#i probably called him jupe on the first time i was like got his name but then just fucking. forgot? so he's juni to me now dw

[the-acid-pear]

Btw if you're a fan of the movie and you saw any of my criticism OR NOT I deeply encourage you to tell me why you love this movie and maybe counterpoint my takes. I'm so into getting a new perspective thru the eyes of a lover.

That said the fact that around 8 people saw me asking if I'd watch this movie and Fargo and everyone voted Fargo (of that group, like 2 went for nope) gives me such hope about the fans in the crowd. True lulyheads knew I was gonna hate it before I knew that. Wild.

[atrixfromice]

Yes! That's his name!!!

Oooh my lord! Excuse moi to bother, probably no one cares about this...but I'm sooo, so incredibly excited and happy right now I can't sleep! XD

I was looking if someone had given me a message or like/fav on one of my artwors and I realized, someone was so nice and said my artwork always gives warm to people's hearts, and called my character by his name!!!

I'm so so really excited! :3 It's the first time I read someone calling him "Jupes" since the first time I made Laura calling him like that. And I think it's the first time I receive positive comments about him since the first time I've Intro him even!

"Jupes" is how Laura calls Jupiter as an affectionate name, and only her and Rita who is also close to him call him like that and nobody else. So you can imagine it's soo special! It means someone payed attention to what I wrote even if I didn't do it very often.

And maybe I'm too emotional now cos this doesn't happen very often...but oooh good God! This got me right to the heart! It feels so freakin' awesome and warm inside the heart to know folks love Jupiter!!! Words cannot state enough how good it feels in the heart!

[bnha-headcanons-and-shit]

Funny Little World [Hawks x Reader]

Suddenly I'm famous, And people know my name. I've got a thousand girls just waiting, And therefore it's a shame That my heart has been captured By your funny little smile. And finally I'm happy, If only for a while. It's not easy being the numper 2 hero. Many people are always after you, many reporters are just a step away from you and there are many, many girls just wanting for you. Hawks, surprisingly, wasn't really into that. He only had one girl he cared about and that was (y/n). Beautiful, always smiling and overall, nice girl he accidenty met one day. She made him happy, and that's all he cared about. People call me stupid, For treating you like a queen. But I don't even worry, 'cause you're my unforeseen And I hope that you'll be with me, If only in my dreams. But here you are next to me, And you're glad, or so it seems. People and other heros judged him for that a bit. So many beautiful girls around him, so many amazing pros with who he'd be a perfect match, yet he choose a normal, simple girl that most people didn't know who she was. Hawks would always get annyed that they thought that he needed a well known girl to be his girlfriend. It didn't make sence to him at all. That's why he loved (y/n) so much. She was honest, nice and didn't need fame to be loved, liek many other people he met. "You know, I woudn't change you for anything (y/n)", he said while you were cooking dinner one night. "Of course I know Hawks. You prefer someone who's honest and doesn't care about your fame rather then famous people who'd try to use you one day". "Exactly. YOu know me too well (y/n)", he gave her one of his warm smiles he knew she loved. And I don't know for sure Where this is going. Still I hope for more, and more. 'Cause who would know that you Would treat me like a boy, And I treat you like a girl, In this funny little world. "You know Hawks, it's nice to have a person like you around" He always loved hearing her say stuff like that. She didn't care that he was a hero. She didn't care that he was rich. She cared for him and him alone. His personality and small things he did for her. Nothing other then that. "Aww, I know that my dove", he said as he hugged his beloved girlfriend. It was true to him. He'd never give her away for anything in the world. To him, she was  his little angel. His dove. His everything. "It's hard to find someone like you (y/n). Especially in this kind of world." Don't promise me for ever, Just love me day by day. No one knows the future, We're young, but that's OK. 'Cause you'll always be a part of me, Whatever life will bring. And people have to bear with you, This silly song I sing. Hawks was always aware that there could always be something that could stop them from seeing eachother. Luckily, that still didn't happen, but his life was becoming more and more complex day after day. And let's not talk about being a double agent and trying to get the information from the Leauge of Villains. Anything could happen if Dabi starts to doubt him. Yet, he's still there and everything is fine. "You know that I don't liek what you're doing Hawks". "I know (y/n), but it'll be okay, I promise! Soon enough, it'll be all over, I know it!" He couldn't say if that was going to happen soon or not. He knew it would one day, things like this don't last forever. As long as their relationship lasts, it's okay. "You've been saying that about hhe situacion for quite a while, you know", she said, leaving what she was doing in the moment. "I don't blame you though. You can't control it in the end. I just hope it will be over soon". "Ohh, my dove... this is why I love you! You always understand me!" "I though it was because I'm honest and nice, but this is okay too", she giggled at his responce. Your boyfriends might be angry, My girlfriends might be blue. But no one can deny it, From now on I love you. I have to say it's new to me, This feeling in my heart. Guess I've been kind of lonely, And you've been kind of smart. It wasn't a lie that (y/n) had a few boyfriends before. And they didn't really like that she was with a hero now, especially because some oh them who were in the same high school with her are villains now. Not like she cared that much. She wasn't afraid of them. Not because she was with the number 2 hero, but because she became stronger. Hawks still remembered  when he first met her. It was in a bar one night, as he decided to relax on his day off.She was with a few friends, who were probably daring her to go and talk to guys. As she looked a little scared to do it, Hawks figured that the girl was shy. To stop her from getting involved with people she shouldn't, he just randomly juped in front of her and started stalkign to her. SHe was indeed surprised and mostly frozen for the most part. The talk lasted for god knows how long, until one of her friends decided to jump in, pretty obviously giving him the sign that she's interested in him and that she wanted to push away ger friend so that she could get wgat she wanted. As he realized that, he excused himself and said that he should go. Along with it, he offered to bring the shy gilr home. Surprisingly enough, he asked for her number before leaving her, and that turned into this. And I don't know for sure Where this is going. Still I hope for more, and more. 'Cause who would know that you Would treat me like a boy, And I treat you like a girl, In this funny little world. "I'm really glad that you talekd to me in the bar that night. Who knows where I would be now if it wasn't for you", (y/n) said as she lied down next to him on the couch. THey were about to watch a movie as she started talking about how they met again, for god knows what time. He didn't mind it though. He loved hearing her speak. "Believe me, I'm glad too. I wouldn't have such a beautiful girlfriend if I didn't, did I?" "You always make that joke!" "It's not a joke! H-hey! No tickling!" She was at it again. The tickle fight was soemthing she adored doing with him, even if he would suffer more then her. He would put up wit hit, and maybe get revenge when they go to bed. "Okay, okay! You win, now let's watch that movie!" Both of them now propperly lied down, with Hawks behind (y/n), hugging her tightly. And I don't know for sure Where this is going. Still I hope for more, and more. 'Cause who would know that you Would treat me like a boy, And I treat you like a girl, In this funny little world. "This is a funny little world, isn't it?" He said, hugging her even more. The girl smiled, as she grabbed his hand and tightly squeezed his hand. "Yes. It really is." This funny little world.

