as a viewer.

My Choice: Elvis

Production Design

All Quiet On The Western Front Avatar: The Way Of Water Babylon Elvis The Fabelmans

Here is where Babylon is likely to get its one reward for its audacious and often vulgar (in the classic sense) effort.

My Choice: Babylon

Sound

All Quiet On The Western Front Avatar: The Way Of Water The Batman Elvis Top Gun: Maverick

This is another tough one to predict. All Quiet was an early front-runner, but Top Gun had similar challenges and successes.

My Choice: Top Gun

Visual Effects

All Quiet On The Western Front Avatar: The Way Of Water The Batman Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Top Gun: Maverick

Does anyone really doubt the winner here?

My Choice: Avatar

#craft #General #Movie Review

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ernmark · 2 years ago

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I watched Del Toro's Pinnochio this weekend, and I'm thinking about its approach to rules and rule breaking.

Because it's not a clean cut, 'obedience bad/independent thinking good' thing you often see with USAmerican projects.

One of the first sequences in the film is of Pinocchio throwing around knives because he simply doesn't know better, and almost seriously hurts Gepetto (who is understandably freaking out about this whole situation). He is a danger to himself and everyone around him, and he needs guidance and instruction to keep safe.

The first time he skips school to go to the carnival, it's the same: he should have done what he was told because it was meant to protect him from people who wanted to exploit him.

The second time he went to the carnival, though, he did it knowingly. He did it with the understanding that he was going to disappoint and upset his father, but that doing so would save his father from financial ruin.

I don't count making fun of Mussolini as an effective act of rebellion, because he didn't understand what he was actually getting into with that act. It was as lightheartedly ignorant and deadly as juggling knives, and it had repercussions for the rest of the movie. (Absolutely do criticize and call out fascists and dictators, but for the love of all that is holy, know what you're getting into before you do.)

When he disobeyed effectively, it was always done out of kindness and love. And very rarely to people who 'deserved' it-- by which I mean, people who were kind to him or loved him back.

It was standing up to protect the jealous little monkey that bullied him. It was comforting (and fostering 'softness') in the boy who had tricked him into burning his feet off. It was smashing the hourglass for a man who had once called him a burden.

Those acts came with repercussions of their own, each one with a heavy price to pay. But each time that kindness was rewarded with other people reaching back to save him, too.

And there's something to be said about the way it portrayed obedience: how often people obeyed cruel orders out of fear of pain or death, how often they obeyed awful orders in a desperate bid to earn some of the love and acceptance that they've been starved for (the monkey and Candlewick especially here).

And how there's a difference between Candlewick and his father, between the monkey and Volpe. And that difference matters. Just like the difference between juggling knives and smashing the hourglass.

It's that understanding that there are differences between these situations and people, and you have to examine each of them carefully before you can make any kind of sweeping proclamations.

It's nuance.

#guillermo del toro's pinocchio #spoilers for pinoccio #amazingly a man who has spent a good deal of his life thinking hard about fascism is able to express it in a nuanced way you children #honestly the bigger shock to me was that he managed to keep that pg rating #*to children

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tomwaterbabies · 6 months ago

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i dont mind at all! this was interesting to read and gives a better look into how people with the different take have read the story

I do think ergo is meant to be like a soul or conscience or whatever you'd like to call it (I do personally just like saying soul). I think part of why I took it as still being the same soul is the addition of other puppets awakening and such. There's implication that these puppets are retaining stuff from the past (like the maid puppet who stopped the baby from falling even though it wasn't in her programming? i don't fully recall the excerpt in the game other than it was implied she was gaining consciousness similar to what the ergo used to be)

There is definitely no denying Geppetto is an unreliable source of info, so I do agree there. I think it's also likely, and quite interesting, to consider that him saying those things about your personality is more in line with refusing to admit he is at fault. I think, for me, it's why when it's paired with other clues within the game, it leads to a different conclusion for me. But of course, nothing is set in stone lol

That's why I focus on Romeo. Like, shipping aside, he does clearly care for Carlo/P. And the massive affect he has on P's identity thus far is notable to me. Changing and becoming more like yourself is triggered a pretty substantial amount once Carlo's memories of Romeo take hold. And because this same path of chasing that sense of self and humanity leads to the rise of p ending (so long as you continue with gaining all that humanity), I'm inclined to believe that P's humanity is tied with not only his agency (his ability to make choices for himself- such as lying) but also his memories that brought forth that change to humanity

