#i wonder if tilda did that too

[high-queen-of-the-court]

i know aaron minyard has flaws, but i relate to THREE things about him

some random ginger bitch was able to change my [older] sibling in like two weeks when i couldn’t in 10+ years

if i’m not perfect in school i will literally jump off a cliff

i hate people

thank you

[minyard-05]

ok now i know we talk about andrew finding out about tilda abusing aaron a lot but like. what about nicky

what about nicky hemmick coming home from germany, determined to do nothing but go back there as soon as possible, convinced there's nothing left for him in south carolina and then. and then. there's this kid. there's his cousin who he hasn't seen in years, who just moved out, and he comes round for dinner with them now and again, with or without his mom. and aaron flinches when doors slam too loudly and aaron doesn't talk much and nicky watches aaron do what he used to do– try and play a part, try and be better because surely, surely, after everything, if he's just better, then they'll take care of him, won't they? then they'll love him? and every time aaron goes home nicky wants to make up an excuse for him to have to stay the night but he seems to be more scared the longer he's away from his mother. and nicky sees aaron wearing long sleeves all year round, and he never talks like he's fully hearing what's being said, and nicky hears from his parents that aaron's in fights, aaron's in trouble with the cops again, aaron got suspended from school again, aaron's new bruises are from exy, obviously, he plays such a violent sport and just.

did nicky know, and was he angry that his parents seem to ignore it? or did he not realize what tilda had been doing, did he maybe not see the full extent of it until he moved in with the twins and andrew made aaron come off the drugs? how angry was nicky with himself, for not doing something more, with his parents,for never saying anything, sometimes even justifying it, with tilda, for turning this kid into broken pieces?

nicky spent so much time trying to hold the twins together but i wonder if he ever looked at aaron and thought he didn't make it to them in time.

[thesunshinecourts]

five curiosities for the next book, after reading the sunshine court

a non-exhaustive list, but five things i'm curious to (hopefully) find out more about in TSC2, or that i have questions about still:

what happened at the trojans' fall banquet (presumably jeremy's first year)? it's a Scandal, and jeremy cannot stand to be around bryson, and annalise has never forgiven him for sticking with exy after that, despite having attended all his games in high school. given the allusions to his stepfather, and also his step-grandfather being a congressman, i can see how jeremy's sexuality might be relevant to the situation—especially if we read into lucas' stiff apology and shame at his implication about jeremy and jean as being born from more than just common decency, but rather knowledge of this being a previous sticking point in terms of jeremy's scandals—but i also keep thinking about what cat said. jeremy has—three. two brothers, one sister. the way she says it, how it sticks out to jean as an odd switch, and the fact that we've only met two siblings – it makes me wonder what happened to the third. or if that's even the right question to ask, regarding jeremy's siblings.

elodie. i'm curious if we learn anything about what happened—by and large, i kinda hope not, if only because then jean has to too, unless it turns out stuart is lying, but that's a very different kind of fallout. (i don't actively theorise he is—at some point, these kids will run out of tolerance for ghost stories coming back to life—but i think its possibility ought to be considered, at least). i think we'll get more flashes of her from jean's thoughts, though, and i anticipate lots of heartbreak lmao

lucas. assuming stuart's contact comes through, and neil's hit goes ahead, we've got lucas in the aftermath of finding out his brother is a monster, and jean saying not to call the police, and then possibly his brother being dead. if it happens any other day—if it happens in west virginia, especially—i suspect lucas might be able to look at it like another domino in the ravens machine falling down, or even that something horrible happened to him when he returned home, but if it's still in LA, after what he did to jean, after jean said no cops-------i can see how that might twist into something more suspicious. who knows! i'm curious to see what happens there. grayson is a monster, but he is still lucas' brother. aaron and kevin still have complicated grief about tilda and riko, and they were their direct, constant abusers; cass never learned until after the fact, and lucas is in a complex space between the two parts of that spectrum. if grayson dies, i think the fallout will be unavoidable for exploration

this is a small one but man, i just want to keep seeing jean's list grow. it tears something out of me every time, and stitches me back together, and i want to go through that over and over, because i want to see a jean who not only hears that his life is his and worth living, but a jean who learns to believe it too

i'm just kinda assuming we see the foxes again, because i remember nora's character list having new details about characters who didn't show up in this one, but i'm also quietly hoping for more thea. their scene made me ache, and he'd never had good defenses against thea, and kevin knew that. jean would kill him for bringing her here made my heart do the !! double-tap. i'm extremely invested in jean, thea and kevin as a unit, and it would be so incredibly wonderful to see more

[welikeimagines-andfandoms]

Bard x Mermaid!Reader

Bard could sense there was something else in the water besides the fish he intended to catch. Peering over he tried to see if he could get a look. Going from one side of his boat to the other, yet the being still was not there.

You know you shouldn’t be this close to a fisherman’s boat but you couldn’t help it. The human world always interested you so and this human was particularly handsome. Besides you were a fast swimmer, he wouldn’t see you unless you wanted him to.

“I know you’re down there.” He called smoothly; maybe just a little peek couldn’t hurt.

As he looked out into the water he saw your head peek out. Slowly your whole face came into view and once your eyes met you just stared at each other for a while. There was no way around it, he definitely was handsome.

Quickly going under water to swim away he called for you to come back, but before he could finish his sentence you were right at his boat, peering up at him with beautiful sweet eyes. His eyes scanned yours in return and seemed to widen with wonder as your tail came into view.

“Hello.” He simply breathed out, a sense of astonishment and joy in his voice.

“Hello.” You replied in return with a giggle.

“I’d heard stories of human like beings who lived in the water, told tales of them to my daughters, but I never believed they were real.” He told you, now kneeling down to be face to face with you.

“I’d heard stories of handsome fisherman who were brave enough to speak with my people and kind enough not to catch them. I’d hope such tales were real and now I see they are.” You reply with a smile, pushing yourself up a little further as your hand rises to lay on his cheek.

To Bards surprise he closes his eyes and leans into your touch, his hand coming to lay upon yours. Seeing the handsome man in such a state of relaxed joy, you brave leaning up a little further and lay a sweet kiss on his lips.

As quickly as you and your kiss came, you were gone. Bards eyes fluttered open, but to his disappointment, you had vanished into a flurry of rippling water.

******

“Da, look! A mermaid! Like from your stories.” Called Tilda.

Whipping his head around, Bard tried to search for you in the water. Once again you were too fast for him, but he did manage to see the shine of your tail before you ventured further into the depths. Taking a deep breath, Bards sweet eyes turned to his young daughter.

“Tilda, they’re just stories, there are no mermaids.” He told the young girl, hating lying to her.

*****

Bard once again knowing you were near his boat, sat down and waited for you to appear.

“You miss me?” You smile up at him with mischief in your eye as he snaps his head up to look at you.

Instead of the awe and beauty that was in them before, there was hurt and a bit of anger.

“You should not have come so close to town, someone could have spotted you and you could have been hurt.” He tells you, worry laced in his voice as his eyes now fill with sadness.

Surprising himself, his hand lays lovingly on the side of your face.

Instead of apologising or feeling bad however, you continue to be cheeky and perhaps a little flirty.

“So you care for me then.” You smile at him as you kiss his palm that rests on your face.

Hearing your playful comment he can’t help but laugh and blush, taking your other cheek in his hand.

“Well it’s not every day a beautiful being of legend comes to my boat and kisses me.” He confesses, smiling down at you as he begins to lean in.

Feeling as though it was taking too long, you grab a hold of his shirt and pull him down into a hard and passionate kiss. One of Bards strong hands come down to your hip and gasps as he touches your scales. With his mouth open you slip your tongue in, turning the kiss into something less innocent.

His other hand now reaches into your hair as your tail begins to beat against the water with joy. Opening his eyes, Bard smiles at the excited sound your tail creates splashing against the water.

“If I promise to stay away from the town will you promise to kiss me like that again?” You ask breathlessly with a wide smile.

“You have my word.” Bard answers sweetly, closing his eyes and rubbing his nose against yours.

[maineshewrote]

I-just-started-s4e3-thoughts:

Excuse me but Sazz and Charles share a rare blood type?!

Galifragilistic (which is how I shall be calling him). I didn't like him the first time we met him and I am starting to dislike him even more now. Get over yourself and take your teacher's advice. Even Loretta-in-the-trailer said that actors are investigators.

Why is Oliver constantly getting stuck with overbearing Greek people? (read: I miss Teddy.)

Big wow to the killer for leaving the bullet shell behind. The easiest thing to clean up from your crime scene.

Yes, please, Detective Williams in cahoots with the trio is what was needed. Now, she's obviously somewhat ticked off that she's being shut off from investigating a murder on her turf, but also she totally likes the trio.

I'm so pleased to see Williams develop as a character, too. She goes from a very serious workaholic no-nonsense badass to fresh mama badass, who unashamedly loves the theatre enough to leave her interrogations and cheer for Charles (as seen in the Pickwick Triplets music video), to openly concerned helpful mama bear to her podcast triplets. This show is just brilliant, letting all its side characters shine and have their own stories.

Let's just let her do her little cop monologue, she's earned it.

No, it's suspicious because supposed-man-in-Portugal-and-not-in-Spain left a live piglet in his bathroom and tried to get into the apartment while Olimabel was in there.

So if Prof. Dudenoff—which is a hell of a suspicious name and probably means something significant—is supposedly in Portugal and the Oh Hell gang get their toilet ham from Portugal, do they just call the apartment next door Portugal and make ham there?

It's very possible that no one exactly hates Charles enough to kill him, maybe his death would just benefit them in some other way. Although they already did that with Bunny and why should the writers repeat themselves, so I remain unconvinced.

The set chairs on the roof were a nice touch.

Okay, but Williams is married with a kid. And the best thing about Galifragilistic is the Mary-Poppins-inspired nickname that Oliver gave him. I did like her calling him a baklava, but that's it. Calm down, detective.

Even if Levy is just being tactically polite to Charles, which is yet to be proven, it still makes him the kindest and most likable of the Hollywood trio. It's about time someone was nice to Charles without turning every compliment into a joke at his expense.

They're gonna go with Levy's plan, right?

Mabel: "Mabel works alone." Also Mabel: *always works with her guys*

I couldn't be more disinterested in Galifragilistic and his rude indifference towards his job and Oliver. I mean, Oliver is so fun and extravagant, anyone would be lucky to play him and should enjoy every second they could spend getting to know him.

I think it's so sweet that Oliver hung up his Death Rattle Dazzle poster in the spot where he used to have his Splash poster. I wonder which show he considers his biggest flop now: Splash or the original Death Rattle (it's obviously not Death Rattle Dazzle which was a hit and no one can convince me otherwise).

I agree with Oliver about the sweater. Where did Howard get that sad sweater? His last one slayed.

Looks like Howard is winning at spontaneous pet adopting this season. Oliver has dropped behind with his Mrs. Gambolini—who I still insist is around although there was no mention of her throughout season 3.

Gloria Swinom? If I may, I would just like to add Tilda Swineton to the pun-name list.

At least Howard is on my side. That little unimpressed sassy chuckle was fabulous.

This guy needs a lot of work. I will not hear one word against Lansbury.

Coming to theatres near you: The Misguided Adventures of Criminally Obscure Doctor Salazar Savage.

I take it back, the Olifragilistic bonding can be quite sweet, too. The 90s Hallmark movie vibes are strong in this one.

Wohoo! Uma's back and kicking!

Okay, so what's up with the theme song from Perfect Strangers?

The roller-coaster that this scene took me on, I tell you. Howard is precious, a little misguided but fiercely loyal, I love it. But it has been a while since I've been so pissed at someone on the screen as I was just now at Galifragilistic. Sure, yeah, his last degrading speech and the little slap was basic Oliver behaviour with an added touch of oblivious viciousness, so he has learned a little something during his day with Oliver after all, but that cruelty was totally uncalled for and I can't believe he just touched Oliver like that. Hands off my pocket-sized baby Willy Wonka!

The funniest part of this episode: Charles and Vince's hug, peak comedy that.

So that picture with the Oh Hell gang and a markered-off-faced pig lady—nice clue, probably an interesting lead, also probably not the killer, but that's all I'm saying about that. Just wanted to say that while I know we're 100% not doing that again, those dungarees and what look like plaits and the connection to pigs are giving Loretta-but-back-in-Mamma-Mia!.

Oh my God. It was less than five seconds between me thinking, "Hmm, I could see Mabel living in a place like this and starting to build it into her own space, after all of this is over and done with. Maybe exactly this place. She could see her guys from her window every day," and Mabel googling squatters' rights.

