#incredible casting incredible acting incredible pacing etc etc

[tittyblade]

also by the way. I think tumblr might have eaten my last ask about this so I'm sending it again. what is mdzs I keep seeing your reblogs and I'm curious now

that it did! it stands for mo dao zu shi (grandmaster of demonic cultivation), a novel originally written in chinese by mxtx. its got multiple adaptations in various mediums (using the japanese equivalents even tho theyre chinese bc im more familiar with jap vers -> a manga + anime series) as well as a tv series!! that one’s called the untamed, i’m sure you must’ve heard it esp in 2019-2020 when it used to get regularly trending here lol.

i havent read the novel, watched the tv series + some of the anime (still watching). the untamed is INCREDIBLE. i def recommend that u check it out. its on netflix if youve got a sub.

its historical drama w fantasy and gay shit pretty much <3

[lullabyes22-blog]

hi <3

i am once again asking your thoughts on the latest act of arcane?

Honestly, my feelings on S2 so far are pretty mixed.

:')

On the one hand, visually, it's absolutely heartstopping. The cinematography is incredible, and it's the first time in a while where every episode felt like an experience I had to endure in a good way. Plus the score, the voice-acting, and the sound design is, as usual, top notch.

Buuuut when you have all these stellar spheres working on this show, it makes the areas where they drop the ball stand out.

For me, that's the plot.

Alot of folks have criticized the pacing and how there's too much piled into one season. Personally, at this point I've made peace with the breakneck speed and sort of taken it as a given in a series where 'War' is the overarching theme. I can even let go of the fact that certain plot beats don't feel earned, as there's so much subtlety and foreshadowing that you can easily make the case for them via long-drawn out analyses of every frame.

But the writing, ohhhh boy. The writing. It feels like there's a disconnect between the overall plot and the individual character moments.

It's really hard to articulate, but I'll do my best.

I love that we're getting so much characterization for the main cast. Every episode, it feels like there's a new layer peeled back, and each of our leads has an opportunity to shine.

And that's exactly the problem. They're all shining.

Separately.

When I think about it, the reason why S1 worked so well was because every episode gave us a glimpse into the mind of someone different. We got a taste of what it was like to be in the head of every major player in the cast, and through this, we grew to understand their motivations, their fears, their hopes. I've used the 'gem' analogy in previous reviews, and the way the show handled that concept was amazing. Every character was a facet of the gem that was Arcane, and each shift of PoV allowed us to see them from a new angle.

There was coherence. There was cohesion. And there was a sense of complexity told in a concise and well-planned format.

S2, for me, doesn't quite work the same way.

It's not that I don't understand the characters, or that I don't appreciate the way they're handled. It's just that their individual journeys are so self-contained. I'm not getting a sense of their interpersonal connections. More as if they're crashing into and out of each other's lives, without ever stopping to have a proper conversation.

It's a common complaint with ensemble casts, and I don't mind it for the most part, but the problem here is that Arcane has been very careful about establishing its characters as part of a cohesive whole. They're not just random individuals who happen to share a stage. They're siblings, lovers, colleagues, friends, enemies, etc. And the reason why we can relate to them is because, on some level, they mirror our own relationships. We've seen how they treat each other, and we've come to care about them.

But in this season, I feel like there's been a failure to communicate.

Scenes between characters feel like a series of disconnected vignettes, some of which are great and some of which are not so great. It's as if the writers are trying to force the characters to react to the plot rather than the other way around.

I don't want to be overly critical. So much love and effort has gone into making this show, and I'd never want to disparage the efforts of so many talented artists.

But, yeah. Coherence is a bit of an issue.

I will say, however, that re: the subject of grief, especially in Jinx's journey, this season has delivered some beautiful moments. It's a surprisingly nuanced treatment of a complicated and ugly emotion, and it's something I wish more shows would tackle. The problem with a lot of modern storytelling is that, because it's trying so hard to be edgy, complex and subversive, it doesn't really leave any room for just letting characters exist. And Jinx's arc in particular is a perfect example of this.

I was worried, going into the season, that they'd take the easy route and paint her as a pure monster, utterly deranged from her loss. That's what the fandom seems to want, anyway, and it's what you'd probably expect given the general climate.