[grungepoetica]

okay so i've given my brain a full day to process what i saw. first thoughts (w/some spoilers but i'll try to limit them as much as possible):

thematically, this movie is FANTASTIC. it's a very nuanced look at the idea of spectacles and how we as a species and as an audience think we can control spectacles & entertainment, to the point where we can often push things past the breaking point

the Bible quote in the beginning sets this up immediately; it's all about taking gross things and making them entertainment

the Gordy incident is a giant metaphor for how media & entertainment tries to control things that it really can't, and Jupe's commodification of his own trauma from it takes that tragedy and turns it into entertainment after the fact

also, all three types of non-human animals in the film (horses, Gordy, and the Viewers/Jean Jacket) are connected to the idea of being unable to look at themselves or be watched - Jupe says that Gordy went off when someone mentioned the jungle, Lucky freaked out when someone on set held up a mirror, and the Viewers/Jean Jacket snapped because too many people had their eyes on it

Emerald and OJ were born into a behind-the-scenes Hollywood industry, but Emerald wants to be famous and in front of the camera & neglects the horse ranch because of it

the name of the black jockey in the old film getting lost to time (except by his descendants) because the spectacle of film was the thing that got remembered

the whole plot of, you know, EMERALD & OJ LITERALLY TRYING TO TAKE A PICTURE OF THE VIEWERS even as it's trying to kill them

also, Jordan Peele said that he wanted this movie to be a summer blockbuster, which I think is a nod to the idea of spectacles and people being entertained en masse, because Jordan is like that

I also know that a lot of people were disappointed by Nope because it wasn't what they expected. Put another way, it wasn't the spectacle they created in their own heads. And if you ask me, that reinforces everything the movie was trying to say. (not to mention that the movie is literally called Nope, almost as if it's saying "nope; whatever you're thinking, this ain't it."

