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quirrelli · 2 years ago

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Marvel Rewatch Thread

Originally posted: 25.02.22-14.03.22

Haven't seen most of the Marvel movies since they came out but I have a sudden urge to rewatch them like a TV show, with Endgame as the season finale. And to tweet about it. (Feel free to mute this thread if you're only here for the art.)

Iron Man still fucking rules. It has so much of what I like to call buzz porn. I will never get tired of the suiting up sequences.

Evil Jeff Bridges with a cigar on a Segway. A king.

We've all gotten used to it by now but the way they show Tony's face in the 3D-void with the digital interface over it is actually pretty ingenious.

Speaking of Tony, RDJ may always play himself, but the man oozes charisma from the points of his funky goatee to the bell bottoms of his suit pants.

And Jarvis too! I've never not loved a Paul Bettany performance. I predict I may say this several more times, but the casting carried this franchise from the start.

That final battle is like, what if Transformers but good?

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Ah, the famously maligned Iron Man 2. It's true, it's not as good as the first but nevertheless, the War Machine suit FUCKS. (And so does the song).

I like Whiplash, it's Hammer that's the problem. Everyone, but especially he talks so much that the quippy bickering that is 90% of the dialogue stops being amusing like it was in 1 and becomes draggy.

Also, the narrative structure is much less clean. Iron Man 1's plot is a tight piece of ass, where 2 needs to do some more squats.

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The Incredible Hulk certainly is an odd little duckling in the lineup. Its connection to the rest of the MCU is so tenuous as to almost not be felt at all, especially with Norton's recasting. It's also the only one without a post-credits stinger.

I will say I like Norton!Banner, but there is something off about this Hulk's face. Maybe the technology just wasn't quite there yet in 2008.

Certainly appropriately green color palette throughout though. I'm also noticing a certain grimy, tactile nature to these early entries that's gradually lost as more and more of the sets and even costumes get replaced by pure CGI. Some jumpy editing here and there too.

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Again, the casting in these movies is stellar across the board but man, Chris Evans is such a perfect Captain America in every way. Certainly the best bod in the biz, come at me, rival Chris stans.

That replacement effect they did with pre-serum Steve's body is surprisingly good, especially remembering much more recent travesties like the Super-stache.

The first Cap suit is still lowkey my favorite one. That functional military aesthetic is just my vibe.

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Thor is better than I remember. Everyone, but especially Jane is super likeable actually. Also, I would trust Heimdall with my life savings, my first born, my soul and my browser history.

Besides Tony, Loki arguably carried this franchise more than any other character and he proves yet again that family makes the best villains.

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The Avengers takes me back. It might be old news now, but this is the movie that invented the concept of the "cinematic universe". Like, that wasn't a word before. It was thrilling.

I remember when I got into Marvel after the first Iron Man came out, reading rumors about a potential Avengers movie and thinking that it was never going to happen. It would be too big, too expensive, too much to set up, just unfeasable on every level. And then it... happened.

That first arc of the MCU might have also been the best execution of a cinematic universe to date, bc it was at that point still Tony's story at its core and his arc finishes here. But we'll see as we go along.

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Thor 2 is the first of these that really feels like it only exists to be part of the larger franchise. That is not a good thing. It's what sank the DCU before it even left the shallows.

There's a very noticeable lack of verve compared to the first one, the cinematography and editing is so unexciting, the plot so basic. I mean they whipped out the ol' "when the planets align" chestnut. The only fun idea is the wacky gravity but they don't do enough with it.

Jane, despite being more directly involved in the conflict feels much less like an active agent than the first one and what did they do to rapier-man's hair?

I don't mean to pretend like these movies are high art or anything but this is well below the standards set, like b-tier fantasy at best.

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I have to admit IM3 is better the second time around. The big twist obviously loses its impact but there's some good moments and it's thematically more coherent than I originally gave it credit for.

Having said that, that theme and its resolution requires that this be the end of Iron Man as a character, which it obviously won't be. It's sort of the opposite problem from the last one: Where Thor2 can't exist outside the MCU, IM3 can't exist within it.

What made me absolutely livid when I first saw this movie is that Tony gets the reactor removed. It still doesn't sit right with me, though the reasons have shifted. Then, it was bc Tony and the suit are a unit, if it's not part of him he becomes exactly what cap says he is in A1

Now, contrary to what IM3 posits, the reactor to me symbolizes accepting the wounds of the past as a permanent part of yourself and growing from them, which breaks down as a metaphor if Tony could always get rid of the shrapnel and just didn't, for some reason.

Also, the mark 42 is still fugly.

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CA: winter soldier has some really good hand-to-hand combat and I really like the bromance with Natasha. They make a good team. Same goes for Wilson.

Because the themes of mass surveillance and corruption are more relevant than ever I'm not a huge fan of the conspiratorial bent this movie takes. It's a bit too real a subject to go full wacky Hydra long-con, you know.

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Guardians 1 does a remarkable job being good, considering all the new stuff it has to fit in. I'm not particularly attached to any of the characters but yeah, it works, it's just a solid flick all around.

I'm having flashbacks to baby groot mania

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Guardians 2's opening slaps. Also, de-aged Kurt Russell looks surprisingly convincing.

It's the sequel that's just better in every way. G1 laid a solid foundation that this one builds on a lot. It really digs into the characters' hearts (and makes me mix my metaphors apparently). They even manage to make the goofy tone thematic in that it's Peter's coping mechanism

Ego is the rare antagonist who isn't a foil but a natural evolution of the protagonist. Definitely in the upper echelons of Marvel villains.

I really like the ship with the little movable laser balls. Creative.

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Avengers 2 time! Vision: Awesome! Hulkbuster: Awesome! That shot of Cap ripping a log in two: Awesome! Natasha calling herself a monster bc she can't have children... a choice.

I'm glad they acknowledge from the start how OP Wanda is. I'm less glad her powers are basically reduced to telekinesis when they're so much funkier than that.

Why did they give Ultron so much... face? Especially combined with Spader's expressive performance it would have been much more unsettling to have a motionless mask.

This movie really takes IM3 from a mixed bag to utterly pointless.

It could be on my end but the audio mixing is off. Some of the sfx are weirdly quiet in places.

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Ant-Man is definitely a breath of fresh air after all relentless power escalation of the previous batch of movies. Slows down a little, brings down the scale (hah), you know

Although I do remain a touch salty that they didn't go with original ant-man/yellowjacket, especially since they already transplanted the Ultron storyline to Tony. I would have liked to have seen mad scientist Pym and his merry circus of fucked up alter-egos.

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Movie civil war is better than comic book civil war bc it ties into the characters way more and bc the inciting incident actually directly involves an avenger, and one who is famously volatile to boot. Still perhaps a touch contrived though.

Black Panther!!! The only hero who may out-cool Tony. RIP, king.

Why are the police in Bucharest speaking German? That really threw me, to the point I was unsure where that part was taking place. Pretty serious oversight honestly.

And why did steve kiss this random side character who doesn't matter? In a movie as long as this you can't really afford to keep dead end plot lines like that around.

My aesthetic is steve rogers' biceps.

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Listen, Toby Maguire will always have a special place in my heart, but Holland is the best package as far as spider-men go. Even though obviously no-one here looks their age I do buy Holland as conceptual teenager. Like, the energy is correct, in a way it never was before.

I really enjoy dad!Tony's ineptitude too. There was a touch of that IM3 (keep coming back to that one, huh) but it works better here.

Did they cast Michael Keaton as the Vulture bc of Birdman? I'm gonna choose to believe they did.

If I may nitpick for a second here: The new Avengers HQ was introduced after Ultron, two years before Homecoming takes place, so why would they just now have a "moving day"?

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I really like the tech in Black Panther. The beads, the sand, the cloaks. Really adds to Wakanda's identity separate from the rest of the universe.

Who gave Michael B. Jordan the right to be this attractive and compelling and generally a highlight of the franchise?

WAR RHINOS!!!

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Do I have lingering trauma from being on tumblr in the years 2012-17? Yes. But I still have to admit Cumberbatch is a decent actor. My favorite thing about his casting is that there's probs no one else whose name is as evenly matched in joke potential to their character as him.

The trippy shit is great. Like Inception on LSD. Just fun to watch even if, like me, you're not super invested in the story.

Rachel McAdams is so pretty <3

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Thor Ragnarok summary The aesthetic: impeccable The cast: hideously attractive The humor: so good The tonal shift compared to previous entries: lurching

I guess it only makes sense that the most unique, mould-breaking, complete stories have the most trouble fitting into such a behemoth of a franchise. Ragnarok might be the best MCU movie outside of the context of the MCU.

When Thor lands on the rainbow bridge all electrified, a lightning arch connects between his eye and his chest circle thingy and I love that particular frame so much.

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The size fuckery in Ant-man 2 is even better.

I don't like the ghost's acting. Nothing wrong with the character, but her body language is stiff and awkward. Now scott's daughter, there's a real mvp.

Watching the first after credits stinger before having seen infinity war makes it super ominous actually.

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Captain Marvel aka I'm gaaaaaay, the movie. And not just me. Carol and Maria will get married eventually and finish raising their daughter together, you cannot convince me otherwise.

Aww, I forgot about the Stanley montage. That's sweet.

I do love the mohawk.

Larson leans into the cocky badass persona a bit too far but what I like about Carol is how much joy she finds in her powers. Like so many heroes they get foisted on her but she doesn't get caught up in any "but what if I'm a monster" or "I didn't ask for this" angst.

She discovers she can fly and is like "fuck yeah I can fly! Watch me gooooo!" You know, the correct response. One of my favorite moments in the movie is when she starfishes straight through a spaceship just for shits and giggles.

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The remarkable thing about Infinity War is that while not everyone gets an arc, everyoen at least gets a beat or two and it all makes sense and hits. That's the pinnacle of what can be achieved with a well-designed cinematic universe.

The only thing that feels a touch underdeveloped is Wanda and Vision's relationship. It's a shame bc Wandavision is such a good ship with so much history. At least they have a TV show now. Also, I notice Wanda lost her accent.

Do Strange and Tony have... chemistry? Not to get all shippy for the finale but like, I might have to check AO3 and see if there's anything good.

Why is it that all of my faves specifically have to die :(

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Is Infinity War/Endgame the best two parter finale? A case might be made, I think.

This movie really makes me cognizant of how well structured the power escalation in this franchise is (leaving aside the fact that the sorcers are supremely OP).

Time travel and universe rearrangement is game-breaking and about as far as you can reasonably go in scale. The stakes just lose touch with what's humanly imaginable/ empathizable after that, which is why it's good that they saved it for the very end.

Endgame has a touch of the ol' "too many endings" disease but I'd say it's earned them at this point.

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Wrap up time! First, the perhaps obvious: there's a difference between watching 22 movies and 22 TV eps. They flow different and the movie marathon does get exhausting in a way the equivalent of ~2 TV seasons wouldn't have done.

They are, for the most part, fun flicks in their own right but I'm left wondering if the individual heroes wouldn't have been better served in a semi-canon CU, where weirder titles like Dr. Strange and Ant-Man would have had more freedom to experiment.

Then again, the existence of the MCU doesn't preclude future iterations that do push the envelope a little more. In fact, Wandavision, the only one of the TV shows I've cared to watch, does go in that direction, to the point that it ends up straining against its MCU obligations.

Anyway, I'm not gonna do a ranking of the movies. Instead I'm gonna do sth much more fun and at least 5% less overdone and rank each movie's main villain! It's possible they might correlate more strongly with overall enjoyment than the heroes even. Let's see here:

1. Loki 2. Killmonger 3. Vulture 4. Hela 5. Ego 6. Winter Soldier 7. Obadiah Stane 8. Ultron 9. Thanos 10. Yon-Rogg 11. Kaecilius 12. Yellowjacket 13. Ghost 14. Red Skull 15. Aldrich Kilian 16. Whiplash 17. Zemo 18. Colonel Ross 19. Ronan the Accuser 20. Malekith

#marvel #mcu #text post #my stuff

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tidalcreek · 4 years ago

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helloooo! here are google drive links (pt1 + pt2) to my 4hr cut of the hobbit trilogy :-) specs n more details under the cut!

runtime is 4hr 9m (including about 4m of credits)

all scenes have open captions in english (either screen recorded from hbo or manually added)!!

i didn’t have access to the extended editions for this but i was able to find some of the extended scenes i wanted on yt (hence the portuguese and turkish subtitles on a few scenes which makes it a little messy with the english caps sry!!)

it’s split in two parts so i could get the quality up to 1080p but the parts are not like. two coherent separate movies its just one big guy

i basically did this for one reason which is that the hobbit movies r incredibly nostalgic to me and i love them but i avoided rewatching them for years because i have adhd and i just could not be fucked to watch 9 hours of cgi when i only cared about half of it. so here’s the half!!

this is heavily informed by the tolkien edit! i have my own criticisms of that cut (which is why i made one lmao) but i absolutely used it as a roadmap of what the story could survive without so credit where credit’s due

but forewarning because i made this specifically for my own use it’s very tailored to Me and my favorite parts of the trilogy! im a tiny bit of a tolkien purist bc i love the book very much and for aforementioned adhd reasons i always want these movies to move SO much faster than they do. but if there’s a scene that seems pointless it’s there just bc i like it and if there's a line that's missing for no reason it's just bc it annoys me :) however i Did try really hard to make this a good movie experience bc i have terminal film major disease!

here are the most significant changes i made if ur curious:

in general this cut follows bilbo/thorin/the company’s pov pretty tightly! it’s the part of the story that i personally care about most and it’s where the most coherent and interesting arcs are in my opinion!

i could not care less for peter jackson’s cgi action scenes so most of of them are trimmed significantly or sometimes just deleted. this especially applies to the orc chase/fight scenes..i simply cannot sit through the full six minute barrel scene again. the big smaug scenes and botfa battle scenes are also especially cut down

gandalf’s dol guldur plot is completely cut (including radagast, galadriel, etc); ive never liked how the extra lore adds such huge All Of Middle Earth stakes to the hobbit (that's not bilbo’s fight and it never was! he didnt know what he was starting when he started it and neither should we!) so i took the tolkien edit’s line on this one. sorry to galadriel but i know what gandalf was doing during dos i dont need to see it

crimes against the kiliel community: this is my most dudebro tolkien opinion but i have never loved the tauriel/legolas/kili dynamic and they have SOOO many scenes that i Personally just do not want to watch every time. i love the version of tauriel that lives in my brain but i do not vibe w the movie universe >:-( to that end both tauriel and legolas are almost entirely cut and you ARE allowed to hang me in the town square for this. im sad about it

bilbo's prologue scene is moved closer to the middle of the movie rather than introducing that info immediately in auj. i like having the audience find out about thrain and dale only once the company has seen the lonely mountain for the first time! idk if it reads as well as i think it does so lmk what u think!!

iiiii recut thorin’s funeral scene with hozier’s version of the parting glass. this is simply because ive always thought the funeral music was boring and i wanted to have fun! it’s one of the biggest changes i made to a specific scene so pls tell me if u have thoughts....it's at around 1:50:00 of part 2 if you want to skip

there are about 4 minutes of (incomplete) credits because sitting and listening to the last goodbye after botfa ends is a ritual <3

ummm thats it! if you actually watch any of this and you have thoughts please come talk to me about it!! i want to talk to you specifically!!

#FINALLY DONE. LMAO #lotr #the hobbit #lord of the rings

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crowdvscritic · 3 years ago

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round up // SEPTEMBER + OCTOBER + NOVEMBER 21

Sad Girl Autumn? Try Busy Girl Autumn! Social activities have returned with a vengeance this Fall (brunch! weddings! concerts!), and with an unusually high workload at my 9 to 5, these monthly Round Ups have been kept like a secret, not like an oath.

But if you’re the mood to be all up in your feelings, there are a number of Sad Girl Autumn recommendations in here that will help you get out a good cry and make you want to bundle up in a chunky sweater. Plus, Saturday Night Live is back, and so is Awards Season (already), so there’s plenty to make you laugh and to give you a big wow. If you want more real-time recs through Awards Season and the holiday season, you can see what I’m watching on Letterboxd and putting on my Must-Watch Holiday Films list.

September Crowd-Pleasers

1. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021)

Sure, it succumbs to Marvel’s weakness for big CGI battles in the end, but most of this adventure is cool kung fu with Simu Liu and hijinks with Awkwafina. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7/10

2. Dead and Company on Tour

I had my first Grateful Dead concert experience, and not only was the music great, it was a prime venue for people-watching. While I’m not brave enough (or willing to pay) to join the devotees who fill the front rows, even lawn seats were worth it for the chill vibes and the musical legends on stage.

3. Twilight soundtracks

Hours of listening for Sad Girl Autumn! In August, I marathoned my way through the Twilight movies; in September, I marathon-ed all of the soundtracks. How movies as dumb as these got some of the coolest and most hipster bands of the ‘00s and early ‘10s to dominate their five soundtracks is beyond me. But somehow you can enjoy Angus & Julia Stone, Beck, The Black Keys, Bon Iver, Death Cab for Cutie, Feist, Florence + the Machine, Iron & Wine, Muse, OK Go, Paramore, Passion Pit, St. Vincent, Vampire Weekend, and more recording their way through a teenage romance of vampires, werewolves, and emo kids.

4. Nobody (2021)

An action romp starring an unassuming Bob Odenkirk, cool cars, a retro soundtrack, and a still kicking’ Christopher Lloyd. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 6.5/10

5. Stuck in Love. (2012)

Is this my Dumb Rom Com I Nevertheless Enjoyed this month? Though less dumb than my usual pick, Stuck in Love. does earn a special commendation for its dumb title which neither summarizes its story well nor catches a potential viewer’s interest. Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Connelly, Nat Wolff, and Lily Collins are a broken family dealing with the ins and outs of love (at times with Logan Lerman and Kristen Bell) and with the challenges of writing careers. If you like stories about mopey authors working through their feelings in verse, this will hit you in a sweet spot. And with two Thanksgiving scenes, you know it’s Sad Girl Autumn-worthy. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 7/10

6. Saturday Night Live Season 47

As I always say this time of year: My friends are back! I’m grateful for a gang that consistently makes me laugh, and these have been some of my favorite moments so far:

“Cars 4” (4701 with Owen Wilson)

“Celeb School Game Show” (4703 with Rami Malek) - I love an excuse for a parade of celeb impressions, and I love that Kenan has become the the go-to cast member to play a game show host

“Prince Auditions” (4703) - The skit I’ve shared most all Fall

“What Up With That” (4704 with Jason Sudeikis) - The reboot I wanted and needed

“Cancelling Cable” (4705 with Kieran Culkin)

“Republican or Not” (4707 with Sims Liu) - Sharp observation comedy at its best

September Critic Picks

1. Rebecca (1940)

The Best Picture Project returns! After kicking off the 1940s with a look at the Academy’s involvement in World War II, I took a look at the decade’s first big winner, Rebecca. Alfred Hitchcock’s lone Best Picture winner still kills 80 years later if for no other reason than Joan Fontaine is having a major Sad Girl Autumn mood.

Crowd review: 9/10

Critic review: 10/10

2. The History of the Sitcom (2021)

One of my favorite things about podcasting about Gilmore Girls pop culture references with my pal Kyla Carneiro is that every episode is about putting something we’re not familiar with in its historical context. CNN’s The History of the Sitcom (which aired this Summer and I caught up with this Fall) uses each episode to put beloved (and a few forgotten) sitcoms in the context of American families, friendships, workplaces, and cultural changes. Extra fun: The talking heads feature someone from almost every show you can think of, including interviews with Jason Alexander, Kelsey Grammer, Norman Lear, Jaleel White, and Henry Winkler, and even people we’ve lost just recently like Ed Asner and Gavin MacLeod.

3. Traffic (2000)

Don Cheadle, Erika Christensen, Benicio Del Toro, Michael Douglas, Albert Finney, Topher Grace, Catherine Zeta-Jones and more take on the drug trade in the film that earned Steven Soderbergh his Oscar for directing. It’s complicated and heartbreaking with no easy answers, befitting the subject matter. (Keep reading for another Soderbergh/Cheadle/Del Toro collab that’s less heavy and more thrilling.) Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9/10

4. Raise the Red Lantern (1991)

When a man has four wives, you know there will be drama. This Chinese-language drama is an exploration of social politics so high-stakes this moves at he pace of a thriller instead of a romance. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 10/10

October Crowd-Pleasers

1. That Thing You Do! (1996)

Tom Hanks directs a cast of young ringers (including Charlize Theron, Liv Tyler, and Steve Zahn) in the the story of a fictional one-hit-wonder group. Come for the band’s catchy single “That Thing You Do!,” and stay for the ‘60s nostalgia, the romance, and the jokes about showbiz and growing up. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10

2. No Time to Die (2021)

I’ve always been more of a Mission: Impossible gal than a Bond Girl, but No Time to Die surprised me with its its refreshing sentimentality for a franchise so insistent on cool detachment. It had the big stunts, nifty gadgets, and sleek finish you expect, but it also had a heart and some of the most beautiful cinematography I’ve seen from 007 yet. Kyla and I also checked out 1973’s Live and Let Die in ep. 110 of SO IT’S A SHOW?, which was flawed fun. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10

3. 21 Jump Street (2012)

Give me more buddy cop movies with the BFF chemistry of Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill, and give me more comedies with this many jokes. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7/10

4. Only Murders in the Building (2021-)

A contender for the Girl with the Saddest Autumn: Selena Gomez in a murder mystery comedy co-starring Steve Martin and Martin Short. When a neighbor in their swanky New York apartment building dies, it behooves them to investigate in podcast form. Full of laughs, plot twists, and great Autumn coats, it’s been a minute since a show has made me so impatient for the next episode.

5. Dune (2021)

Let’s switch it up and call this Sad Boy Summer. Timothée Chalamet leads an A-list group (Javier Bardem, Dave Bautista, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa, Zendaya, and more) on a beautiful and moody trip through the desert in this sci-fi epic. Depending on your mood, it could be your favorite Crowd-pleaser or your top Critic pick of the year. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

6. What We Do in the Shadows (2014)

This mockumentary about modern vampires starring and co-directed by Jermaine Clement and Taika Waititi never exhausts its premise or runs out of jokes, which is probably why there’s a spinoff series heading into season four. Yes, there’s blood sucking, but there are also social politics, roommate squabbles, and old people learning 21st century tech, which are all scenarios Twilight could have benefitted from. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 8/10

7. Road House (1989)

Patrick Swayze is a bouncer taking on a bully zillionaire with a mean roundhouse kick. I mean, doesn’t that sell itself? Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 6/10

8. Music of the Spheres by Coldplay (2021)

While I’ve never stopped loving Coldplay, A Head Full of Dreams and Everyday Life ranked seventh and eighth of their eight studio albums for me. Music of the Spheres feels like the band is beginning to boomerang back to what I love most, like the epic anthems of Viva La Vida and the quiet mourning of Ghost Stories.

October Critic Picks

1. What’s So Bad About Feeling Good? (1968)

In 1968, Mary Tyler Moore and George Peppard made an airborne virus into a fantasy comedy, and somehow it will put you in a good mood even in 2021. Read my full review at ZekeFilm. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 8/10

2. Paths of Glory (1957)

This moral fable about doing the right thing is anything but morally simplistic, and George Macready’s general is a most hatable villain. Crowd: 7.5/10 // Critic: 10/10

3. Love for Sale by Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga (2021)

Bring back big band swing! I didn’t expect six Grammy noms for a throwback album like this, but I love that something so relisten-able and feel-good is being celebrated.

4. Do the Right Thing (1989)

You won’t know how current this story of racial divide aggravated by a hot summer’s day feels 30 years later until you watch it. Spike Lee knows how to jump from tension to comedy and back like nobody else. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 10/10

5. The Last Duel (2021)

I may never want to live in the world of the Middle Ages, but I am glad to live in a world where a major studio, some of the greatest movie stars, and a top-tier director want to make a movie as rich and complex and thorny as this one. Read my full review at ZekeFilm. Crowd: 8/10 // Critic: 9/10

6. House of Flying Daggers (2004)

In ep. 111 of SO IT’S A SHOW?, Kyla and I covered our first non-English language pop culture ref, and we’re all about this Chinese martial arts movie with serious autumnal vibes that inspired Shang-Chi. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10

7. Double Feature - French Comedies: Amélie (2001) + The Dinner Game (1998)

Amélie (Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 9/10) is quirky and romantic, The Dinner Game (Crowd: 10/10 // Critic: 8.5/10) is slapstick and socially conscious. Both are hilarious, and both are also very French.

November Crowd-Pleasers

1. The Addams Family Values (1993)

Do we talk enough about how great Joan Cusack is? I say no. I also caught her as the villain in It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie this month, but the Addams let her turn it up to 11, and wow, what a treat to watch her ham it up. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 7.5/10

2. Bleachers on Tour

Whenever you’re ready to head back to live shows, make it one starring people with as much energy as Jack Antonoff with dueling saxophones.

3. Mystic Pizza (1988)

A rom-com as cozy as the sweaters Annabeth Gish, Julia Roberts, and Lili Taylor wear for their coming-of-age Sad Girl Autumn. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 7/10

4. Red Notice (2021)

Ryan Reynolds meets Thomas Crown meets Gal Gadot meets James Bond meets Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson meets Indiana Jones. Sue me—I like all those people, so I really don’t care that this movie “should” have been better. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 6.5/10

5. Because He’s Jeff Goldblum by Travis M. Andrews

Full of hilarious footnotes and nice guy anecdotes, this book is exactly what it sounds like: an ode, sometimes in haiku form, to the human meme Jeff Goldblum. If you want a celeb biography in which you learn nothing scandalous and that makes you laugh a lot, this one is ready and waiting for you.

November Critic Picks

1. The French Dispatch (2021)

Wes Anderson’s latest is a movie that made me buy fresh bread and drink coffee at 10 p.m., and honestly I am not sure there is higher praise than that. Read my full review at ZekeFilm. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 10/10

2. Red (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift (2021)

If Joan Fontaine or Selena Gomez didn’t win Sad Girl Autumn, then we’ll give that award to the “Sad Beautiful Tragic” Taylor Swift for her re-release of Red. Oh, and for the “I Bet You Think About Me” Music video she made with Blake Lively and Miles Teller; the short film she directed for her song “All Too Well” starring Dylan O’Brien and Sadie Sink; and her 10-minute performance on Saturday Night Live. Sounds like somebody else had a Busy Girl Autumn, too, huh?

3. Paper Moon (1973)

In ep. 112 of SO IT’S A SHOW?, Kyla and I con you into listening to the story of and behind Paper Moon, the dramedy starring Ryan and Tatum O'Neal. What Oscar record does this movie still hold? What sad behind-the-scenes stories change how we saw it? And what the heck does it have to do with Lorelai and Rory’s shopping habits? Plus, with a quick look at the history of con people in real life and the movies, you too can learn how to pull fast ones on other people! Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 10/10

4. King Richard (2021)

A feel-good sports movie, an authentic family movie, a killer and unexpected Will Smith performance. Crowd: 9/10 // Critic: 9/10

5. No Sudden Move (2021)

A Steven Soderbergh heist film with an all-star cast (including one actor who just keeps doing the surprise appearance thing that I love) and a plot so complicated I definitely needed to Google it afterward? You can give me these for all time forever. Also, I’ve accidentally attended a mini Benicio del Toro film fest this fall (Traffic, The French Dispatch, and—not on this list—Snatch), and why did I wait so long to do this? Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 9/10

6. The Harder They Fall (2021)

One of the greatest strengths of this film is it knows how cool it looks when a gang of outlaws ride into town on horseback. Its other great strength? Oh, a little cast including Zazie Beetz, Idris Elba, Regina King, Delroy Lindo, Jonathan Majors, LaKeith Stanfield, and lots of “that guys” you’re always happy to see. With slick editing, a percussive soundtrack, and splashy sets, this isn’t a Netflix movie—it’s on a movie on Netflix resuscitating the Western genre. Crowd: 8.5/10 // Critic: 8.5/10

Also this Busy Girl Autumn…

I checked out The Bride of Frankenstein for a Zeke Film Admission about classic movie monsters we’ve never met. Who knew she was in only five minutes of her own movie?

Kyla and I got to know Groucho, Chico, Harpo, and Zeppo on SO IT’S A SHOW? ep. 108, and now we know how all about the puns, the gags, and the jokes, tie in with Gilmore Girls. We investigate where their nicknames came from, how their comedy style is similar to Amy Sherman-Palladino’s, and whether Marty was right about Lucille Ball.

Kyla and I watched every version of A Star Is Born for ep. 109, which are some of my all-time fave films, so I was more than happy to revisit them.

I reviewed Eternals for ZekeFilm, which…I didn’t hate? But the more I thought about it after the fact, the more it didn’t work for me. Find it and Shang-Chi on my updated MCU rankings on Letterboxd.

Photo credits: IMDb.com.

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battlestar-royco · 4 years ago

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IT'S BEEN 84 YEARS. LET'S TALK ABOUT NETFLIX'S SHADOW AND BONE.

8.7/10 ⭐️

spoilers for everythingggg under the cut! i'll be discussing its merits as an adaptation vs as a show, characters and plots, and the overall aesthetic and magic/world.

SHOW VS ADAPTATION:

i say this as someone who knows all the books very well and has been in the fandom for nearly a decade, so i'm biased. but. s&b functions better as an adaptation than as a standalone show. alina's plot moves so well, and satisfyingly renders so many iconic scenes and sites from s&b. the worldbuilding is also pretty easy to fall into, with a forgivable amount of voiceover/infodump. and, hurting budget aside, i mostly liked this visual interpretation of the gv.

(sidebar: the in-universe racism... doesn't work. i tried to view it in good faith but imo it was very heavy-handed. if it was framed like, "wow it's a SHU WOMAN saving the world!!!" it might've been better, but it's just racism without recompense. and it's a terrible look to make other characters of color racist. i just. why?)

as for the crows, however... i'm just not sure how strong they'll be for new viewers? i totally understand why they were included, and i really like certain connections the show made between the two series. it was a great decision to introduce the druskelle in the first Cut scene, and showing nina as a ravkan spy.

the new crows stuff felt in character, but i think the show is at its height when it sticks to the books. the first couple episodes switching between tgt and proto-soc gave me whiplash, but luckily it got more organic as it progressed. if i didn't know and love all the crows before going in, i wouldn't be that invested in them based on season 1. aside from a couple fantastic scenes, it really felt like the writers were trying to make fetch happen for like 4 episodes before they figured out what to do with everyone. plus, ravka is such a different vibe from ketterdam--tonally, sartorially, technologically, etc they didn't totally feel like the same world. it was pretty jarring. although i prefer the duo to the trio, s&b is alina's story and she is That Bitch who walked so the crows could fly. so i didn't hate their inclusion but the shoehorned content did at times disservice both plots, imo.

CHARACTERS:

way too many, which is yet another consequence of smushing everyone into one season.

MAL/ALINA/DARKLING: first and foremost, and i PROMISE i'm not saying this just to be a hater, but there needed to be less malina. i'll be the first to say that show!mal really has what book!mal wants. the new pre-fold scenes were so good. li and renaux have amazing chemistry, and their laughter over stolen grapes was a highlight. his stag plot was also good. THAT SAID, there were way too many keramzin flashbacks and malina parallels like.. 🤢🤢why do they want us to love mal so much. for what. they only needed the teacup scene but they clearly thought they were doing something with micro-aggressions and that meadow shot they showed like 6 times. knowing mal's original character, and how they scrubbed his show counterpart almost to the point of flawlessness, he's just never going to be my fave even though i do respect what they did with him. also, why were there like 5 fake deaths for this dude? boring.

the darkling was great. ben barnes knows what the fuck he's about, and he funneled manipulation and charisma into every scene. as for the backstory: at first i really wasn't feeling it, but i eventually did warm up to it and i'm so glad they showed it because oh god the cut and the creation of the fold were SO FUCKING ICONIC. also, love love love the baghra development. WE LOVE TO SEE OLD WOMEN/MOMS WHO AREN'T "EVIL"/"CORRUPTED" BY THEIR MAGICAL POWERS!!!!!!! BITCH! it didn't have to be 12 minutes long though.

i honestly don't have much to say on alina. jml was excellent in her role and very true to the book. without her book narration she feels much more consistently written.

TRILOGY CHARACTERS: i really felt the lack of genya and zoya. genya's character and actress are perfectly layered and effective, even though their roles are relatively minor. i'm so looking forward to her razrushost moment, but i wish they'd laid more groundwork for it. (and i hope throw out the wig and just dye her hair next season.) also like. WHY KEEP THE IRRELEVANT MEAN GIRL/DARKLING THIRST PLOT FOR ZOYA??? AFTER ALL THE EFFORT THEY PUT INTO IMPROVING MAL? they sacrificed so much for malina at the expense of other characters. finally, it was interesting how they decided to kill marie. i love the tailor magic flex. but also they clearly just did that to emotionally manipulate us and connect the crows so. hm.

CROWS: speaking of! the crows storyline felt a little like filler. honestly i wish they waited to roll crows into later seasons. i'd prefer little foreshadowings about them, a la the druskelle cameo or the references to nina and matthias. introducing the crows so soon makes the ice court heist feel less special. the recruitment was super tight and pragmatic, so this felt a little fluffy/fanservicey. kaz also comes off as sooooo old again. especially without the vulnerability of his book counterpart, he just seems like a 40-year-old in a 20something body.

i was pleasantly surprised to find jesper my favorite crow. like wow.... second amendment rights for jesper fahey only!! i like all the crows but book!kanej are my faves by a long shot. they felt a bit stiff tbh, like the actors were a little uncomfy with each other and/or their exposition-heavy lines. however, the one scene that felt EXTREMELY kanej to me was when they killed that dude in the church holy fuck oh my god. WE STAN AN ANGSTY BATTLE COUPLE WHO ARE BOTH DEAD INSIDE. highlight for sure.

and i actually kinda loved helnik? i know helnik is controversial for very valid reasons, but i thoughy their dynamic was fantastic and they were among the strongest performers. it was much less overwhelming than the constantly interweaving kaz/inej/jesper imo. they need to fire their location scout though. those green screen mountains and beaches were um. interesting.

aesthetic and magic:

i really hope they get a bigger budget for costumes, cgi, and sets next season! the keftas are serviceable, but they look a little cheap at times. i will also never forgive ANY of the crows' hats. it's mostly just a personal aesthetic thing but god i fucking hate them. the darkling was best dressed, but in general i liked the ravkan look more than the kerch. why were the crows always in the most elaborate getups? why couldn't they just chill in their waistcoats??? they never seemed relaxed in the way alina and co did; the clothes never felt worn or broken in.

favorite sets: the darkling's room, the crow club, all the grisha tents, the matthias/nina ship, the church where inej killed the squaller, outdoor fountain where they told the story of the black heretic. the lighting was almost always right for each scene, and there was so much detail in every one of them.

THE MAGIC WAS SO COOL! my greatest beef is alina's light--it often looked so fake, and it washed out jml. oftentimes it was fluorescent or blue, and it was used as a forcefield or orb. it's supposed to be sunlight bro. what is so hard about that? the darkling's magic looked good, other than the fold. i've always imagined the fold more like a huge black fog rather than a literal wall. so that was a bit game of thronesy, but not terrible.

and can we talk about the amplifiers? amplifiers are my personal favorite gv lore but season 1 barely gets into them. they never mention the bear zoya slew, nor do they establish the unique strength of the stag, sea dragon, and firebird. BUT THE ANTLER COLLAR FUSED INTO ALINA'S SKIN WAS SUPER DARK AND MACABRE AND I KINDA LIKED IT? ALTHOUGH I HAVE TO WONDER HOW TF IS SHE GONNA SLEEP???

if you made it this far, thanks so much! that's all i have for today.

#shadow and bone #shadow and bone spoilers

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darringauthier · 4 years ago

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Bumblebee (2018)

Genre: Action/Sci-Fi

Who’s In It: Hailee Steinfeld, John Cena, Jorge Lewdeborg Jr, Pamela Adlon, John Ortiz

Who Directed It: Travis Knight

Plot: On the run in the year 1987, Bumblebee finds refuge in a junkyard in a small California beach town. On the cusp of turning 18 and trying to find her place in the world, Charlie Watson discovers Bumblebee, battle-scarred and broken.

Running Time: 114 Minutes

IMDB Score: 6.8

Metascore: 44

Rotten Tomatoes Score: Critics 91% Audience 74%

Why I Watched It: The trailer looked decent but really I watched it cause my oldest daughter wanted to and she likes both leads.

How I Watched It: Netflix Canada

Random Thoughts: So this was not a Michael Bay directed film and I guess a prequel. I have a theory is that’s why the critics liked this so much cause it was such a switch from the Transformer movies which most critics hated.

What I Like: Oddly I think Hailee Steinfeld is a little bland but likable and I think she’s the big selling point here her and her relationship with Bumblebee. They were cute together and I liked that this film is more grounded and less flashy and they do try to make it more heartfelt and human.

It’s one of those movies that there’s nothing really wrong with it but it didn’t land for me or my daughter but it meant well and the vibe is good but the story didn’t hook me. I did like John Cena and I do wish he was in it more. The action was good enough the CGI was very good and they did nail tone well.

What I Didn’t Like: It was too long and sadly I found it boring, the action was done well enough but it didn’t hook me in with the story and I do think the action was forced at times cause they needed it to sell it as a Transformer movie. The killer for me here is the plot it is a bag of cliches and oddly they don’t take advantage or use the fact that this was set in 1987, it could have been any year, they did that cause it’s a prequel.

The bad guys and main plot was so cookie cutter that it bored me about the half way mark, the second act is where it dragged for me. I also wished it was funnier, cute and well meaning is one thing funny is more engaging for me at least. The film just didn’t have enough pacing to be this long of a film.

Final Thoughts: It was fine I was expecting it to be more fun, it ended up being a bit too slight for me.

Rating: 5/10

#bumblebee #hailee steinfeld #john cena #transformers

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ebachan · 5 years ago

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Sonic Movie Review

So, nobody is going to be surprised I’m writing a review of this movie :-D I’ve seen it the last Saturday. Since then, I’ve calmed down a bit, so I’m not going to be “clouded” by emotions (too much XD)

So without further ado, here we dash by...

I’ll divide this into three segments - The Good, “The Neutral”, “The Bad”. This is a purely personal opinion, so you are free to disagree ;-) I’m open to discussion, but have patience with me ;-) This will be spoilerific, so watch out :-)

TL: DR

The movie is worth the money for sure. There is a lot of fun, good action, top-notch CGI, the voice acting is spot on, Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik works really well, and Tom with Maddie make a great couple. All of this and more makes one heck-of-a-ride you will enjoy for the second time as well.

I hope you won’t mind the tag, but I love to read from you ;-)

@movie-robotnik-positivity @movie-sonic-positivity @movie-sonic-adopted-au @aawesomepenguin @welcome-to-green-hills @dxrkblaze @deldiztmblr

THE GOOD

The design...

We all can agree this Design is extremely good and flows well. I’ll remind you, I’m one of the rare people who liked Sonic 1.0. Yes, the one who was hated by almost the whole world. I still like this design, and I would be happy to see it again in action with small adjustments.

However, this one fits better. It has cartoony vibes, vibrant colors, the details are insanely beautiful, and the eyes are pure cuteness.

Jokes...

I liked almost every joke, and if I didn’t get it, I enjoyed the reaction. I can’t speak for English since I’ve heard only Czech dub, but they did well in translating or changing the jokes to fit the scene :-)

Voice Acting...

As stated before, can’t judge it, but great job on it! Czech one just sometimes for me loses some of the emotions Ben Schwartz expressed, but it’s not so bad.

Actions Scenes...

Fast-paced and well-timed. No DBZ-like fights and all of them lead to Sonic’s evolution and show his personality in the best light.

Tom and Maddie...

As I mentioned briefly, I like them both. They are a color-mixed couple, and I love them!!! It’s not forced like with words “Emancipation” or “Women don’t need men”. While Maddie isn’t an action type, she knows how to hold her ground. Like when she was calm when facing Sonic for the first time, or how she accompanied them later in the journey. She is level-headed as not even a dozen of egg-drones made her panic.

Tom is perhaps for some boring, but I like him. He is more collected and mature, which works for some nice dynamics. He is not just an adult, but Sherif too, so he has a strong sense of justice and can’t leave helpless people and alienhogs alike alone :-) He has some great lines, and takes Sonic as an equal.

Dr. Robotnik...

Only know I know he played in The Mask (a movie I’ve seen as a kid but didn’t like that much), but I’m soooo bad with names ^_^;. So, he wasn’t the reason I watched the movie, but I knew I love him as Dr. Robotnik. He makes him less 2D-villain-from-80s and gives him a spark. He is more interesting then SatAm’s Dr. Robotnik, and more close to Boom Dr. Eggman. Yet he is also very dangerous which makes for a great balance of goofy&over-the-top&serious threat.

Music...

I find it nice. Featuring smaller names like Hyper Potion or belowed Junkie-XL is a nice bonus, and they fit well the story. Except for Dr. Robotnik’s one. His moves were more fit for Fast Rock-like music. The Where Evil Grows feels too slow but fits his character. That was the only scene that threw me a bit off.

CGI...

I generally didn’t like 3D much less not fully CGI movies, but this CGI is gorgeous and so alive!! The first half-CGI movie I enjoyed was Detective Pikachu. In this decade, we have a technology capable of making those characters come to life! I hope to see more movies like this!

Easter Eggs...

I’ve spotted a few. And perhaps one I didn’t see anybody talking about. In the Bar Fight Scene, Sonic pulls out underwear of one man attacking Tom just like The Mask did XD Don’t tell me this isn’t an Easter Egg XD You can’t talk me out of it :-D

Emotions...

While I didn’t cry (as I feared), I still felt sadness or joy with Sonic.

The Neutral

Floss...

I don’t care! It’s a simple but challenging dance. It has fast-paced vibes that fit well with Sonic. Not to mention, Sonic mimicked children to feel like he has friends or he is “in”, so if some did Floss challenge, he would do it too.

Product placement...

I’ve noticed a few, and I didn’t mind them. They were relevant to the plot, quick easter-egg (pun intended), or a part of a joke.

Some jokes...

I didn’t mind fart jokes... as silly as they are, there wasn't one every five minutes, so no big deal :-)

Sonic’s arms...

I still don’t get this argument (and I may not want to), but whatever... It’s a minimal change, and I never had a problem with it. The same goes for shoes or any other design choice. Small changes don’t ruin the character ;-)

“The Bad”

I don’t exactly have something I don’t like. But I thought I should mention a thing or two. I found a few “plot-holes” that bugged me after a bit, but they do have an explanation when you think about it. Let’s call them Sonic’s Fun Facts!

NONE of what I mention here is meant to trash the movie!! It’s more of an observation, a fun activity ;-)

The car...

I dunno if any of the cars have an alarm telling you to put on the seat-belt but in both cases of Tom and Sonic, it never rung. But some may not have this function.

The car v2...

Tom’s car lost the roof, yet we didn’t see anybody stopping him. I’m sure everybody would call cops. That would be so weird. The question is, how far he had it to Maddie’s sister, and how close that house was to the Center. Perhas he needed only a short distance or people thought he has those funny 3D-stickers or it’s part of s promotion... Who knows XD

The car V3...

Sonic’s driving... has a lot to desire. Yet, still no police on their tail. Maddie asked the right question. The answer... This is just a joke. Don’t think too deep about it :-D

The Terrorist...

Tom is called a terrorist, but we don’t see any police forces to approach him. Why? Perhaps Dr. Robotnik called dibs on him and given how much the government trust in him, they believe nobody else is needed. Also, if terrorist sees policemen, they tend to turn aggressive. So, for the protection of people, it’s best not to approach him ;-)

The terrorist v2...

Tom uses his badge to gain an access to the door with no security going after him even after the “kidnapping joke”. It still works with my previous statement. It’s meant as a joke, something silly and a bit of adult-humor that works with kids as well. You gotta love those people’s reactions XD

The door...

Sonic checked he needs a key to access the roof. Which is strange. In the beginning, we can see him run up some tall building. So why not here too? Simple... 1) Dr. Robotnik was chasing him, so he might have turn desperate and ran faster and more haphazardly then before. 2) He really wanted to stay with Tom and Maddie for the longest time possible <= Nail it! I’ve no doubt it’s this ;-) Sonic did “guilt-trip” Tom into helping him :-D

The last battle...

We know the story is Sonic’s memory leading to the final battle. Yet, when we get to the point Sonic didn’t run up a building. One would assume we would see similar/exact shot. But no problem here, the movie might have had “time-limit”, so instead of a repeat, we got something new ;-)

The room painting...

When Tom goes and paints the wall with a freshly dipped paint roller, there is no wet mark. I’ve noticed it the moment I saw it. It’s kinda funny.

-----

Well, this seems to be everything I had on my mind :-) I’ve greatly enjoyed the movie that I go the second time <3

Thank you for reading <3

#sonic movie spoilers #sonic the hedgehog #sonic movie #sonic movie positivity #sonic movie 2020 #tom wachowski #jeff fowler #maddie wachowski #james mardsen #tika sumpter #jim carrey #dr. robotnik #paramount pictures #paramount animation #movie review #ebachan rants

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chid-sen-gan-blog · 6 years ago

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My Reaction to GoT 8.03 (”The Long Night”)

Hello! I’m back for another recap/review!

I’m so sorry this took so long, but I was a bit… uninspired. But it’s here now, and I hope you enjoy!

Once again, featuring running commentary from my Dad and Brother because I love them and their witty remarks. (all thoughts and quotes are from our first time viewing it, per usual)

WARNING: Spoilers for anyone who hasn’t seen the episode yet, though this warning might be irrelevant at this point.

WARNING 2: My family and I (namely me) weren’t really fans of this episode, so things get… pretty snarky at some points. Also, there’s a lot of shade - no pun intended - thrown at the lighting throughout. A lot. All these are just the opinions of three people, however, and not meant to offend anyone. If you enjoyed the episode, then lucky you more power to you - you do you! :)

And last, but certainly not least, a huge thank you to everyone who supported the first two installments! Now, time for part three!

So… the new opening credits still haven’t grown on me. But the inclusion of the crypt for this episode is a nice touch

(I have a sinking feeling that taking refuge in the crypts is going to backfire for those hiding there and really hope I’m wrong)

Yay! Sam! Please don’t die on me. Please…

Pre-battle preparation montages always puts me on edge. Now is no exception

Another Alys Karstark shot and I’m still not sure why the crew keeps including them…

“So, the showrunners keep giving us glimpses of Alys Karstark, but do they actually plan on doing anything with her, or…?” - My Wonderful Brother; so I guess I’m not the only one curious

“With D&D at the reigns, she could be there for anything from the kidnap theory to a faceless man revival.” - My Wonderful Dad

“True. Let’s hope they get their story right right tonight, though.” - My Wonderful Brother

“I don’t see how they couldn’t. They already have all the pieces in place. All they need to do is not try anything random.” - My Wonderful Dad

Awwww. My children! D&D, don’t you dare kill off Jaime, Brienne, or Pod. I will find you if you do!!! And no CGI dragons will be able to save you!

(I’m super worried about Pod. He’s right up there at the top of my list with Theon and Grey Worm. And possibly Jorah, but I’m 50/50 with him)

(Maybe 60/40; if Dark!Dany’s a possibility, she needs to suffer a huge loss in this battle. And considering Jorah’s her morality pet/conscience, he would fit the bill)

(basically if Jorah dies this episode, then my confidence in the show going the Dark!Dany route rises)

Tormund! I’m guessing you’ll live. The writers need some fan favorite B characters to make it through the night…

Ooh, Beric. Yeah… you’re probably not one of them…

And the Hound will be needed for Cleganebowl, so he’s safe. No way they’re writing off the guy with all the hype surrounding him and his bro’s one-on-one

Actually, he’s one of the few people I’m absolutely sure will live past this episode

Gendry… 50/50 on you, too, sadly. I hope you make it, though

Darn it, knowing I’m never going to see some of these characters again is making me emotional. And it’s not even ten minutes into the episode!!!

Awwww. Poor Edd. You’re definitely a goner, since you essentially doomed yourself last week

Aaaaaaaand now I”m tearing up. Darn it!!! It’s too early to cry!

My new mantra: Please let Sam live

Wow, that shot is… dark. I wouldn’t have known those were horses if not for the whinnying

GHOST!!! Are we going to see him fight this episode? Because Im so here for it!

My wonderful Dad and Brother are just as pumped to see him as I am. Bless them

“But, seriously, why is Ghost with Jorah and the Dothraki and not with the Northerners in the crypts? Wouldn’t that be more practical” - My Wonderful Brother; taking time from his celebration to ask the tough questions

And here’s Dany to ruin my mood. Absolutely spectacular

“So, do you think she’ll abandon Jon and co during the battle?” - My Wonderful Dad

“Nope, she still wants the North to see her as their hero. It’s more likely she’ll rush in at some point and ruin the plan.” - My Wonderful Brother

Sansa!!! Arya!!!

Hey, remember when Dany stans said that Sansa’s S8 hairstyle was based on their kween’s? Good times, good times

Oooooh. A rider in the night? But who? The gang’s all here, except for Cersei and Euron

Is it Bronn? Kind of bad timing if it is…

No, wait, Carice von Houten was in the credits. It’s Melisandre, isn’t it?

They’re zooming in on Davos, it must be…

Yep.

“So, let’s none of us question why she’s here or how she got around the undead army marching on the North. Deal?” - My Wonderful Dad

“Deal.” - My Wonderful Brother and Less Wonderful I

And, once again, everything’s super dark, even for this show. Is it supposed to be intentional, or…?

I love how Jorah’s like: “I don’t know who the heck you are or what you want or why you’re here, but sure I’ll do what you ask, weird pretty red lady”

FINALLY!!! LIGHT!!! Thank you, Melisandre!

I’ll admit, that was a beautiful shot

I have a real affinity for how Liam Cunningham portrays an angry Davos. I’m not really sure why, but I do

Okay, so Melisandre’s going to die before the dawn. Why do I feel somewhat emotional about it?

(I’m still not over Shireen, so I really have no clue)

Ooooh, that look shared between Melisandre or Arya. Is Arya going to kill her? Maybe because of what happened to Gendry?

Ummmmmm…. Dothraki. What are you doing?

Seriously, what are you guys doing?

Don’t tell me these knuckleheads are actually charging at an enemy they can’t even see…

Oh, shoot. That’s exactly what they’re doing.

………… and now were’s firing the catapults. Umm, hello, don’t we kind of need our supplies for later?! What are you dimwits doing?!?!

No, really, this is idiotic. Why are they lighting things up and charging all gleefully like it’s a 4th of July cookout?!?!

“No, Ghost. Turn around. You’re too smart for this.” - My Wonderful Dad

Well lookie there. The Dothraki charged right into the army of the dead. Who could’ve possibly predicted that? *sarcasm, sarcasm*

“And just like that, the Night King’s added tens of thousands more soldiers to his army. Everyone say “thank you, Dany” for bringing your men who apparently have zero impulse control.” - My Wonderful Brother

“So this is why God didn’t give cavemen fire.” - My Wonderful Dad

You just know that Jaime’s watching this display thinking “why did my men have such a hard time fighting those guys again?”

Aaaaaand the screen’s nearly pitch black again. Dandy

Oh, look, slow-mo Jorah. At least I think it is. It’s kind of hard to tell…

Ugh. Dany. I’m not in the mood for you

Wow, astounding. She’s not going to stick to the plan. I’m sure this will work out just fine

“Told ya’.” - My Wonderful Brother

Nothing screams true love quite like yanking your arm out of your boyfriend’s grasp and snapping at him.

(Anyone else ever get CerseixJaime vibes from these two? And I’m not just talking about the incest…)

Grey Worm putting on his helmet is somehow one of the best parts in this episode so far. And I don’t think that’s a good thing

But still, it’s too early to judge, so I’ll shut up

Why hello, Army of the Dead. How was that 4th of July cookout the Dothraki ran into?

And now it’s time for my favorite game - count the fallen red shirts! Let’s see… 1, 2, oh, there’s a third…

And there’s one red shirt who just realized his name’s never been said on the show and booked. I respect his genre-savyness

Meanwhile, back with the important characters…

No!!! Brienne!!! No!!!

Jaime’s “wench sense” prevails again. That’s my boy

Dany’s “ruin-my-mood sense” is also as strong as ever, apparently

Well, at least the dragonfire shone some light on things

Sansa looking awed at Jon on a dragon is so far one of the best shots in the episode

I will forever hate Jonerys, but Ramin Djawadi always knocks it out of the park with his score - even with their theme.

I wonder if he’ll have anything new to present for this episode…

Jon’s gotten a lot better at riding Rhaegal. That could be very useful in upcoming conflicts… *grins wickedly*

Lovely, now Jon’s stuck in a snowstorm. *sighs* Really, I give him one compliment…

“I just hope that Dany remembers she has to light the trench and doesn’t follow him in.” - My Wonderful Dad

“You’re asking for way too much, Daddy.” - My Wonderful Brother

Aw, Sansa. I’m so proud of you. And this is why I love the Starks - no matter the dangers they face, they’re loyal to their people first and foremost

… Arya, no offense, but your sister’s not much of a fighter. Don’t you think you should give her more than just one tiny dragonglass blade?

Ah, callbacks. But, seriously, give Sansa another weapon

Seeing Jaime, Brienne, and Pod together in any capacity gives me all the feels. All of them. Even when they’re fighting literal zombies

And now Dany’s also lost in the snowstorm. Well, on the bright side, at least she didn’t fly directly into it

Theon!……… yeah, you’re a dead man. I’ll sincerely miss you

And we’re back to the battle. That was… interesting editing

16 red shirts… 17 red shirts… 18 red shirts…

So it’s twenty minutes in and no named characters have died yet. I’m surprised…

And there goes Edd. *cries* Why did I think I was safe?!?! Why?!?!?!?!?!

So that’s one death I guessed. I wonder who else…

Okay, is it even possible for Sophie Turner to look anything but beautiful? I mean, even with this episode’s lighting…

I forgot Tyrion was alive Oops

Still have a sinking suspicion the crypts are going to be overrun with wights…

I honestly admire how calm Tyrion is. If my brother was out fighting an army of undead popsicles, you could bet I would be anything but

Jon and Dany bumping into eachother on dragonback is really making me smile. Even though I know it wasn’t intentional this time

If Jorah doesn’t die, Lyanna Mormont will. I’m calling it now

Grey Worm is so far the MVP of this battle. Now I’m really worried about his survival odds…

Soooooooo… are the dragons just going to be lost in this snowstorm the entire episodes? I mean, they have to play a bigger part than that, right?

(if they don’t then Jon really went through some serious guff for nothing)

Jon calling Dany by her nickname again despite knowing she doesn’t like it gives me life. So what if I’m petty?

And back with Theon and Bran after… nothing really happened

“Is it just me, or does the editing this episode feel a little… off?” - My Wonderful Brother

“Not just you. It has been so far. Strange, considering that’s usually one of D&D’s strong points.” - My Wonderful Dad

Aaaaaaand back to the battle after nothing really happened

“….. really?” - My Wonderful Brother

Brienne checking on Pod is what I live for. Honestly, I’m so far more interested in my J-B-P Family Trio than the actual battle

(Though I don’t think I’m supposed to be)

And the lighting is pitch black again. Huzzah

Unsullied don’t feel fear, huh? Welp, Grey Worm’s quickly realizing that most Unsullied don’t usually fight dead men

Really, though, this scene is on-point. Kudos to everyone involved

And now Dany can’t see the signal to light the trench. Yippee…

“YOU HAD ONE JOB, DAENERYS!!! ONE!!!” - My Wonderful Dad

On another note, I think I finally figured out why Melisandre conveniently strolled back into the picture when she did

And there we go

You know, everything has played out so predictably thus far that I feel like D&D are going to pull a huge, random move at some point

One that likely won’t make any sense, knowing them

Oh, I hope that’s not the case

Alright, that shot when Melisandre finally light up the trench is beautiful. I must admit

…………………………………………………………………………. wait, so Jon was just chilling right next to the trench when he could’ve lit it up this whole time?!?!?!?!

Ugh. So far he’s been utterly useless this battle. I mean, I love the guy, but really?

Please tell me they’re just saving his potential for when he fights the Night King. Or, even better, fights him so Bran can take him down

(D&D wouldn’t honestly butcher my boy like this without a reason, right?)

Oh, great. I forgot the Hound has PTSD when it comes to fire. This should be interesting. With any luck, he’ll overcome his fear this episode

Back in the crypts which are still somehow safe

And it’s times like these, when Tyrion touts his own greatness, that I remember he’s much more like Tywin than I’d care to acknowledge

Yes, Tyrion. You would make all the difference out there in the battle. When not even your swordsman brother should, logically-speaking, be near it, given his one hand situation. But, sure. You keep on thinking that.

Sansa laying some truth down. I stan

I really do enjoy her and Tyrion’s chemistry. And it’s actually nice to take a bit of a break from the battle

Oh, look at that. Sansa and Dany aren’t besties after their talk last episode after all. Odd, I could’ve sworn some stans said they were

One of which was, apparently, Missandei

Gee, I love you, Missandei, but that comment was totally uncalled for. They weren’t even talking to you

“And maybe if it weren’t for the dragon queen, the wall would still be standing and the dead wouldn’t even be here.” - My Wonderful Brother

“The girl didn’t even light the trench. Which was, again, her one job!” - My Wonderful Dad

*sighs* I really hate brainwashed Missandei. But I’m sure Dany’s stans will find a woman of color being blindly devoted to a white woman totally empowering

(And, before anyone bashes me, I’m speaking as someone who’s got the blood of all walks of minorities in my veins)

Ad back to Theon and Bran. Are they actually going to do something this time?

Oh, they are!

So, Bran’s “home” quote was said to Theon. Odd, and here I thought he was supposed to have said it to Dany… oh, well

Ooooh, warging Bran. With any luck, he’ll warg into a dragon at some point in this episode

I don’t even care anymore, just let the poor guy be useful in this battle somehow

So… when the army of animated corpses have better battle plans than your armies, exactly how screwed are you?

Jorah ushering Sam to the walls is actually really heartwarming

As is surrogate dad Jaime checking on his adopted son Pod en route to their battle stations

…… Jon has been sitting on the walls of Winterfell for who knows how long doing absolutely zilch. Not burning wights, not guarding Bran, not even brooding. And I’m ticked about it

What the heck, D&D? I thought you loved CGI dragon stuff

Well, finally. Yes, go fight the head popsicle, even if you don’t kill him. Go, my boy, and redeem yourself

The J-B-P Family Trio dynamic is my favorite thing in this episode thus far. Fight me

And Sam and Jorah. I want a spin-off named “Mormont and Tarly” with these two just hanging out

So, it’s almost halfway through the episode and only Edd has died out of the named characters. I have a feeling things are about to get bloody

Well, there goes another red shirt. What was I up to? 42?

No no no no no no no no. Bad wights. Not Jaime. Get off my problematic child! Get off him, darn you!!!

Brienne has “Kingslayer sense” confirmed

Who needs plot armor when you have your totally platonic not girlfriend watching your back?

My children fighting together… *tears up* I’m so proud…

And who needs plot armor when you have your totally platonic not boyfriend watching your back?

Jorah saving Sam with Heartsbane is all kinds of right. That is all

And the Hound is not making any sort of progress with his PTSD. I’m rooting for you, Sandor

Aaaaaaaaaaand…. I’m really tired of ninja!Arya already. I’m sorry. Unpopular opinion, I know, but it seems like the show’s going out of their way waaaay too much recently to make her seem all BAMF. I don’t know, call it personal preference, but I like it when there’s some vulnerability to a fighter

And maybe that hit to the head will take her down a peg. Knowing D&D, though… not likely

Oh, boy. The Hound’s really got it bad. I feel for him….

The fact he cares so much about Arya takes me back to S4, and I couldn’t be happier about it. Ah, the great seasons…

My wonderful Dad and Brother have taken to trying to adjust the brightness on our tv…to limited success. And this isn’t even the darkest the episode’s been…

Okay, I got over Lyanna Mormont in S7, but I have to say, she got the coolest death ever in the show by far. And I’m glad

Also, another predicted death. Makes me wonder about Jorah’s fate now…

So… the dragons above the clouds is a pretty shot and all, but are Jon and Dany just playing hide&seek with the Night King at this point, or…?

Oh, there’s the head popsicle!

(oh, if only fire could burn the unburnt…)

(speaking of which, how does Wightserion manage to breathe fire if he’s a wight and fire kind of kills them all over again? I’ve been wondering…)

“And after less than a minute of the dragons looking like they’d actually do something, we’ve now transitioned in to a game of tag, you’re it.” - My Wonderful Brother, getting fully annoyed with this episode

“At this point you could put Little Sam out in the field and he’d do more than the dragons.” - My Wonderful Dad, getting fully annoyed with this episode

And now Arya’s playing hide&seek with the wights. What is this, buy none get three day?

So… this scene is going to contribute something other than more bad lighting, right? Please say it is…

And nothing’s really happening…

And nothing…

Nothing….

Okay, so I have a feeling this is supposed to come off as a horror movie kind of thing, but it reads more like Tom&Jerry, imo

Wights have better hearing than me. I’m a little jealous

*shudders* Alright, the way that wight re-died (coining that term as of now) when Arya stabbed it was really gross. I tip my hat to the special effects and make-up team

Arya’s running like mad. And I’m happy she seems human again

(On another note, all this focus on Arya is really making me wonder what D&D are planning on doing with her. I can guess it’s something important…)

Too dark to see too dark to see too dark to see too dark to see…

I’m still surprised the crypts are safe. Maybe I’m wrong and they won’t be taken over by the dead after all

“This episode needs more Sansa. I said what I said.” - My Wonderful Brother

The Hound and Beric’s buddy cop adventures continue

Sweet move, Beric. We should enter you in javelin-throwing

Arya fighting just fine with a head wound. Even though I’m pretty sure she must have a concussion. Oh, what the heck, it’s a fantasy show

Beric sacrificing himself for Arya and the Hound in an honestly brilliant scene… that I could hardly see… -_-*

Beric dying to protect them also means that I was probably right before when I said Arya’s going to play an important role in this fight. Or the Hound

But my money’s on Arya. They’ll want a girl power shield in case their plans fall through

Really, the lighting on this episode looks like the contrast effect I add to my Sony Vegas-made AMVs before filtering the colors

So… Melisandre’s alone in this room surrounded by a bunch of doubly dead wights. Did she kill them all herself? Did she flambe them? I would really like to know

And blue eyes. Wait… no.

“They’re going to have Arya kill the Night King. That’s their big twist” - My Wonderful Brother

“But that wouldn’t make any sense. I mean, what about Bran? Doesn’t his whole story revolve around taking down the Night King?Didn’t Uncle Benjen say in no uncertain terms that without Bran they lose everything?” - Me

“Yep. But it’s still going to be Arya.” - My Wonderful Brother

“But what about Jon?! Doesn’t 90% of his arc center around facing this guy, too?! What about their stare down in “Hardhome”?” - Me

“Maybe Jon gets a crack at him, but it’s going to be Arya who finishes him off.” - My Wonderful Brother

“They wouldn’t!” - Me

“Remember Joffrey’s funeral scene in “Breaker of Chains” and how they changed it?” - My Wonderful Dad

“……… oh, no. They would.” -Me

And now I’m worried

I mean, I love Arya, I really do. And I love girls being great. But something like that would just feel so… out-of-the-blue

Please don’t let that be the case

(But then again, my wonderful Brother’s always right)

Theon and the red shirts going to war and I can’t even try to appreciate it

Oh, well, I couldn’t see much of it anyway

And there goes Rhaegal and Wightserion fighting in the sky. And I can’t even see what’s happening. Wondrous

*squinting*

No! Not the cloak Sansa made for Jon! Bad dragon, bad!

*more squinting*

… did Drogon just bite Rhaegal? It looks like it. But I won’t jump to any conclusions just yet because I CAN’T FRICKING SEE!!!

Jon has to be hurt after that fall. There’s no way he only got a few scrapes

Then again, the damage to his body is probably far less than the damage my eyes have taken straining to see the screen

And back to the battle. Time to see if anyone I love is still alive…

*even more squinting*

Ya’ know what, I can’t tell

Oh, great. Dany and the Night King. Well, let’s see if she’s going to kill him and become the heiress of a million more prophecies

Bet you ten bucks she’s going to smile when she burns him

And knock knock I’m here to collect my money

Well, Jon’s staggering around like he’s hurt, at least. That’s good enough for me (at least someone seems to be affected by bodily wear-and-tear)

And the Night King’s not burnt. Oh, this is great!!!

AND THAT SMIRK!!! I CAN’T!!! *falls off chair laughing*

“Can we stan the Starks and the Night King at the same time? Is that even possible?” - My Wonderful Dad

“Well, Dany, your purpose here is done. Time to go back to Meereen.” - My Wonderful Brother

“Excuse me, but what did the people of Meereen ever do to you to have you wish such a thing on them?” - My Wonderful Dad

“Nothing. I just really want Demanding Tourist out of Westeros already.” - My Wonderful Brother

Yes, head popsicle. Get the dragon brat!!! Yeeeeeeeees!!!!!!

Aw, darn it. He missed

Oooh, Jon running at the Night King. Here we go! One-on-one!!!

Oh, shoot. He’s running towards him as the guy’s reanimating the corpses?! Is he really planning on sacrificing himself?!??!

(you know what, never mind. It’s Jon - we already know the answer is yes)

Okay, sweetie, all you need is a few good jabs and I’ll be happy. Just get a couple hits on this guy and I’ll be satisfied

Immediately has “Satisfied” from Hamilton play in my head and chooses to ignore it

Ummm… Jon. Why are you stopping? The path is still clear? Just run through!

Oh, shoot, everyone that was killed is coming back

Oh, hey, look, Jaime and Brienne are still alive… and they’re probably not going to be in two more minutes so I better enjoy it. Good thing I have both Wench and Kingslayer sense, or I might not have been able to tell it was them in the dark

Now where’s Pod? *activates Squire sense”*

And there’s the crypts not staying safe. I fricking called it and I wish I hadn’t

Don’t you dare touch Gilly or Little Sam or Sansa, wights!!!

On another note… how did the wights manage to punch through solid stone with their skeletal hands?

My boy Theon still stepping up. *sighs* I’m really going to miss him… and back from a quick cut, Jon squinting at that dragonfire is me right now, after nearly a whole hour of watching an almost fully-black screen

Giving credit where credit is due, Dany just saved my fav. Thanks for that, but don’t get used to it

Ooooooooh Dany stuck in the middle of nowhere without her dragons surrounded by wights… *pulls out White Walker paraphernalia and foam finger* Team Wights forever!

(What? I did say don’t get used to it)

No Jorah! Nooooooo! Why?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

“WE COULD’VE HAD IT ALLLL!!!!” - My Wonderful Brother

Also, kind of hate how the sword belonging to the family Dany burnt alive is now being used to defend her, but who cares what I think, right?

Jon running past Sam is so wrong on so many levels

On another, however, it shows that he prioritizes Bran - his family - above all else. So, maybe I’m giving D&D too much credit here, but if that’s what they were trying to convey, I can see where they’re coming from

This tunnel run is the most fighting Jon’s actually gotten to do in the episode thus far, which is actually pretty dissapointing

Y’know, considering he was all gung-ho about fighting the Army of the Dead and all

Theon , my boy, you make me proud

Also, what is Bran actually doing? Something important, I hope…

Wow. Dany can magically wield a sword. Where did this sudden skill come from, I wonder…

Are Sansa and Tyrion taking refuge behind Ned’s tomb? *heart breaks into a million pieces*

“YES! WE’RE FINALLY GOING TO SEE SANSA IN ACTION!!!” - My Wonderful Dad

*scene cuts away*

“Hey, I said in action, not inactive! I want to see my girl kill some wights!” - My Wonderful Dad

He’s been a full Sansa stan for only a week yet he gets how awesome she is. I’m so proud of him

Oh, great, Wightserion almost killing Jon

Oh, great, wights almost killing my J-B-P Family Trio

WHY DO PIANO SCORES NEVER MEAN ANYTHING GOOD IN THIS SHOW?!?!?!?!

Yet I’m already loving this score. Let’s see just how much of a next level Ramin Djawadi takes it to

No, bad wights! Don’t kill my children!

No! Don’t make Sam cry!

Noooooooooooo! Don’t say thank you, Bran! Now he’s really going to die!

NOOOOOOO! THEON!!!!!!! *cries hysterically*

Jon… just can’t catch an awesome break this episode, can he? Now he’s got to deal with the dragon he already faced again… *sighs*

And yep. Ramin Djawadi outdid himself with this score. And that’s the hill I die on

Jon, sweetie… why are you randomly screaming at a dragon? Did you hit your head when you fell off Rhaegal? Has the stress of obsessing over the undead finally caught up to you? Did Dany finally break you?

Okay, a white walker’s hair has suddenly turned into a Maybelline commercial

And it’s…

Arya. Oh, boy. Here we go…

Aaaaaaaaand… it’s over. Just. Like. That.

We never even got to know anything about him and that’s it

They Snoke’d him

And Bran was utterly useless, to boot

*left eyes strained from too much squinting twitches*

“They really did it…” - mMe

“Called it.” - My Wonderful Brother

“Well… I guess good for Arya. Right?” - My Wonderful Dad

“No. Not good. Not good. I’m glad she got a chance to shine and I don’t even care about her hitting the final blow. I don’t care who hi it, honestly!!! But Jon and Bran were both completely useless?! EVEN BRAN?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!?! BRAN’S ENTIRE STORYLINE WAS THE NIGHT KING!!! NOW WHAT’S HE ANY GOOD FOR?! TELLING HIS FAMILY THAT JAIME PUSHED HIM OUT A WINDOW?!?! DON’T GIVE ME THAT! I DID NOT SIT THROUGH SEVEN ENTIRE SEASONS OF GAME OF THRONES AND PUT UP WITH SIX OF THEM WATCHING BRAN’S BORING-AS-ALL-HECK VISIONS JUST FOR HIM TO BE PLAYING WARG THE RAVENS THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE EPISODE AND HAVE NO SAY IN TAKING DOWN THE POPSICLE!!!” - Me, with an unpopular opinion that will get me in so much trouble later

“True. His lack of involvement was… dissapointing.” - My Wonderful Dad

“You know, there’s a way it all could’ve worked. All they had to do was have Bran warg into the Night King to try and keep him at bay to give Arya the chance to finish him off. Show a bit of struggle between all three of them and ultimately have Bran be the deciding factor. Maybe throw in a bit of flashbacks to the guy’s past, while they were at it” - My Wonderful Brother

“Yeah, but that would require making the guy look like a legitimate threat in terms of fighting.” - Me

“Oh, that’s an easy fix. They should’ve let Jon fight the Night King before and get royally owned. That would’ve established him.” - My Wonderful Brother

“Not only that, but it would also heighten the expectation that Jon would make a huge comeback, which would really throw the viewers for a loop when Arya comes to save Bran instead.” - My Wonderful Dad

My family, everyone. Also known as my bright spots in the abysmal world

To be fair, the one thing I like about this is that the knife originally intended to kill Bran eventually saved him. Bravo

Welp, there goes Jorah. My heart is already in pieces, so a few more breaks won’t do anything

*cries anyway*

Guess Dark!Dany is probably coming. At least I hope so. And then we’ll have Bronn fight her or some other nonsensical decision. Who cares anymore?

I can’t bring myself to feel a shred of pity for Dany or an ounce of compassion. Yet even I know Emilia Clarke’s acting in this scene is fantastic

And now at the end of the episode we finally have light. And my eyes actually are having a hard time adjusting to it

So long, Melisandre. I’m surprisingly emotional about this but maybe that’s just because I’m still crying from Jorah

That’s it? Huh. That’s it. Who lived? Who died? Don’t ask me.

I’m going to go work on my AU now. It may suck, but at least I put real effort into it. Maybe I’ll be a screenwriter. It seems to require very little

I’m bitter and ready to be unfollowed

Sorry

#gots8e3spoilers...#anti daenerys #anti jonerys #dark!dany #anti targ restoration #anti targaryen #anti d&d...#anti arya to a extent but not really #just in case i don't want to offend anyone #political!jon musings #unpopular opinions...#anti episode lighting #sorry about the potential typos and incoherencies #i was ticked really ticked #please don't @ me i don't want to start trouble #just getting this all off my chest

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milich96 · 6 years ago

Text

So…. Aladdin, huh? I saw the movie yesterday and decided to sleep on it before making this post. I’d like to start saying that I love the 1992 movie. It’s probably in my top 10, if not top 5 of Disney movies. Nevertheless, the 2019 remake isn’t bad, but I wouldn’t call it a masterpiece or “better than the original”. I’ve made a list of the parts I recognized as good, bad and neutral (meaning they’re not bad, but they left no impact on me).

I may go into spoiler territory, so if you’re interested in seeing the movie I recommend you not reading further.

We good? Okay, here we go with the positives:

- I really liked the scenography. I don’t know where they filmed it, but it was breathtaking at time. The movie took time to show us the city, and I loved it. The palace was beautiful. It reminded me of the Topkapi Palace in Istambul a little bit. The inside of the cave of wonders appeared smaller than the one in the original, but it’s not a bad thing.

- The wardrobe department did an amazing job! Jasmine’s dresses were so beautiful.She looks stunning in that turquoise dress. Aladdin’s prince attire was wonderful as well. 10/10. They aced it.

- The choreographies too were marvelous. Mena Massoud is an incredible dancer. He was super energetic. I got a little of Bollywood vibes with some dances (the Prince Alì one for example). Like the wardrobe department, they all did an amazing job.

- The CGI was really good! I was afraid (as most people I think) that the Genie would look bad, but that’s not it. Yeah, it’s a lil’ weird at the beginning, but you get used to it quick enough. I think both Abu and Raja were CGI modified at times, but I’m not sure. They looked super realistic. Oh, the carpet! The carpet was a lot of fun, but they didn’t show it a lot. What a shame. In the few scenes it had, it was really well animated.

- This one is a mixed bag: the casting. It’s really good for some parts, and for others.. well.. I’ll explain those later. Mena Massoud plays a credible Aladdin and Naomi Scott is a wonderful princess Jasmine. I could see they both loved their parts. Their chemistry is also over the roof. Their romance is a little more awkward than in the original movie, but I liked it. I found it really cute.

- Will Smith as the Genie works, but I didn’t have any doubt. It goes without saying that Robin William’s one will forever being the superior one, but I think everybody’s knew that. He gave the character a new twist: a little bit more abrasive at times. I don’t know if I 100% like it, but it’s new. He tried to make the character his, and I commend to that.

I think that’s all, at least that comes to mind. Let’s move to the neutral points:

- The songs. I don’t know if this happened with the English songs, but in Italian there have been some changes. They’re not even major changes, just a few words and I don’t understand it. The new take on “A Friend like Me” is good (although I could have done it without the rapping part). “Prince Alì” seemed a little toned down. I think they could have done more with it, could really have gone BIG. I’m bummed out Jafar didn’t sing his song, but looking back at his characterization in this movie I’m glad he didn’t (more on it later). “Speechless” was .. okay? An average power ballad song. Didn’t love it, didn’t hate it. It was important for the growth of this new Jasmine, so I’ll take it.

- Speaking of Jasmine, I don’t know how to feel about this new version. Yeah, she’s strong and empowered, but I thought she was already powerful in the original? I’ve seen people love this new take, and I don’t hate it I’m just.. neutral to it. They add some political themes in it, and I didn’t mind them tbh. Although the whole “You’re a woman, so you should not speak” was a little annoying at times, but whatever. It was important for her character growth.

- There have been some changes with the timeline. For example, Aladdin and Jasmine meet at the bazar before he sings “One Jump Ahead”. We even meet her BEFORE finding out she’s the princess. They’re not bad changes, and sometimes they work for the better.

- Jafar now has a backstory…. okay? They give it to us out of nowhere and it felt like they were reading his character’s sheet. He used to be a skilled thief and this turned out to be relevant later in the movie, so I’m okay with it. Plus, the scene were he and Aladdin first meet and Jafar show his skills it’s good. I liked it. I actually liked the scenes where those two interacted. That’s the most I can say about the Jafar of this movie (lol)

- I don’t mind the addition on Dalia (Jasmine’s handmaiden). I knew she would have been the Genie’s love interest from the start. I don’t think she did much for the story, but whatever. She wasn’t annoying so she gets a pass from me.

- Iago…. oh my dear Iago. You were so fun in the original and now.. you’re just okay. Istg he’s more important than Jafar at times. He does everything for him in this movie. I joked a lot with my friend on how is Iago the evil mastermind now. I wish they had given him a real script and not just some words to say from time to time. I guess they were going for realism smh.

And now… the negative.

- YOU GET A BACKSTORY. AND YOU GET A BACKSTORY. EVERYBODY GET A BACKSTORY!!! Now even Razoul/Hakim has a backstory.. Why??? I don’t believe he needed one. Jafar having one was already odd, but whatever, it was kinda important. But Hakim? Why? I’m so confused. It also came out of nowhere, it was used by Jasmine to “change his heart and made him realize how he really should be fighting for”…. Bah.

- Another character change I don’t like is the sultan’s one. He was fine before, why did they went and changed him?! He was a fun-loving father. Yeah, he was childish, but in a charming way. I swear I think he is in this movie for less than 15 minutes. He didn’t even seem to like his own daughter. Yes, he gave her the kingdom at the end and recognized she’s capable of being a great leader…. but I got no love from him.

- Now the change I hate the most: Jafar. What have they done to you??? He’s one of my favorite villains. He’s cunning, power-hungry, crazy at times and a joy to watch overall. This 2019 Jafar? He’s just soooo boring! IHe has no charisma, not charme. He doesn’t seem that much smart either. He’s just .. there ‘cause we need a villain so. I’ve seen posts where Marwan Kenzari’s characterization was deemed as a “glow up” and an “upgrade”????? Are you for real??? Is it only cause he’s handsome?? Is this what you want? A bland good looking villain? Jesus Christ I’m so mad at this change. Every time he was on screen I wished he would just go away. The only exceptions, as stated before, where the scenes with Mena Massoud. Stop. A total miss-casted role imo.

- Speaking of miss…. what a climax huh? In the original 1992 movie we had a great battle against a giant snake, swords, Genie’s cheering for Aladdin, Jasmine in an hourglass, black and red everywhere…. now we got a giant parrot….. WONDERFUL! EXACTLY WHAT I WANTED! Yeah it wasn’t good. At that point I was just waiting for Jafar to make that dumb third wish and go away. The way Aladdin tricks Jafar to become a genie further proves how dumb he is in this adaptation. Ugh… whatever. Jasmine becomes sultan because her father just doesn’t want to be one anymore I guess, and she changes the law to marry Aladdin. Amazing. 10/10. best ending ever…. why didn’t her father changed the law himself? Why did he give her his power I.. I don’t know. At that point I didn’t care anymore.

- This last one is a major nick-pic … but how funny was the last kiss of Aladdin and Jasmine? They are outside the palace’s doors, surrounded by commoners, and they kiss. I imagine an average Hoe, just minding his own business, while drinking his karkadé. Out of nowhere he sees the princess in public after YEARS. YEARS THE CITY HASN’T SEEN HER. And what does she do? She kisses this random thief. Idk, I found it funny.

To wrap it up:

Is it a good movie? Yeah, it was fun at times. Do I recommend it? I guess? Look, if you’re not a big Aladdin’s fan and you want a new take of the overall story you’re going to like it. I’d give it a solid 7/10.

If the original is a coke, this one is its diet version.

#aladdin 2019 #aladdin #disney #anna talks #long post #my opinion

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eskaevai · 5 years ago

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Final Fantasy in Review

I’m feeling a bit nostalgic today so here’s a review of some Final Fantasy games. These are just reads off of my personal experiences with them. Might contain a few spoilers here and there but if there are some they’re minor.

FINAL FANTASY - Stock fantasy story. Classic but also unremarkable and relatively short. Establishes a lot of the franchise’s hallmarks and is generally a good game. I like the red mage’s hat.

FINAL FANTASY II - All I remember about this one is that pretty much everybody dies. Also something about a gopher? First game with a chocobo in it so that’s exciting.

FINAL FANTASY III - This one got weird? I remember the early plot just being all over the place. Also do not like cloud of darkness’s design honestly. First appearance of the moogle and advent of the Job/Class system. I did not finish this game.

FINAL FANTASY IV - Just a bunch of redemption arcs in a trench coat + a kinda cheesy love triangle. That’s about it. This was one of my first video games ever and is still a strong favorite. Kain is so fucking stupid he’s an armor clad brick wall with the mental and moral fortitude of a single pine nut. I love him.

FINAL FANTASY V - I remember this game being long af but that might just be cause I was kind of young when I played it. Nice story. Lots of comic relief but not so much that it becomes overbearing. Also first explicit case of blatant furry bait what with roping in a whole wolfman species. Never got around to snooping out the last two pianos.

FINAL FANTASY VI - The overrated one that I like more. Also among the first video games I ever played. It was kind of formative for young me. The sound track fuckin slaps and Searching for Friends is one of the things that got me into writing music. Good story and focus on characters, plus a steampunk fantasy aesthetic that appeals to everything I adore. My soul for a solid remake that can break away from the shitty iOS assets.

FINAL FANTASY VII - The overrated one that I like less. This one has the same energy to me as LoZ ocarina of time. It was a lot of firsts for the franchise, paving the way into 3D graphics, giving us more diverse casts, and further breaking away from standard fantasy elements. And because of this, it wins the hearts of a lot of fans. I didn’t really care for it but obviously many many others did and do still. There was also a movie I think?

FINAL FANTASY VII CRISIS CORE - Never played personally but have seen a fair bit. Gets a mention for its popularity in the wake of its parent game. [Insert “RIP but I’m different” meme]

FINAL FANTASY VIII - Shitty romance novel. Better yet, a shitty romance novel spread across a million PC disks because nothing in life can be easy. Game had an aesthetic that was too edgy powerful what with Squall’s crop top jacket and pretty boy scar, plus the Empress running around looking like a Padme Amidala cosplay. Too absorbed in that one card came to pursue the story. Also gunblade?? The most ridiculous thing. Fucking rad but falls apart the instant you think about it for more than six seconds how in the whole ass fuck????

FINAL FANTASY IX - I never played nine and I feel like I should because people I’ve spoken to say its pretty good. Zidane has a tail like goku and there was a black mage there also that people seem to like.

FINAL FANTASY X - A blur of CGI Cut scenes and questionable voice acting. Found myself frustrated by the linearity of the plot line. Also found said plot kind of confusing to untangle in places. Might just be salty cause I’m bad at blitzball... Very anime. Seymore’s battle theme slaps as much as his hair do. Also more furry bait.

FINAL FANTASY X-2 - The meninists or whatever don’t like this one because the protag is a girl. It’s a spin off and I never really played it but they gave Yuna a gun so how bad can it be?

FINAL FANTASY XI - An MMO. I feel no need to continue. Never really played it or looked into it, so can’t give a strong vibe.

FINAL FANTASY XII - Baa Baa Black Sheep have you any actually kind of compelling plot set in a deep and well fleshed out world? Strays from the mold a bit too much in places but was still a pretty solid game.

FINAL FANTASY TACTICS - Another spin off and one that I’ve never played. Takes place in the same world as FF12 and gets a mention here because I’m always a fan of the world building done for Ivalice.

FINAL FANTASY XIII - This is where I started to fall out of the franchise a bit. I never played this one but The battle theme was good and that one guy looks like he probably listens to 21 pilots a lot. iirc there was some nonsense going on on the moon? So I’m gonna call it a sleeker, sexier clone of FF4.

FINAL FANTASY XIV - Another MMO. I actually did play this briefly right when it first came out. If you recall the time when it was apparently so bad that SquareEnix had to take it back and try again? Seems like most of that’s cleared up now tho. There’s an update soon I think.

FINAL FANTASY XV - I know nothing about this other than that the boys are back in town. Also all the shit mobile spin offs everybody’s getting ads for around here.

DISSIDIA FINAL FANTASY - SSB but Final Fantasy. Not the kind of games you play for the plot, but was overall a decent game with interesting mechanics. Was genuinely fun to play. Too bad the latest installment was such a step backward.

FINAL FANTASY CRYSTAL CHRONICLES - Said to have a “Small Cult Following” of which I am a part. This game was good, step to me. The music was amazing, the story was interesting (if poorly paced in a couple of places), and the setting was wonderfully put together. The sequels are... less good with a steady decline per installment, but alas what can one do?

#final fantasy #final fantasy series #in review #video james #I spent all morning on this #long post

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thoughts-of-loyalty · 6 years ago

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Captain Marvel (2019) Review

So, I saw the Captain Marvel movie recently (on 3/9, as this’ll likely end up posted a bit late) and as the big movie that’s set to bridge the gap between Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, as well as the big-screen debut of Captain Marvel (not to mention the first Marvel female hero to get the limelight), there was a lot of excitement and hype built around this film. Starring the titular Captain Marvel, real name Carol Danvers, and set in the 90s - before any film sans Captain America 1 - we’re given a look into the origins of the “Strongest Avenger,” the one Nick Fury sought to call upon at the end of Infinity War to fight against Thanos.

Full movie spoilers and my opinions below.

Synopsis: This film focuses on the origin story, so to say, of the future Carol Danvers/”Vers” (as she’s known among the Kree), in the adventure that sets her on the path to become the superheroine known as Captain Marvel. Believing herself to be a part of the Kree due to memory loss, she is part of a group tasked with investigating the reported abduction of a Kree agent who was captured by the Skrulls (an alien species capable of mimicking the appearance of any human they view, one which is supplemented by their poorly-elaborated-upon talents at learning a lot about their targets). Due to events beyond her control, she is separated from her Kree allies and ends up stranded on Earth. Discovering details about her past life while there, she teams up with a young Nick Fury to discover the truth about her past and how intimately tied she is to the current Skrull-Kree conflict...

The Good:

The Visuals: To be sure, Captain Marvel - like all other big budget Marvel films - is a visual spectacle. The CGI is very on-point for this film, the fight scenes are generally well handled, and it generally managed to capture the 90s look and vibes that the film is set in fairly well. The Skrull are also made to look great for their big screen debut, with amazing work put into the transformation scenes, and Captain Marvel’s abilities are a visual delight.

Not Bogged Down by Continuity: One good thing about Captain Marvel in the relative sense is that it doesn’t bog itself down much with a desire to connect itself to the other films. While some things will certainly make more sense in context of other movies (such as the importance of the power source everyone is fighting over and who exactly Phil Coulson is in relation to Nick Fury), the movie is self-contained enough that one can enjoy it without feeling they need to see everything Marvel-related prior to keep themselves informed. This is in contrast to, say, Ant-Man 2 or Spider-Man, which require one to have seen Captain America: Civil War to understand all the ongoing character dynamics.

A Straightforward Story: Tying in to the above, but Captain Marvel never loses itself in trying to tell an overly-complex narrative with a million different plot-lines at once. While there is certainly a twist or two to be had, the movie kept itself focused on the important characters and most of it’s attention was on Captain Marvel and her personal journey. It told the story it wanted to tell and never did it veer into pointless sub-plots or give focus to truly meaningless characters.

A Lack of a Love Story: In what is something of personal gripe, I appreciate the complete lack of a romance story in this film. A common criticism that has been directed at many other Marvel films was the inclusion of romance between the male lead and a major female character (usually inspired by one of the comic romances), usually to the detriment of the film as the romances were rather out of nowhere and had little purpose beyond just having one. This film didn’t have any of that, and while one could make arguments or ship as shippers are wont to do, there was never a “These two are suddenly in love and kissing because there needs to be a romance” moment and I am glad.

The Cast is Well-Acted: A bit of a weird one, I suppose, but most of Captain Marvel’s cast is just as enjoyable to watch as any other Marvel movie’s cast. I never felt a single cast member wasn’t giving the role their best, and while the dialogue could be cringe-worthy at times, it was only ever due to the script, not the actor/tress in the role.

A Good Message: It was made no secret that Captain Marvel would be a primarily feminist film and have messages about gender equality and women not needing the approval of men to be who they are. And the film delivered it with only a minor heavy-handed approach. The female characters were all competent and never eye-candy, but at the same time the movie never used the “machismo men who talk big but are actually pretty lame” trope other less-subtle movies used, all the characters were as competent as they were implied to be. It was occasionally blunt during some portions of dialogue, but it never felt forced and it carried its message well.

The Bad

A Tonal Disaster: The movie was unfortunately bogged down by an overindulgence, so to say, on comedy. Now, this in and of itself is not an issue, as Guardians of the Galaxy and Thor: Ragnarok can prove - a movie can be primarily comedic in nature but still have great stories and be serious when they need to (though one could argue both had tonal issues, I wouldn’t deny that). That said, where this movie most falters is in how it tries to be primarily comedic at times where characters necessarily shouldn’t - for example, there’s a earlier on moment where Carol blasts open a door some time after Nick Fury had done secret spy stuff to open a prior one, making him incredulously ask why she hadn’t done so before and her responding she didn’t want to steal his thunder. This is at a time when Carol knows there’s a time limit of sorts (the Kree are due to arrive in less than 20 hours to rescue her) and Carol is learning about events that may intimately involve her and her lost memory, but they let the cast wait around so they can have this joke. This is around the point I started to worry for the movie, as well, because I could tell the movie would be willing to let it’s mood go to waste for a quick joke.

A return to basic villains: One common issue held with many of the earlier Marvel films was the very weak villains in their movies. They could look cool or be menacing, but Loki was pretty was really the only one who was complex for the longest time. It took until arguably either The Winter Soldier or Age of Ultron to buck this trend and give us memorable or complex villains. This continued for most of Phase 3, with their villains being complex, sympathetic at times, or otherwise memorable presences. Spoilers: the Skrulls were build up as that, but plot twist, the Skrulls aren’t the villains, the Kree are. And the Kree do nothing to establish themselves as memorable villains - you could arguably have even forgotten two of them were main antagonists in the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie. The only relatively memorable one is Yon-Rogg, Carol’s mentor, and the two spend so little time properly interacting after he’s revealed as a villain that any complexity he could have is never properly utilized. For that matter...

The Supreme Intelligence is kinda pointless: Tying into how the Kree are an unfortunate return to basic villains, the Supreme Intelligence - the Artificial Intelligence ruler of the Kree - is an exemplar of this aspect of the Kree in this movie. The Supreme Intelligence is something of a recurring presence in this movie (though I use that term lightly, given that it only appears before Carol for a grand total of five minutes if I’m being generous), and as the guiding force behind the Kree, it is technically the main antagonist of the film (Yon-Rogg is the most present of the Kree antagonists, but his actions are ultimately guided by the Supreme Intelligence). As noted above, though, Carol and the Supreme Intelligence only spend about five minutes together, and only half of THAT time is spent as them on opposing sides, where it is little more than a generic overlord-emperor type, giving us a nothing driving force for the antagonists as a whole. Which is unfortunate, because...

The Kree are very underdeveloped in general: This is an issue because for a chunk of her life, after receiving amnesia, Carol considers the Kree her people and becomes part of a Kree task force. While somewhat understandable that she’d be willing to stand against them as they’re responsible for her predicament in various capacities, the movie spends so little time developing the relationship between them and the other Kree. Neither she nor the named Kree she battles seem to hold any strong emotion about coming to blows, to the point that they could have been replaced with a random Kree task force she never knew and nothing would have changed. This goes double for both Korath and Ronan, who were incredibly flat villains in Guardians of the Galaxy - any hopes one might have had that they’d receive stronger characterization was misplaced, as they’re just as one-dimensional as before.

“Subverting Audience Expectations” ruins the Skrull: Many have (supposedly?) praised the Skrull for their role in the movie as a red herring antagonist who are actually sympathetic, with many bringing back the old praise of “This movie is great because it subverts audience expectations” that popped up during Star Wars: The Last Jedi. I have a much longer rant about that, but that isn’t the issue I mean to address here. And before anyone gets on my case, I have no desire to argue “the Skrull are ruined because they don’t follow their comic book selves;” the MCU is perfectly allowed to reimagine the Skrull as they desire, and if they wish to make the Skrull sympathetic, then that is their prerogative. In this case, the issue is that they’re so intent on making the Skrull red herrings that the Skrulls pre-reveal and post-reveal are essentially entirely different beings. Before the reveal, Skrulls are making an proactive effort to discover what they need, capturing a Kree agent and luring Carol in with deception to read her mind and learn where to go, and when they get to Earth, they immediately install themselves so that they can best discover what they need to know - which isn’t necessarily bad, because that can still be played as sympathetic but willing to do whatever is necessary to get what they need to survive. But post-reveal, the Skrull we knew as antagonists are almost entirely different beings - Talos and his “Science Guy” are almost comic relief after the truth is revealed, albeit with a few moments of competence (for a prime example of their newfound incompetence, it’s revealed the Skrull couldn’t find Wendy Lawson’s lab because their “science guy” didn’t realize the coordinates they were trying to figure out were directing them to space). Talos in particular goes from “Leader of the Skrull remnant doing whatever is necessary to save his species and his family” to “Leader of the Skrulls who wants to save his people but never wanted to hurt anyone while doing it.” Sure, Marvel subverted our expectations, but when your red herring is essentially two different characters before and after the reveal, it’s no wonder audiences ended up surprised.

Nick Fury backstory is now a joke: Now, this in and of itself isn’t an issue - there’s no rule stating Samuel L. Jackson NEEDS to be badass in every movie, or we can’t have a “Younger Nick Fury who is comedic due to being new to it all.” Like I noted above, Nick Fury is generally competent - as are most characters in this film, even the Skrull post-reveal - and does well enough in his role in the film. But there’s an elephant in the room: how Nick Fury lost his eye. Namely, he lost his eye to Goose the Cat/Flerken after the cat decided is was being messed with and scratched his eye. Yes, you read that right. Nick Fury’s lost eye was due to him essentially getting scratched by an alien in cat form he pissed off. And no, it wasn’t “rampaging alien form that hit him with a massive claw,” no, it’s “small house cat claw to the eye.” Now, if it isn’t clear why exactly it’s bad, let me explain it in a bit better detail. This isn’t just an issue of “We wanted to subvert audience expectations, so Nick Fury lost his eye in a funny way because no one saw it coming” - though it still is that, too. Rather, the issue here is that what happened here is now canon, and is retroactively canon for the whole of the MCU up to that point. Nick Fury justifying why he hid secrets to Captain Freakin’ America as because “Last time I trusted someone, I lost an eye.” - that’s the story he tells everyone because he’s too embarrassed to admit the truth. That big reveal at the end of the Winter Soldier, where he reveals he had a backup retinal scan of his scarred eye because he was just that prepared in case someone tried to lock him out of the S.H.I.E.L.D. systems by removing the retinal scan of his good eye? Thank goodness he had that eye scarred by a cat, otherwise, there’s no way that plan would’ve had a chance of working later on. Him calling Coulson, his most loyal supporter, “His good eye?” Thank goodness a cat clawed out his eye so he could make it clear how much Coulson meant to him with that distinction. That’s the big gamble you take when you retroactively introduce a character’s backstory in a prequel - everything that happened there is now canon to everything since. And now Nick Fury’s backstory in the MCU will forever be “He lost it to an annoyed cat,” because Captain Marvel decided that it was better to make a joke of it.

And now, for a minor gripe: This is a bit of a lesser example, but y’all recall what S.H.I.E.L.D. stands for? Don’t recall off the top of your head? You could rewatch Iron Man, because it tells you in recurring joke form - Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. Someone really should shorten that, right? Something the characters note anytime the full name is brought up. And at the end of the movie, Coulson tells Pepper - who is going to recite it by name - that it’s S.H.I.E.L.D. for short now. If only Coulson was around back in the 1990s, where Nick Fury makes reference to how he’s “Nick Fury, S.H.I.E.L.D.” and namedrops S.H.I.E.L.D. a few times. *ahem* Yeah, it’s a minor continuity error in the grand scheme of things, but it was something I figured should be mentioned because that was something that I noticed and wanted to bring up.

Final Verdict

Captain Marvel is a... competently-made movie. And I’m really sorry to say it, but that’s the most I can say about it. It’s well-made, well-acted, tells a simple enough story to understand that isn’t bogged down by continuity, and it has good messages in it’s narrative. But it loses so much of itself due to having an inconsistent tone throughout, and it’s plot goes from decent to bog-standard around the time it decides to “Subvert audience expectations” and give us some of the most boring villains this side of the Phase 3 MCU films.

Would I recommend others to watch it? Somewhat. It’s not exactly incredibly essential viewing for the MCU and I don’t think it’s really all that good, but it’s not a terrible movie, I can understand why one would like it despite all it’s flaws (people can learn to overlook nearly everything), and it does add to the MCU enough that it is worth seeing if you want to see all the Marvel films. But if you want a good female superhero film with a feminist message, you’re better off watching Wonder Woman.

And now, to address the elephant in the room pretty much every male who didn’t enjoy the film needs to deal with:”You didn’t like Captain Marvel because the main character was a woman and it had a pro-women message and you must hate feminism.” It’s a comment that tends to get directed at males who don’t enjoy films with female protagonists, regardless of quality of the film (see: Ghostbusters) or reasons for disliking the film (albeit not without reason, to some degree - after all, those biased against something would be much harder on it than something they aren’t even if their flaws are much the same). Not helping matters were that trolls DID review-bomb its Rotten Tomatoes score before it even had a full day under it’s belt - which the movie didn’t deserve, it should be judged on it’s own merits, not targeted by insecure men angry about there being a Marvel movie starring a female hero.

And I don’t expect to convince anyone who isn’t willing to believe me otherwise. I can point to all the video games (Metroid, Portal, Resident Evil, etc) I love that star female protagonists, or that I considered the Wonder Woman film to be excellent, and it won’t convince anyone. If you think I’m sexist garbage because I’m a male who didn’t like the film, my reasonings above or thoughts below won’t probably won’t convince you.

Here’s my views on this, however: Marvel had taken much too long to give us a movie primarily starring a female hero. Marvel has many great female heroes, Captain Marvel included, and any one of them would have been as worthy of a film as a male counterpart. The MCU dropped the ball repeatedly when it came to giving their female heroes films - Black Widow would’ve been great for a film but never got made and the omnipresence of Scarlet Johansson has made many people not care; Scarlet Witch got primarily confined to Avengers-focused films; The Wasp is very enjoyable but still has to share screentime and billing with Ant-Man; Gamora was probably the best and still those films still spent more time with Star-Lord, not to mention she was killed of in Infinity War without certainty of her return, leaving that “Third Guardians movie focused on her” up in the air.

We finally have a Marvel film that’s starring a female, and it’s primary message is about how feminism is important - and it’s good we’ve finally got one, but it took us until Phase 3 to finally get it and the film was marred by so many other issues I would struggle to call it good even with its positive qualities. And that’s not the quality it deserved - not as a Marvel film, as a Captain Marvel film, or as a feminist film. And anyone who would say “Who cares if it was not all that good, we’ve finally gotten a feminist superhero film from Marvel”? You’re settling, and you shouldn’t. What we deserved isn’t what we got, and by defending it, you’re essentially saying that Marvel can get away with low-quality movies so long as they can say “Sure, but fans were asking for this and we gave them what they wanted.”

You want a film with a female superhero protagonist that has a feminist message that is, above all else, good? You should watch Wonder Woman. And I know how there’s all the issues with the DCEU as a whole, or the rivalry between Marvel and DC fans and the former who wanted this movie to be good so they could be proud Marvel made a feminist hero film that was better than DC’s. And kudos to you who support brand loyalty. But DC did what Marvel didn’t for the longest time, and for all of the DCEU’s issues, Wonder Woman had very few issues on its own, and the issues that were present were very minor compared to everything it had going for it. Wonder Woman was what Captain Marvel wanted to be, and what it ultimately failed to be.

#marvel #captain marvel #captain marvel (film)#marvel cinematic universe #captain marvel (2019)#negative #Fair warning to y'all #This is a post I'm really unsure about posting #I'm certain that there'll be those out for my blood #but all the same #I do feel strongly about this movie #My hype for Marvel movies has diminished recently but I did want to see this because it was billed as an important movie #And the friends I saw it with and I spent hours afterwards discussing this #So I wanted to speak my part in this regard

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seenashwrite · 6 years ago

Note

Dearest Nash, I've touched on this before in (I believe) in a discussion re: why some mainstream fics get oodles of notes while more original ones do not, *but* I wanted to get a bit more specific here. There are certain writers here whose writing has a definite vibe to it (if you will) that separates their work from others, and your name is one of the first that comes to mind. Bear with me, because trying to detail what makes your writing stand out is difficult while trying to articulate a Q

^ this is a gif with parts 2 - 4, just FYI

Hmmm… this is a bit of a brain buster. But I can answer it, and I think succinctly, maybe with a touch of that Spidey sense you mention:

Thank you for your inquiry, hope that helps!

I kid. But this is a brain-turner. And a characteristic which, like you say, ain’t limited to me. I’d honestly throw comedians under this umbrella, too, not because I’m necessarily gunning for a laugh every time, but because it’s pretty much their job to take a “basic” (a tenet or fact of life or present reality or whatever) and present the observation with a twist. I think of storyteller comedians specifically, your Patton Oswalt-s, Maria Bamford-s, Kathy Griffin-s, and John Mulaney-s.

So if I can sum up, assuming I’m tracking with you, what you’re more or less driving at with the “how” is this –> Is there anything beyond simply personality, or an auto-pilot thought cascade (for lack of better terminology) that contributes? Are there things someone could do/be proactive about, to perhaps cause this same sort of reaction to happen in their brain?

I think there just might be.

Folks reading this, let me ask you a question, and you cannot look it up:

What was the name of the Sherpa guide who led Sir Edmund Hillary up Mount Everest?

His name was Tenzing Norgay.

Nash, what in the name of the frozen corpse of George Mallory does this have to do with Lion’s question?

I shall tell you.

My father told me that fact when I was quite young, so young I legit couldn’t even ballpark my age for you. The context was that having little facts tucked away in your brain may come in handy. Not in a Jeopardy kind of way, more in a conversational way. I’ve no idea why the man thought the Sherpa guide who led Hillary up Mt. Everest would ever come up during a conversation with enough regularity to justify my knowing that fact (aside from him randomly quizzing me throughout my life) but hey, I guess it just did.

But speaking of Lil’ Nash, the situation for her was that she was the eldest of all the Nash litter by miles… like seven or eight years, I’m not bothering to check. So I had a lot of alone time, and my grandmother was my chief babysitter, so prior to kindergarten and then til I was in about second grade (so: all day long during the week, then every weekday after she picked me up from school), I was pretty much always at her house. Yeah, there were toys, but not a lot to do. And I’d read. I’d been reading on my own for a decent while, not because I was some prodigy but because my dad read to me *constantly* when Lil’ Nash was Itty-Bitty Nash, and it “took”. My mom also, every time she went to the grocery store always - and I mean always - brought back a book for me. It might’ve been an Archie comic—-

Mandatory #fuck the CW’s Riverdale tag

—-or a Babysitter’s Club, or Sweet Valley High, Judy Blume, Madeleine L’Engle, Zilpha Keatley Snyder, you get my point. Some small paperback. It would piss Dad off because he’s a cheap bastard and two buck books once or twice a month were really gonna cut into the savings [eyeroll] but also, in a way, because I’d kill it in a half day/a day. Wouldn’t put it down. After awhile, I started writing my own silly little kid stories, then - and this is where the creative writing love came about - I started writing soap operas for my Barbies. (When I was older - like, 5th grade? 6th grade, maybe? - none of my peers were still playing with Barbies, and I got made fun of when, at a sleepover, they saw my stash. And I was like - No, no, no. Those aren’t for playing. That’s my cast.)

Time went on, and when I was bored at post-church lunch/dinners, I would also read the old encyclopedias at my grandmother’s, the ones from the late ‘60s/early ‘70s that she had for my mom and my aunt. As I got even older and became fascinated with rooting through the boxes in gran’s basement, looking at all the cool old clothes, I stumbled upon my aunt’s collection of Whoa-Hooooo Shit There’s No Way My Grandparents Knew You Read These books. Those kinda Harlequin-esque ones, except my aunt’s tastes run close to mine, none were the same shtick with different covers, shmultzy-sappy romance, there was always some sort of intrigue along with the sexy times, and she also had, like, every legit V. C. Andrews (meaning: not the ones from the ghostwriter, this was way before her death) book.

What is my point? I read a LOT. Now-a-days, other than fanfic (which… straight up: I don’t read a lot of that, either. I peace out on probs 80% of it before the third-to-fifth paragraph. It’s gotta sell me fast, yo) I haven’t read fiction in probably, oh…. 12 years? I think the last ones were the first couple Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. Wait, no! I lie! I read the 50 Shades books when I was traveling 2x/wk for a job about 4 years ago, and I needed the laughs. It worked. Oh my days, that woman can’t write. The screenplay might’ve been worse, it goes her, then Buckleming, then everyone else. It’s bad. In any event, past decade or so, it’s more historical stuff and true crime and science stuff and all that old fart jazz.

Okay, so that’s #1: Read. And not just anything, be well-read, and that doesn’t mean developing some level of expertise, by “well” I’m saying to cover the spread. You’re building your tool kit, is all. You won’t use most of it, but it’s nice to have options. You also don’t always have to get this stuff from reading now-a-days, because podcasts. Cover the spread there, too. Lemme look at my bookmarks….

[Spongebob narrator voice: A few moments later]

I’m back. Science - Skeptic’s Guide to the Universe; General current stuff without being news - CGP Grey’s Hello Internet; current events with shittons of pop culture, past and present - Greg Proops’ Smartest Man in the World; fun history stuff - The Dollop; entertainment stuff - How Did This Get Made.

#2: Keep a notebook with you and jot down turns-of-phrase that spark something in your brain - things you read on websites, on twitter, in articles, things you hear people say (real life, TV, movies, podcasts), and write it. Don’t snap a pic with your phone or make a note in your phone. There are studies behind this, I’m not hunting them down, you’ll just have to trust me, but there are, and it goes to being reflexive, a brain “muscle memory” thing, if you will. You’re not doing it to plagiarize, you’re doing it to dissect it, kind’ve like you did with the example you gave on me —> went from punch action to punch spiked with booze to a punch with a spiked gauntlet.

Which leads to #3: Mental dictionary. I have a large vocab repository, and it stems from the tons of reading - I stop and look up stuff if I either don’t know it, or it’s used in such a way that I think they’ve got it wrong and want to double-check that maybe there’s another usage I don’t know - and also stems from a drive to combat the (still fairly thick) deep South drawl I can’t kick, and not for lack of trying. But see, I couldn’t have whipped out that progression if I weren’t aware that one definition of “spike” is “to add alcohol to”, or of the common shtick in stories of spiked punch like at high school proms typically, or knew about the existence of spiked gauntlets / old school armor.

And I guarantee you that a good chunk of people didn’t really “get it”, and just thought “Nash Be Nashin’, that nutty gal”. So they “get it” on that level, but don’t Get. It., if you see what I’m saying. And that’s fine. Maybe it got something cranking in the back of their mind and it’ll hit ‘em in the middle of the night, or they’ll be watching Game of Thrones or something, see a gauntlet and be like “Oh goddamnit, I just got a throw-a-way one-liner from three years ago” and have a chuckle.

Related, re: looking stuff up and things that people “get”? I didn’t know fuck-all about Twilight, but it seemed of import to the folks around 5 years younger than me, the Nashlings wouldn’t shut up about it, so I got a good working knowledge of it. Same with Harry Potter, and through it I got to “know” J.K. Rowling, who I find to be an exceptional writer, so that was great, and I’ve watched the movies for the most part over the years at Christmastime, and I don’t give the first shit about what “house” I’m in, nor do I care about what Patronus I’d fart, but I have a working knowledge of what those are, and horcruxes and who Snape and Voldie are, you get my point. I can keep up. But to do it, I had to take the time to look it up. One thing I would not trade for gold is Michael Sheen chewing the goddamn scenery in that battle segment from the last Twilight movie. Have I watched the movie? No. But that scene is the shit. And that baby CGI is horrific on several subtle levels. And not-so-subtle. I’ve digressed.

Back to those notes: So if you’ve got these notes jotted, you might see something else and think “I feel like that could’ve been snappier…. why do I think that….” And you’ve got a resource at your disposal, that little notebook. Hell, jot that thing down - things you think could be done better. I have in many documents a highlight around chunks of scenes for my big dog story where it says in bold above or below “DO BETTER”. Meaning: there’s a better way to get from A to B, but I’m just not quite there yet. I’m pretty quick on the uptake and can crank out something snappy on the fly (like say, in CASPN chat or when banging out a short reply or thank you note) but there’s definitely times I gotta slap a DO BETTER on it and walk away til that snappy something-or-other light bulb goes off.

Here’s a recent one where I backtracked, matter of fact - that noir spoof thing I wrote? Along with my co-writer, Moscato? There was a line that I couldn’t hit with a good zinger, so I just said moments were going by like a fat hamster on a wheel, which is cute, but not really grooving with the setting/the vibe. Less tipsy, when I was correcting some inelegant formatting and a misspelling [sigh], I went “Oh! Why didn’t this occur to me last night? Right. Wine.” So the line is now about moments dragging like a rolling donut with a copper on its tail. Get it? The cop’s a fat ass. The donut-cop stereotype.

…….Fine, it ain’t my best, but it fits better. Moving on.

And this leads nicely into #4, and a specific tip I can impart - assuming you’ve got a passable-to-high level of vocabulary in your tool belt, practice messing around with making nouns into verbs, and twisting random stuff into descriptors and using bizarre words/things in metaphors/analogies. Like, I say “adulting” quite a bit. Ali - @littlegreenplasticsoldier - I thiiiink was writing recently about Sam being drunk, and he’s a tall wobbly Jenga tower on his last Jenga. Going back to the noir, pulpy detective style, try messing with the whole “S/he was like a ___ that ____”. Add on to stuff that’s well known - He was like a dog with a bone, if the bone was a ____ and he was a ____ and we were in a ____. (I have *nothing* in mind to fill those blanks, by the way, feel free to twist it into sumpin’)

What else…. okay, here’s a #5: In drafts, let yourself wander, and see what kicks out. It can be fueled by silliness or anger, but I don’t reckon you’re gonna get the “snappy” you’re aiming for if you’re down in the dumps and going full-court-press angst. The best stuff, IMO, comes from the space in between goofy and pissed, and that is The Land Of Snark. You can always re-style it to bend more dry or wistful should you need to, certainly, depending on the situation.

Have a sample of a primo Nash Digression that was fueled by ire in a recap from Season 12 (episode 19). I had said - RE: the random inclusion of the character Joshua, which still pisses me off because they burned a character that held massive potential for future stuff as he’d been shown to be the only angel with direct access to Chuck, so, y’know, that could never come in handy, like ever again in the series, right? - the following.

Mandatory pre-emptive #fuck Dabb

[Spongebob narrator voice] A few moments later —>

On god, I have no idea where that came from, and here’s where we go back to ol’ Spidey up there, because end of the day?

All that other stuff’s the foundation, sure, but there’s always gonna be the weird iggy, the thing that can’t be learned or taught, whatever the quirky synapse is that fires off in my/our brains. In my experience, it’s an ADD-ish sort of jam mixed with the Nostradamus effect. Meaning, (A) we’re at Level 10, rapid fire thought processing >50% of the time, and (B) throw out enough stuff for long enough, some of it’s going to stick. And I whiff it plenty. Multiple times in CASPN chat I’ve been like “Whoo, tough room” when something falls flat.

A specific example: @mrswhozeewhatsis - and I think you saw this, but anyone else seeing this may not have - gave probably the most fantastic analogy I’ve seen regarding the whole “getting it” thing, and while it was on the topic of meaty plots that get too far into the weeds (my specialty) and how it can lessen appeal to a broader audience, it still applies here.

She said “Sometimes, when I’m reading something of yours, I feel like there’s a joke I’m missing. It’s like watching Spaceballs without having seen Star Wars.” I say that to say - nobody’s gonna land references that cover the spread 100% of the time. And, y’know, fine. I figure maybe it’ll prompt someone to do a quick google for - well, let’s use Spaceballs. Most folks will no doubt get the Star Wars part, but maybe not Spaceballs. Maybe they’ll check it out, find something they enjoy. Or learn a new word. Or get a brainstorm for a story. Who knows?

Last tip: Don’t actively mimic anyone’s style. Much fail. And I don’t only mean because if they’re on a social Venn diagram with you, would likely recognize themselves in your stuff——

Takes a moment to wave to the peeps still trying with me! #bless your hearts

—–but because it’s fucking hard. I did it broadly on the noir thing, that’s not a hard thing, to homage generalities, but the way I’m messing with doing this on that silly Princess Bride series? Purposefully styling it like Goldman? It’s good challenging and all, and it is making it feel more in the groove with the book/movie, but I have to be in the right frame of mind or it’s like fingernails on a chalkboard, and when I have pushed it, then gone back, it’s sloggy, soggy garbage.

I say all that to say: it’s an amalgam of brain-wiring/personality, and world/life perspective(s), and knowledge acquired over time. The first just is; the second will evolve in myriad ways, maybe for the better, maybe for the worse; the last is the one where you/we have control, we can fill bucket after bucket of information, and the well won’t ever run dry.

Sorry this took so long. I kept adding and subtracting. This is the edited version, if you can believe it. Welcome to Nash Brain. 😉

#Dear Nash #becominglionhearted #Writing Advice #and / or #Writing Stuff #maybe #Writing Tips #unsure #we'll go with all of it #ah I know #Writing Style #that's the ticket #Queueby Dooby Doo #Dad's on a blog post and #he hasn't been queued in a few days

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miyoron · 7 years ago

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Miyo’s Anime of Various Notes 2017 Edition

This year was a good year for anime. I liked a lot of shows this year and I thought I would write up another one of these! Again, they're in no order really!

Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Dragon Maid

Dragon Maid as a series has definite problems. There's some kind of gross fan service and some really unhealthy feeling fetish stuff, especially from what I've heard and seen from manga snippets. However, despite all that, Kyoani was able to polish this show up into a nice little story about a dragon and her love for the woman who saved her life..and drank with her a lot out in the boonies one night. It's a really nice story though of a lonely person slowly getting a new lease on life with new friends who happen to be dragons. There's lots of good little character moments and it's nice that all of the characters grow as time go on really, even when one just plays MMOs all day and writes curse doujinshi. Also I can't listen to the opening theme without getting butterflies in my stomach from cute lovey doveyness.

Girls' Last Tour Girls' Last Tour takes place in the shell of a world that is on its last legs. There are crumbling buildings, technology long since in use and even the occasional grave site. Really, the world itself is kind of bleak, but the story of Chito and Yuuri is not an overtly sad one. It's the story of how as long as you have each other, you've got all you need in life. Seriously though, there are some good heart warming moments in here. The girl's have weirdly cute wide Hidamari Sketch style heads against the bleak background but it works really well. It has some really nice music too: the rain drops song in patricular is super duper chill and is just a joy to listen to.

Recovery of an MMO Junkie It's nice to see an anime about people my age, that might be why this one interested me at first. On top of that though, it's a show where one can find a lot of familiar stories, especially if you've touched an MMO at any point in time. First and foremost though, Recovery of an MMO Junkie is a story about relationships though and how helpful they can be. These don't pertain to just romantic ones of course. Friends are super helpful when you're having a bad time, and as the show goes on, you can see just how much the friends Moriko is making along the way mean to her. It's a cute little story with some very cute moments and character designs. Morimori-chan is one of my favorite characters this year and I support her in every way. Sakurai is also a very good boy of course.

Love Live Sunshine Season 2 Last year I had season 1 on my list and the trend continued this year. The girls in Aqours just seem so much more realistic in their struggles than Muse ever did in the original show. They don't always get what they want; life does not just throw out miracles like Chika wants it to. But they don't let it stop them, and the girls keep going because, to quote the opening "we got dream." Seriously though, I am consistently pleased with this show and it helps that my favorite girl got her own episode early on. Also the studio has FINALLY figured out how to make the CGI look good compared to the previous series' attempts. Good music, good girls, good show. It still has 2 more eps but I'm confident with placing it here in my shows of the year of note.

Little Witch Academia Little Witch Academia has been bouncing around through various OVAs for the past couple years, so it was nice to finally get to see this show...be an actual show. It has a few ups and downs, which mainly are wishing a few characters got more screen time, and one specifically LESS screen time, but it's a very nice show. It's got a fun doofy protagonist who is doing her best even though she is terrible at magic. It has a haughty rival, even though only Akko sees her as on the same level, a cute nerd pal who reads anime Twilight and a mushroom obsessed creepo who got vored by a slime monster. I really do not know what else you need me to say. It's by Trigger so it's beautiful to watch? It has a Moomin reference? You can see the dumb guy from Pawn Stars but anime? It's a really good show. Real good.

Restaurant to Another World This show is a guilty pleasure honestly. It's fun to see the weird fantasy creatures ordering, mostly Japanese, cuisine in an interplanetary restaurant, yes. The main draw though is seeing the wonderfully animated and drawn food though. Every week watching this just made me hungry and it was hard not to drool a lot of the time. The characters are all really fun, even if they're essentially all interspersed between episodes. Almost all of them get their own little spotlight episodes in conjunction with their favorite particular dish. Most of all, I'll never forget Restaurant to Another World for giving me so many furry vore retweets from a random image I got from an episode. It's a fun show you can watch in the background and just admire the tastiness. Just, you know, maybe eat dinner first.

Interviews with Monster Girls Interviews with Monster Girls is not Monster Musume, that's the thing I can stress the most about this. It's about a world where there are just...monster girls! Join our way-too-into-them sensei as he...tries to honestly just learn about the differences between the folklore surrounding various monsters and how it ties into how they actually live in society. Also root on for a succubus as she tries to just let her mature woman side fly. It's very rough being a succubus in a super packed society did you know? Seriously though, it's a nice little show that oddly has more continuity than you'd think since it's not just an episodic 4koma style show. It's also got a dumb vampire with a shirt that has a cape design on the back, it's great.

Kira Kira Precure a la Mode This was the first Precure I've watched as it was on-going so it's been a fun ride. It has a bunch of magical girls who are also animals but ALSO are desserts. It also has some of most fun looking CGI I've seen in anime before, but that seems to be what Precures are good at so it's not that surprising for series veteran watchers I'm sure. Either way, it's a good story about friends and fairies and sweets. It's made me want to bake dumb anime cookies for an upcoming con and fill them with kira*kiraru. It has a really fun ending theme too...well both of them really. I'll look forward to see what the Precures are up to next in the coming series, but I'll never forget these girls.

Umaruchan R I liked the original Umaru season well enough, but the second season has really been going all in on the fun. On top of that, a lot of the characters have gotten more screen time and more character development even. We learn more about Sylphin, Kirie and Ebina, and Umaru and Taihei's sibling relationship is shown to be a lot nicer too. It's not like before where she was always just a terrible brat trash girl, now she's just that SOME of the time. You can tell they really love each other though, and not in a gross way that other anime like to do with siblings. Also it's shown just how being friends has helped the other girls, and even Umaru herself really. It's a good show and I'm glad that it managed to get better on its second at bat.

Big Gold Star Show

Kemono Friends Kemono Friends is...well It's not really a good show. It has a hilariously low budget and even worse CGI. It's a lot like a picture drawn by your 5 year old where it's not fine tuned yet but it makes you feel kind of good anyway. It has some really cute character designs of this bunch of doofy animals that are just living their lives. Whether it's going to battle every day against their long time rival, wandering ruins looking for coins or just singing to their hearts content, there is something about the Friends that just makes you root for them. It's not a show you need to watch, but you might just like it if you do. Sugoooooi~

Old Anime of the Year

These are shows that I watched that didn't necessarily come out this year but that's when I watched them. It's pretty simple!

Osomatsu-san Sheeeh! I watched this one on the recommendation of a buddy. A remake of a series from the 1960's about sextuplet brothers modernized into terrible dirtbag NEETs. This show is full of weird, often gross, things, but there's something about its manic humor that just speaks to me. The brothers are terrible terrible terrrrrible boys but you can find good points about them too. I've been watching season 2 as well this season so this will probably carry over into next year as an old anime of the year. Sooo...let's just say Osomatsu-san is an Old Anime of the Year 2016-2018. Ok? Cool!

Yuri on Ice I had this on last year's list of shows to look into and I'm very glad I continued it. It tells a really good story about gaining confidence and learning to feel good about yourself. Yuuri's journey along the way is wonderful. Because of that, this is another series I'm looking forward to the second season of to see where it goes. My only complaint was that it was a little repetitive but that's probably how sports anime go huh? I liked watching the routines and listening to the songs. It also has a great cast of side characters like Chris with the great butt, the weird vampire guy and Phichit, your best friend. There's also J.J. who is full of himself, sure, but there's just something fun about him still. Here's to more ice boys!

Konosuba Konosuba is a series full of lovable dummies. Like...execeptionally dumb. Like..super..SUPER dumb. But that's really what's so fun about them. I had some Ah! My Goddess vibes with the series' set up except Aqua is a much much much more flawed goddess than Belldandy ever was. Seriously though, this series takes the isekai/reborn in another world from our world genre and takes it in a direction that's actually fun instead of retreading the same old stories. It's got explosion mages, it's got really awkward paladins and it has a very put on dullahan who just wants to have his evil schemes go the way he planned. I need to watch season 2 still, and if it's more of the same, I'm in for sure.

Heart Catch Precure This show was actually my first Precure several years ago, but my buddy and I didn't finish it before. Since we had been watching the new show, we decided to double up and watch both of them at the same time. Heart Catch is honestly a delight and has some of the things I like most in a magical girl show. It has fun heroes, it has really doofy villains and it has a whole lot of heart. It's episodic sure, but it has a really great art style that just makes it even more endearing to me. Also, episodic magical girls with dumb monsters is why I loved the original Sailor Moon anime. I also enjoy that the Precures just punch and dropkick things as their first course of action. You just can't step to a magical girl that's gonna just pop you in the jaw.

Ugh show?

Gabriel Drop Out I don't know whether to call this show an UGH show or just an ultimately lame one. I know it definitely is a 1 or 1.5 character show though. The best character is sweet dumb demon Satania who the show seems completely content to just dump on whenever it has the chance. I do not appreciate that anime. I don't at all. Please do not bully this sweet evil girl because she does not deserve it. This show was not as heinous as last year's Kuma Miko, but one of the characters is for sure a bad bad ugh one.

Anime to Check Out

I have a few shows I've had on my list to look at, mostly on my Crunchy Roll queue that I haven't gotten on due to a crazy good Fall season/laziness. Here they are!

Alice to Zoroku I watched the first episode of this back in the summer and I didn't take the time to finish it up. I plan to fix that in the coming year since I like the premise and I really liked the old man especially. I look forward to learning more about them in the future!

The Ancient Magus' Bride This one I've mostly seen interesting looking pics of so I'm curious. I like cool skeleton wizard looking things and anime. This seems reasonable enough to me.

One Punch Man This is still happening right? Yea, definitely gonna watch that.

#MiyosDumbAnimeList #DragonMaid #GirlsLastTour #NetJuu #LoveLiveSunshine #LittleWitchAcademia #RestauranttoAnotherWorld #InterviewswithMonsterGirls #KiraKiraPrecureAlaMode #UmaruchanR #KemonoFriends #Konosuba #YuriOnIce #Osomatsusan #HeartCatchPrecure

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hisruin · 7 years ago

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#IT #ITMovie #ITMovie2017 #Pennywise #PennywiseTheClown #PennywiseTheDancingClown

*SPOILERS*

This is one of my 3 favorite Stephen King books. One I've read more than once. So I'm getting really annoyed by people who keep saying they loved the book and thought the new movie was perfect.

I happened to really enjoy the movie. I really like when different movies are made from a book because no two people ever really read the same book. So I like to see what other people 'read' I guess.

There was just two things they really missed the mark for me and I can't understand why other people who say they loved the book are willing to overlook:

1) Where was the rain? Yes, there was rain in the scenes with Georgie but not much anywhere else. It rained so much in the book it was like another character. There was epic and historical flooding going on at the time of the killing. I got super excited when I saw the sawhorses that said DPW only to never see them again in the movie.

(Funny thing to note, the theater we saw it/IT in obviously had water damage because it had that old wet towel smell. I got really excited at first and thought "Smell O Vision"!)

2) But honestly, I knew right after the sawhorses that this movie missed the mark with Pennywise. If you read the book you'd know that when IT is in Pennywise form (And ITs not really in the Pennywise disguise as often as in the miniseries and movie.) he (she) isn't really that scary. Pennywise is ITs 'Resting Bitch Face'. The form IT takes to kinda be 'welcoming'. Kids wanna approach Pennywise. Like an Anglerfish, using the Pennywise disguise as its lure. You wanna go float with him. When IT is scary, IT takes on the image of the person's greatest fear. That's supposed to be what's frightening. This happy welcoming character that can suddenly know your greatest fears.

I explained it to Cash like this: "IT's kinda like Monsters Inc cause it gets its power from scaring kids. So IT acts like a Boggart from Harry Potter and turns into what scares you most"

Basically, if you are a "big fan" of the book and say the movie was perfect, I really wonder what book you were reading.

Aside from those two (kinda HUGE in my opinion) issues:

• Pennywise's costume was AWESOME! I thought it would have definitely been far more time period correct too. Like that is what the original "Pennywise The Dancing Clown" wore that IT started imitating. Tim Curry's costume always gave me a "Pogo The Clown" kinda vibe. Never really thought it was the right 'fit'. This one was perfect for the historical accuracy geek that I am.

And this Pennywise was very good at being very scary. Without a doubt. My issue is with the fact he wasn't good at NOT being scary.

I was also disappointed after reading how Skarsgård trained with a contortionist just for this part, that it still ended up with so much CGI.

Also read comparisons of Skarsgård to Ledger's Joker... Uh, no. Just no. The Joker is an ever evolving character that has been written by many people over the years. Definitely subject to interpretation. Pennywise is a King character who is written by King. Less room for interpretation.

I'm gonna say the way Pennywise was written in the Miniseries was a better blending of friendly/scary.

• The Losers Club was sooooooo amazing!!!

• Bev. Was. Perfection.

And not just for the book either (LOVED that she smoked and was kinda a 'bad kid' like in the book. Thought she was made lame in the miniseries.) but for the time period too. Being a nine year old tomboy in 1989, the bike shorts under her dress was like icing on the cake for me! All her rings and bracelets too!

Just. Perfect.

• Loved that Eddie was more filled out in this version. He was Bill's best friend and I love that he got to have more personality in this.

(But I feel a little cheated that I didn't get to see Seth Green have those lines as Beep Beep Richie though. Still argue that Seth Green could have played young Richie again! Dude doesn't seem to age and can't be much taller now.)

• Loved the posters in the rooms. Especially the New Kids being on the BACK of the door. My mom didn't let me decorate my own room till I was around thirteen, so if I wanted to hang up posters, I had to do it in the closet or on the back of my bedroom door. So that felt so authentic to me.

• My only real disappointment with The Losers Club was how Mike became an 'add on’ character. Yes, he was last to join the group but he had a much bigger part than this movie showed.

• And did anyone else hope they would get to use fireworks during the Apocalyptic Rockfight this time?

• Love that they kept 'Sliver' the same!!

• Bowers was sooo perfect!! Loved that they included more of his storyline! (I was hoping for more of Hockstetter's too and thought Pennywise coming out of the refrigerator was a nod to that.) And I was cool with his father's story being changed up. (Even though they easily could have made him a 'shellshock' Nam vet.)

• Wasn't bothered that the 'weapon' was changed again. I think in the book, Bill brought a gun the first time at the Neibolt house and they used the slingshot in the final battles in the miniseries. So I didn't mind the change in this movie since the real "fighting" in the book was all done by telepathy anyways.

• Really like the take on "They All Float Down Here". Thought that was really good and more direct than "dead bodies float and once you're dead your body will float too" insinuation from the book. I wonder if that's why they left out the rain? Since the kids bodies wouldn't need to be found 'floating up' to the surface? (Still, the rain and flooding was a huge part of both final battles.)

• Liked that it hinted to them never really seeing each other as much again after that summer.

• That is just what I thought the outside of the Neibolt house would look like! That's what the yard Bill and Richie ran across looked like in my mind when I read the book!

• Hope the Ritual of Chüd is in the next movie. (Like in a flashback) It would be an awesome way to kinda tie all of the movies made from King books together.

• While I loved the 80s/90s references, I think I Stranger Things really spoiled me when it came to the level of detail I look for. No joke, I was checking out stuff on the store shelves to see 80s packaging and products and was disappointed I didn't see anything jump out.

I think Stranger Things will still go down as the perfect example of how to be inspired by Stephen King without being damaging to the original stories and characters.

And I still would have loved seeing a Duffer Brothers IT. Legend is they wanted to do a IT movie but was turned down and ending up doing Stranger Things instead.

Definitely like the movie. Think you can like both the book and the movie. Just don't think the movie was 'perfect'.

#IT #IT Movie #IT Movie 2017 #SPOILERS #Stranger Things #The Losers Club #Losers Club #Pennywise #Pennywise The Clown #Pennywise The Dancing Clown #Stephen King #Duffer Brothers

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zachsgamejournal · 3 years ago

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PLAYING: Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee

What hopes I had for this franchise. From my recollection, it never quite achieved the epic status it deserved. But replaying it now, I still love it as much as the first day I tried it.

This game has great vibes--even before the main menu is loaded. Mysterious and magical audio tones hauntingly accompany in-universe visuals that identify the makers and producers of this glorious game. Then we’re shown the towering paramite temple as the camera pulls us into the entrance, turning the screen black. Then the title: Oddworld: Abe’s Oddysee is revealed by magical purple sparks. It’s so 90s.

I used to watch this well-produced opening just for fun.

Then we see Abe as he speaks his iconic “Hello”. I mean, lots of people say hello, but not like Abe. Here the player can experiment with the “speak” function. It’s a great mechanic, though maybe the developers were overly proud of it. Basically You can tell friends to follow you and wait. You can also whistle and fart.

So the game starts and we’re shown a massive industrial complex. I used to love mechanical stuff. I don’t know why, i just loved the aesthetic of rusted machinery churning out smoke and pollution. I was whole heartily against pollution, but this is a video game. We enjoy many things we should not in video games.

Abe introduces us to the scenario, he and his people are slaves at this large meat processing plant called Rupture Farms. Because of over-hunting, they’ve depleted some of their meat resources, while also losing profits. The board wants to know what CEO is gonna do to fix it. He’s gonna start grinding up Abe and his fellow Mudokons into meaty treats.

As a teenager, the conflict was obvious: exploited workers were going to literally be ground up for profits of a few rich, greedy folks. I didn’t realize then how true to the world of capitalism (especially American capitalism) this was. I thought it was just a game. But now I see it as a strong metaphor. Exaggerated, but all the sentiment is pretty accurate. Workers are only valued for their profitability. And profits today are more important to sustainability tomorrow.

After the great opening, the game starts. My plan is just to play through fairly casually: hopefully getting the 50 Mudokons for the good ending. I don’t have the patience to aim for all 99. The game tricks you early on, often suggesting you pull levels that immediately result in a mudokon’s death. It was funny, but irritating. Luckily, unlike Jedi Fallen Order, the game reloads quickly and not too far from your failure/death.

I absolutely love how the full-motion-video cinematics seamlessly blend into the 2D gameplay. While the game is played on a 2D plane, the various cutscenes that move us around the environment create a sense of 3D space. Also, this is from the late 90s when CGI film was still fresh and mostly undeveloped. Even a 10 second shot barrels being stamped with a product label was exciting.

Luckily, the cinematics aren’t all for show. The game is telling a story and setting a mood.

I’ve replayed the opening several times. All my favorite things where there: Possessing a slig and forcing him to run through electric bolts and exploding as his evaporating remains step on a mine is one my favorites. It’s gross, and cruel, but so are sligs. They...well, they kind of deserve it.

I love that in this oppressive, industrial manufacturing plant, it’s birds that create portals for escaping mudokons. The battle of nature vs machine is very present. We never know why Abe is able to form portals with his chanting, or take over sligs. We never know why he didn’t attempt this before. Oh well.

One of my favorite things is to sneak between shadows right behind a slig. It’s ridiculously cartoonish--but presented under the context that if you’re caught by the slig, you’ll be riddled with a hundred holes from his machine gun. So the comical nature breaks the tension.

I love how the hints in the game, within the factory, are presented via message boards in the background. There’s also hints and messages presented on billboards. It keeps everything in-universe, but also helpful. It doesn’t break the suspension of belief for me at all.

One sign warns that if you leave the area, all 15 mudokons on this level will die. This is confirmed one a “scoreboard” of sorts once you leave, showing how many mudokons remain imprisoned, how many have been rescued, and sadly...how many have died. While I’m not going for secrets, I make sure to rescue every mudokon I find in the main level, and restart if one dies.

After escaping the inner plan, we’re treated to a comical video of Abe falling into a barrel, and then getting his head hit against a pipe--which causes him to fall inside the barrel, hiding him from the sligs stationed around the corner. Very slapstick, but not excessively goofy. It plays up the idea that Abe is an unassuming hero. He never thought of himself as great, nor did he have lofty dreams of being a savior. But fate has moved him into position to change the world.

Now, we get to the factory exterior. This is when we first see scrabs, but they’re in silhouette, so we don’t get a good look. This part is aesthetically interesting, As Abe moves away from the factory, the sky changes from a sickly green, to a haunting blue. Metal platforms, guard towers, and industrial equipment give way to a rocky, barren waste with some abandoned wooden structures sprinkled through out. Sounds of machines are replaced by chirping bats. Tips are not presented via magical fireflies instead of digital marquees.

We’re in transition to nature, but the transition is not sudden. It’s a fade. But the presence of sligs, mines, and lethal security devices have not faded with industrial scenery.

I just keep going on-and-on and I’m barely an hour into the game. It’s just great, and genius, and perfect!

While the aesthetics, tones, themes are perfect--this is a game and we need to discuss gameplay:

Movement can be very exact. It’s not as fluid and free form as something like Crash Bandicoot or Donkey Kong Country. But that’s good, because there’s a lot of challenging traps that require precise timing. Unfortunately, this makes the jumping while running weird. You basically have to press jump right before you actually want to jump. The game, after receiving the jump input, waits until Abe is in the next “space” before performing the jump. It took a few minutes to get used to it agin.

Talking to mudokons is simple, but fun. It’s unfortunate that you can’t have more than one mudoken follow you. It leads to a lot of back tracking, and repeated actions. But it’s not been too annoying yet. Farting to make the mudokons laugh is also enjoyable.

Speaking of talking, it’s fun to taunt the sligs. As Abe, if you say “Hi” they express disgust. But as a fellow slig, the reply in kind. Also as a slig you can say “Look out” and they’ll often respond with help. Screaming “look out” also causes Mudokons in the area to duck, giving you clean shots at enemy sligs.

While the game features platforming and shooting, I really see it as a puzzle game. There’s some room for less than precise solutions ,but for the most part every section and frame is designed for the player to overcome it a specific way. This isn’t too frustrating, as it doesn’t take much to resolve the solutions, and somehow it doesn’t feel like scenarios repeat themselves exactly. Because the screen doesn’t scroll, each frame you walk into feels like its own mini-objective. So you’re not over-burdened with solving the whole area at once. You take it bit-by-bit.

While the game slowly introduces new elements and challenges, often repeating the same scenarios with the slightest of variations, because the environment and storytelling are so interesting, you don’t worry about it as much. You just enjoy the ride. And as gory as the game can be, there’s a certain entertainment to even dying. I don’t get frustrated, so much as chuckle: “Well that didn’t work”.

I didn’t expect to write so much, but I’ve loved this game and I’m falling in love all over again. I’m also not going to check for typos--so good luck to any poor soul that bothers reading this (and future me).

#Zach's Game Journal #PLAYING #Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee #PlayStation #PS1 #DuckStation #Emulators #Video Games #Oddworld Inhabitants #Meat Processing

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