But instead, the show has chosen for Jinx to be vulnerable, and to let her arc be honest. Granted, Isha, though she's adorable, still doesn't quite feel like a full-fleshed out person, but Jinx's bond with her has been written with such heartbreaking realism that I'm inclined to forgive the former for the sake of the latter. It's just refreshing to see the series not to take that insulting and reductive 'but Jinx is crazy' route, and instead allow her to grapple with the pain of losing her family and the horror of what she's done, but to also heal old wounds with brand-new connections.

'Crazy' does not mean 'irredeemable.'

And it's about time more mainstream media got this memo.

The series also continues to be stellar at showcasing so much with such restraint. A lot of the scenes don't last longer than a few minutes, and yet you can feel so much conveyed in that brief window. And the framing and composition is consistently masterful.

Overall, though, I'm a bit underwhelmed by this season so far. It feels like an incomplete masterpiece, and the sense that the narrative has lost control is starting to get overwhelming. We've still got Act 3 left, and I'm hoping the final stretch is able to tie things together a little more neatly.

Anyway, thank you for reading this mess! And feel free to share your thoughts as well. I'm curious to hear how other people are finding the series.

<3

[prince-liest]

Can u explain like I’m 5 what homestuck is? Google is not being very helpful and I think the best person to ask is someone familiar with the.. game? Web comic? How did u get into it?

Homestuck is a webcomic that started out as a "choose your own adventure" forum game where people could vote on what the main character should do next, and eventually was turned into a proper author-written story with a multimedia experience (because being on the web allowed some "pages" to be things like animated videos or Flash games, etc). The most famous example is probably [S] Cascade, which is a 14 minute long Flash animation that plays at the end of Act V and upon release crashed not only the website and its forums, but also megaupload, Newgrounds, Livestream, and even fucking Twitter due to how many people were trying to watch and stream it.

Homestuck is about a boy named John Egbert and his three friends that, on his birthday, receive and play a video game that ends the world—and subsequently challenges them to create a new one. It's incredibly long, emotional, and the cast of characters is very large with a lot of time travel, multiple dimensions, and (my favorite) aliens, so this description is very much just the initial premise, but explaining more than that right off the bat is an exercise in sadomasochism, I think. That said, I think the pacing at which the story expands is appropriate.

And I discovered Homestuck in either 2010 or possibly 2011! It's been a while. I vaguely recall a friend introducing me to it, but I don't remember who.

If you do decide to get into Homestuck, I recommend the Homestuck Complete Collection, which has included all of the old dead links/jokes, gif animations, videos, and flash games that were in the original, many of which have been dead on the actual mspaintadventures website that Homestuck was originally on for a long time.

[goodbyeapathy8]

Review so far of "Will Love In Spring" (ongoing Cdrama). Spoilers below up until episode 8.

[Image ID : Actors Li Xian and Zhou Youtong are on a sofa. The man is smiling while the long haired woman looks up at him and also smiles. Title shows the name of the drama, Will Love In Spring.]

I'm glad I didn't let the poster influence me because I don't feel like it's a very accurate depiction of the drama.

Poster makes it seem like a very run of the mill romance. THANK GOODNESS IT IS NOT.

"Will love in spring" has unexpectedly been one of the best depictions of grief and death and life in a drama that I've seen. And I've seen many many dramas at this point in my life so, suffice it to say, it is incredibly well done.

Pros so far :

- Fair depiction of disability. Zhuang Jie is an amputee but there's just enough emphasis on the realities of living with a prosthetic (including the detail about her needing baths) without it being the ENTIRETY of her personality. Every drama needs to take notes on this.

- Blended family without drama. Although some may argue this is not realistic, I've become really tired of the exaggerated dynamics of step siblings/children/parents having manufactured arguments. He Shu is a wonderful stepfather while the siblings have an adorable relationship with each other. The mom is quite realistic as well, tough but loving.

- Interesting career choices - there's definitely morbid aspects of the hybrid mortician/embalmer job of Chen Maidong but that's not the main point. Yes, he's seen a lot of death and grieving but it also dictates how he views life and how to live life, with respect towards the dead

Cons (sort of) :

- This is not a con for me but I think some people may find the pacing very slow. To me, this is a VERY deliberate choice. It's a tried and true slice of life drama, not a romance. You'll be disappointed if you go into it with the expectations of a romance but I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at the many details that show what life is like in Nanping

- There's a LOT of death and discussions around it. This is not a con for me but I do tend to avoid hurt/comfort. I literally cried for an entire hour during episode 7 and my dogs were Very Concerned lol

- My actual one 'con' is that there's some very obvious nationalism that seeps in, especially regarding the push for the younger generation to return to "smaller" hometowns like Nanping instead of staying in cities like Shanghai/Beijing etc. To me, this shows a lot of government influence if not general Chinese nationalism vs a natural flow in the drama. There's definitely manufactured nostalgia that tends to be jarring but I've been ignoring that for the most part.