Plot-wise, I think Nope was more disjointed than both Get Out and Us - with those two, I had a much clearer idea of what the movie wanted me to take away from it as I left the theater - but it's still really good. I noticed the parallels to Jaws right away, which is a nice thematic nod to the original summer blockbuster, a movie that invented an entire genre of Hollywood spectacles

The disjointedness of the plot made it a bit harder to understand everything I was seeing on screen. Respect to Peele for changing things up with a nonlinear framework though!

I enjoyed Nope's soundtrack too, but again, it pales in comparison to Get Out and Us, both of which have VERY distinctive and recognizable scores

I'm a bit skeptical of how effective the movie's message about spectacles really is, given that the movie has already been commodified a bunch. themed drinks at AMC and a Jupiter's Claim area at Universal Studios already? idk y'all it doesn't sit right with me

so yeah, that's what I can think of off the top of my head. really good film. probably a 7.5/10 compared to his first two films being in the 8-8.5/10 range? Peele had his work cut out for him trying to follow up on both Get Out AND Us, but I think he did fine here. if anything, commenting on spectacle while also making Nope an enjoyable spectacle is why it feels flatter than the first two, imo.

just saw Nope and I'm still trying to process it. definitely the most mind-bending Jordan Peele film so far

[the-domestication-of-the-dog]

The 10th Annual L.A.O.K. Awards

Wow. Ten years of the Layokies. What a trip. I would like to give my heartfelt thanks to all five of my faithful fans for your readership over the years. In my first ever Layokies post, I named it the “1st (Possibly) Annual L.A.O.K. Awards.” I had no idea how long I’d be working at the Academy, let alone living in LA, but here we are. I bragged about seeing 180 movies that year. I just checked my Letterboxd stats for this year and it turns out I watched...180 movies. However, this year I hit a new personal best for new releases: 125. While this is about half as many as some people I know, some of the first Layokies were based on a field of 60 or 70 movies, so I’ve doubled up on my old self. Funny thing is, I can still look on other year-end lists and find many films I haven’t seen, and even some I haven’t heard of, so the field of films I’ve added are probably in the middle to bottom range of the pack. But someone out there has to watch Tolkien, Gemini Man, The Goldfinch, and Where’d You Go, Bernadette?, so it might as well be me.

In all honesty, my absolute favorite thing about living in Los Angeles and working at the Academy is access to watching movies and being around the general cinephile community, and even a bad couple of hours in a movie theater beats a lot else. Over Christmas break I saw Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in Shawnee, OK’s own Cinema Center 8. 

It was quite a trip going back to this theater after so many years and to think of the love of film that was fostered there. Alas, the picture was pretty muddy, and I’m almost positive they showed it in 2k. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

Now, in penance for naming The King’s Speech Best Picture in my first year (lol), I give you five real good’uns for 2019:

Best Film The Farewell The King Little Women Parasite Uncut Gems

Sometimes I touch on a year being good or bad for film in general. Not sure about the whole, but I’ll call 2019 a real SEC year (aka stacked at the top and mediocre to poor the rest of the way down). While I would probably only give one title on this list must-see status (Parasite), these are all definite should-sees. The Farewell made me laugh and cry and cringe. One might even go so far as to say it “gave me all the feels.” The King gave me actual siege warfare and period-accurate haircuts. Little Women hit me with that structure, and at first I was all “hol up,” but then I was all “OK I see you.” Little Women also made me cry because I cry in movies now. (A quick aside, because while I absolutely loved Little Women, it’s not really going to come up again. If you liked the movie and haven’t read the book, please do yourself a favor and make it the next one on your list. You can’t know how great this movie is unless you know how good Beth is. Beth kind of got lost in this one, and you need to know Beth.) Parasite blew me away through its normality (who, having seen The Host, Snowpiercer, and Okja could have guessed that it wasn’t about some actual alien parasite??). And Uncut Gems was exactly as perfect as I expected it to be. And the Layokie goes to... The King

Faithful readers will know that one of my absolute favorite genres is ‘discreet conversation behind castle walls,’ and The King absolutely nailed it. It has everything: leadership position foisted on a worthy but flawed character who doesn’t want it, conversations in tents about battle tactics, love built on almost nothing but mutual respect, and most of all, Robert Pattinson doing a funny accent (it’s just a French accent, but he makes it quite funny). I would have already watched this again five times on Netflix, but I’m hoping and praying for an Oscar nomination that will never ever in a million years come in hopes that I can see it again in the theater during nominations screenings.

The Next Five Six 1917 Honey Boy The Laundromat The Lighthouse Marriage Story Portrait of a Lady on Fire

Best Actor Timothée Chalamet - The King Adam Driver - Marriage Story Paul Walter Hauser - Richard Jewell Joaquin Phoenix - Joker Adam Sandler - Uncut Gems

Another super stacked category this year. You might even say they’re *puts on sunglasses*...Stacked Actors. (<-- This is a really good joke for anyone whose favorite band from 7th-8th grade was The Foo Fighters.) These are all kind of obvious, so I’ll take a second to comment on Paul Walter Hauser and the fact that I gave out a very specific award last year titled “Refuse to Watch - Any More Clint Eastwood Movies” after trying and failing to watch The 15:17 to Paris on a plane (one of the worst pieces of filmmaking I’ve ever witnessed). Then this year Richard Jewell was getting such good buzz, and it seemed like such a good cast, and it was such a low-risk watch (on my second screen at work while doing spreadsheets), that I decided to shamefully renege on my earlier pronouncement and give it a shot. And...it was great pretty good! What is the deeal with Clint Eastwood?? He’s made some of my least favorite movies of the decade (Gran Torino, Invictus, Hereafter was a particularly awful stretch, Sully was pointless, and even parts of American Sniper, which was otherwise tolerable, were absolute cringefests). Anywho, I was very impressed by Paul Walter Hauser’s understated but perfect performance, in which he gets one good chance to blow up and yell at people--which you know I love. I hope he gets nominated, because it would be a great Oscar clip. (My ultimate dream job would be to pick the acting Oscars clips and I would be very very good at it.)

And the Layokie goes to... The Sandman (love that everyone is calling him the Sandman again)

I touched on Adam Sandler “A” in the Best Supporting Actor section of my 2018 Layokies post regarding his performance in The Meyerowitz Stories, lamenting that he hadn’t taken more dramatic roles after Punch-Drunk Love and hoping that good writer/directors would keep casting him. One more wish granted by the Safdie brothers. Adam Sandler’s talent is undeniable. He is truly one of the Great Actors of his generation. I really hope this is a respected-actor-making turn for him, but the upcoming roles on his IMDd--Hubie Halloween and Hotel Transylvania 4--don’t give much hope for the immediate future. 

Honorable Mentions Taron Egerton - Rocketman (but only for the phone booth scene) Shia LaBeouf - The Peanut Butter Falcon Noah Jupe - Honey Boy Robert Pattinson - The Lighthouse Jonathan Pryce - The Two Popes

Best Actress Ana de Armas - Knives Out Scarlett Johansson - Marriage Story Elisabeth Moss - Her Smell Florence Pugh - Midsommar Saoirse Ronan - Little Women

Found out last night from my resident celebrity expert Bridgette Smith that Florence Pugh is dating Zach Braff and it absolutely crushed me. 

And the Layokie goes to... Elisabeth Moss - Her Smell

Her Smell was the last 2019 film I watched before writing this post, and I was really just looking for something to pass the time. I had been wanting to see it for a long time and noticed it was on HBO, so I pressed play and planned to work on this post while I watched. I couldn’t. I was riveted. The writing, score, and sound design are incredible, but it’s all tied together by Elisabeth Moss’s performance. She’s excellent at being revolting but still has all of those qualities that made her Peggy. You can’t not like her, even though you fairly hate her. 

Honorable Mentions Awkwafina - The Farewell Cynthia Erivo - Harriet Lupita Nyong’o - Us (You know I love weird voices, you know I love actors doing weird voices and faces, but this was a bit much even for me. Reflective of Us on the whole, which I thought was interesting but really missed the mark.) Charlize Theron - Bombshell

Best Director Ari Aster - Midsommar Bong Joon Ho - Parasite David Michôd - The King Benny and Josh Safdie - Uncut Gems Céline Sciamma - Portrait of a Lady on Fire

And the Layokie goes to... Benny and Josh Safdie - Uncut Gems

Wired: New directors Tired: Old directors

Boy do I not understand the love for The Irishman and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. I’m not totally against boring movies if there’s a good reason for it (Midsommar was actually quite boring), but these were some of the least compelling films I watched all year. On the other hand, you have these young directors coming out of prestige horror, Ari Aster, Robert Eggers, and to a lesser extent David Robert Mitchell and Trey Edwards Shults, making some of the most dynamic films out there. Reminds me of Roger Ebert talking about early Scorsese in Life Itself (which I can’t find a clip of). Then you have Benny and Josh Safdie doing Scorsese better than Scorsese with literally breathtaking shots like the one below. How they construct such amazing edits out of such disparate takes as the one in the still above is a wonder. They’ll go from five extreme close-ups in a row to a jaw-dropping shot of the inside of a jewelry store zoomed in from across the street. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg on what makes them the best filmmakers working right now. 