This is, to me, a way to see how trauma can deeply affect someone. You could read this other ways, such as queerness, but I think trauma is the main thing they were going for (though trauma and queerness can go hand in hand, obviously). This person (Carlo, P, w/e) has gone through such a harrowing experience in life, continues to go through harrowing experiences, so it makes sense that he comes out the other end so different. Carlo using a different name and looking differently but still owning his humanity is an interesting direction and one I think has the potential to be read in a lot of different ways such as the aforementioned queerness. But, despite being gay as fuck, I do actually think focusing on just his trauma in general is what really stands out to me. The idea that he can still own his humanity/identity regardless of what changes have happened to him (good or bad). There's something really nice about that, even if it's often difficult to accept the changes that happen to you

It's why I like how Romeo recognizing P affects him so much- solidifying a clear path to humanity, and it's why I like how Geppetto gets disgusted about being reminded of his own son (even if his perception on him is skewed) which, if you try and appease him, ends up being uhhhh really bad

If the story continues and does make it more clear and confirms they are different people, then obviously I'd have to go back and re-think some of the choices they made for the current story. I admit, it would then feel a little weaker for me compared to the other pinocchio and his dead brother carlo story (del toro's pinocchio), but there are good aspects about it even if I prefer the way another adaption did it

interesting to see that P and Carlo being different people is such a popular reading. I genuinely did not take the game's narrative as implying that at all. this isn't to discount that reading, i do understand it and i think it does offer some interesting aspects. but im more just typing out my own thoughts on the game's story; a story which i do think is very good

(spoilers ahead for the game lol)

one of the biggest things for me that lead to P and Carlo being the same is Geppetto and Romeo, the only two people who really know what your whole deal is

I spent a lot of the game very much expecting it to be a sort of... astro boy situation? as in: dad loses human son, dad builds another son, but said son is not what he wanted. In that story, it IS because the new son does not end up being like the former son

Most of the game from what I remember does lead to this narrative. However, I feel a key element here that makes it stand out is the fact that Geppetto did NOT like who Carlo was becoming. They were distant, they did not get along, etc. Geppetto sneers when you refuse to give him your heart- commenting that you're inheriting Carlo's personality instead of just holding his memories. HE is thinking of you two as different people and becomes upset when he sees stuff he didn't like about Carlo, which ultimately became part of why he is, to put it bluntly, fucked up and evil. he's wrought with guilt but has a very twisted idea of what his perfect son should be like- and it is someone NOT like Carlo, no matter how many times he insists Carlo is coming back to him- his true desire is clearly to have someone who Carlo was never like

This is paired well with Romeo's whole deal. I think it's very interesting that you really start to awaken and become more human once you start remembering stuff from the past- triggered by Romeo's presence in Carlo's life. You CAN read this as just carrying Carlo's memories, yes. But I think, for me, that because it literally affects P in such a way, that it reads more as someone remembering something of their own past. Along with the fact that, once again, Geppetto is the one who insists you are merely just carrying Carlo's memories. Why does it deeply change P then?

I've mentioned somewhere before, but a big concept that I took from the story was "you are not the same person you were years ago". not in a literal sense, but in the way we often describe how we grow as people. The game, to me, portrays this concept in a very Dramatic way. Carlo has changed quite a lot, but it is still his life he experienced. He has a different name, he developed a personality that his father ended up detesting, etc. But that is still the same... we'll say soul I guess. Same life. And it adds to why Romeo is such an interesting (and tragic) character. He DID accept how his friend changed and still wants to remain by his side. I think that genuinely makes his fight sadder for me- the idea that this really IS Carlo, that IS his friend and not someone else he's mistaken Carlo for, but Carlo/P does not remember him anymore before it is far too late.

#i wrote a whole thing about the different endings and mentioning sophia's role and all that but this is so long already so nvm LOL #reply #lies of p #if there are typos no there isnt btw

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nikibogwater · 2 years ago

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Niki Blethers: Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio LET’S FREAKIN’ GOOOOOOOOO--

In case it was not already obvious, this was my most anticipated movie of the year. Heck, it was my only anticipated movie of the year. Having learned the hard way just how deeply disappointment stings, I don’t usually get my hopes up this high. But darn it, everything I heard about this movie prior to its release just filled me with too much excitement to ignore, and now that it is finally available to the wider public, it is my great pleasure to say--

HOLY MOTHER OF MARMALADE, DID THIS MOVIE LIVE UP TO MY HYPE AND THEN SOME

(Mild spoilers below the cut, GO WATCH THIS MOVIE IF YOU HAVEN’T ALREADY I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT IT’S A MASTERPIECE)

First up: stop motion animation. We love to see it. And this movie doesn’t cut any corners with the stop motion. Even the fire is stop motion. The backgrounds are paintings (gorgeous ones at that), not just CG landscapes. The sets are so incredibly detailed I could’ve spent several minutes just staring at any given wide shot. There were very few instances where I could clearly see any effects that were obviously done in a computer. The animators and set builders went hard on this movie, and they have 1000% of my respect for it.

Despite being a whimsical fairy tale, there is a pretty heavy sense of realism with this movie. Like, one scene, you have an overeager Pinocchio singing a cute little song about how excited he is to be alive, and then in the next one, he and Geppetto are walking past buildings plastered with posters promoting Mussolini’s Fascist regime. The way the film balances these two tonal opposites is absolutely genius, and I can’t remember a single instance of a jarring shift in tone. The light and whimsical always eases into the dark and realistic in a way that makes me feel like the two sides couldn’t exist without each other.

Also speaking of realism, CAN I GET A HALLELUJIA FOR SOME HONEST-TO-GOODNESS CATHOLIC REP IN A CURRENT-YEAR CHILDREN’S MOVIE?!

This is obviously a personal thing for me, but I pretty much never see any accurate, respectful portrayals of my religion outside of films that are specifically made for Catholics. And I’ma be real with you, more often than not, the films made specifically for us turn out to be unbearably preachy or saccharine (and they’re never animated--another major point against them). To see a character who simply IS a Catholic (because this is Italy during the 1910s, so it’d be a little out-of-the-ordinary for him not to be), doing his little Catholic things, without it being a huge focus of the story or directly influencing the plot--ie, Catholicism being portrayed as just another normal part of every-day life--GAH. IT WAS JUST REALLY SPECIAL TO ME, OKAY?

Also Geppetto locking Pinocchio in a closet because he doesn’t have time to deal with this, it’s time to go to Mass is a big fat Catholic mood.

Okay, I’ll shut up about the Catholic stuff. Back to the movie.

If I had a nickel for every time David Bradly made me cry with his performance as a struggling father-figure overcoming the estrangement between him and his adopted son, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t very many, but it’s great that it happened twice.

Ewan McGregor practically carries this movie as Sebastian J. Cricket. I knew he was going to be good, but somehow I failed to foresee just how good he truly is in the role. This interpretation of Jiminy Cricket as a mildly self-absorbed novelist who sees Pinocchio as little more than his house for most of the film is just *chef’s kiss.*

Ron Perlman as the Podestà was incredible. I actually didn’t realize it was him until three-fourths of the way through the movie, he just vanishes into the role so smoothly. And gotdang, is that character scary.

Christoph Waltz clearly went all out with Count Volpe and I bet recording sessions with him were very fun.

Gregory Mann did so great for such a little guy! It’s hard to find child actors, and even harder to find child voice actors, but he was fantastic, and really sold the character.

Speaking of characters, OH MY GOSH I LOVE THEM SO MUCH WHERE DO I BEGIN

Geppetto is a very sentimental old guy whose only joy in life was his son Carlo. After Carlo is killed in a bombing raid, Geppetto completely collapses under the weight of his grief. Carving Pinocchio isn’t something he does out of creativity or joy, but rather the result of drunken and despairing rage. The scene is played out as a grotesque and heartbreaking moment, and I LOVE it.

Pinocchio himself is a Very Real Boy from the start--by which I mean, he never shuts up, he gets into everything, he’s kind of a brat, and he brings unbridled chaos to Geppetto’s life in the way that only a young child can. I like it when movies portray children as, y’know, actual children, not just tiny adults. Yeah, kids are loud, they break stuff, they annoy the heck out of you, and they are also so, so precious, they’re worth every second of it.

I’ve already talked about Sebastian J. Cricket so all I’m gonna say here is I felt the line “Oh, the pain! Life is such hideous pain” right down to my core.

This movie covers a lot of heavy themes, such as the difficulties of fatherhood, abuse, war, death, and grief. But it does so in a way that left me with a sense of hope. It doesn’t shy away from the reality of these things, but it assures you that you can endure them, that you can find immense joy even in the midst of great suffering.

To get a little personal for the second time, the way this movie goes about presenting the reality of death and the grief of those left behind resonated with me very deeply. I’m the youngest child in my immediate family, and deep down, there’s a part of me that dreads the day when they will pass on and leave me behind. Barring any unforeseen accidents, I will likely outlive most of my siblings, and I’m lowkey terrified of that inevitablilty. So there was something oddly comforting about a film that speaks directly to my fear like that. A film that doesn’t sugar coat or try to persuade me that it won’t be so bad. A film that tells me my time with my family is so much more precious because it is so fleeting.

So yeah, tears were shed, I’m not ashamed to admit it.

I could probably say a bajillion things more about this movie, but it’s getting late now and I’ve prattled long enough. In conclusion, 10/10, easily the best movie of my year, and I truly think I can forgive Del Toro for Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans now.

#niki blethers #guillermo del toro's pinocchio #there'd better be a CinemaWins for this movie I swear--

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