What is happening, Charles, is some Olimabel bonding time between Mabel-who-is-not-into-this-musical-shit and Oliver who deserves to have his dad moments with Mabel, too.

I'm impressed by how quickly they recognized the number as a frequency. They really are on fire this season. There was a time when they based half of their case on whether the word was "Savage" or "sandwich".

Hey, didn't I say Sazz had been snooping around on her ham radio? So she spoke to the pig lady with the accent.

[greybackpack]

I’m still thinking about Tilda and her relations to my version of Elisabet. Like, you don’t get a lot about how Lis felt other than disappointment and anger about Tilda’s possible involvement in stealing a copy of GAIA. I mean she said she didn’t… but she’s also a spy. And like that voice explaining Zero Dawn in the old Zenith base of operations sounded like a modulated version of Tilda’s voice- the way it pauses and drawls out the vowels is the same, I think. Just deeper? Modulated, perhaps?

Like there’s no way Lis actually believed she didn’t. She knows better than anyone what how cunning Tilda is and how intelligent and savvy she is with manipulating people. It makes her a great spy, but perhaps not a great person. And she’s had time to cook.

Like, how did they break up? Why? Was it amicable?

Tilda spent a thousand years regretting it and regretting that she left Lis behind… but what did Lis feel? Does she still hold some affection for Tilda? When she realizes Tilda’s fucked up (BETA, I’M STILL PISSED ABOUT HOW BADLY THE ZENITHS FUCKED BETA UP) and the extent of the damage, what would happen?

Did she also regret it? Did she think that Tilda helped with the betrayal? Anyways, here’s a possible snippet for the far (heh) future of the fic:

Elisabet stood there, facing her past in a way she hadn’t thought possible. Hadn’t thought will ever be possible again.

She had thought this chapter- this relationship- of her life was closed. When Aloy had recounted her experience in the facility, Elisabet hadn’t truly thought about the implications outside the mind numbing fact that she has another clone-daughter. But then she had met Beta, and it was okay, better than okay, that she had another daughter.

And then there’s this. This- her- there she is, floating in the air and looking as stunned as Lis herself feels. Tilda van de Meer.

“Elisabet?”

God, even the sound of her voice back bittersweet memories. All of those coffee dates and the art galleries and science expos… and the moment Tilda broke her heart. Elisabet swallows, remembering the way Tilda had looked her in the eyes and told her that it couldn’t work out- that it won’t ever work- because of the nature of Tilda’s job. The lie in her eyes and that tremor in her steady hands, Elisabet saw them.

“How is this possible?” Tilda whispers, white clad and shimmery arms armored with the Far Zenith shields reaching out to Elisabet. She stops halfway, as if she’s afraid that Elisabet will disappear the moment Tilda touches her.

“Cryo.” Elisabet says, still staring at Tilda. For the Old One, if she can even claim that title anymore, it has only been two, three years, since they broke things off. Lis hadn’t had time to grieve that relationship properly, having avoided the grief by throwing herself into work and fending off Ted’s lawsuits. Then, the Faro Plague happened… and she barely had time to grieve what she thought was Tilda’s death when it was reported that the ship had blown up on the way to Sirius.

Why are all of her exes so damn beautiful?

The Voice croons in restrained amusement, presence warming Elisabet’s back as the Old One straightens and draws herself up for a long over due conversation.

“That’s- That’s wonderful. I-” Tilda hesitantly, reverently, took Lis’ hands in hers. Elisabet let her, knowing she shouldn’t but all the same wanting the familiar touch. “Elisabet, I spent- I spent the last thousand years regretting how we ended. I regretted leaving you here to die with the rest of them and how we left things back then. But now… now, I get to have a second chance.”

Elisabet wants- she-

Elisabet rips her hands out of Tilda’s grasp.

“I don’t want to hear it. I- I thought you died.”

“The… the transmission.” Tilda’s voice gains a modicum of hope. “That wasn’t my idea, but they had thought it necessary. I thought you died, too. You should have come with us, then, then you wouldn’t have had to be frozen for a millennia.”

“That’s rich, coming from you. What was it, Tilda? The thing that you said when we broke things off? Oh, right, that “the nature of my work will make this difficult.” Well, the nature of my work made it difficult.” Her tone is bitter, twisted in hurt and heartbreak. It makes Tilda flinch.

A part of Elisabet, that unkind part she finds in herself in her darkest moments, purrs in satisfaction.

“Lis, you know that I hadn’t meant it like that-”

“No?” Elisabet shoots back, mouth pulling down. Aloy inches away from the two, the rest of the group watching the exchange like a riveting match of machine strike. Sylens rolls his eyes and wanders off into the lab. Elisabet sees all of this, but it doesn’t matter to her. All she saw was the woman that had broken her heart over and over again. “Even if it wasn’t what you meant, you still chose to leave, Tilda. To preserve yourself, if nothing else. You were scared, of how serious we were getting.”

Tilda laces her unfairly elegant fingers together, voice quiet as she agrees. “Yes… I suppose I was.”

“Didn’t you think, for one second, that I was afraid too?”

“… No. I hadn’t thought of that.”

“You betrayed me. You tried to steal GAIA. You lied to me about it. I saw the recording of the reception at the Far Zenith headquarters. I know what your voice sounds like, even if it was modulated.”

The words spill out, faster and more hurt than Aloy had ever heard.

“Lis-” Tilda floats closer, but Elisabet takes a step back. “I- won’t do it this time. I know… I know I disappointed you. I know I broke your heart.”

The Zenith swallows as Elisabet’s heavy gaze landed once more on her face, hurt and disappointment hitting Tilda like a hammer on cold metal. Elisabet’s quiet voice slides in between her ribs, stabbing at Tilda’s slow beating heart and splintering it.

“You chose yourself. Above the world… above me.”

“Please, Elisabet, allow me another chance.”

Elisabet laughs a short, mirthless exhale.

“Even now, you still haven’t even thought to apologize.”

“I’m sorry.” Tilda immediately says. “What can I do? What can I do to apologize? To make it up to you? Anything, Lis. Name it, and it’s yours.”

Elisabet grits her teeth, Tilda’s words reminding her unpleasantly of Ted. But if her relationship with Tilda had taught her anything, it’s that she can use this. Elisabet hates herself for thinking it, but her worry for Beta overrides any moral obligations she might have had.

“Get my daughter back,” she says. “And I’ll think about it.”

“Okay. Alright. Just- I will.”

Elisabet stares at Tilda, at the determined, desperate set of her old flame’s shoulders.

Because she’s not hurt enough, because Lis had hurt more, Elisabet couldn’t help but throw her words into Tilda’s face.

“If the Odyssey actually blew up, I think you would have been worth the tears I shed.”

With that, Elisabet hardens her heart once more and turns away. She doesn’t see the devastation that crosses Tilda’s face, nor does she see the way it crumples from the normally impassive face Tilda sports.

—-

Aloy leans against the table, watching Elisabet absently sifting through data.

“You alright?”

Even though Aloy gentled her voice, Elisabet still startles like a rabbit.

“Ah. Sorry you had to see that, kiddo.” Her mother sends a rueful smile her way. Aloy shrugs, all but silently shaking Elisabet and asking if she’s okay with her eyes alone.

“I’m okay.” Elisabet smiles again, a little more genuine this time. “I’m just worried.”

“About Beta and GAIA?” Aloy asks, nodding. “Don’t worry, I’ll get them back.”

“And about you too, silly.” Elisabet rounds the table and pulls Aloy into a hug.

“Make sure you come back,” she orders her daughter, chin resting on Aloy’s armored shoulders. Not the best for hugs, but Elisabet could give less of a fuck right now. “I want both of you to come back safe and sound, understand?”

“Yeah.” Aloy hugs her back. Elisabet squeezes her daughter tighter, and lets go. “I’ll be okay.”

“You’d better be. If you scare me like that ever again,” - the image of Aloy, pale and injured after the explosion flashes through Lis’ head. “Just- don’t, okay, sweetie?”

“Yeah. Sorry.” Aloy guiltily apologizes, remembering the exhausted state Elisabet was in, looking after her with little sleep. The drawn face coupled with the dark smudges underneath her mother’s eyes had Aloy making sure she was a little more careful on the field.

Elisabet presses a kiss on her forehead, patting the Nora huntress on the shoulder.

“And be careful around Tilda. She’s still- she’s good, at fooling people into thinking she’s on their side.”

“Speaking from experience, mom?”

“Yes,” she sighs, smiling at Aloy’s blatant curiosity. “I’ll tell you later. But, if we’re being honest, I think you have a better eye for figuring out those kinds of deception than I ever was.”

[pebble-of-gold]

WOO 2023

Lets talk about my top 10 films that came out in 2022! I watched a lot of films last year!

1. Everything everywhere all at once

I could write essays on this movie but putting it simply I watched this film in theatres 5 times. There was nothing in this movie that dissapointed me. Its an incredible example of nihilism vs existentialism and I cried 3/5 times i saw it. I now own it on dvd.

2. Bullet train

Bullet train I saw ever so slightly less coming in at 4 cinema visits! Fantastic visuals and soundtrack. Wonderful casting and a fabulously written script! One of my favourite examples of a film that is just fun to watch. I'll be honest on the 3rd and 4th time I was a bit bored but theres not as much going on to rewatch as EEAAO.

3. Black panther: Wakanda forever

I started crying and I dont know if I stopped? An incredibly touching tribute to Chadwick Boseman and a heartbreaking reminder of who we've lost. I think this is the best marvel movie since endgame honestly.

4. The unbearable weight of massive talent

Nick Cage is unironically one of my favourite actors and him and pedro pascal have created an amazing piece of media here. It is so funny and thats all it needs to be! Its just 2 guys getting to know eachother. Fair enough theres some action and spy shit going on but with that removed it is just pure fun.

5. NOPE

A slightly controversial one I know, However, I will never get over the wacky inflatable arm tube men. Im not even joking. They are what made me want to see the film in the first place! No but an excellent example of terror vs fear and a perfect film to discuss questions like "how far should you go for the shot" and issues like exploitation of animals.

6. Three thousand years of longing.

First and foremost its Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba enough said. This movie is gorgeous. The cinematography is beautiful and the costumes the makeup the set design the props my word they did not dissapoint! The message of the film is largely isolation but also behind that theres a sense of love is eternal and how much would you do for love. I couldn't recommend this film more.

7. Matilda

Ok this one is the music and choreography for me. It's a fun film and i loce the set design for it. The costume for mrs wormwood is to die for and I want it all. Theres not a huge moral like the others on the list its a good example of what goes around comes around and good prevails. The camerawork is amazing too.

8. The Menu

Everyone in this film is an awful person EXCEPT Anya Taylor Joy's Character and I live for it. The pacing is wonderful, the camerawork again fantastic and the characterisation!!! There is so much tension and it keeps building until you reach the climax its a wonderful. I like to think the film is about anti capitalism and the death of creatives due to the preassure of critics.

9. The banshees of inisherin

My favourite type of media is where nothing happens but SO MUCH happens. (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead is a wonderful example of this) and Banshees is an amazing example of that. At its core its about loss and lobelyness. Plus It has a RELATIVELY ACCURATE autistic character and thats my favourite part.

10. Don't worry darling

DON'T BOO ME DON'T YOU DARE. OK I ENJOYED IT. SOMEONE HAD TO! HARRY'S ACTING WASN'T EVEN THAT BAD YES IT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER BUT THERE WAS SO MUCH SHIT GOING ON CAN YOU BLAME HIM! plus I was living for the drama of DWD and no it was not at all about feminism or the female orgasm but it was about control and it was a fantastic film to showcase that.

Honorable mentions go to:

Where the crawdads sing, Batman, The bad guys, Sing 2, violent night, JJK:0, Multiverse of madness.

Thor does not get an honorable mention and I will not see avatar 2 because I want it to flop.

[aloyxtilda]

do you think seyka will be back in horizon 3? I’ve seen people saying that she will just stay in the DLC and was a way to explore fan reactions to romance options. I feel like they hint that she will be back, but most people seem to think she’s staying where she is. I’m hoping not 🥲

Good question! 💓🌹 !!!This will contain spoilers so approach at your own will!!

I honestly believe Seyka wasn't just placed as a fan reaction to romance options. I think that really lowers and insults her character's true reason to exist in such an incredible story like Horizon. Seyka to me personally was another equally important character that is teaching our heroine about a different form of love. All the characters Aloy has met teaches her about different levels of love and what it means to them. As a writer, I love all my characters equally and I like to have each one teach the protagonist something important. If it's really important, then it helps them grow on their journey even more. I love character progression. And we can't have that without a range of unique characters to challenge the hero. All of them having something special about them in their own way.

I think I did find a hint Seyka returns tho. 😉 There is a data point that popped up. It speaks about Jane who performs in the Pangea Pompelli Show. Her famous line is constantly repeated throughout Burning shores storyline. I took this as some kind of foreshadowing. It felt like it meant something more than just part of Walter and his wife's tale or it shares a parallel just as Walter and Tilda almost share one. Love is the key ingredient in Horizon's storytelling here.

Jane: "How could I not come back? Being with you feels like belonging. It feels like home."

That really made me think that it could be Seyka saying something similar to Aloy in the 3rd game and staying with her. Maybe her tribe will be setting sail and heading back home but Seyka decides to go back to Aloy? Aloy does say at the end of Burning Shores that "Home is where the people she loves are." And this is where we get that little lesson for the protagonist and a hint for us. Something Lis wouldn't have ever said maybe until it was too late when she tragically died alone without Tilda in her arms. 💔🤧

Also this wasn't just a DLC. It was more a continuation to the story. You had to beat HFW to play Burning Shores. While The Frozen Wilds you didn't have to beat HZD to play at all. I think this DLC was more important than some might like. A taste of what's to come! But those who do want more of our Quen warrior, possibly can breathe easy and know Seyka just might return.

Thank you for your kind ask and I hope you have a wonderful week ahead. 😊🌹

[communistkenobi]

okay i'm very curious to hear your thoughts on snowpiercer because i hated that movie when it first came out too but i haven't seen it since and i've been wondering lately if i need to reevaluate it

I was told that movie had an extremely basic and obvious premise, that the train was a metaphor for capitalism, that it was going to directly deal with climate change as a result of capitalism, so it was going to be one of those movies that hits you over the head with its theme. so I’m like ok cool I’ll watch it. But it doesn’t make sense as a metaphor for capitalism because it’s formulated in a fundamentally stupid way - the underclass, who are allegorised to be undocumented people (they boarded the train without a ticket) kinda just sit around doing nothing lol? They are provided for by the upper classes and are only occasionally called upon to do very particular types of labour (ie the guy who knows how to play a musical instrument). Yes their lives aren’t great, but they have a lot of free time to just like, plan revolts lol. That’s just like an offensively incorrect way to depict labour exploitation and wealth inequality. It’s also just kind of racist and weird about non-white characters, and I don’t like Chris Evans as an actor very much so I just was not a fan of that whole set up lol. Like by default I’m not going to care about a white guy revolutionary helping non-white people, and the movie did nothing to make that compelling. There’s other stuff I really disliked about the movie but it’s been a while since I watched it so I’m struggling to remember. I enjoyed Tilda Swinton’s character at least, she was really good at being an evil english politician.

And if it’s not about capitalism, if it’s just about some fucked up fictional society that lives on a train, then it’s a movie that says nothing and is about nothing, that ends with crashing the train in the frozen wasteland that is earth. It was just especially shocking bc I’d watched Parasite beforehand and enjoyed it, but Snowpiercer fucking sucks lol

[buffyfan145]

Another great episode with ep 4 of "The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart"!!! :D I read the book and we got more secrets revealed in this episodes and it was Alycia Debnam Carey's debut as adult Alice and now she's found out more of what June has been hiding from her. Will post the rest behind a cut, but this miniseries has done a great job adapting the book. Also for us Charlie Vickers fans he's credited in the episode but I never saw him in any scenes. It's possible he appeared in a quick flash, as both Alyla Browne and Tilda Cobham Hervey did as young Alice and Agnes, and I missed it. However, his character Clem's presence is felt in multiple scenes and with the introduction of 3 more characters.

This episode started with the 14 year time jump as Alice is now 24, but she's found out one of the secrets that June has been keeping and that she's been controlling Alice's life especially when it comes to any boy/man that has been interested in her. It started with her friend Oggie, who she had deported along with his mother as Alice had actually proposed to him. Felt so bad for that as Oggie was such a great friend and sweet boy and didn't deserve that. Then all of Alice's other boyfriends June sent away or paid off to leave. So now we're at the part where Alice left and went to Agnes Bluff, a national park that shares her mom's name and is now involved with two men, one who seems a nice guy Moss and the other who is a dark, mysterious man Dylan and happens to look like her father Clem.

This book does explore how a lot of women who are attracted to men unintentionally start relationships with guys like their fathers. It's starting a cycle again and I thought it was a great choice to cast an actor for Dylan who resembles Charlie Vickers, but also Moss does too when Charlie's clean shaven. So now she's involved in a love triangle.

But the biggest secret got revealed to, not to Alice but to Twig and Candy that June let Sally and John Morgan adopt Clem & Agnes's son Charlie. He's now 14 and they're a happy family and Charlie knows all about both his sisters, June, and his biological parents. He's been trying to contact Alice with Sally's help but June's forbidden it. She never even told Twig or Candy and they're shocked as they're realizing that June as has this cruel side. June tries to justify this as she thought Charlie would end up like this father but so far he's a sweet boy who has had health issues but is doing better now. And great casting here too as the boy playing Charlie looks so much like Charlie Vickers too, including having the same mole/freckle on their necks. So this caused Twig to actually leave June, even though she's sick, and Candy's thrown for a loop.

I was wondering when this was going to be revealed about June as she had been manipulating and emotionally/mentally abusing Twig, Candy, Alice, and even did to Clem and Agnes when they were children/teens. There's a lot more to be revealed too in the final 3 episodes and Charlie Vickers should be back as going by the book we have more flashbacks to come. This whole cast has been doing great and again so happy with how this has turned out so far.

[magnificent-nerd]

Three Thousand Years Of Longing...

(For Better Representation)

Film Review: Three Thousand Years Of Longing (2022) directed by George Miller, starring Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton.

I'm going to keep this short because HEAVY SIGH I am so eternally tired of Hollywood's Orientalism.

This movie is literally Orientalism bingo.

(Please check my Orientalism 101 post. At the end part I list Orientalist tropes in media to watch out for, so you too can play Orientalism bingo! /sarcasm)

Review: I've shared 2 main versions of official posters for the film above, as they display perfectly the criticism I had: that the story centers a white western woman, her character being the most dull and uninteresting aspect of the film, when she is surrounded by much more interesting characters and stories.

(Other titles for this film could be: Privileged White Lady Acquires Exotic Boyfriend. Or, Privileged White Lady Acquires A Black And Magical Manservant. Yikes.)

Sorry, Tilda Swinton, but this role is awful and there's no escaping that.

Pretty cinematography doesn't erase Orientalism, nor escape a muddled story that whizzes through the most exciting aspects (every character except Swinton's) then languishes on her for too long, finishing with an unsatisfactory end.

And quite frankly I could've excused a not-great story had the representation of South West Asian and North African (SWANA, sometimes also called MENA - Middle East and North African) characters and actors had been represented well.

But, OF COURSE, that was not the case.

Cue three thousand years of sighing from me.

In fact we had plenty of non-SWANA and Christian background actors playing SWANA and Muslim characters. The usual Hollywood white washing tactics.

Even with a sprinkling of SWANA actors through the first half of the film cannot save this mess. Their roles were minimal, often non speaking due to the narrator speaking over them, they were also usually the bad guys (sigh), and certainly only used as some Orientalist backdrop for the Boring White Lead to stand in front of.

It's just frustrating.

To add, I only happened across this film randomly on a streaming service, and had no idea it existed previously. I've never seen a trailer nor advert from the studio, which leads me to believe Hollywood deemed it too risky to put money behind advertising its release.

Too risky, and it's still the story of a Privileged White Person.

Yes, the pandemic era of theatrical releases did suffer, but we saw plenty of trailers and ads for releases during the worst of it, why was this film ignored? (Gee, I wonder why.)

Anyway, it's all one big disappointment.

Please see my post about Orientalism, and keep demanding better representation for SWANA characters and actors alike. Our stories matter too.

[thessalian]

Thess vs MINERVA

After all the Being A Motherfucking Adult of yesterday, the rest was entirely a recovery day. Might have picked up Forbidden West again if I was in the middle of Zen hunting and travelling to someplace and that kind of thing. Not when I had Jumping Puzzle of DOOM ahead of me. But I decided I could do it today.

Right. Here we go. Aaaaaaand of course there's a forcefield. Finding a way around.

So there's going to be guardian machines around here somewhere because they've been everywhere, so what do we have? Burrowers? Scroungers? Scrappers?

...Of course it's fucking Leaplashers. FUCK. OFF. LEAPLASHERS.

Okay, now what? Ah. Shoot the glowies. I can do that. Poonk. Poonk. POONK.

Hrm. Stuff in the way. Find a thing to weight it down-- Wait, when did we start playing Portal?

Of course it can't be that simple. Shove shove shove. Run run run. Drag drag drag. Blegh.

Oh shit I missed shooting one BACK I GO.

Okay. FINALLY. Right. What next? Oh you want me to glide now.

NO NO NO I PRESSED SPACE YOU STUPID-- and into the lava I go.

Right. So from there to there to there. Lemme check my timings.

(Fuck I'm glad I do story mode on this. I bet the timings are way less forgiving in other modes. Fibro does not allow for that kind of precision.)

And more timings for the vent aaaaaaand... Ride the floaty machines, okay. YEET.

I admit it's kind of nice having someone around marvelling at the awesome and frankly insane shit I do in these things.

Aaaaand we're in. Oh. Fuck. Well. Sorry, land-god, HAEPHESTUS is a jackass.

Also ... really sorry, Zo, but you're right, your people can't see this. I am so, so sorry that HAEPHESTUS is a jackass.

THERE IS NOT ENOUGH COVER IN THIS STUPID CAULDRON FUUUCK.

Okay. Everything be dead. Thank you. Now. Fuck. Off. HAEPHESTUS.

Oh. So you're stealing a trick off me and hiding in the cloud. Well, fuck you too.

Oh. And we have a Cradle. And MINERVA is not happy. Yeah, I'm not exactly having the best day either, MINERVA.

Aaaaaaand we're stuck in a room. Well, fuck that. I can climb. And pry open doors. And open vents. And-- ooh, hey, green shiny!

Right. Lengthy cutscene incoming-- Oh, come on, MINERVA, I am trying to help you here!

"MISERY ... WILL CEASE?" Oh damn I'm nearly crying over an AI. (Like, an actual AI, not what the tech bros and corporate shills are trying to foist on us in the real.)

Hi, GAIA. You-- Wait, you're digging through my Focus? Hang on; all the stuff I recorded on my old Focus was destroyed, so how are you getting Rost? Were my Foci networked? If so, doesn't that mean Sylens can just spy on everything? Or is it just that you're a techno-god AI thing that--? Okay I will stop poking the Jenga Tower of Logic for now.

Yeah, please don't scare my friends. Thank you.

So ... wait. This base is, like ... mine, now? Can I maybe ... like ... hang a few plants? Tapestries? Furs? Something, I dunno; this place is kind of gloomy as fuck.

Ooooooh so this is what the drone data's for! Oh, dude, this is gorgeous.

Wait. So there's a mechanic to get better at overriding machines now? Huh, and I need more Plowhorn bits. I don't think the Utaru will like me shooting their land-gods for that, so I guess I'll have to hope for more on the other side of the mountains.

...Oh, you Odyssey bastards. I kind of wonder how much is "descendent" and how much is "clone" at this point, since the woman's voice I heard in that little collection of folks was very much like the Tilda I heard talking to Elizabet in one of those old data points. Those shitheels really did just want to live forever.

And now they want to TAKE OVER THE WORLD-- Fuck's sake, by killing everyone who already lives here? Fuckheads. You're not better just because you have a bunch of history books or whatever! You're just the same kind of grasping assholes as left the world in its sorry state the last time!

(I'm honestly not sure what this says about colonialism, though I admit it's nice to be the individuals fighting against the colonialist shitheads because, hey, we were here first and we survived without your tech-god bullshit.)

Yeah, I don't really know how I feel about another machine-army either. If I could just get something to shut down their stupid forcefields, I'd be happy with that. Just make them vulnerable to the Arrow-To-Face manoeuvre, and I'll cope. Then again, something needs to go after their Venom-Meets-Modrone bullshit.

Okay, what's going to be the excuse to let me wander alone this time? ...Aloy, that's actually smart. Let them in on it; let them understand, or at least as much as they're going to through the filters of their experience and--

Oh. You're going to go get Erend? I can live with that. And Zo is ... probably going to end up some kind of priestess among the Utaru, at least after she does whatever she's going to do to help us.

And we're into the actual West! LIZARDS! I NEED LIZARD BITS!

But first I need a campfire that's not at the base-- Oh. Hi, Tenakth lady. I don't really think you're violent savages but I do have to be careful about that lady's rebel bullshit. Thanks for the heads-up about the bases; I'll see what I can do because I really like taking those out.

Got anything interesting, Peddler-Dude? ...Not really. Lemme sell you some vendor trash and be on my way.

Ooh, drone! Lemme just clear those Shellsnappers out of the way--

Um. What's that?

Does ... does that say Apex?!?

Ofuckofuckofuckofuckofuck.

WHERE THE FUCK DID IT GO--? Oh. SHIT.

Hide and seek tiiiiiiiiiiime!

Aaaaaaand FINALLY. Okay. Area clear. Now lemme get up to where that drone leap point is-- Oh, hey, green shiny!

Attempt 1 - missed. Fuck. Well, I guess I needed to use up some of the medicinal berries in my stash anyway.

Attempt 2 - missed. Gonna have to dash it.

Attempt 3 - SUCCESS! Whole new drone point for Planetarium! WOO!

Okay, now lemme just get that last campfire-- LIZARDS!

No ... no ... no ... I need skin, damnit. GIVE ME YOUR SKIIIIN.

Fuck it. Campfire. Break needed. Then I'll spend a couple of hours hunting lizards, probably.

Really kinda glad I had no plans on going out today. As the meme goes, "It fucken WIMDY". I'm a little paranoid about my outside plants, but they seem to be okay so far. But it's definitely time for a screen break. More coffee, probably. Fruit, because I require feeding. Then ... yeah, probably hunting lizards for hours. Because I am insanely patient about some things. And I very much want lizard skin.

[captain-kraken]

blue blood 01 excerpt

Mahrias and Viter ran down the halls, whooping as they skipped and jumped across the tiles. Some of the guards gave them odd looks but they didn’t even notice, too busy revelling in their excitement.

They skid to a stop as they were approached by Sahrav, who was wringing his hands together and chewing on his lip.

            “Oh, great,” grumbled Mahrias, “Are you here to tell us to stop?”

To his surprise, Sahrav shook his head. “Actually, I- um… I was wondering if you two wanted to… uh… I don’t know. Do something?”

            “With you?” said Mahrias, at the same time Viter shouted, “Yes!”

            “I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Sahrav replied, looking at the floor. “I understand. I just… I thought since they weren’t here, we co- we could-”

            “Yes,” interrupted Mahrias. “We’d like that.”

Sahrav sighed in relief, his shoulders finally releasing the tension he’d been holding. “So, did you two have any plans?”

            “Not yet!” said Viter, grabbing onto Sahrav’s arm. “Do you have any ideas?”

            “Ah, I’m not… uh…” he looked over at Mahrias, “I’m not good at the whole fun thing.”

Mahrias grinned at him. “Luckily for you, I am.”

And that was how half an hour later, the three of them were stood in Rujav’s previously locked office.

Sahrav was near the door, his eyes flicking over to it nervously, whilst Viter was looking at the pictures on the wall. Mahrias was currently rummaging through Rujav’s desk, pointing out the things that he found interesting.

            “Third sock!” he exclaimed, pulling out a blue woolly sock. “Why does he have so many socks in his desk? Is he collecting them?” He gasped and looked over at Sahrav. “Do you think this is where my missing ones keep going?”

            “Father isn’t stealing your socks!” Sahrav hissed. “Please can we get out of here? We’re going to get caught.”

            “How? Mother and Father are both on a ship in the middle of the sea. Do you really think Father’s going to throw himself overboard, swim all the way back here, and catch us in his office?”

Viter looked over at him. “Maybe that’s what the sock does. You’ve summoned him by touching it.”

Mahrias grimaced and threw the sock back into the drawer in mock horror. He closed it and opened the one beneath it, his eyes widening.

            “Sahrav! Look!”

His brother looked over as he pulled out a stack of letters and started to read them.

            “What are you doing?” he said, rushing over to him. “You can’t read Father’s personal letters!”

Mahrias jumped away from him, dropping a couple of the letters. “I can do as I please! You can’t pretend that you’re not interested in what they say.”

            “I’m not,” he replied, “I wouldn’t like someone to read my personal things.”

            “Not even if they were about you?”

This stopped him. “What are you talking about?”

Mahrias excessively cleared his throat, making a big show about it, before reading from one of the letters in his hand. “Your son Sahrav sounds like a fine man and his Value is extremely impress-”

            “Oh no,” groaned Sahrav, “Who is it from?”

Mahrias scanned down to the bottom of the page. “Uh… Tilda Kahta.”

Sahrav threw his head back in relief. “Oh, thank the gods. At least I know I’m safe from her daughter.”

            “What are you talking about?”

            “Marriage. Father is… making progress.”

Mahrias frowned. “Isn’t that a good thing?”

            “Are you looking forward to marrying a stranger?”

            “Sure. If it gets me out of here.” He turned away and started to read the other letters.

Sahrav didn’t know his brother well, but he knew that was a sign that he didn’t want to talk about it anymore. Which was fine, because neither did he.

Filled with a sense of rebellion, he grabbed a handful of the letters and started reading them himself. He tried to ignore the smirk on Mahrias’s face but couldn’t help smiling as he saw it in the corner of his eye.

[jollyreginaldrancher]

Yellowjackets S1 E4 thoughts and guesses

Misty what the fuck? It's only been like a week, these girls cannot be that horny ☠️

Was honestly wondering if a show about like a dozen teen girls being stranded in the wild would address the monthly visitor issue and I'm glad it did.

Tell me Shauna isn't pregnant 🙃

I don't know who I can stand less; Travis or Shauna's daughter

I still support Shauna's wrongs

I support Misty's wrongs too 🥹

I'm rooting for Taissa and Van but if they're not together in the future then I'm guessing Van dies. Taissa got lucky though cause her wife is awesome so far.

Somebody really wants the story.

Still waiting for Jackie to step up and show exactly why she was made their leader cause right now she's just the load everybody's gotta carry.

I guess the graffiti was her wife after all. There's no way the kid could have snuck out and done it, right?

"it's not my fault your lady-blood is scaring all the prey away" wouldn't that attract predators then? I guess that explains the wolf Taissa is seeing. I wonder if that's what takes Jackie out.

Am I shipping adult Nat and adult Misty? Yes. Yes I am.

Maybe Taissa painted the graffiti in some sort of trance

The point about wasting the candles is super valid. And since everyone is mad at her at this point, she really shouldn't be turning into a bigger burden and making bad decisions like that.

Jackie is definitely dead. Called it.

The daughter saying "you're not fine! You think I can't see that?" as if she hasn't been a dick to her mom every time she's been on screen so far is just 🙃

Van needs more screentime

Taissa definitely sees the ghost or whatever too. Side-note: is it Tilda Swinton?

Please, not another Ezria

GET WRECKED CALLIE

So was Callie the baby she was pregnant with?

I knew it was a nannycam 🤣

[moorheadthanyoucanhandle]

CRATER LOVE HATH NO MAN

Opening in theaters today:

Asteroid City--In Golden Age of Television black and white, a stentorian TV host (Bryan Cranston) tells us that we're about to see a documentary about the writing and staging of a new play. The drama in question is titled Asteroid City, and it's set in a tiny desert community near the impact crater from an ancient meteorite. It's the Cold War mid-'50s in this, Wes Anderson's latest; mushroom clouds blossom in the distance from the occasional nuclear bomb test.

Soon we shift to color, and to a stylized milieu that looks like Midcentury travel-poster art of the southwest. A large roster of characters assembles in Asteroid City, many of them for the convention of the Junior Stargazers, an organization of youthful science prodigies and inventors.

At the center of this ensemble, insofar as it has a center, is a bereaved young photographer (Jason Schwartzman) who hasn't yet broken the news to his kids that their mother has passed on; he's one cabin over from a movie star (Scarlett Johansson) with whom he bonds, as do his son and her daughter. Along with these familial tensions, the gathering sees military intrigues, scientific experiments, quarantine and even alien close encounters.

I really wish I liked this movie better than I did. Anderson is a one-of-a-kind comedic artist, and his 1998 Rushmore is one of my favorite films of the last thirty years. His debut feature Bottle Rocket is a gem as well. Most of his subsequent films have been brilliant but uneven; the best of them, like The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou and Moonrise Kingdom and The Grand Budapest Hotel, have been flawed near-masterpieces, dazzlingly imagined and acted but marred by heavy-handed touches of sour violence and labored narrative conceits.

All of this is regrettably at work in Asteroid City. It has a beautiful look, the title setting is beguiling, there are patches of funny dialogue (by Anderson and Roman Coppola) and strong visual gags. The cast is without peer for current Hollywood prestige, glamour and chops. The star power is almost too abundant to name; check the poster above for the listing. It's the sort of bunch that only Woody Allen used to be able to command. But all of this, alas, falls short of overcoming Anderson's misguided habits.

Most ruinous is the frame story, about the play. It looks great, but it distances us from the main story while adding no perspective on it that I could see, is of minimal amusement in itself, and diffuses the later part of the picture into hazy anticlimax. But even within the Asteroid City story, Anderson strikes a curiously flat tone. Deadpan is a wonderful comic technique, unless everybody's deadpan, and then it just becomes monotonous.

A couple of the actors, like Liev Schreiber, Tilda Swinton, Hope Davis and Steve Carrell, manage to escape the Jack Webb Sound-Alike Contest and texture their performances a bit. And Tom Hanks, as Schwartzman's dour father-in-law, somehow finds a tone that's fully in keeping with the movie's style but also seems entirely naturalistic. Hanks seems to be indestructible.

[gwarden123]

Watched Three Thousand Years of Longing. Narratologist travels to Istanbul for a conference, meets a djinn. Kind of a Thousand and One Nights set up. Cute, but overly long. Very pretty visuals.

It's told in a fairytale style, which I think is part of the problem. Fairytales condense a lot of information into a very small space by conveying things as simply and boldly as possible. Half an hour in I was thinking right, we've got all we need to know, now's the climax. I know I'm impatient, but this was just from the information that had been laid out to me by that point. But, no. There are two more stories to go. Two more stories that I don't think told us anything more than we already knew.

This is the second problem. The stories tell the djinn's backstory, and they kind of tell a different thing about love, but I feel they aren't presented in a way that feels like someone laying out an argument. The someone being the djinn in this case, because he needs Tilda Swinton to make a wish of her heart's desire in order for him to be free. There is some back and forth between them, but I feel there should have been more and in a more antagonistic way. Something to build up to the conclusion. As it is, the stories just feel this happens, and then this happens.

Which is all the more disappointing, because the opening up to the point where she collapses on stage at the conference has this very strong, dynamic style. And then it all just goes. It's still kind of there in the fairytale parts of it, but those are already stylised as part of being a story that someone is telling. So it doesn't feel as strong. I suppose you can't keep tightening and tightening a spring, but it feels like stepping off a jumping castle onto flat ground. There was a driving energy and the rest of the movie didn't really have that.

All the emotions of the characters felt a bit distant too. It's the same problem I had with Fury Road. They're these operatic stories, and yet the bombast of characters' emotions just aren't there. Or they're very muted, like there's a layer of glass between them and the audience. Tilda Swinton's character actually says something similar, that she can't read the feelings of other people and that she connects to them through stories. I don't know if that's something George Miller feels, it is based on a short story, but the main character is a student of stories who has to relearn how to tell stories herself. But this might all be a me problem, and I might be reading into things too deeply.

Something I did like is that the fairytale elements are kept very simple. Modern storytellers, meaning at least from the seventies, sometimes want to complicate or add more detail in to make things more "real" but this often ends up destroying the weight of the story. Three Thousand Years of Longing gets it right by keeping the sets of the fairytale parts fairly sparse, and they only get more stuff in them as the stories approach modern times. Like, yes. This is the idea of a place, rather than a perfect historical recreation of a place. "Realism" can be a very powerful storytelling tool, but fairytales are symbolic. They don't need to be "real".

Again, it is a very beautiful movie. Beyond the shattered remains of my beloved, the opening scene, the more abstract depictions of magic or the nature of reality are very pretty. And it uses sounds very well to portray the "noise" of the modern world, Tilda Swinton only "hearing" it after the djinn shows her what electromagnetic waves sound like to him. I also like that the movie doesn't bemoan technology taking over from magic, the djinn saying what wonderful things that humans have created that surpass event he power of the djinn, the example being a doctor performing brain surgery on a patient to remove a cancer, if I'm remembering correctly. The movie uses montages very well.

Remember that, kids, when telling a story. Sometimes having a point of view character physically there to witness a thing happen can be very powerful, but sometimes it's better to just say the thing happened in narration. Don't waste your audience's time.

So, yes, it was a nice movie. There were a lot of things I liked about it, things that I didn't even mention, but the whole was less than the sum of its parts, unfortunately.