Honorable Mentions Noah Baumbach - Marriage Story Robert Eggers - The Lighthouse Claire Denis - High Life Greta Gerwig - Little Women Alejandro Landes - Monos Sam Mendes - 1917 Alex Ross Perry - Her Smell Joe Talbot - The Last Black Man in San Francisco Lulu Wang - The Farewell

Best Supporting Actress Laura Dern - Marriage Story Lena Headey - Fighting with My Family Lee Jung Eun - Parasite (The housekeeper) Meryl Streep - The Laundromat Shuzhen Zhao - The Farewell (Nai Nai)

And the Layokie goes to... Laura Dern - Marriage Story

Here’s one for the Laura Dern stan accounts: There’s no question that Noah Baumbach is a talented director of actors, but Laura Dern makes so much out of seemingly not a lot in this role. She truly embodies a wholly unique and three-dimensional character that could have extremely easily been one-note.

Honorable Mentions Lily-Rose Depp - The King Florence Pugh - Little Women Margot Robbie - Bombshell

Best Supporting Actor Timothée Chalamet - Little Women Willem Dafoe - The Lighthouse Shia LaBeouf - Honey Boy Al Pacino - The Irishman Robert Pattinson - The King

And the Layokie goes to... Willem Dafoe - The Lighthouse

For being all: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xT7uR4wNMJs

Honorable Mentions Bill Hader - It Chapter Two Tim Heidecker - Us Sam Rockwell - Richard Jewell Song Kang Ho - Parasite (the dad) Lakeith Stanfield - Uncut Gems

Best Original Screenplay The Farewell - Lulu Wang Her Smell - Alex Ross Perry Marriage Story - Noah Baumbach Parasite - Bong Joon Ho Uncut Gems - Benny and Josh Safdie

And the Layokie goes to... Parasite - Bong Joon Ho

Another genre we don’t get nearly enough of: comedies of errors. A script like this is as sophisticated as any mystery, political thriller, or...some other sophisticated type of script, like uh, I don’t know, they usually just say Chinatown or Witness. I did think it lagged a bit in the third act, but everything that came before it was so tight. Twist after turn after twist, so funny, so shocking. This is such a rare prestige crowd-pleaser that it really does harken back to Hitchcock; if a wide audience can get over watching subtitles, this has to have one of the lowest barriers for entry of any foreign film in a long time. Here’s hoping for a Best Picture Oscar nomination and a wide release. Uncut Gems played at Shawnee’s other theater (titled simply Movies 6), so it’s not that far out of the realm of possibility. But I know people in LA, even that work at the Academy, who won’t watch subtitled films, so getting people to actually go see it is another question. 

Honorable Mentions Peterloo - Mike Leigh

Best Adapted Screenplay Jojo Rabbit - Taika Waititi Joker - Todd Philips & Scott Silver The King - David Michôd The Laundromat - Scott Z. Burns The Two Popes - Anthony McCarten

And the Layokie goes to... The King - Joel Edgerton and David Michôd

It wouldn’t be the Layokies without me championing one film that no one else cares about. I just really really liked The King. Timothée Chalamet is so hot right now! How did this get so overlooked?? 😭

Best Documentary Apollo 11 Honeyland It’s a Hard Truth Ain’t It Maiden Mike Wallace is Here

And the Layokie goes to... Maiden

As I’m in the process of producing a documentary right now, it pains me a bit that my top two picks in this category are almost entirely archival. I thought Mike Wallace is Here was so well done, and the director did some amazing things playing with aspect ratio. But Maiden came into port first. What is wrong with people who don’t appreciate sports? This xkcd comic (who I usually appreciate) makes me so angry. Tell the women who worked their asses off for years to claw their way into this male-dominated space and literally made the world a better place that their efforts were no more than a weighted random number generator on which to build narratives! Clearly the narratives are there, but it rarely has as much to do with the result of the competition as it does the effort that it took individual human beings to get there. See also: Undefeated (currently streaming on Netflix).

Honorable Mentions Fyre They Shall Not Grow Old Satan & Adam

Best Foreign Language Film Duh Parasite

Biggest Missed Opportunity Pokemon: Detective Pikachu (How the first live action Pokemon movie should have happened)

Not Even Close to Enough Monsters Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Most Unbelievable Cosplay Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers

Absolutely Crushing the Sensitive Dad Roles Billy Crudup in After the Wedding and Where’d You Go, Bernadette?

Good in Everything Too obvious, but Florence Pugh - Fighting with My Family, Midsommar, Little Women Robert Pattinson - High Life, The Lighthouse, The King Adam Driver - The Dead Don’t Die, Marriage Story, The Report, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

Destigmatizing Fatness Award Dolemite is My Name The Laundromat Skin Almost Hustlers but then not (Lizzo got what, 30 seconds of screentime??)

#WasteYourAudience’sTime2019 The Souvenir The Proposal

Didn’t Actually Deserve to be Driven into the Ground Dark Phoenix The Kitchen

Just Plain Liked It Triple Frontier

Most Forgettable Tie: Tolkien and High Life (not for me, but it took me a full 10 minutes to convince Becca that she watched this, and I had to describe the masturbation chamber aka fuck box in a lot of detail before she got it, and I’m still not totally convinced she remembers it)

The Something Award Motherless Brooklyn

The Nothing Award Judy

Worst Movies 1. Rambo: Last Blood 2. Between Two Ferns: The Movie 3. Abominable 4. The Lion King 5. Godzilla: King of the Monsters 6. Wine Country 7. Jumanji: The Next Level 8. Frozen II 9. The Goldfinch 10. Pet Semetary

Best Scenes

Avengers: Endgame - The hammer, the portals, all the nerdy/normie BS, what can I say call me a basic bitch but there were some genuine holy schmoly moments in this that made it a really fun movie to experience in the theater

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood - When Mr. Rogers uses the puppets on Lloyd

Captain Marvel - When she went full shit on ‘em

Climax - The opening dance sequence (the only thing that made this movie worth watching)

The Farewell - Too many to choose from, but I think my favorite moment in this movie was when they were taking photos of the fiances and another couple stumbled in on them, claiming they were lost. That couple leaves and we never see them again. These are the kinds of details that make movies come alive. Absolutely brilliant.

Gemini Man - The motorcycle chase (a rare scene actually made better by the high frame rate)

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum - The knife fight in the knife store

The King - The conversation between Hal and Catherine

Knock Down the House - When A.O.C. debated the incompetent proxy

The Last Black Man in San Francisco - Skateboarding into town

Little Women - The “break-up” scene between Jo and Laurie (not a spoiler)

Midsommar - The drug trip scene (not that I’ve ever done drugs but this was the most accurate drug trip scene of all time) and the Ättestupa ceremony. Also found out in the video linked above that Ari Aster pronounces it Mid-SO-mar?? I thought that was the dumb way to pronounce it but apparently I’m the dumb one. Also also, another amazing detail worth mentioning: I absolutely loved that every time they were in their community sleeping barn, there was a baby crying somewhere on the second floor that we never see. Such a perfect way to put the characters and the audience on edge and indicate that there’s something wrong here.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood - While I didn’t care for this movie, the scene where Brad Pitt went to the movie ranch and when he fantasized about going to the film set were absolutely dripping with tension, which made them as just as riveting as the rest of the movie wasn’t

Parasite - When the other family comes home early

The Peanut Butter Falcon - The scene after they come out of the corn field and share one of their first genuine moments

Uncut Gems - *Sarah Palin voice* All of ‘em, any of ‘em. But seriously the finale with the Celtics game

Us - The initial home invasion and the visit to the Tylers’ home (Tim Heidecker and Elisabeth Moss)

The A.V. Club also does a best scenes list at the end of the year, and I love writing mine first and then seeing what they came up with. I’m always surprised at how many we match on. Just goes to show that a good scene is universal. I also enjoyed some of theirs that I overlooked here, including from Her Smell, Bombshell, Ad Astra (I almost included the moon chase myself and thought the baboon scene was equally compelling), and Portrait of a Lady on Fire.

Stupidest Scenes Every other John Wick 3 scene

Deserves Discussion The Dead Don’t Die

This movie was a lot of fun. But then it also completely sucked? Not really a Jim Jarmusch fan in the first place, but this had so many awesome elements to it: a great cast, great soundtrack, really fun and unexpected ways of breaking the 4th wall, but then it was also pointless and boring. I would love for someone to tell me why this is a good movie after all, but judging by its complete absence from the end-of-the-year discussion (or any discussion), I’m guessing no one cares enough to mount that challenge.

Best Visuals Alita: Battle Angel Aquarella A Hidden Life Honeyland Midsommar Monos

Many LOLs It Chapter Two Jojo Rabbit Parasite

Best Song Ready or Not - The Hide and Seek Song (why was this not submitted?)

Best Soundtrack Waves - Never have I already known so many songs on a film’s soundtrack; it’s almost as if Trey Edwards Shults is another white guy around my age with the same interests as me...

Worst Accents Midway

Started But Never Finished Cats Cold Case Hammarskjold Genndy Tartakovsky’s ‘Primal’ - Tales of Savagery  The Highway Men High Flying Bird Queen and Slim Spies in Disguise

Didn’t See Ash is Purest White Atlantics The Beach Bum The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open (still really want to see this one) Clemency Diane Invisible Life Luce Shadow Synonyms Transit Woman at War

Absent on Purpose Pain & Glory Ford v Ferrari I think these are the only two contenders that I’ve seen and haven’t mentioned. I actually liked both of these movies quite a bit. Just didn’t stand out for me in any one category I suppose. But then also: Booksmart Brittany Runs a Marathon Just Mercy The Mustang

Hah!

[girlsgerms]

Picks of December 2019

Hello! Here are some of my music, movie, and other art picks of the final month of the decade! This year I’ve really been getting into 90s rock, permanent wave, slowcore, and punk rock. This month especially I’ve been interested in the music of the 70s and 90s acoustic songs. It’s been really cool seeing my taste in things progress to where they are now and I’m excited to see what else I find in the new year! Without further or do, here’s what I’ve been vibing with this month. :)

Music:

1. Gut Feeling/(Slap Your Mammy) - DEVO

After rewatching the movie 20th Century Women for the first time in many months, I had a resurgence of my love for the Talking Heads, Black Flag, and the Buzzcocks, and a newfound love for DEVO. My dad when I first got into the Talking Heads at the tender age of about 12 or 13 told me about this band called DEVO. He saw them live for the first time when he was about 17 or 18. Anyways, I’ve grown up with them in a sense but never really paid attention to the work they did. I’m glad I finally decided to give a listen to their debut album “Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are DEVO!” It’s led me down a rabbit hole of discovering new music and the culture of the 70s (which I’ve come to hold close to my heart). This song has become a sort of anthem for me. I’ve spent countless hours listening to it on loop and having dance parties with myself. The intro comes in subtly leaving you excited for what is to come. After an astounding 2 minutes of heavy drums, keys and a guitar riff that will remain in your head for days, the lyrics come in heavy “Something about the way you taste, makes me want to clear my throat” making it impossible to resist the urge to jump up and down shouting along with the band. Truly a great song would definitely recommend.

Other DEVO songs I recommend: Uncontrollable Urge and Jurisdiction of Love

2. St. Ides Heaven - Elliott Smith

There really isn’t much to say that hasn’t already been said about Elliott Smith. In my opinion, he is one of the greatest songwriters of all time. His haunting lyrics on this song, in particular, have stuck with me this month and this is yet another song I’ve had playing on repeat lately. It is simple in production and instrumentation but I think that’s what makes it beautiful.

Other Elliott Smith Songs I recommend: Whatever (Folk song in C), Miss Misery, Happiness/The Gondola Man, I Don’t Think I’m Ever Gonna Figure it Out, and Condor Ave

3. Halah - Mazzy Star

The music of Mazzy Star/ Hope Sandoval has really been there for me this year. There’s not much to say other than this song is beautiful beyond compare. It is the first track off of my favorite Mazzy Star project, She Hangs Brightly. I would definitely recommend this song and band to everyone.

Other Mazzy Star songs I recommend: Blue Flower, Fade Into You, and Rose Blood

4. Pop Queen - Noise Addict

This is an acoustic ballad by 90′s Australian indie rock band, Noise Addict. I haven’t done too much research on the band but from what I know, they were a group of thirteen-year-olds led by lead singer/songwriter Ben Lee. This song, in particular, Pop Queen, is a cute, very raw and very unproduced single with simple yet enticing and creative lyrics. It was the lyrics of their songs that really got me attached to the band. There are many references to other bands I enjoy like the pixies and pavement in their songs as well as what it feels like to be a teenager, something I can relate to as of this moment in time. (I’ve only listened to this ep, Young & Jaded, but I expect to like most of their other songs as well.)

Other Noise Addict songs I recommend: Wish I was Him

5. Beechwood Park - The Zombies

The Zombies are yet another band my dad loves. I remember him buying Zombies CDs when I was younger so back in September I decided to check them out. I fell instantly in love with their album, Begin Here. This month I decided to make playlists dedicated to my favorite songs from the decades 1960s-1990s. While searching through my library of saved songs I came across this beauty. I hadn’t listened to this song in probably about a year so I decided to listen to it again and it was probably one of the best decisions I’ve made this month. The zombies make these incredible psychedelic songs and I think Beechwood park is now my new favorite. I definitely recommend this song to everyone. (Especially when you’re driving late at night, this song feels extra special)

Other Zombies songs I recommend: She’s Not There, The Way I Feel Inside, and Going Out of My Head

6. Like Dylan in the Movies - Belle & Sebastian

https://youtu.be/3Sf4B8aercg

A friend of mine back in September introduced me to the band, Belle & Sebastian. This month, I was lucky enough to get two of their albums, The Boy With the Arab Strap and If You’re Feeling Sinister, on vinyl. I quickly fell back in love with Like Dylan in the Movies and it’s become a new favorite. 

Other Belle & Sebastian songs I recommend: She’s Losing it, Is it Wicked Not to Care, Get Me Away from Here, I’m Dying, and The Boy Done Wrong Again

7. Androgynous Mind - Sonic Youth

https://youtu.be/FvpbB8g0e64

Now, I’m not about to sit here and tell you that this song is any good. In fact, it’s really just Thurston Moore screaming “hey hey it’s okay” over and over again, but I’ve come to really enjoy listening to it. I truly believe Sonic Youth is a band for everybody. Their entire body of work is extremely diverse, experimental, and different. If you don’t like one song keep exploring their discography and you’ll probably find something you’ll enjoy eventually. For me personally, I love their albums EVOL, Daydream Nation, and Sister the most. Back to Androgynous Mind, however, this is a punchy punk tune that really gets you in the mood to bang your head. If you’re into noise rock/punk and just like music that makes you want to move, this song is for you. However, if you’re more into pop-y music, maybe skip this song.

Other Sonic Youth songs I recommend: Schizophrenia, Shadow of a Doubt, Teen Age Riot, The Diamond Sea - Radio Edit, and Incinerate

Movies & TV:

This month I was lucky enough to see quite a few movies that stuck with me.

1. Honey Boy (2019)

Let me tell you, I was really, really looking forward to this movie. Over the summer I watched every Shia LaBeouf movie I could get my hands on. He became one of my favorite actors and I loved learning more about his story. Noah Jupe portrayed a young version of Shia under the name “Otis.” He stole the show. His acting in this movie was absolutely incredible and I’m now a huge fan. Overall this movie was shot beautifully and extremely well written. A new favorite

Other Shia LaBeouf movies I recommend: American Honey and Holes 

2. 20th Century Women (2016)

I watched this movie for the first time around the time it was initially released. This is the movie that introduced me to the work of Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwing and Annette Benning. Three incredible women whose work I admire very much. The story is about a young boy named Jamie growing up in the year 1970s. We see him go through the struggles of growing up without a father, falling in love, and just, in general, being a teenager. It is a very powerful movie that I connected to instantly upon watching it for the first time. It was recently added to Netflix so I decided to watch it again and once more I’ve become obsessed. 10/10 would recommend.

3. Bojack Horseman (2014-present)

To be completely honest, I wasn’t expecting to like this show, let alone binge all 6 seasons in a span of 2 weeks. Another good friend of mine recommended it to me and I’m very glad I trusted her judgment. This show was unexpectedly deep and tackled subjects I didn’t think any tv show would ever cover. As someone who struggles with anxiety and depression, I found comfort in Bojack’s character and his struggles with mental health and life problems. This is show is very important and I’m very excited for the series finale to be released.

Alright! That’s it for this month, this year, and this decade! I’ll be sure to write up some more things in January. I think I’m planning on making two posts a month of what I’m listening to and watching. This was fun.