---

I do need to go and rewatch some episode of ShenLi because my chest still feels really spicy after watching episode 7 and 8 LOL So I'll get back to my thoughts on that but I hope other people give this new drama a shot.

Last but not least is a shoutout to legit the entire cast for their well-seasoned acting. Augh. Definitely a big reason why the drama is making a big impact on me.

[thecollectivefixation]

⭐️THE WILD ROBOT SPOILER-FREE REVIEW⭐️

Hey guys It’s Queen, Ik it’s been a long time since I posted on here. (Thank you Bookworm for holding on🙏🫶) I recently watched DreamWorks’ The Wild Robot and when I left the cinema I was flabbergasted and in AWE (AND I MEAN IT.) by how gorgeous the movie was. God, it really just genuinely messed me up in the best way possible. An incredible experience.

I’ll try not to spoil it in this review. I’ll mostly just be talking about how this film is definitely one of the best—if not, the best animated film of 2024 and also how it affected me and my thoughts on it.

Alright let’s get on with it!

—

Honestly I didn’t think much of this film when the trailer released because there wasn’t much talk about it. But after seeing it in person I definitely feel that it was worth it 100%. It’s a film you can watch with anyone—friends, family, etc. Easily 10/10 five stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ It’s a must-see for everyone. PLEASE GO SEE IT, you will not regret it.

The animation, the voice acting, the story being told, the visuals and just the vibes overall are absolutely INSANE. I wasn’t even gonna write this review because I was speechless by how fantastic this film was. (Also I am totally not writing this late at night who would do that oh my lawd🤭)

I have to talk more about the visuals because I was GOB-SMACKED when I saw the various beautiful scenes that appeared in the film. The film-makers created a stunningly realistic world that is both visually appealing and emotionally engaging. You can see how hard the crew-members worked on making this movie the best they could. (And THEY DELIVERED.)

The movie is filled with multiple heart-touching moments and interactions that make this film unbelievably unique and compelling in so many ways.

The Wild Robot kept my attention the WHOLE time. The story was immaculate and the characters + voice actors carried this film exceptionally well. UGH the voice acting—I couldn’t get enough. 😭🫶 Lupita Nyong’o (The VA for Roz) nailed the way the character’s portrayal and way of speaking, her voice immediately caught my attention and she suited the role so well. AND DON’T GET ME WRONG, PEDRO PASCAL AS FINK—💜.

—

I have to say though, I really am glad that this account was made. I don’t really write a lot except for university, so writing these allows us to not only share our thoughts/theories, but also have a hobby that we love.

—

ANYWAY, CONTINUING ON. I have to point out that the whole time the film was on screen, I was CRYING. LIKE LEGITIMATELY FULL ON CRYING WATERFALLS. I have to say; I feel like this film definitely had more of an impact on me because I felt connected with the characters on a personal level. Maybe that’s why I cried so much😭.

The cast of characters was such a huge highlight of The wild Robot. Roz is a charming, endearing and silly protagonist who quickly won my heart. She has funny and touching interactions with others and her journey of self-discovering is both inspiring and relatable.

I don’t really know what else to say, as I am still pretty speechless by this film. But I hope that reading this makes at least a few people want to go watch, It’s so worth it. I’m not sure if there will be a sequel but I would love to see one—even if it’s not as spectacular as this first movie☝️.

I couldn’t even wipe my tears because they just kept falling. The Wild Robot is just overwhelmingly heartwarming and emotional—not the mention beautifully animated, telling a moving tale about love and acceptance, friendship and the importance of belonging.

Overall I highly recommend it, the pacing in the beginning is a little off—but it’s not a huge problem because the stunning animation drowns it out. Other than that, there are no immediate flaws. Absolutely amazing. 💜

— Queen.

[redd-byrd]

AAAAAAAAAAA I LOVED IT SO MUCH

MY DAD WENT WITH ME AND HE ALSO LIKED IT

I’m so glad the theatre was almost empty, I was so excited that I was doing full-on hand-flapping, which I almost never do, and squeaking and giggling like a crazy person, I was stimming like crazy cuz I was so happy to be there

MASSIVE FNAF MOVIE SPOILERS BELOW THE CUT

And friendly reminder that this is my ✨OPINION✨

This will be long and very ramble-y so bear with me

OK SO FIRST OFF THE ANIMATRONICS

- I loved how they acted like kids??? Like you tend to forget the ghosts are actual children when looking at the games since they’re constantly all “murder monster-y” so I love that they got to act so childlike

- Kids’ drawings being a massive plot point was so cute, I actually didn’t mind how sudden Afton’s defeat was since like,,, they were only on his side in the first place bc the drawing showed that he was their friend, so it suddenly switching around made a little more sense. Probably could’ve been executed better but for what it was I think it was fine

- And of course THE DESIGNS!!!! Holy shit I loved how they looked!!! The prop team did an AMAZING job with both the animatronics and the background props!!!

- The interactions with Abby were adorable, I loved the fort scene because of how goofy it was to watch giant machines dressed like animals put that together

- Also I know we were all skeptical when the red glowing eyes were shown, but honestly the scenes where they DID glow would probably have looked good even if they didn’t change it, though I will say that the final look is really nice by itself

NEXT IS THE MAIN CAST

- Matthew Lillard did an INCREDIBLE JOB as William Afton, when my dad and I came out of the theatre he said that he had a feeling that Lillard would be the antagonist (mind you my dad knew nothing about the games or the movie), which really shows how well he does at playing horror villains and playing up that gut instinct

- I loved how creepy he was in the final fight scene, just creeping out of the shadows with those two glowing pinpricks was SO cool

- Also Afton being retconned to not be British anymore is so funny to me askdjhsjjdhdj

- Abby didn’t annoy me at all, I actually thought she was super cute!! Which is surprising bc I usually find kids annoying but I’d die for Abby

- When I say that I got WHIPLASH from the animatronics being nice to her and later Mike after she introduced them, I MEAN IT (in a good way)

- Mike taking Abby seriously and believing her when she said her “imaginary friends” are actually ghosts was a nice change of pace

- The group that broke in honestly didn’t need that much characterization since the main thing the plot needed was Max, so that was fine

- I am confused about why people aren’t more concerned about the murders that took place throughout the movie??? Like a missing poster in the background would’ve been fine, or maybe Mike reacting to Max being missing?? They don’t give much context on their relationship, I have no idea if they’re friends or if she’s just someone he hired and doesn’t have much emotional investment in, so maybe that wouldn’t work

- VANESSA MY BELOVED

- Vanessa was great, I love her character so much, but idk if I love her by herself or it it’s cuz she didn’t get much characterization in the game,,,, doesn’t really matter ig

ABOUT THE STORY

- Story was really fun, I love the unexpectedness of some of the scenes (dance scene, fort building, Freddy blade mask, etc) I thought it was so funky

- Afton using a separate identity to lure people to Freddy’s was cool, though I have no idea why he’d do that to other people. I can understand Mike, he likely knew about his brother through the last name, but why other people???

- I am a bit sad about Henry n Charlie Emily being left out, considering how big of a part they both play in the game lore, but idk if it’s explicitly said whether they exist within the movie universe or not, so we’ll see in the next movie ig

- THE SPRINGLOCK SCENE!!!!!!!! I loved it <3 idk how they didn’t go off after Afton was bouncing around in it earlier but when they did go off it was SO COOL!!!

- “I always come back” YES HE DOES!!!! LETS GOOOOOOOOOOO

- End scene of him bleeding out in the storage room hinting towards the full Springtrap character??? Loved it

- Also HELLO FREDBEAR??? GOLDEN FREDDY?? YELLOW BEAR???? WHAT

Extra info:

- No Markiplier was not in it, he was too busy with his own movie

- WAITER MATPAT?????

- Corey was awesome, I thought he was so funny for his short time on screen, esp the post credits scene

- THE FNAF 1 SONG MADE IT IN OH MY GOOOOOOOOD CONGRATS TO THELIVINGTOMBSTONE

Random plot holes or inconsistencies I found:

- Foxy had a scene where they forgot to switch the red eyes to the new glowing ones

- Despite the animatronics killing the group that broke in, spilling plenty of blood, they’re perfectly clean afterwards

- My dad found it weird that they didn’t show any part of the kids’ bodies in the suits, since it’s apparently known that they were stuffed inside (or maybe only Vanessa knew??). He thought an arm or a leg poking out would’ve worked. I said I think it’s either cuz the bodies were removed, are kinda mangled and pretzel-twisted to only be in the torso, or it’s just bc they didn’t think to do that lmao

- He was also confused on how Afton was able to jump around and move so easily in the springlock suit when the suit in the back snapped off the broom handle after a single jab. I said I think it’s bc it’s meant to be used to move around in and not harshly screwed with, or maybe it’s another plot reason

All in all, 8.5/10 movie. There were a few times when I was confused on why something happened or why someone behaved a certain way, but none of it was outright bad or boring. There also could’ve been more to the gore, definitely could’ve pushed the boundaries of the PG-13 rating, but it was good for what it was. It was fun, cute, and knew when to be serious :P

[johannestevans]

BristolCon Looms!

Good evening!

BristolCon is coming up on the 21st of October, and I've ordered all the books I'll be selling there, plus have a bunch of badges ready to sell. I won't be on any panels this year, but I will be doing a reading in the evening, and I'll of course be available to chat, answer questions, or sign books.

If you're in or around Bristol, make sure to book your ticket and come along - if not, I'll be filming answers to questions on my TikTok, which I'll also repost on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, etc. You can send questions here on this Google Form.

As far go media recs, I have a few - obviously I've been enjoying the newest season of Our Flag Means Death, and I've started a rewatch of Boston Legal, which is a classic show that I love absolutely to death.

I also have some movies to rec!

Talk To Me (2022, dir. Michael & Danny Philippou) - This movie has everything. Utterly fucked up miserable possession horror, scary jumps and slowly building dread, great character writing, incredible editing, TikTok trends, a pair of side characters made up of an extremely hot Samoan guy built like a rugby player and an extremely hot transmasc person who absolutely fucks shit up, good jokes, good banter, utterly fucked up gore and violence! It's so well-written, it's so well-paced, it fucking rocks!

Swallowed (2022, dir. Carter Smith) - Is this movie good? No. But must a movie be good? Can't a movie effectively be a bugfuck tortureporn flick where a straight guy with a huge dick secretly in love with his gay best friend who's about to leave for Los Angeles to be a pornstar is erect for most of the movie because he ate a magical bug that has an aphrodisiac effect on him whilst trying to traffic those bugs for money, and the gay best friend has to fist him to pull some of the bugs out of his guts? And also Mark Patton is in it and dressed gorgeously and fruiting it up the entire time?

Layer Cake (2004, dir. Matthew Vaughn) - This wasn't a groundbreaking flick or anything, but it was fun and it was pretty gay and sexy. It's got a great cast, really good pacing and choreography - as you'd expect from Mr Vaughn - and a really fun, tightly-written script. Lots of room for male objectification in this one, and that's honestly why I'm reccing it.

We also watched No One Will Save You (2023, dir. Brian Duffield) - I recommend this with a caveat, in that like... So Swallowed is obviously a bit of a shit flick, but has a lot of great stuff going on despite that - No One Will Save You is incredible... for the first two acts. The aliens are haunting in their movements and design, the world feels so real and rich, we get a deep insight into someone utterly consumed with agony and regret at the worst thing they'd done in their childhood. The third act is a complete fumble, and the last ten minutes particularly had me fucking raging. I still think that the rest of the film is so good the movie is worth watching - Kaitlyn Dever really carries it beautifully whilst having no dialogue at all - but just. Be prepared for a shit ending, that's all.

New Works Published

Our Flag Means Death Fanfiction Update: Repentance & Forgiveness

Rated E. Izzy/Frenchie. 49k+, WIP. On the Queen Anne, Frenchie can't sleep.

Desperate to just get whatever he can away from Blackbeard's crew, he knocks on Izzy's door and invites himself in.

Chapter 13 on Ao3 / Chapter 14 on Ao3

Romance Short: Workplace Connections

A junior secretary makes a friend at work, and some more besides. 

10k, rated M, F/F. A young woman makes friends with one of the only male secretaries in her workplace. 1960s Manhattan, featuring lavender marriages, period queerness, misogyny, etc. Light-hearted age gap cheeriness. Adapted from a TweetFic.

Read on Patreon / / Read on Medium

Erotic Short: Yes, Sir

A criminal accountant’s goon obeys his orders, then takes them a bit further.

3.6k, cis M/trans M, rated E. A criminal accountant has his big bear muscle guy fuck him, and the bear does so until the accountant is a whimpering mess. Vaginal sex, size difference, rough sex, objectification, implied overstim, power dynamics and role reversal, age difference.

Read on Patreon / / Read on Medium

Erotic Short: A Gift for the Wolfmen

A young man in a brothel is invited to join a quartet of hulking wolf-like warriors.

6.4k, rated E. Two trans men, both being gangbanged by four cis wolfmen with huge cocks.

Fantasy universe with adventurers and so forth. Featuring stuck-through-wall and grope boxes, body writing, vaginal, oral, and anal play, huge come inflation, size difference, knotting, power dynamics, virginity kink, objectification and dehumanisation, degradation, humiliation, breeding kink, body modification, mentions of lactation and pregnancy, and enthusiastic consent throughout.

Read on Patreon / / Read on Medium

[littleragondin]

Guess who has two thumbs and showed the self control of a sugar addicted 5 years old in front of a box of candies by watching Absolute Zero already? (b ᵔ▽ᵔ)b

Ngl, I went in ready to like it, and I did. Most of the focus this episode was on Suansoon and it really gave Mix space to show us what he can do. I am already quite taken by Soon and his quiet demeanor.

This is a pace that works really well on me, slow and contemplative, so I had a blast. I took a few notes already as I went so here goes.

- I just said it, but I think Mix is doing a really good job with lonely, melancholic Soon.

- DVD renting places! Huge nostalgia wave here...

- Immediately putting down "Jonathan Livingstone Seagull" as a re-read for this week. A fable about finding the freedom to be and about reaching for perfection, with a second act that concludes on the importance of love? I see what was done here etc.

- Very very into that "secrecy" set up of the balcony where they can talk but not reallt see each other.

- "[Zero] is meaningless. My name means zero." Oh boy...

- Okay the whole G8/G9 seat little dance, and then the tickets to tell him he missed him?? Smooth.

- Of course in 2008 we had to have The Love of Siam. I chickened out a rewatch after My Only 12% but I think it's really needed. Not sure it's the best movie to show before asking out the boy you crush on tho...

- Ah yes, I am a sucker for hands and wishing stars so I am beyond delighted ☆♡ the contrast between Soon and Ongsa works so well, it's a pleasure to watch.

- I knew it already but man, that teen/adult casting is REALLY good. Also incredibly into the fact that "Soon watches the movie and Ongsa watches him" keeps being their brand 10 years later. Enchanting.

- That's a lot of grief once again uh

- oh NO not on the birthdays omg...

Yeah I am unsurprisingly hooked, this is exactly the kind of story and storytelling I enjoy, put me down as Not Gonna Be Normal For Even One Moment about that one 😔😔😔

[rookie-critic]

Bodie Bodies Bodies (2022, dir. Halina Reijn) - review by Rookie-Critic

Bodies Bodies Bodies centers around Bee (Borat 2's Maria Bakalova) and Sophie (Amandla Stenberg); two young, Gen Z twentysomethings who are going out to meet Sophie's estranged friend group (and Lee Pace), who are gathered at one of their parents' mansions for a "hurricane party." That is absolutely what it sounds like, a party to wait out an oncoming hurricane. Through a series of follies the power goes out and someone dies, leading all of them to try and figure out whodunit.

The film tackles both Gen Z's impersonal way of connecting/reliance on technology as well as affluence and how it affects the culture of people in that generation. I'm normally not one to enjoy or endorse social commentary and satire aimed at putting down the younger generation; it feels very much like punching down and, with all of the massively fucked up and real problems going on in the world right now, the nature of Gen Z "cancel culture" and reliance on technology seem almost trivial and like something that's actually not even an issue in the first place, let alone something worth satirizing. However, you throw the word "affluence" in there, and turn that commentary on its head to be more about how rich people twist these cultural ideologies to their own need and gain to bolster themselves up from dealing with their own issues and vanity, and now we're cooking with gas. Bodies Bodies Bodies does this mostly successfully. Putting Bee, a non-affluent fish-out-of-water character, at the center of the narrative is a smart move, because we get to view these outlandish characters from her layman's point of view, and Maria Bakalova does an absolutely remarkable job in the film. Honestly, the whole cast does a remarkable job. Blending exaggerated personalities with nuance and subtext to create one of the best ensemble casts of the year. Amandla Stenberg, