#hulu save girl meets world

[localgyarugal]

𝐏𝐮𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐨𝐤𝐚 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰! 🎀 🍓

"Puella Magi Madoka Magica", or "Madoka Magica", is a magical girl series released in Japan in 2011. Written by Gen Urobuchi the "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" manga was released in Japan in three volumes also in 2011. With a total of 12 episodes the lore of this show goes surprisingly deep. Be careful though, because behind the cutesy art style lies the hidden dark world of magical girls.

𝑨𝒏𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝑺𝒚𝒏𝒐𝒑𝒔𝒊𝒔 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 🎀

The story of "Madoka Magica" follows Madoka Kaname and her best friend Sayaka Miki, two seemingly ordinary middle school girls. One day they both save a mystical creature known as a Kyubey from one of their classmates, Homura Akemi. Upon meeting Kyubey he offers them the chance to become magical girls, gaining powerful abilities in exchange for fighting witches— evil beings that threaten the world. As Madoka considers this offer, Sayaka accepts. Then together, along with their new mentor Mami Tomoe, learn about the struggles of other magical girls and the grim consequences that come with it.

𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝑺𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒍𝒅 𝑾𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 - - - - - - - - - - - 🎀

"Madoka Magica" is an interesting watch. If you love the magical girl genre but wish it went deeper then this is the show for you! It's similar to "Sailor Moon" in the way that both series are magical girl anime that discuss more serious topics. The series delves into themes of hope, sacrifice, and the often harsh realities of dreams, revealing the dark twists behind what seems like a typical magical girl story. Not only is the animation stunning but the soundtrack has a way of fully immersing you in what's happening on screen. Almost every character you see on screen is fully fleshed out and has an intreaging backstory. Overall the anime is very well thought out with amazing animation and an beautiful soundtrack to match, it's no wonder it got so popular!

𝑴𝒚 𝑶𝒑𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒐𝒏/𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 - - - - - - - - - - - - - 🎀

Overall I'd give this anime a solid 9/10. I loved the spin on the magical girl trope and the fleshed out characters. I found myself intreged throughout the entire show sucked in by the interesting storyline and sensational soundtrack. I found myself with a few questions that were not answered but it was nothing so substantial that I couldn't understand the plot.

𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝑻𝒐 𝑾𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 🎀

This show is available to watch on many different platforms. Disney Plus, Hulu, Crunchy Roll, and Prime Video.

[fancoloredglasses]

Smile Time (Sesame Street meets modern horror)

[All images are owned by 20th Century Fox Disney and Mutant Enemy Productions. Please don't sue, bite, or stake me]

(This episode was written and directed by Ben Edlund, the mind behind The Tick)

You wouldn’t think a show with horror (and adult) themes would get a toy line, but this show managed not one, but THREE dolls based on the secondary plot complication of the episode (and a fourth, just because). What complication is that? Let’s dive into the episode and find out! If you would like to watch the episode, it’s available on Hulu or behind your favorite paywall.

PREVIOUSLY ON…

Wolfram & Hart (a multinational law office run by demons) has given Angel Investigations control over their Los Angeles branch (in hopes of corrupting the team) and Angel accepts (in hopes of destroying the organization from within). Neither side is doing well at it.

Two refugees from Sunnydale have joined the cast: Harmony, Cordelia’s old Mean Girls BBF (who is now a vampire), is Angel’s personal assistant, while Spike is back from his death scene in the series finale of Buffy as pissed off at the world (but trying to save it) as ever.

One of the people Angel has managed to help is Nina, who has contracted lycanthropy and seeks refuge from Angel (in the form of a cage so she doesn’t hurt anyone) every full moon.

One of Fred’s lab-mates, Knox, has been making romantic advances despite Fred having feelings for Wesley (who is clueless about the latter fact).

Gunn had a legal library implanted into his brain by the Senior Partners of Wolfram & Hart.

Lorne is in his element as Head of Entertainment Legal

I believe that catches us up, so on with the show!

The cold open has a mom taking care of her sick kid…

(Thanks to kanemichaelg)

Cue the opening credits!

We come back to Knox and Fred discussing an epidemic of children being found like Tommy (7 reported cases thus far)

Then Fred finds a Valentine’s Day card from Knox in the files and gently shuts him down.

Then Nina shows up for her monthly appointment in Chez Cage. She awkwardly tries flirting with Angel before being escorted to her accommodations.

Then Gunn checks in with Harmony about a case he was working on.

This confuses and upsets Gunn, since his encyclopedic knowledge of law shouldn’t have failed him like that.

Angel discusses this Nina-shaped wrinkle with Wesley (since his curse would be lifted if he achieves True Happiness, as sleeping with Buffy proved (as well as being dosed with a euphoria-inducing drug earlier in his own series. Fortunately, he was back to his old soul-filled self once the drug wore off))

Wesley points out that not all relationships achieve “true happiness”.

Leave it to an ex-Watcher to put things into perspective. (Wesley may have been a twit and an asshat in Buffy, but he certainly came into his own after coming to LA)

Then Fred comes in with the results of her research on the kids. Angel reads the reports, and notes that all of the kids collapsed in the same half-hour time period in front of their TVs. He immediately takes the files and retreats to his office, leaving Wesley and Fred to awkwardly make small talk.

Wesley completely misses the cue and calls for a driver to take Fred home.

In Angel’s office, Angel has to get Lorne to stop talking about Nina long enough to get back to the case. Finally, Lorne has an epiphany about why that particular time period…

The next evening, Angel skulks around the studio where Smile Time is produced. He sees a custodian approach, but he doesn’t acknowledge Angel…

…at all. Angel then sneaks into an office/storeroom used to house props and sets for Smile Time, then pokes around until he sees…

OK, that’s weird. Angel approaches the man when the egg above him starts to…

…smile? Then Angel is hit with a blast of energy that throws him into a pile of boxes. Fortunately it takes more than that to keep a…

…puppet???? down? Cue commercial!

(As a side note, I love that puppet-Angel is as pouty-faced as the regular type)

As we return to the show, Angel has somehow makes it back to Wolfram & Hart undetected and calls for Fred, Wesley, and Gunn.

Then Angel realized Smile Time is on and rushes to watch. Fred has the lab boys record and completely scan the show, while Angel wants to mobilize the Black Ops teams (because of course Wolfram & Hart have Black Ops teams) Angel may have some anger-control issues in his Muppetized state.

After talking Angel down, Lorne reveals that the showrunner for Smile Time is a man named Gregor Framkin, so Angel sics Lorne and Gunn on him (wait, why Lorne? He can’t exactly be seen in Human Company!) while putting Fred and Wesley on figuring out how Framkin affected the kids…and him. And as for what’s happened to him…

Yeah, in an office run by the enemy? That’s definitely gonna stay under wraps.

Then Nina comes in unannounced, so Angel dives behind his desk and pretty much throws her out from there.

But the intrusions don’t stop there.

(Thanks to TheLocalPlayer)

(Yes, even in puppet form, Angel can kick Spike’s ass)

Meanwhile, Gunn and Lorne have gone to Framkin’s office to attempt to shut whatever he’s up to down.

…but Gunn has forgotten the legalese version of “shut this shit down before we do it for you!” and leaves in embarrassment, but not before letting slip about Angel’s current state (did you forget what “classified” means too?)

No sooner do Gunn and Lorne leave does the camera do a slow pan around Framkin to reveal…

…Framkin’s the puppet and the on-screen cast of Smile Time is pulling the strings! The lead puppet (Polo) gets on the phone and calls the rest of the cast in for a meeting.

Once assembles, Polo announces it's time step up their plan to steal the kids’ life force, so instead on one at a time…

The cast intends to sell the kids’ life force (“100% pure innocence” Obviously they haven’t met the kids I went to school with) to the denizens in Hell and retire in style.

That night in Nina’s iron-clad luxury suite, Angel comes down to talk and smooth things over with her.

…sort of.

Nina starts feeling sorry for herself, so Angel steps in and comes clean. He then says he might be willing to let his guard down for her.

Maybe he should’ve let it down in the morning!

Fortunately, Angel’s made of felt, so…

…nothing a needle and thread can’t fix.

Meanwhile, Gunn has gone to the Mad Scientist who gave him his Instant Law Degree. The (for lack of a better term) doctor says it’s degrading, but he can’t do anything about it because it’s likely the Senior Partners decided it would amuse them. Gunn is desperate and pretty much begs.

The Doctor mentions he has a certain artifact tied up in customs. In exchange for rebooting Gunn’s knowledge…

[SPOILER ALERT: The artifact is the one that contains Illyria, so Gunn’s about to doom Fred!

…not that he would know that, and the Doc ain’t telling!]

Meanwhile, the research into the show goes on. Then Knox comes in and awkwardly tries making small talk (and insulting Wesley) before Fred sends him home. The pair talk a bit about Fred’s love life and Fred’s just about to confess her love for Wesley when he sees…

Polo pressing against the screen when the volume is muted.

Fred and Wesley go to Angel with their findings, and after analyzing the signal strength…

Wesley proposes that the egg is holding the kids’ life force, so destroying it should wake them (and restore Angel to his normal mopey self)

Then the new-and-improved Gunn comes in to drop some legalese.

Gunn tells them that the puppets are the key to everything.

The next morning, Polo puts his plan into action.

Polo gets the kids to touch their TV and begins draining them until…

Gunn manages to decapitate one of the puppets as Polo sends another to guard the egg.

Speaking of the egg, Wesley and Fred have found it and begin the ritual to destroy it. However, a puppet tackles him. Wes tells Fred to continue the spell while he deals with his dance partner.

Meanwhile, Gunn is having his own issues with another puppet.

And as for Angel…

(Thanks to John Thunder)

Wes and Gunn take care of their puppets as Fred finishes the incantation, destroying the egg.

The next morning, Nina wakes up…

…covered in puppet guts. She’s horrified as to what she thinks happened when Angel comes in, much to Nina’s relief!

Angel reports that he’ll be back to himself in a few days as he lets her out.

…and is ready to give a relationship a shot.

Well, that’s one awkward relationship down, let’s check in with the other!

Fred finally corners Wesley and bares herself (so to speak) to him. When Wesley gets a gobsmacked look on his face…

…she throws caution to the wind!

Fortunately, Wesley can take a hint when it smacks him in the face (so to speak) and reciprocates as the show ends.

Now, I mentioned a toy line. I’m pretty sure you can guess that the toys are (HINT: It’s not Polo and the Smile Time cast) Unfortunately, the only way to find them these days is on e-bay.

(Thanks to WorthPoint)

Hell, they even made one for Spike! (and he didn’t even need to be zapped by a demonic egg!)

[queerstuffonscreen]

Pretty Little Liars (2010-2017) [I]

Episode length: 40-45 min.

Country: USA

Genre: Drama, Mystery

Language: English

Based on the Pretty Little Liars series of young adult novels by Sara Shepard, the series follows the lives of four girls — Spencer, Hanna, Aria, and Emily — whose clique falls apart after the disappearance of their queen bee, Alison. One year later, they begin receiving messages from someone using the name "A" who threatens to expose their secrets — including long-hidden ones they thought only Alison knew.

Season 1

Episode 1: Pilot

Episode 2: The Jenna Thing

Episode 3: To Kill a Mocking Girl

Episode 4: Can You Hear Me Now?

Episode 5: Reality Bites Me

Episode 6: There's No Place Like Homecoming

Episode 7: The Homecoming Hangover

Episode 8: Please, Do Talk About Me When I'm Gone

Episode 9: The Perfect Storm

Episode 10: Keep Your Friends Close

Episode 11: Moments Later

Episode 12: Salt Meets Wound

Episode 13: Know Your Frenemies

Episode 14: Careful What U Wish 4

Episode 15: If at First You Don't Succeed, Lie, Lie Again

Episode 16: Je Suis Une Amie

Episode 17: The New Normal

Episode 18: The Bad Seed

Episode 19: A Person of Interest

Episode 20: Someone to Watch Over Me

Episode 21: Monsters in the End

Episode 22: For Whom the Bell Tolls

Season 2

Episode 1: It's Alive

Episode 2: The Goodbye Look

Episode 3: My Name Is Trouble

Episode 4: Blind Dates

Episode 5: The Devil You Know

Episode 6: Never Letting Go

Episode 7: Surface Tension

Episode 8: Save the Date

Episode 9: Picture This

Episode 10: Touched by an A-ngel

Episode 11: I Must Confess

Episode 12: Over My Dead Body

Episode 13: The First Secret

Episode 14: Through Many Dangers, Toils and Snares

Episode 15: A Hot Piece of 'A'

Episode 16: Let the Water Hold Me Down

Episode 17: Blond Leading the Blind

Episode 18: A Kiss Before Lying

Episode 19: The Naked Truth

Episode 20: CTRL:A

Episode 21: Breaking the Code

Episode 22: Father Knows Best

Episode 23: Eye of the Beholder

Episode 24: If These Dolls Could Talk

Episode 25: UnmAsked

Season 3

Episode 1: It Happened 'That Night'

Episode 2: Blood is the New Black

Episode 3: Kingdom of the Blind

Episode 4: Birds of a Feather

Episode 5: That Girl Is Poison

Episode 6: The Remains of the 'A'

Episode 7: Crazy

Episode 8: Stolen Kisses

Episode 9: The Kahn Game

Episode 10: What Lies Beneath

Episode 11: Single Fright Female

Episode 12: The Lady Killer

Episode 13: This is a Dark Ride

Episode 14: She's Better Now

Episode 15: Mona Mania

Episode 16: Misery Loves Company

Episode 17: Out of the Frying Pan, Into the Inferno

Episode 18: Dead to Me

Episode 19: What Becomes of the Broken Hearted

Episode 20: Hot Water

Episode 21: Out of Sight, Out of Mind

Episode 22: Will the Circle Be Unbroken?

Episode 23: I'm Your Puppet

Episode 24: A DAngerous GAme

Season 4

Episode 1: 'A' is for A-l-i-v-e

Episode 2: Turn of the Shoe

Episode 3: Cat's Cradle

Episode 4: Face Time

Episode 5: Gamma Zeta Die!

Episode 6: Under the Gun

Episode 7: Crash and Burn, Girl!

Episode 8: The Guilty Girl's Handbook

Episode 9: Into the Deep

Episode 10: The Mirror Has Three Faces

Episode 11: Bring Down the Hoe

Episode 12: Now You See Me, Now You Don't

Episode 13: Grave New World

Episode 14: Who's in the Box?

Episode 15: Love ShAck, Baby

Episode 16: Close Encounters

Episode 17: Bite Your Tongue

Episode 18: Hot for Teacher

Episode 19: Shadow Play

Episode 20: Free Fall

Episode 21: She's Come Undone

Episode 22: Cover for Me

Episode 23: Unbridled

Episode 24: 'A' is for Answers

Watch on HBO Max or Hulu

See Pretty Little Liars post II season 5-7

[dadscarathon]

October 2024 Ahhhhgenda

For past Spooptober Scarathons I sort of wing it. I store up memories of movies and shows I want to watch all year, then hunt them up each day as I go. This year, I thought it would be fun to lay them out ahead of me, choosing one each calendar day. If nothing else, it will save me some time pouring through my Shudder queue!

I'll start with one that I hope will be on the list, but may not be. I'm a huge fan of the Terrifier series, and this year we get the third movie in the theaters! There's some chance I won't get to go to the theater, so we'll see, but that's my hope!

Here's the list in no particular order, with a rephrased synopsis and which service/method I intend to use to watch.

Destroy All Neighbors (Shudder) A prog rock oriented horror movie? OK!

Terrifier 3 (Theater) I haven’t read the synopsis, because trying to fathom a plot involving Art the Clown is a bit like pondering the existence of free will.

Mean Spirited (Shudder) An influencer goes on vacation and gets a demon.

YellowBrickRoad (Shudder) A town’s population disappears and “intrepid” (that’s a horror euphemism for “victim”) explorers go to find them. Seems like a horror take on OZ, which I also enjoy.

Let the Wrong One In (Shudder) A little brother turns into a vampire and the protagonist must make a choice.

Late Night with the Devil (Shudder) A rival to Carson ends up unleashing a hell on late night watchers.

The Pale Door (Shudder) Failed train robbers hide out in a ghost town and encounter some witches.

Blood Quantum (Shudder) There’s a zombie apocalypse, but for some reason the Mi'gmaq tribe are immune and must now survive.

Blood Relatives (Shudder) An old Yiddish vampire meets his possible daughter.

Hellbender (Shudder) Izzy was raised in isolation by her Mom, and once free to explore the world finds out something dark about herself.

Blumhouse’s Fantasy Island (Hulu) Didn’t read the synopsis… But I know what Fantasy Island is. And what Blumhouse is ;)

Bad Hair (Hulu) A woman gets a weave and… It attacks?

Down (Hulu) People trapped on an elevator turn out to be terrible.

Wounds (Hulu) A bartender picks up a phone someone left behind.

The Seeding (Hulu) A man lost in the wilderness seeks refuge with a stranger, then finds out she’s not there willingly or alone.

Mr. Harrigan’s Phone (Netflix) Some connections never die, apparently.

Eli (Netflix) A young boy undergoes some horrifying medical procedure

Insidious: The Red Door (Netflix) A demon haunts a family. Which, honestly… I guess “Insidious” sort of gave that away, eh?

Out of Darkness (Paramount+) 45,000 years ago some people are stranded on an island.

Jennifer’s Body (Hulu) Jennifer has some less than savory tendencies after an occult run-in. I can’t remember if I’ve ever seen this, but I wanted to watch it just in case, as there’s another movie in the same setting on this list.

Lisa Frankenstein (Amazon Prime Video) Lisa’s boyfriend is dead… But that won’t stop her.

Stopmotion (Amazon Prime Video) A stop motion animator has an experience

Arcadian (Amazon Prime Video) Nic Cage defending his family at the end of the world.

I Saw The TV Glow (MAX) Owen is introduced to scary stuff by his friends, and his reality cracks

In a Violent Nature (Amazon Prime Video) The victim of an ancient crime is resurrected to visit vengeance against trespassing teens.

A Quiet Place: Day One (Paramount+) The world goes quiet… Spooky.

X (Paramount+) Someone tries to make an adult film, and it doesn’t go well

Pearl (Shudder or Netflix) Set in 1918 a lonely farm girl goes to extremes for fame

Oddity (Shudder) A blind psychic’s twin is murdered and now she’s back to make it right…

Divinity (Shudder) Two brothers abduct a mogul and things get weird

Suitable Flesh (Hulu) A psychiatrist becomes a murderer and the story unfolds as to why that has to happen

Know a movie I have to watch that isn't on this list? Let me know in the next two days! Or, hell, any time in the next 31. Anything goes up to the last day, so I'm open to suggestions.

[greensparty]

Movie Reviews: The Greatest Hits / Civil War

This week I got to review two very different films:

The Greatest Hits

This week sees the Hulu release of the recent SXSW hit The Greatest Hits, a romantic drama fantasy. What got my attention was star Lucy Boynton, who has very quietly become a standout in multiple films notably the dream girl in Sing Street, which I named my #1 Movie of 2016. She is widely known for playing Freddie Mercury's fiance in Bohemian Rhapsody, an uneven music biopic, but no denying the lead performances. Here, she is the lead carrying the movie. No second billing 'cause she's a star now!

movie poster

Boynton plays Harriet, a woman who is still mourning the passing of her boyfriend Max. She is finding that certain songs can transport her back to a particular place and time - literally. Upon hearing a song on the radio or in a coffee shop, she goes back to a point and time in the relationship. This causes her to go through her entire record collection and note which albums do and don't have that effect. Then while at her support group, she meets David, who is dealing with loss of his own. They hit it off, but she's having trouble letting go of the past and pondering if she should change the past too.

Music geekdom in pop culture is usually male-driven, which is why the TV version of High Fidelity, where Zoe Kravitz took over the John Cusack role in the film, was so exciting. The idea of a female-driven music geek movie about a protagonist who browses record stores and organizes her record collection is something pop culture should catch up with. Why does it have to be male-driven movies about music geeks? I say this as a male music geek who frequents record stores and organizes my music collection! But in terms of this movie, I think I liked the idea of it better than the actuality. The movie itself had an interesting concept about the way that a song can take you back to another place and time, but then it just fell into romantic tear-jerker tropes. But the thing is I really wanted to like this, especially since Boynton deserves a star-vehicle of her own.

For info on The Greatest Hits

2.5 out of 5 stars

Civil War

British author / writer / director Alex Garland has had a mixed bag as a writer/director. His 1996 book The Beach was adapted by Danny Boyle in 2000, which had its moments but more or less became a star vehicle for Leonardo DiCaprio. That lead to Garland's screenwriting with Boyle directing 28 Days Later and Sunshine. For the former, I dug the first two-thirds and then it fell apart in the last third. However I will say that there's an alternate ending on the DVD that they didn't film, but show the storyboards with voiceover and that would've been a much stronger ending and movie as a whole. The later I don't remember too well, but remember liking it when I saw it. Over the last decade, Garland has brought his dystopian bleak view of the world to the director's seat with mixed results. His best work IMHO was 2014's Ex Machina, which came out just as Siri and Alexa were becoming commonplace and had something to say about AI. If Stanley Kubrick was alive in the 2010s, that's exactly the kind of movie he would've made (NOTE: I said "kind of" not "exactly like"). Now Garland's back with another bleak future, this one about the Divided States of America in Civil War, which opens this week from A24.

movie poster

In a war-torn U.S., there's a civil war raging with some states resisting the current president (a wasted Nick Offerman, who is barely in it). In NYC, veteran war photographer Lee (Kirsten Dunst) is covering a protest and saves Jesse (Cailee Spaeny), a young photographer just starting out who is actually a fan of Lee's. The next day Lee and her journalist partner Joel (Wagner Moura) are getting ready to drive from NYC to D.C. in the midst of this chaos in hopes of scoring an interview with the president before the rebels get to the White House first. Along for the ride is Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson), an older New York Times reporter, and to Lee's dismay, Jesse. Along the way, they see a lot in this dystopian horror-show. Lee and her team get up close for their coverage. As Lee says in the movie (not a spoiler) their job is not to ask questions, just to photograph and let others ask questions.

I had a lot of issues with this movie. First of all, it only scratched the surface. This movie brings up some hot button issues and it's being released in an election year and yet it doesn't really dive too deep only scratches the surface. The film gives no context as to how any of this happened. I don't need everything answered for me in a movie and I'm all for ambiguity when it works, but this just seemed like a missed opportunity. There could've been something to say about the left and the right and where that leaves the middle ground or something to say about Trump waging war on the press, but instead it said, well, not too much. Kirsten Dunst, who is always reliable, was easily the highlight of the film. She is among the greatest child actors who continued to deliver great performances as an adult. Between all of her collaborations with Sofia Coppola (The Virgin Suicides, Marie Antoinette, and The Beguiled), the excellent Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Melancholia (an uneven movie but truly elevated by Dunst), TV's Fargo, and her Oscar-nominated performance in The Power of the Dog, she has quite an impressive filmography. And did I mention she was excellent as MJ in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy! Here, she pulls off an internalized role of a hardened veteran. It's all in her eyes with this performance. But the biggest issue I have with Civil War is that is trying to be deep, profound and meaningful...and by the end it felt like - that's it?!?! Axl Rose singing "what's so civil about war anyways?" was more deep than this!

For info on Civil War

2 out of 5 stars

[planes4gmw]

Paper Airplanes for Girl Meets World

--------PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION. We are redirecting Netflix efforts to Amazon.--------

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The Basics:

Make three paper airplanes, each one small enough to fit in an envelope.

Send one to Hulu and one to Netflix requesting that they acquire Girl Meets World and produce new episodes. Then send one more to Disney Channel asking them to please sell the rights if someone offers.

Decorate the outside of the airplane and write your message inside. Be as creative or as bare bones as you like, and remember: there is nothing wrong with a simple airplane made out of notebook paper.

Mail your airplanes on the Monday after the finale, January 23, or at any point that week. The aim is to have most of our planes “land” at Netflix, Hulu, and Disney Channel the Friday after the finale or around then. Don’t be discouraged if you aren’t ready on Monday January 23rd, because you can still mail in your airplanes the next day, or even the day after that…but let’s all aim to mail them on the 23rd. To fans outside the U.S.A.: if your post takes a while to reach California, please feel free to put your airplanes in the mail early.

If you can only afford to send one or two airplanes, that’s okay too! Just choose between Netflix, Hulu, and Disney Channel. Please don’t feel like you can’t participate at all just because you can’t do all three.

Before we mail them in, share your airplanes and the messages inside on social media using #planes4gmw. If you’re on Instagram/Twitter, tag @planes4gmw in the photo! And don’t forget to follow this Tumblr for updates. Follow the campaign on Twitter and Instagram too! 

Hulu 2500 Broadway Santa Monica, CA 90404

Netflix 100 Winchester Cir. Los Gatos, CA 95032

Disney Channel Attn: Gary Marsh, President 3800 W. Alameda Ave Suite 2151 Burbank, CA 91505

Check out this sample from twitter user @astral_tali (and then keep scrolling for more info!):

The Why:

It’s relatively easy to tweet, sign an online petition, write a comment, send an email, or even just make a phone call. While those actions are key, deploying an old-school tactic like this one takes the #SaveGMW campaign to the next level. Adding a physical component demonstrates just how dedicated and serious we are about trying to save our show. Some of the most successful “save our show” campaigns have integrated a physical component, like when thousands of Friday Night Lights fans sent lightbulbs to NBC.

We chose the paper airplanes idea (submitted by a no longer anonymous fan) because it’s simple, cheap, representative of both shows, and most importantly: easy for even the youngest Girl Meets World fans to participate in, which is important because while GMW has a big grown-up fanbase, young fans are the heart of it all. All you’ll need is some paper, three envelopes, and postage. (You may also need markers and crayons and stickers, depending on how artistic you want to be).

What to Say:

To all three companies:

A sincere personal reason for why you love Girl Meets World so much you’re willing to fight for it.

Your age and location.

To Netflix and Hulu:

If you or your parents are already subscribers, let them know. If you’re not, tell them you’ll subscribe (or beg your parents to do so) if they save our show. 

Talk about how Girl Meets World fits in with their business models and goals. If your whole family watches together, mention that. If you’re an international fan who isn’t able to watch live, mention that (particularly to Netflix). If you’re a cord cutter who watches the show the day after on Amazon/iTunes but not live, mention that. 

To Disney Channel:

I know we’re all angry at them right now and a lot of us have probably made that known already, but be polite. If you don’t feel like you can be polite, maybe skip this one. 

If you (or your parents) plan on unsubscribing from premium cable packages which include Disney Channel (or have already) due to the show’s cancellation, say so. If your family plans to stop watching the network due to GMW’s cancellation, say so, especially if you have family members in their primary demographic. 

Appeal to their bottom line, aka their pocketbooks. Say that you understand Disney Channel has their reasons for the decision they made, but suggest that perhaps they can make some money they otherwise wouldn’t have off of selling the rights. Mention also that selling the rights so the show can continue elsewhere would garner goodwill towards their company.

How to Help Spread the Word:

Use the hashtag #planes4gmw on social media. Reblog this post! Share the link to this post as well as the Twitter and Instagram: @planes4gmw. We will also attempt to get this campaign trending on social media during the finale as well as the day after. 

If you can make graphics/digital fliers to promote the #planes4gmw campaign, please do so. If you can make printable decorated airplanes for others to print out, write on, and mail, do that! (And please send them in to be shared here). Any talent you can contribute is appreciated. 

Share your planes and (if you choose) the messages inside on social media before mailing day! Use #planes4gmw, as well as the other campaign hashtags, and if you’re sharing on Instagram/Twitter tag @planes4gmw in the photo. 

Tell your friends! Maybe even get together to make your airplanes. If you watch the show with your family, ask them to join you too. 

If you are bilingual in English and something else, please translate this post or at least the most important parts of it, then send in the link so we can add it here.

Managing Expectations:

While we’re all hoping our combined efforts result in the rescue of Girl Meets World, there are no guarantees. However, we definitely have a shot here. More and more cancelled shows these days are getting second lives elsewhere. If Disney Channel is willing to play ball, we may have a real chance at seeing Girl Meets World grow up. It’s worth a try. 

It’s a long shot, but it’s still a shot. So don’t throw it away. Know that it’s good to fight for something you truly believe in, even if you might fail. Hope. Dream. Try. Do Good.

Let’s fly thousands of airplanes through this window of opportunity while it’s still open.

(For other actions you can take to save Girl Meets World, go to savegirlmeetsworld.com/act-now.)

[theowldetective]

Paper Airplanes for Girl Meets World

Follow @planes4gmw for updates. First major post on the mail-campaign coming this afternoon. (The tumblr is bare bones right now because I'm prioritizing getting content/campaign details ready over whether it looks pretty at the moment, forgive me.)

[kcrabb88]

Queer Movies/Books/TV Shows for Pride Month!

Happy Pride everyone!! For your viewing/reading pleasure I have made a (non-exhaustive) list of queer media that I have enjoyed! 

Movies/Documentaries

Pride (2014): An old tried and true favorite, which meets at the intersection of queer and workers’ rights. A group of queer activists support the 1985 miners’ strike in Wales (complete with a sing-through of Bread and Roses + Power in a Union)

Portrait of a Lady on Fire: On an isolated island in Brittany at the end of the eighteenth century, a female painter is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman (or, two young lesbians fall in love by the sea, and you cry)

God’s Own Country: Young farmer Johnny Saxby numbs his daily frustrations with binge drinking and casual sex, until the arrival of a Romanian migrant worker for lambing season ignites an intense relationship that sets Johnny on a new path (Seriously this movie is GREAT and doesn’t get enough love, watch it! It’s rough but ends happily)

The Half of It:  When smart but cash-strapped teen Ellie Chu agrees to write a love letter for a jock, she doesn't expect to become his friend - or fall for his crush (as in she falls for his crush who is another girl. This movie was so good, and really friendship focused!) 

Saving Face:  A Chinese-American lesbian and her traditionalist mother are reluctant to go public with secret loves that clash against cultural expectations (this is an oldie and a goodie, with a happy ending!)

Moonlight:  A young African-American man grapples with his identity and sexuality while experiencing the everyday struggles of childhood, adolescence, and burgeoning adulthood (featuring gay men of color!)

Carol:  An aspiring photographer develops an intimate relationship with an older woman in 1950s New York (everyone’s seen this I think, but I couldn’t not have it here)

Milk: The story of Harvey Milk and his struggles as an American gay activist who fought for gay rights and became California's first openly gay elected official (the speech at the end of this made me cry. Warning, of course, for death, if you don’t know about Harvey Milk)

Pride (Hulu Documentary):  A six-part documentary series chronicling the fight for LGBTQ civil rights in America (they go by decade from the 50s-2000s, and there is a lot of great trans inclusion in this)

Paris is Burning (Documentary): A 1990s documentary about the African American and Latinx ballroom scene. Available on Youtube!

A New York Christmas Wedding:  As her Christmas Eve wedding draws near, Jennifer is visited by an angel and shown what could have been if she hadn't denied her true feelings for her childhood best friend (this movie is SO CUTE. It’s really only nominally a Christmas movie and easily watched anytime. Features an interracial sapphic couple!) 

TV Shows 

Love, Victor: Victor is a new student at Creekwood High School on his own journey of self-discovery, facing challenges at home, adjusting to a new city, and struggling with his sexual orientation (this is a spin-off of Love, Simon, and it’s very sweet and well done! Featuring a young gay man of color)

Sex Education:  A teenage boy with a sex therapist mother teams up with a high school classmate to set up an underground sex therapy clinic at school (this has multiple queer characters, including a featured young Black gay man and also in season 2 there is a side ace character!) 

Black Sails: I mean, do I even need to put a summary here? If you follow me you know that Black Sails is full of queer pirates, just queers everywhere.

Gentleman Jack:  A dramatization of the life of LGBTQ+ trailblazer, voracious learner and cryptic diarist Anne Lister, who returns to Halifax, West Yorkshire in 1832, determined to transform the fate of her faded ancestral home Shibden Hall (Period drama lesbians!!! A title sequence  that will make you gay just by watching!) 

Tales of the City (2019):  A middle-aged Mary Ann returns to San Francisco and reunites with the eccentric friends she left behind. "Tales of the City" focuses primarily on the people who live in a boardinghouse turned apartment complex owned by Anna Madrigal at 28 Barbary Lane, all of whom quickly become part of what Maupin coined a "logical family". It's no longer a secret that Mrs. Madrigal is transgender. Instead, she is haunted by something from her past that has long been too painful to share (this is based on a book series and it’s got lots of great inter-generational queer relationships!) 

The Haunting of Bly Manor:  After an au pair’s tragic death, Henry hires a young American nanny to care for his orphaned niece and nephew who reside at Bly Manor with the chef Owen, groundskeeper Jamie and housekeeper, Mrs. Grose (sweet, tender, wonderful lesbians. A bittersweet ending but this show is so so wonderful)

Sense8: A group of people around the world are suddenly linked mentally, and must find a way to survive being hunted by those who see them as a threat to the world's order (queers just EVERYWHERE in this show, of all kinds)

Books

Loveless by Alice Oseman:  Georgia has never been in love, never kissed anyone, never even had a crush – but as a fanfic-obsessed romantic she’s sure she’ll find her person one day. This wise, warm and witty story of identity and self-acceptance sees Alice Oseman on towering form as Georgia and her friends discover that true love isn’t limited to romance (don’t be turned off by this title, it’s tongue-in-cheek. This is a book about an aroace college girl discovering herself and centers the importance and power of platonic relationships! I have it on my TBR and have heard great things)

Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters: Reese almost had it all: a loving relationship with Amy, an apartment in New York City, a job she didn't hate. She had scraped together what previous generations of trans women could only dream of: a life of mundane, bourgeois comforts. The only thing missing was a child. But then her girlfriend, Amy, detransitioned and became Ames, and everything fell apart. Now Reese is caught in a self-destructive pattern: avoiding her loneliness by sleeping with married men.Ames isn't happy either. He thought detransitioning to live as a man would make life easier, but that decision cost him his relationship with Reese—and losing her meant losing his only family. Even though their romance is over, he longs to find a way back to her. When Ames's boss and lover, Katrina, reveals that she's pregnant with his baby—and that she's not sure whether she wants to keep it—Ames wonders if this is the chance he's been waiting for. Could the three of them form some kind of unconventional family—and raise the baby together?This provocative debut is about what happens at the emotional, messy, vulnerable corners of womanhood that platitudes and good intentions can't reach. Torrey Peters brilliantly and fearlessly navigates the most dangerous taboos around gender, sex, and relationships, gifting us a thrillingly original, witty, and deeply moving novel (again, don’t be thrown off by the title, it too, is tongue-in-cheek. This book was GREAT, and written by a trans women with a queer-and especially trans--audience in mind)

A Tip for the Hangman by Allison Epstein: A gay Christopher Marlowe, at Cambridge and trying to become England’s best new playwright, finds himself wrapped up in royal espionage schemes while also falling in love (this book is by a Twitter friend of mine, and it is a wonderful historical thriller with a gay man at the center).

Creatures of Will and Temper by Molly Tanzer: a very very queer remix of The Picture of Dorian Gray (which was already quite queer), featuring amazing female characters, a gay Basil, and a much happier ending than the original. 

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston: The gay prince of England and the bisexual, biracial first son of the president fall in love (think an AU of 2016 where a woman becomes president). Featuring a fantastic discovery of bisexuality, ruminations on grief, and just a truly astonishing book. One of my favorites!

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston:  For cynical twenty-three-year-old August, moving to New York City is supposed to prove her right: that things like magic and cinematic love stories don’t exist, and the only smart way to go through life is alone. She can’t imagine how waiting tables at a 24-hour pancake diner and moving in with too many weird roommates could possibly change that. And there’s certainly no chance of her subway commute being anything more than a daily trudge through boredom and electrical failures. But then, there’s this gorgeous girl on the train (This is Casey McQuiston’s brand new novel featuring time-travel, queer women, and I absolutely cannot WAIT to read it)

The Heiress by Molly Greely: Set in the Pride and Prejudice universe, this takes on Anne de Bourg (Lady Catherine’s daughter), and makes her queer! 

Tipping the Velvet by Sarah Waters:  Nan King, an oyster girl, is captivated by the music hall phenomenon Kitty Butler, a male impersonator extraordinaire treading the boards in Canterbury. Through a friend at the box office, Nan manages to visit all her shows and finally meet her heroine. Soon after, she becomes Kitty's dresser and the two head for the bright lights of Leicester Square where they begin a glittering career as music-hall stars in an all-singing and dancing double act. At the same time, behind closed doors, they admit their attraction to each other and their affair begins (Sarah Waters is the queen of historical lesbians. All of her books are good, and they’re all gay! The Paying Guests is another great one)

(On a side note re: queer books, there are MANY, these are just ones I’ve read more recently. Also there are a lot of indie/self-published writers doing great work writing queer books, so definitely support your local indie authors!) 

[livinglikearoyal]

K-drama Recommendations: Nov. 2019

One of you asked for some K-Drama recommendations and here you are! Keep in mind that I watched some of these quite a while ago so the plot isn’t as fresh in my mind as I’d like. I tried to keep the list to K-dramas that are fairly easy to find either on Netflix or Hulu. I’d love to hear your opinions on these and any recommendations you have for me! Also, these aren’t necessarily in any sort of order...but I will say the top 10 that were described are ones that I will probably rewatch at some point because I enjoyed them so much.

Chicago Typewriter (Netflix)

Summary: This one is hard to summarize without giving away the storyline. It follows a group of three characters through two eras: the 1930s Japanese occupation of Korea and then the present timeline. The characters’ reincarnated selves are brought together seemingly by fate and struggle to find out the truth of the past lives.

Why I liked it: Netflix almost did me dirty on this one. The summary and preview that popped up were not intriguing to me at all. However, it said I’d be interested in this (98%) so I figured I’d give it a shot. Boy...was this a journey. I absolutely fell in love with the characters and I loved how there wasn’t a “weak link” in the trio. They all brought something unique and important to the dynamic of the show. The acting is spectacular and they really allowed these characters to grow. The storyline can be predictable at times...but how they get there is unexpected. The ending had me in happy tears. 10/10 will watch again!

Romance is a Bonus Book (Netflix)

Summary: This kdrama follows Kang Dani, a 30-something mother, and her journey to find herself after a divorce. She reenters the workforce after being a housewife and finds herself at a popular publishing company as a temporary worker (I believe it was an internship). This company just happens to have one of her childhood friends as one of the co-owners and editors-in-chief. That doesn’t make it any easier on her and the series follows her through the hardships and triumphs of finding her independence. 

Why I liked it: The title says it all. The romance is just the cherry on top for this storyline. It really follows Kang Dani and looks at all of the challenges that people of various demographics face: single parents, “older” individuals trying to find a job after a time away (and while competing with the younger folks), women in general, etc. I was going through a bit of a quarter-life crisis when I stumbled upon this...questioning my job, my love life (or lack thereof), the expectations that I was facing...and it really helped ease a lot of the anxiety. Plus, Kang Dani and  Cha Eunho are absolutely adorable working alongside each other. The ending credits of the final episode got me too. This is the one that I couldn’t help to rave about to my coworkers that have never watched a kdrama in their lives. 

Strong Girl Do Bong-Soon (Netflix)

Summary: Bong-Soon was born with superhuman strength like the other women in her family and she aspires to become a video game creator--making a game with a strong female character like herself. In real life, she tries to be more “girly” and “delicate” but it doesn’t always work. One thing leads to another and she finds herself hired as a bodyguard to the CEO(?) of a video game company and also tries to find a kidnapper that is threatening her neighborhood. 

Why I liked it: Strong female lead...duh! :) But in all honesty, I don’t remember all of the details from this one as I watched it a long while ago. I remember it being funny, sweet, inspiring and suspenseful. I loved the main three characters too! 

Hello, My Twenties  (Netflix)

Summary: A group of female college students learns and grows while living together. Each character has their own backstory, secrets, and hardships. The five bond through the various hardships, traumas, and successes that come their way. 

Why I liked it: 5 strong women finding their way in the world. They struggle with so many realistic things: temptations, poverty, insecurities in their love life, an apartment ghost, an attractive neighbor. It was a fun and heartfelt journey. Realistic. You can definitely learn something from this one! Once again, my single self enjoyed that it wasn’t relying on a love story to draw the plot forward also.

The Smile Has Left Your Eyes (Hulu)

Summary: Kim Moo Young has lived a traumatic life and is rolling with the punches. He has also forgotten many of his childhood memories. When he happens upon Jung So Min, he doesn’t think anything of it. They grow on each other and eventually enter a relationship, much to the disapproval of her brother, a homicide detective. He believes Kim Moo Young is more sinister than he lets on. 

Why I liked it: Just looking at clips/photos/quotes from this drama still tugs on my heartstrings. This one made me an emotional MESS. Seo In Guk is PHENOMENAL as Moo Young. Absolutely phenomenal. His character is so cold and detached--flawed--but he still makes the viewer connect with him. The storyline could be cliche (amnesia, secrets, etc), but they execute it so well. Each episode is a cliff-hanger and you get so emotionally invested in the characters, Moo Young especially, that you just stay up all night binging it...knowing that you are on a train that is heading straight for heartbreak. I will definitely rewatch when I’m in my feelings. 

One Spring Night (Netflix)

Summary: Lee Jung-In is a librarian who happens to meet Yoo Jiho at the pharmacy where she buys a remedy to her hangover but forgets her wallet. He tells her to pay him back later and pays for a taxi. She is in a long-term relationship with a very well-off gentleman and is battling with pressure to get married from both her family and her significant other, but she has her doubts. This meeting with Yoo Jiho makes her question marriage even more as she begins to fall for him. Another issue, he is a single father and is looked down upon by their society and her family because of it. 

Why I liked it: I always love a show where they go against the norms. I fell in love with Yoo Jiho immediately and his son even more so. It is real. The conversations are thought-provoking. The love is sweet. 

Just Between Lovers (a.k.a. Rain or Shine) (Netflix)

Summary: Two individuals who lost their loved ones in a tragic mall collapse meet each other after there is news that a new mall is being built in the same location. Lee Gang-Doo was an aspiring soccer player when he lost his father (a construction worker) in the mall collapse and his legs were injured, ruining his dream. He has become a bit of a “bad boy”. Ha Moon-Soo was at the mall with her younger sister when it collapsed. Ha Moon-Soo survived; her sister did not. The two characters find out that their lives are more interwoven than they thought and work to figure out how they can stop another traumatic event from happening in the same location.

Why I liked it: It had mystery. It had trauma. It had love. These two main characters are complete opposites on the outside but their traumas bring them together and they make an awesome team. Another one that really tugs on your heartstrings! 

Black (Netflix)

Summary:  Black is a detective possessed by the Grim Reaper. Ha-Ram can see shadows of death. These two struggle to save the lives of people, breaking the rules of heaven. (from AsianWiki)

Why I liked it: It has been quite a while since I watched this one. It was my first Korean mystery show. This is one that you can’t watch when you are distracted...you need to have your eyes on the screen at all times or you are going to miss something important. It was suspenseful and interesting. I’m not sure if it is one I will rewatch, but it is definitely worth the first time!

Vagabond (Netflix)

Summary: This is a newer addition to Netflix. Cha Dalgun is a stuntman that has taken in his nephew after he was abandoned by his mother. Their relationship becomes strained as his nephew begins to see how much Cha Dalgun hadn’t wanted a child before him and doesn’t have the finances to live a prosperous life. When his nephew dies in a tragic plane crash alongside the rest of his soccer team, we begin to see how much the boy meant to Cha Dalgun. When some video clips shared on the cloud make Dalgun suspect malicious intent in the plane crash, our story begins. He meets Go Haeri, a member of the NIS, when the bereaved families fly in to collect their deceased loved ones. A story of political corruption, big business, terrorism, doubt, and crime-fighting ensues. 

Why I liked it: This one isn’t completed on Netflix yet so I don’t know the ending, but it is definitely suspenseful and you find yourself trying to figure it all out and cheering on or booing at the characters. The characters of Cha Dalgun and Go Haeri both won my heart early on and now I’m hoping their ship sails! Each episode leaves you on the edge of you seat. 

Rookie Historian Goo Hae Ryung (Netflix)

Summary: Goo Hae Ryung is still single in her late twenties and is seen as a sort of misfit as she seeks knowledge rather than a husband. She becomes a female historian in the Joseon Dynasty. Prince Yirim has been living a life away from society, writing love stories that are popular but forbidden by the government. The two happen upon each other in a book store where she speaks poorly of his writing/genre. As they come to be familiar with each other through their positions, they work to uncover the secrets that the rulers would prefer to keep hidden. 

Why I liked it: The cast of characters is spectacular. While Hae Ryung and Yirim are the leads, there are so many supporting characters that catch your attention and win over your heart or make you absolutely hate them. They also aren’t all the boring, simple, support characters. They are so complex that this seems more like a slice of life piece rather than a drama. The storyline is interesting, especially to someone with little to no knowledge about the Joseon dynasty, Hae Ryung stays strong and independent while also showing her vulnerability. Yirim puts off a clueless aura but is really a strong character. Did I mention the characterization is amazing? 

A Few Honorable Mentions...

Something in the Rain (Netflix)

Memories of the Alhambra (Netflix)

When the Camellia Blooms (Netflix)

Descendants of the Sun (Hulu)

Thirty but Seventeen (Hulu)

What's Wrong with Secretary Kim (Hulu)

[aion-rsa]

Sailor Moon Crystal Recap: What You Need to Know Before Netflix’s Sailor Moon Eternal

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Sailor Moon is one of the most well-known anime from the last 30 years. Based on a manga that first launched in 1991, the series has been adapted into a beloved 200-episode anime, several films, a live-action drama, and more recently, an anime reboot called Sailor Moon Crystal. And if that legacy weren’t enough, we can now add another film to the franchise: Sailor Moon Eternal.

What Is Sailor Moon Eternal?

As previously mentioned, Sailor Moon Eternal is the latest addition to the Sailor Moon franchise. It’s a two-part anime film based on the Dream arc of the original manga. Despite this, the production has officially dubbed this portion of the Sailor Moon saga the Dead Moon arc, named after the antagonists the Sailor Guardians face.

The film was first announced in 2017 as part of the franchise’s 25th anniversary. It’s meant to be a direct continuation of Sailor Moon Crystal, the anime reboot that concluded its third season in 2016. After some pandemic-related delays, Sailor Moon Eternal hit Japanese theaters in early 2021 before Netflix picked up the films for streaming release a few months later.

How Does Sailor Moon Crystal Connect to Sailor Moon Eternal?

Sailor Moon Crystal is the anime reboot that commemorates the manga’s 20th anniversary. The anime industry loves celebrating anniversaries of its most famous and enduring properties, in case you haven’t noticed. Typically by releasing more anime.

While the original 1990s anime took some liberties with plot and characterization, Sailor Moon Crystal stays true to the original manga. It consists of three seasons totaling 38 episodes, with each season covering a different story arc: Dark Kingdom, Black Moon, and Death Busters. While Season 3—aka the Death Busters arc—ended on a satisfactory note, it set the stage for the film with a solar eclipse that presages the arrival of a major character from the Dead Moon arc.

Think of Sailor Moon Eternal as Sailor Moon Crystal Season 4, if you like.

Do I Need to Watch Sailor Moon Crystal First?

It would probably help. There are many characters, so if you have no familiarity with Sailor Moon at all, you might have a rough time. On top of a sizable main cast, this series loves reincarnation, time travel, and multiple dimensions. Things might get confusing if you’re coming at this franchise as a brand-new viewer.

That said, if you’ve read the original manga, you should be fine.

If you’ve only watched the 1990s anime, you’ll generally be okay. The big caveat here is that some of the characterizations and relationship dynamics are different in Sailor Moon Crystal. For example, Rei Hino, aka Sailor Mars, is more aloof and serious in the manga and Sailor Moon Crystal versus the original anime where she loves chasing boys and constantly fights with Sailor Moon’s heroine, Usagi. But as long as you’re aware of those differences, fans of the first anime series can skip watching Sailor Moon Crystal if they’re short on time.

I’m adventurous and know nothing about Sailor Moon. What basics should I know?

How brave! The biggest thing to know is that the entire series revolves around the concept of Sailor Guardians. Sailor Guardians are teenage girls who are given special powers connected to planets throughout the universe. For the Sailor Guardians protected by planets from our solar system, sometimes the powers are elemental in nature. Other times, the powers are related to classical mythology.

The other major thing to know is that our heroine, Usagi Tsukino, is royalty. She’s the reincarnation of a princess from the Moon Kingdom. That’s right. Sometime in the past, there existed a kingdom on the moon. In the future, she becomes the guardian queen of Earth that ushers it into a sort of golden age. These past and future identities serve as focal points for plotlines throughout the entire series.

Can You Give Me a Sailor Moon Crystal Recap?

As mentioned earlier, Sailor Moon Crystal is divided into three seasons.

Season 1 covers the Dark Kingdom storyline. This arc introduces us to Usagi Tsukino, who discovers she’s both Sailor Moon and the reincarnation of Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom. It also introduces us to the inner Sailor Guardians—Sailor Mercury, Sailor Mars, Sailor Jupiter, and Sailor Venus—who are Sailor Moon’s closest allies. In addition, we meet Usagi’s love interest, Mamoru Chiba, who happens to be the reincarnation of Prince Endymion. Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion had a tragic, star-crossed romance and you better believe that influences their present incarnations. Together, they all fight the Dark Kingdom, which was responsible for the destruction of the Moon Kingdom in the past and wants to take over the Earth in the present.

If Season 1 focuses on preventing a repetition of past tragedies, Season 2 is about averting future annihilation. After the events of the Dark Kingdom arc, Usagi and her friends are living their best, peaceful lives. That changes when Chibi-usa, Usagi and Mamoru’s daughter from the future, appears. She’s traveled back in time to find the means to save her mother. Hot on her heels is the Black Moon clan, who destroyed the future Earth that Chibi-usa came from. The Black Moon arc also introduces us to Sailor Pluto, a Sailor Guardian with the ability to control time.

The Death Busters arc, or Season 3, adapts the Infinity storyline of the manga. Chibi-usa has stayed in the present day to train to be a Sailor Guardian. Here we meet more Sailor Guardians from our solar system: Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune. After sacrificing her life in the previous story arc, Sailor Pluto has also incarnated in the present timeline. Along with Sailor Moon and the inner Sailor Guardians, they fight the Death Busters, alien invaders from another dimension. Central to the plot is Hotaru Tomoe, who is the key to the Death Busters’ invasion plans but also happens to be the incarnation of Sailor Saturn, who has the ability to destroy the world.

How Does Sailor Moon Crystal Lead into Sailor Moon Eternal?

After using her abilities, Hotaru has been reincarnated as a baby. Sailors Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto leave to raise her as the coolest queer family unit ever. Having completed her Sailor Guardian training, Chibi-usa is ready to return to the future. But before she goes, she accompanies Usagi and Mamoru to watch the solar eclipse. As the moon begins to cover the sun, however, both Usagi and Chibi-usa hear a mysterious bell, setting the stage for Sailor Moon Eternal.

Expect to see all these characters return for Sailor Moon Eternal, along with a whole new set of villains plus one notable ally.

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Sailor Moon Eternal streams on Netflix on June 3rd. All 3 seasons of Sailor Moon Crystal are currently streaming on Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Amazon Prime.

The post Sailor Moon Crystal Recap: What You Need to Know Before Netflix’s Sailor Moon Eternal appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[medea10]

My Review of The Promised Neverland 2nd Season

Here’s my 1st season review.

Let’s see how our escaped orphans faired out as they step away from the comforts of their home.

HISTORY: The story of The Promised Neverland goes like this. There once were 39 orphans at the Grace Field House. The orphanage was run by a woman named Isabella, but she’s known to the children as “Mama”. These children were given a happy home with plenty to eat. But when they reach a certain peak or the age of 12, they are “adopted” and leave the orphanage. What these children don’t realize that is they are NOT adopted. They are taken off the property where big scary monsters stick a sharp flower in their hearts and save them for feast later on.

Orphans, Norman, Ray, and Emma learned of this and are willing to find any way to escape their doomed fate. They learn who can and cannot be trusted, what to use for escape purposes, and teach some of the other children what to do in worst case scenarios. This, leading up to a fiery escape from the orphanage and the kids heading off to a better tomorrow!

SECOND SEASON: As it turns out, outside of the Grace Field House and the other orphanages tied to this monster syndicate are deep, dark forests filled to the brim with otherworldly creatures. Emma, Ray, and the other escaped children learned that there are going to be monsters everywhere. Either the highly intelligent ones that harvest the children or the generic, yet giant monsters you might see in any other anime. Add to the nightmare, the monsters from the orphanage syndicate are out looking for the escaped children and are ready to hunt them down. Especially Ray and Emma due to their high intelligence!

But the kids make it out of that trouble and meet two demons named Sonju and Mujika who are much different than the ones pursuing Emma and Ray. These two demons make it their mission to not eat any humans for religious reasons and to help these kids reach their next point on their journey. The next stop is to hopefully gain access to the human side of the world. Due to a 1000 year-long agreement between demons and humans, both sides are divided. The kids will continue to follow clues left behind by a man named William Minerva (an author behind many books the kids read).

And with a little help from a pen their dear friend Norman left behind, their hopes are riding high.

LICENSING: This was actually a pretty big cash-cow for Aniplex back in 2019 and so they snatched it up as soon as the series was green-lit. Problem is that FUNimation got its greasy mits on this series too. So Crunchyroll doesn’t get shit from this deal. Yeah, this is not the only series Crunchyroll got butt-fucked on despite streaming the first season. Not only Hulu and FUNimation got ahold of this series, but they got the old cast back to dub as it is also airing on Adult Swim’s Toonami. Of course, all of this was decided long-before we all learned this season was going to be a flaming disappointment.

NEW CHARACTERS: As I mentioned in my synopsis of season two, Emma and Ray meet two demon monsters when they were trying to navigate the forest. Mujika and Sonju are demons much like the monsters that kill and eat the orphan children. The only difference is that these two do not eat children. They both refuse to eat them on a count of religious standings. Here’s what you might recognize these folks from.

JAPANESE CAST: *Mujika is played by Atsumi Tanezaki (known for Futaba on Bunny Girl Senpai, Uo on Fruits Basket 2019, Houzuki on Kono Oto Tomare, Juno on Beastars, and Emilia on Durarara)

*Sonju is played by Shinichirou Kamio

ENGLISH CAST: *Mujika is played by Lizzie Freeman (known for Chizuru on Rent-A-Girlfriend, Ryuuzu on Re:Zero, Cardinal on SAO: Alicization, Trish on Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure Pt. 5, and Chitose on Tonikawa)

*Sonju is played by Daman Mills (known for Yakov on Yuri on Ice, Abel on Attack on Titan, Mabu on Sarazanmai, Chika on Kono Oto Tomare, and Kai on Beastars)

SKIPPING ARCS: Soooo…this never happens in any of my reviews. There are only a few mangas where I’m actually ahead of the anime so this is a new experience for me. I can actually get on board the “I read the manga train”. And I would lodge a complaint!

Guys, what the hell are you doing cutting out Yuugo from the anime? Not just that, but the whole Goldy Pond arc! You take the time to have the kids make it to the shelter and have a scene where some of the kids come upon those names on the wall. What kind of sick-ass shit is that? And then you immediately jump ahead to the shelter being raided. Because of this, folks skip over very important details including Emma crossing over… *censored*

And meeting… *censored*

*censored* and the connection between *censor the fuck out of this*

And that wasn’t even William Minerva!

Right, this is a review for the anime, not the manga. Now I know how those hardcore manga-reading jerks feel like. Guys, if you want to please check out The Promised Neverland’s manga chapters 50-119. In fact, just stop the anime around episode 4 and pick up the manga from there. It’s only going to get worse from here on out. Be afraid children, be very afraid!

ENDING: Much to my dismay, it looks as though the Yuugo/Goldy Pond arc was never meant to be in the anime version. I stupidly thought there would be a 1% chance of there being a side-story movie telling that story. Oh well! I guess this season, they wanted to focus more on Sonju and Mujika and the best way to do that is throw away 60 chapters of story to get to the next possible point we can see these characters. Yes, my irritation is showing!

As we saw in the halfway point, Norman comes back. Yes, he’s alive! And they found it absolutely necessary to make us wait an extra week to find out why he’s there and even longer to learn about his time after leaving Grace Field. And even with all of that, is it even worth talking about? Not to mention the way they met Norman again was completely different from the manga. You’re totally bypassing the information about *censored*.

Norman’s got some new mates he met while locked up in the Lambda facility. Because of Norman’s intelligence, he was actually spared from death, unlike so many other orphans. He just became a test subject for the monsters. But Norman and other test subjects were able to rebel and escape. Next up is Norman’s ultimate plan of wiping out the demon race for good. He’s come up with a way to eradicate them all through degeneration. Now for kids who have been groomed to become food for demons, this does seem like a logical idea. Kill them all and let God sort it out. It’s just that, yes, Emma does have some sort of compassion after spending a good six months on the run. Not only that, but her time with Sonju and Mujika! Not all demons are evil.

But Norman’s time in the facility has changed him. Even making a promise with Emma and Ray wasn’t going to go down with agreed parties. Norman ends up committing the mass genocide of the demons before Emma and Ray come back with Mujika and Sonju. Thankfully, the meek crybaby Norman emerged when he realized what he was doing was bad. Mujika and Sonju were able to reverse the demons being deformed. Even Norman’s comrades were feeling remorseful about taking innocent lives when they meant no harm to them whatsoever. So that’s taken care of! Now, for a few problems that have risen to cause mayhem!

Norman and his comrades were experimented on to a point of illness. So all of those kids are pretty close to expiration unless they get some sort of cure hidden in more pen magic left by “Minerva”! Next, Phil and the others are going to be shipped out. So it’s now or never if they’re going to break out the rest of their friends. Then we have Isabella…she now has the title of “Grandmother”. And Ratri, the guy who “adopted” Norman and had him spend his days in the Lambda testing farm is watching and waiting for these escaped children to pop up. The kids were able to sneak onto the farms, fool Ratri’s guards and monsters, and sneak all the children from the farms to this one point where they can go to the human world.

They were then stopped by Isabella and all the other mothers from all the farms. But as it turns out, it was a double cross for Ratri. Isabella and the other mothers have their own reasons for this rebellion. I mean, we all remember Isabella’s memory and that beautifully haunting music that accompanied it last season. If her kids are able to find a way out of this system, she’ll take advantage of the situation and take down Ratri. On top of which, the demons in the nearby town are revolting against the system. I guess after Emma and the others saved them from the gas Norman and the other Lambda subjects released, they’re kinda indebted to her and the rest of the escapees. So Ratri is trapped in a corner with all the walls closing in. What does Emma want now? Join her in freedom.

So we get a condensed version of Ratri’s backstory. Yeah, he’s the younger brother of William Minerva. Minerva was supposed to be the head of the Ratri clan until he learned the truth about farmed children and that’s when he became…well, William Minerva. And so Ratri had his brother killed off. Ratri laughs at Emma and slits his throat. The kids make it to the gateway between the demon world and human world. Emma says goodbye to everyone as she explains she will not join them until she makes the true promise come true. She will become the new William Minerva and save other children from being cattle to a bunch of demons. And because of Mujika and Sonju, they feel they have the ability to do so.

What follows is a slide-show of all the children in the human world living their lives happily in freedom and Emma traveling the demon world. Now I’m going to be honest here, I have not made it this far in the manga and had no idea that there was a lot more story between the gateway and the very end. MUCH MORE! So…this was a very cheap ending. Especially when you’ve got a lot of story involving Emma and even her memories! Well then, Emma returns years later as the kids gather for some sort of reunion. And that’s the end!

God, this season was a rushed cluster-fuck. Before I go into that, I think it’s worth noting that while The Promised Neverland manga was very popular, the ending left many people unsatisfied. So the creator actually worked on the second season of the anime to possibly fix that mess. What we got was…a rushed cluster-fuck.

I’m so confused as to how much time has passed between the time of leaving Grace Field and the kids roaming around disguised as demons. In the manga, a good year and a half has passed. But the story had the kids meeting Yuugo, Emma’s time at Goldy Pond, Emma’s month-long recovery after being extremely injured, and the months of traveling to find the night and day destination. I feel like in the anime that it was six months. And if it was, why do a time-skip? It’d be nice to get a nice transition from one hiding area to another.

Then you have Peter Ratri “the villain”! He was absolutely useless here. Granted, we do get a few antagonists throughout the manga including Peter and the Ratri clan, but putting him as the main villain here just fell on deaf ears. We didn’t really see him do much of anything other than adopting Norman and holding a gun to all the escapees in the finale.

And that final episode! Talk about a rushed order of rotten hamburger meat. Now, I have not gotten that far in the manga, but I do know what’s supposed to happen. I can let go of Isabella’s sacrifice as we didn’t meet all of the demons from Goldy Pond. But, there are several arcs that they sloppily put in a slideshow of what happens after the kids make it to their freedom and it mostly involves Emma. Emma was supposed to give up something in an equivalent exchange sort of thing. But that never happened! I’m angry. I’m angry that I have to tell my ex and even one of my bosses at work that this season isn’t worth it. I’m angry that I even put this anime in my Top 20 list of best animes of the 2010’s. I was a premature asshole for that. I unofficially yank that series off the list and am replacing it with Demon Slayer. Congratulations Demon Slayer, you are truly one of the best.

And this hurts because the first season to The Promised Neverland was spectacular. From episode one, it drags you in the second you saw Connie’s lifeless corpse. And from then on you’re enticed by these kids doing extraordinary things in the hopes of escaping their fate of becoming food for demons. This anime was good enough for people to overlook things like facial features being too small for kid’s heads or everything about Sister Krone. But this season was just the second worse thing to come from the winter 2021 anime season. This sequel got lucky because we were somehow blessed and cursed with having the worst anime television series airing at the exact same time.

Recommendation wise, my immediate reaction is read the manga, eat your toenails, and scratch your taint with a cheese grater before watching this. But that would be wrong! Seriously, don’t do that. Since I’m on the other side of the manga reading line for a change, I would say if you’re a manga reader avoid this shit like the plague. If you’re an anime only watcher, enter at your own risk and see how it stacks up to you.

The Promised Neverland 2nd Season is available to watch on Hulu, FUNimation, and Toonami.

[glenrocklibraryteens]

BOOK REVIEW: NORMAL PEOPLE

Normal People by Sally Rooney Fiction - Romance Number of pages: 266 Rating: 4 - Great - better than most books I’ve read Spotify Playlist, curated by reviewer, inspired by this book Reviewed by: AP

Normal People by Sally Rooney is a 266 page romance and drama novel. The story takes place mainly in Ireland, and follows main characters Marianne and Connell throughout their on-again-off-again romance. Marianne Sheridan is a reserved, standoffish girl from a well-off but abusive family, and Connell Waldron is the popular and sociable son of the Sheridan’s housekeeper. Their relationship starts and ends in their final year of high school, and picks back up again when they meet again at University, where Marianne’s social skills have blossomed and Connell’s have regressed. Throughout the novel, Marianne and Connell grapple with socio-economic stress, intimacy issues, depression and abuse.

I came across Marianne and Connell’s story on Hulu first, in the form of a screen adapted miniseries. Before watching I decided to read the novel. If I had never seen the show promotions, I would have been equally drawn to the story because of the novel’s beautiful green and blue cover with simple silhouettes of Marianne and Connell.

I feel that this novel perfectly captures the struggle most young adults have with mental health, specifically anxiety and depression that feels invalid because of all else occurring in the world. Rooney’s description of the thought processes inside the young adult psyche has the potential to help teens learn the right way to navigate romance while dealing with such pain, through showing the mistakes that Connell and Marianne make.

The story is heart wrenching, but not unsatisfying. I found myself not rooting for their romance to proceed, but for them to heal and find peace. Upon finishing the book, I realized it was less about a romantic relationship, which is portrayed as fragile and bipolar in this novel and more about the power of deep connection and friendship, which is a constant factor between the two main characters. Normal People also teaches the value of empathy and patience within relationships as well as the importance of just being there for loved ones as much as possible.

One thing readers should be aware of to spare confusion is that there are no quotation marks in dialogue. Dialogue is indicated with a phrase along the lines of “he said” or “she confessed” at the end of a sentence. I would recommend this book to people ages 16+ due to the heavy topics and sexual content.

More about the playlist:

Cardigan by Taylor Swift Cardigan explores feelings of invalidation due to young age and presumed naivetes. “And when I felt like I was an old cardigan under someone's bed, you put me on and said I was your favorite” is a lyric that perfectly describes how Connell tries his best to help Marianne navigate her abusive home and relationships. Another way this song relates back to Normal People is through the recurring lyric “I knew you’d come back to me”, as whenever Connell and Marianne part ways they are confident it is not a goodbye, but a see you later.

The Adults Are Talking by The Strokes By singing “They've been sayin' you're sophisticated. They're complainin', overeducated”, the writer of this song Julian Casablancas is talking about his fight against nepotism and the hate he gets for it, as he comes from a connected family. Like Casablancas, Marianne struggles with not feeling as though she has truly made it in an academic sense, because of her family, which has a long relationship with the university she attends. Pleaser by Wallows Pleaser is about anxiety and struggles opening up to a girlfriend. “Back in your room remain the words I wanna say to you, but couldn't leave my mouth” is a lyric that sums up Connell's thoughts almost every time he is with Marianne. He tries his best to let her know how he feels, but always works himself up way too much to actually say anything. “Quite the people pleaser, if only I could please her” is another lyric Connell would relate to. He is a popular and charming young man, but that wall crumbles when he is with Marianne and he becomes a whole new person. Run by Joji Run is about confusion over breakups. When Marianne and Connell break up, Marianne moves on quickly while Connell dwells on the split. “Guess I’m not the one, like you used to think” describes his thought process when Marianne gets a new boyfriend. He always thinks that their breakups are his fault and never considers that space could have been something Marianne just needed at that moment. Liability by Lorde Liability tells a story of feeling worthless and without value. Marianne’s agreeance with the lyric “The truth is I am a toy that people enjoy, till all of the tricks don't work anymore and then they are bored of me” is seen through her involvement in abusive friendships and sexual relationships because she doesn’t think she's worth the time of someone loving. I Wanna Be Yours by Arctic Monkeys This song is another that represents Connell’s struggles to open up. The song repeatedly mentions repressed feelings fighting their way out, and the hunger for one specific relationship. Save Your Tears by The Weeknd “I saw you dancing in a crowded room, you look so happy when I'm not with you” is an observation made by both The Weeknd and Connell after breakups. Marianne is extremely good at giving the appearance of being flippant and uncaring, moving on quickly. This confuses Connell, because he feels so horrible after their fights. I Can’t Handle Change by Roar Though he appears to fit in wherever he goes, Connell feels alone everywhere he goes. He also struggles with self confidence, waving off compliments on his intellect even though he was officially ranked top English student in his university. This song mirrors Connell’s lack of confidence, even down to his confusion about it.

Cigarette Daydreams by Cage the Elephant I visualize this whole song as a description of Marianne through Connell’s lens. Connell observes Marianne’s constant attempts to find herself, as does the writer of this song with his loved one. “You were only seventeen, so sweet with a mean streak” describes the two’s first encounters well, as Marianne has a tough and standoffish exterior but is loving and thoughtful when comfortable. Can’t Get Over You by Joji This song has the basic theme of “I love whatever you love” and this is symbolic of the two’s relationship, as they want to try new things because of the other person. “I don't have no social cues, I'm all for you “ also describes Connell’s attachment to Marianne in university, when he is reliant on her guidance during social situations.

[planes4gmw]

If you've been thinking you can't do anything about Hulu, or that there's no point in bothering with it because you're an international fan, think again! Let 'em know you're out there. 💛✈️️🌎

[fourteendaysinaweek]

Show Recommendations

Grimm

Platform: Amazon Prime

Official overview: Portland detective Nick Burkhardt, descended from a long line of warriors known as Grimms, defends his city from magical creatures known as Wesen, which are part human and part animal. Fighting alongside his partner, Hank, colleague Sergeant Wu and friends Monroe and Rosalee, Nick faces off against internal and external forces, including his police captain, Sean Renard.

My overview: Portland detective Nick Burkhardt thinks he's going insane when he randomly starts seeing monsters at the time his aunt goes into a coma. Turns out he's not, in fact, going crazy. He deals with shit trying to kill him and his girlfriend and friends CONSTANTLY and in reality all he wants to do his keep his city safe, and he accidentally saves the world in the process.

Thoughts on the show: I love it, it does have a habit of setting up for recurring characters and then never mentioning them again, so that's annoying. There are 6 seasons. There are some great romances in the show, and also some iffy ones, but the iffy ones are definitely regarded as such in the show, and eventually either develop past the weird stage or die before anymore harm can be done. Aired from 2011 to 2017

Thoughts on the fandom: Wayyyy too small, I know of 0 people around my age who like it, and 90% of the fan base is obsessed with Sasha Roiz who plays Sean Renard (not that I'm judging). Definitely not enough fics out there, and the ones that I've found seem to be poorly written or basically just pwp.

Warehouse 13

Platform: Amazon Prime

Official overview: Following an abrupt transfer, Secret Service agents Pete Lattimer and Myka Bering find themselves in the middle of South Dakota at a massive, top-secret storage warehouse that holds every strange artifact, mysterious relic, out-of-this-world object and supernatural souvenir ever found by the U.S. government. Lattimer and Bering's new task, as directed by the warehouse's caretaker, longtime agent Artie Nielsen, is to investigate reports of unexplainable and paranormal activity in an effort to secure more peculiar and dangerous objects, and to help Artie manage the warehouse itself.

My overview: imagine the TARDIS except it's a warehouse and not a police box (bigger on the inside) and it's full of cursed objects to be kept there so it doesn't destroy the world.

Thoughts on the show: I love it. It accurately depicts trauma and has decent representation such as a black woman everyone is intimidated by because she's the boss, a gay man who isn't sexualized and has development and a personality other than "gay". There is even an incredibly homoerotic friendship between two women that the actress of said women played up because they wanted their characters together, even if one turned out to be not-so-good. The show deals with sexism and victims of neglect. You'll learn a lot of random history while watching the show as all of the artifacts tend to be historically based (the guillotine blade that cut of Marie Antoinette's head, for instance). There are 5 seasons and I'm s3 or 4. Apparently the show does something weird with Pete and Myka at the end, which probably means they get together. Ran 2009 to 2014.

Thoughts on the fandom: again, way too small, although a lot bigger than Grimm. There are quite a few fics out there, mainly for the two women which I ship with my whole heart. There might be some controversy with Eddie McClintock (Pete Lattimer) but I'm not very well-versed in it. I wish Grimm's fandom was as big as W13's.

The Umbrella Academy

Platform: Netflix

Official overview: On one day in 1989, 43 infants are inexplicably born to random, unconnected women who showed no signs of pregnancy the day before. Seven are adopted by billionaire industrialist Sir Reginald Hargreeves, who creates the Umbrella Academy and prepares his "children" to save the world. In their teenage years, though, the family fractures and the team disbands. Fast forward to the present time, when the six surviving members of the clan reunite upon the news of Hargreeves' passing. They work together to solve a mystery surrounding their father's death, but divergent personalities and abilities again pull the estranged family apart, and a global apocalypse is another imminent threat. The series is based on a collection of comics and graphic novels created and written by My Chemical Romance lead singer Gerard Way.

My overview: adult survivors of abuse with increasingly weird/out-there superpowers due to the weird circumstances of their birth come together to celebrate *cough* I mean mourn the passing of their "father" And accidentally cause the apocalypse.

Thoughts on the show: I love it. I've finished season 2,currenfly there are only 2 seasons, it's still in progress, I love it. I'm sure most of you have already watched it because what is the supernatural fandom if not emo? Also a good one for representation. Mexican man with a stutter, black woman with a daughter she is in a custody battle for, gay druggie veteran, Ellen Page, Asian ghost boy, 58 year old man in a 13 year old's body, and a half-chimp man.

Thoughts on the fandom: big. Big big big. Haven't found any fics that cater to my specific wants in a fic, but there are fics. Some of them have weird pairings, but since the show made two (adopted) siblings canon, I can't exactly blame them.

Lost Girl

Platform: I actually have no idea

Official overview: Bo is a small-town girl on the run after a disastrous sexual encounter with her boyfriend ends with his death. Bo learns that she is not human, but a succubus, who feeds on the sexual energy of humans. She and her kind are members of the Fae, creatures of legend, who walk among humans and feed off them in different ways. As she searches for the truth about her origins and runs from her inhuman urges, she vows to help those she meets along the way -- human or Fae -- who need to right a wrong.

My overview: bisexual woman finds out she's a succubus and she has to choose to be either good Fae or bad Fae (I think it's light vs dark but it's been a Hot Minute) she has a thing with a werewolf and also a thing with a Fae doctor who is human and a woman.

Thoughts on the show: it's good, 5 seasons, don't think I've finished the first season. Back when I started watching it it was on Netflix and has since been removed. It's on Vudo but it costs money which is bullshit. It's a little weird at first, but I like it. Ran 2010 to 2015.

Thoughts on the fandom: have not interacted with the fandom for fear of spoilers. I'd imagine this show's fandom is about the size of Grimm.

Being Human (USA version)

Platform: again, I don't know.

Official overview: "Being Human," based on a BBC series of the same name, features three 20-something roommates who each try to keep a secret from the rest of the world -- one is a ghost, another is a vampire and the third is a werewolf. The three roomies try to help one another navigate the complexities of living double lives.

My overview: again, weird starts off in almost the middle of the story. It deals with abuse, death, fighting urges, dealing with past sins, and, well, being human. The characters are Sally (Ghost) Aidan (vampire) and Josh (werewolf). The three of them are trying to live like normal, Aidan and Josh as workers at the local hospital as Sally works to deal with her death.

Thoughts on the show: I love it I just wish I could find it on a reliable site, again, it's on Vudo but it costs money. It definitely had the set up for a good mlm relationship but from what I've gathered they end up forcing heterosexuality.

Thoughts on the fandom: again, too small, roughly the size of Grimm. I have seen 0 fics.

The Librarians

Platform: Hulu I do so believe

Official overview: Cued by TNT's popular 'The Librarian' trilogy, this series introduces new members of an ancient group protecting mystical artefacts. Hidden below the Metropolitan Public Library, the secret society's longtime leader is Flynn Carsen, whose job has become very complicated. To help, the Library recruits Eve, a counterterrorism agent responsible for organizational security; Jacob, who has encyclopedic knowledge of art, architecture and history; Cassandra, who links auditory/sensory hallucinations to memory; and Ezekiel, a skilled thief and master technician. Overseeing them is Jenkins, the reclusive caretaker of the Library's sleepy little outpost in Oregon. Noah Wyle executive produces and recurs as Flynn, the role he played in the movie series.

My overview: very similar to W13. This time imagine the Bunker, and the Warehouse, and boom, you've got the Library.

Thoughts on the show: good! I love it, I just found out it was on Hulu and am going to be binging it as soon as I finish Grimm and Warehouse. I'd love to see a crossover between W13 and The Librarians I feel like they'd have a feud.

Thoughts on the fandom: probably the same size as W13 if not bigger as the series came from movies. Again, haven't finished the series so I haven't interacted with the fandom.

Eureka

Platform: Amazon Prime

Official overview: In the years since World War II, the U.S. government has been relocating the world's geniuses (and their families) to the Pacific Northwest town of Eureka. Daily life there shifts between amazing innovation and total chaos. U.S. Marshal Jack Carter learns this first-hand when his car breaks down in Eureka, stranding him among the town's eccentric citizens. When they unleash a scientific creation still unknown to the outside world, it's up to Carter to restore order. Subsequently, he's let in on one of America's best-kept secrets.

My overview: a small town but make every person a genius. Has some crossover with Warehouse 13, they exist in the same universe.

Thoughts on the show: I love it so far. Just the kind of weird shit I enjoy.

Thoughts on the fandom: I'd imagine about the size of Warehouse 13's but I've yet to interact considering I'm still in season 1.

[dipulb3]

Analysis: Female directors are having a moment

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/analysis-female-directors-are-having-a-moment/

Analysis: Female directors are having a moment

In the year of our Lord 2021, it feels like female directors are finally getting more opportunities — and more acknowledgment.

Take, for example, this past Sunday’s Golden Globe Awards.

Three women were nominated in the best director category for the first time.

Only one woman had ever won the category prior to Sunday, and that was Barbra Streisand in 1984 for “Yentl.”

Here are some of the women who are making waves and headlines in Hollywood:

Chloé Zhao: The “Nomadland” director became the first woman of Asian descent and only the second woman ever to win the best director award at this year’s Golden Globes.

The film’s star, Frances McDormand, told The New York Times Zhao really understood the actress’ affinity for the character who packs up her life in a van and becomes part of an older community of people who work odd jobs across the country.

“Chloé tapped into the truth of it which was at different points of my life, I’ve said to my husband, ‘I can’t take this anymore, I’m dropping out,'” McDormand said.

Regina King: The acclaimed actress-turned-director was up against Zhao at the Globes.

She has been on quite a streak in her career the past few years, including nabbing the best supporting actress Oscar for “If Beale Street Could Talk” in 2019.

Now, the former child star is being hailed for her big screen directorial debut in “One Night in Miami,” adapted from Kemp Powers’ stage play about a meeting between Cassius Clay, Jim Brown, Sam Cooke and Malcolm X.

The night of the Golden Globes, King told “E!” it was “bittersweet” that she, Zhao and Emerald Fennell marked the first trio of female nominees, given that this is 2021.

Emerald Fennell: Another actress who has stepped behind the camera (we are starting to see a trend here), she has received critical acclaim for writing, directing and producing the thriller “Promising Young Woman,” starring Carey Mulligan.

The movie is not only cheeky but gets into some uncomfortable territory, so much so that it has been praised for turning the revenge genre on its ear.

“It’s just part of the fun of making something, the smoke and mirrors and the misdirections,” Fennell told IndieWire. “I love all that stuff, all of my favorite movies have that sort of thing in them. It’s very interesting, isn’t it, how much we want violence, how much instinctively as an audience we’re begging for blood.”

Robin Wright: “The House of Cards” star did some directing on that Netflix series, so she wasn’t a total neophyte when it came to both starring in and directing her first feature film, “Land.”

Wright plays a woman struck by a family tragedy who gives up her successful life in the big city and moves to a remote area in Wyoming.

She told Women’s Wear Daily that she was delighted with the film’s reception so far.

“We feel so blessed that people are feeling the movie,” Wright said. “It is very relevant to what’s going on today, of being disconnected from our loved ones. We’re not living the norm. The message in this movie is about that very thing.”

These leading female directors represent just a handful of creatives proving women are making inroads on the Hollywood scene.

The numbers don’t lie: For the second consecutive year, the percentages of women directing top-grossing films increased, reaching “recent historic highs,” while the overall percentages of women working in key behind-the-scenes roles remained relatively stable, according to a study by San Diego State University released in January.

“Women accounted for 16% of directors working on the top 100 grossing films in 2020, up from 12% in 2019 and 4% in 2018,” wrote study author Martha M. Lauzen, founder and executive director of SDSU’s Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film. “Women comprised 18% of directors on the top 250 films in 2020, up from 13% in 2019 and 8% in 2018.”

A rising tide raises all ships, especially when a woman is at the helm, so here’s to more female directors on the horizon.

For your weekend

Three things to watch:

‘Coming 2 America’

Prince Akeem and Semmi are heading back to Queens, New York. Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall reprise their respective roles for the sequel to the hit 1988 film.

This time the prince is in search of his son and heir to the kingdom of Zamunda. My question is what have the rose petal droppers been up to all this time?

“Coming 2 America” starts streaming Friday on Amazon Prime.

‘Boss Level’

Former special forces agent Roy Pulver (Frank Grillo) is trapped in a time loop that constantly repeats the day of his murder. To break the cycle, he must hunt down Col. Clive Ventor (Mel Gibson) while also trying to save his ex-wife (Naomi Watts).

That sounds like some seriously fast-paced action.

“Boss Level” starts streaming Friday on Hulu.

‘Biggie: I Got a Story to Tell’

March 9 marks the 24th anniversary of the unsolved murder of rapper Christopher Wallace, aka Biggie Smalls or The Notorious B.I.G., at age 24.

Arguably one of the best and most beloved hip-hop artists of all time, Wallace is the subject of a new doc that looks at the legacy of his life and death. Currently streaming on Netflix, with “rare footage and in-depth interviews, this documentary celebrates the life of The Notorious B.I.G. on his journey from hustler to rap king.”

So, call your friends and let them know so your crew run-run-run, your crew run-run to catch it.

Two things to listen to:

Sweden has blessed us with the likes of ABBA and Spotify. Now add Zara Larsson to that list.

The 23-year-old singer, who got her start as a youngster on a TV talent show, is dropping her third studio album, “Poster Girl,” on Friday.

March is the month we celebrate women — and who is more empowering than Oprah Winfrey?

The answer to that is no one.

Check out “Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversation‪s” podcast if you want to feel motivated, inspired or just need the uplifting vibe that is trademark Oprah. ‬

One thing to talk about:

Are we over awards shows?

My Appradab colleague Brian Lowry reported that “Globes ratings plummeted more than 60% from the 18.3 million viewers who watched last year, per Nielsen data, to an average audience of 6.9 million.”

Yikes.

With the pandemic going on you would think plenty of people would be tuning in to shows like the Golden Globes, but, apparently, not. Even in a “normal year,” there seems to be less enthusiasm for award shows than there used to be, and that begs the question if Hollywood needs to find a different way to celebrate the industry.

The pandemic is causing us all to reevaluate things.

Something to sip on

Looking for a new show to watch? We asked some of our friends around Appradab what TV binge has helped them decompress in the time of Covid.

Phil Mattingly, senior White House correspondent

I basically have an encyclopedic knowledge of Bravo shows due to my wife’s fandom/the disappearance of sports the first few month of Covid. Not sure I should acknowledge that publicly.

Alisyn Camerota, Appradab New Day anchor

I’ve been watching “Succession.” It depicts a dysfunctional, rotten world, and somehow I find that soothingly distracting from our daily stress.

Stephanie Elam, Appradab correspondent

Fantasy, take me away! I’ve turned to shows that allow me to escape reality — “Once Upon a Time” with my daughter, “Lovecraft Country” and “His Dark Materials” without her.

Ana Cabrera, Appradab Newsroom anchor

“Criminal Minds” on Netflix. I know it’s old, but I’m a newcomer to it! I’m a sucker for mystery and suspense.

Pop back here next Thursday for all the latest entertainment happenings that matter.

[darkacademicx]

A List of Show Recs, While You’re Stuck at Home

This is a huge and continuously updating list.  The first 2 categories are ‘definitely DA’ and ‘Probably DA’, but beyond that all of the shows are sorted by category.  Enjoy!

Definitely DA:

The Living and the Dead - The plot revolves around Nathan Appleby and his wife, Charlotte Appleby whose farm is believed to be at the centre of numerous supernatural occurrences. Set in Victorian times and has ghosts and an excellent aesthetic.  Available on Amazon Prime. 5/5

A Series of Unfortunate Events - This series follows the tragic tale of three orphans -- Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire -- who are investigating their parents' mysterious death. The siblings are saddled with an evil guardian named Count Olaf , who will do whatever it takes to get his hands on the Baudelaires' inheritance. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny must outsmart Olaf at every turn, foiling devious plans and disguises. The series is based on the series of books by Lemony Snicket.  Available on Netflix. 

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina - A dark coming-of-age story that traffics in horror and the occult. In the reimagined origin story, Sabrina Spellman wrestles to reconcile her dual nature -- half-witch, half-mortal -- while standing against the evil forces that threaten her, her family -- including aunts Hilda and Zelda -- and the daylight world humans inhabit.  Available on Netflix. 5/5

Downton Abbey - This historical drama follows the lives of the Crawley family and their servants in the family's Edwardian country house. The programme begins with the 1912 sinking of the Titanic, which leaves Downton Abbey's future in jeopardy, as Lord Grantham's presumptive heir -- his cousin James -- and his son, Patrick, die aboard the ship, leaving him without a male offspring to take over the throne upon his death. As a result, Lord Grantham must search for a new heir. As the programme progresses through the decade, other historical events happen leading up to Lord Grantham declaring in 1914 that Britain is at war with Germany, marking the beginning of World War I, which becomes a major plot on the programme.  Available on Amazon Prime.

Gran Hotel - Set in Spain in the early 20th century, Julio arrives at a luxury hotel to meet his sister, head chambermaid Cristina only to discover she has disappeared. Julio makes it his mission to find her and infiltrates the hotel under the guise of a footman.  This show is in Spanish but available with English Subtitles. 5/5

Penny Dreadful - An exploration of the origin stories of classical literature characters in this psychological thriller that takes place in the dark corners of Victorian London. Sir Malcolm is an explorer who has lost his daughter to the city's creatures, and he will do whatever is needed to get her back and to right past wrongs. His accomplice, seductive clairvoyant Vanessa Ives, recruits charming American Ethan Chandler to help locate Sir Malcolm's daughter and slay some monsters. Available on Netflix and Hulu. 

The Umbrella Academy - On one day in 1989, 43 infants are inexplicably born to random, unconnected women who showed no signs of pregnancy the day before. Seven are adopted by billionaire industrialist Sir Reginald Hargreeves, who creates the Umbrella Academy and prepares his "children" to save the world. In their teenage years, though, the family fractures and the team disbands. Fast forward to the present time, when the six surviving members of the clan reunite upon the news of Hargreeves' passing. They work together to solve a mystery surrounding their father's death, but divergent personalities and abilities again pull the estranged family apart, and a global apocalypse is another imminent threat. 

Sherlock - Dr. John Watson is a war vet just home from Afghanistan. He meets the brilliant but eccentric Holmes when the latter, who serves as a consultant to Scotland Yard, advertises for a flatmate. Almost as soon as Watson moves into the Baker Street flat, they are embroiled in mysteries, and Sherlock's nemesis, Moriarty, appears to have a hand in the crimes.  Available on Netflix. 5/5

Stranger Things - In 1980s Indiana, a group of young friends witness supernatural forces and secret government exploits. As they search for answers, the children unravel a series of extraordinary mysteries. Available on Netflix. 5/5

Twilight Zone - It's a strange mix of horror, science-fiction, drama, comedy and superstition. Serling introduced each episode, and many of the black and white episodes concluded with a surprise ending. Available on Netflix and Hulu. 5/5.

Outlander - After serving as a British Army nurse in World War II, Claire Randall is enjoying a second honeymoon in Scotland with husband Frank, an MI6 officer looking forward to a new career as an Oxford historian. Suddenly, Claire is transported to 1743 and into a mysterious world where her freedom and life are threatened. To survive, she marries Jamie Fraser, a strapping Scots warrior with a complicated past and a disarming sense of humour. A passionate relationship ensues, and Claire is caught between two vastly different men in two inharmonious lives. Available on Netflix and Hulu.

Probably DA:

The Magicians - Quentin Coldwater, a grad student at Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy, has been fascinated by the magical fantasy world since he was young. But as he has gotten older, Quentin and his 20-something friends have discovered that the magical world they read about as children is not only real, but it poses dangers to humanity. While studying at the secret upstate New York school, the friends struggle to cope with the aftermath of a catastrophe that befalls the institution. Available on Netflix, Hulu, and the Syfy website. 5/5

Merlin - This action-packed fantasy-drama revisits the saga of King Arthur and his wizard, Merlin, by focusing on the two characters when they were ambitious young men struggling to understand their destinies. In this telling, Prince Arthur is known to be the heir to the throne (no sword from the stone here). And he is acquainted with all those who will one day form the legend of Camelot, including Lancelot, Guinevere, and Morgana. Merlin is also forced to deal with King Uther's Great Purge, which bans all use of magic. Available on Netflix. 5/5

The Order - When Belgrave University student Jack Morton joins a fabled secret society, the Hermetic Order of the Blue Rose, he is thrust into a world of magic, monsters and intrigue. Out to avenge his mother's death, he uncovers dark family secrets and lands in an underground battle being waged between werewolves and practitioners of dark magic. Assisting Jack in the fight is Alyssa, a tour guide at Belgrave and fellow member of the Order, which is led by Jack's estranged father.  Available on Netflix. 4/5.

Legion - David Haller is a troubled young man who was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a child. Shuffled from one psychiatric institution to the next, in his early 30s, David met and fell in love with a beautiful and troubled fellow patient named Syd. After a startling encounter with her, he was forced to confront the shocking possibility that the voices he hears and the visions he sees may actually be real. Syd led David to Melanie Bird, a demanding but nurturing therapist who heads a team of specialists -- Ptonomy, Kerry, and Cary -- each of whom possesses a unique and extraordinary gift. Together, they helped David to recognize and harness his hidden abilities and unlock a deeply suppressed truth -- he had been haunted his entire life by a malicious parasite of unimaginable power.  Available on Hulu. 4/5.

Comedy:

Derry Girls - Following Erin and her friends as they grow up in a world of armed police in armoured Land Rovers and British Army check points in 1990s Northern Ireland and attempt to navigate the highs and lows of being teenagers. Available on Netflix. 5/5

Detective/military:

Broadchurch - When the corpse of an 11-year-old British boy, Danny Latimer, is found bloodied and dirty on an idyllic beach, a small Dorset community becomes the focus of a police investigation and media madness. Out-of-town Detective Inspector Alec Hardy gets the point position over Detective Sgt. Ellie Miller -- who feels the job should have been hers. Slowly, more members of the community of Broadchurch are drawn into the investigation. While dealing with so much unwelcome attention, Danny's family tries to cope with its grief. When a suspect is named and charged, the ensuing trial sees the defendant promising to expose more of the townspeople's secrets.  Available on Netflix. 5/5.

Haven - FBI Agent Audrey Parker arrives in Haven, Maine, on what she believes is a routine assignment. But the longer she stays, the more curious she becomes -- about the townspeople, who seem to be beset by a range of supernatural afflictions; about the town itself, which contains many secrets; and about her own surprising connection to this strange place.  Available on Netflix and Tubi.  4/5.

A Very Secret Service - At the height of the Cold War in 1960, André Merlaux joins the French Secret Service and contends with enemies both foreign and bureaucratic.  In French with English Subtitles.  Available on Netflix. 5/5.

Criminal Minds - An elite squad of FBI profilers analyzes the country's most-twisted criminal minds, anticipating the perpetrators' next moves before they can strike again. Each member of the "mind hunter" team brings his or her expertise to pinpoint predators' motivations and identify emotional triggers to stop them. The core group includes an official profiler who is highly skilled at getting into the minds of criminals, a quirky genius, the former media liaison who manages to adeptly balance family life and the job, and a computer wizard.  Available on Netflix and CBS.  5/5

Eureka - In the years since World War II, the U.S. government has been relocating the world's geniuses (and their families) to the Pacific Northwest town of Eureka. Daily life there shifts between amazing innovation and total chaos. U.S. Marshal Jack Carter learns this first-hand when his car breaks down in Eureka, stranding him among the town's eccentric citizens. When they unleash a scientific creation still unknown to the outside world, it's up to Carter to restore order. Subsequently, he's let in on one of America's best-kept secrets.  Available on Amazon Prime.  5/5.

Our Girl - Taking destiny into their own hands, British Army female medics of 2 Sections are dispatched on different missions, where they encounter the heartbreak and realities of life on the battlefield.  5/5.

Political:

The Crown - This lavish, Netflix-original drama chronicles the life of Queen Elizabeth II from the 1940s to modern times. The series begins with an inside look at the early reign of the queen, who ascended the throne at age 25 after the death of her father, King George VI. As the decades pass, personal intrigues, romances, and political rivalries are revealed that played a big role in events that shaped the later years of the 20th century.  Available on Netflix. 4/5.

Victoria - The monarch's life is chronicled as the story begins with the death of King William IV in 1837, her accession to the throne at the tender age of 18 and her relationships with the influential forces around her. With the advice of the prime minister Lord Melbourne and the support of her husband Prince Albert the young queen flourishes and establishes herself in her newfound role. Available on Amazon Prime. 4/5.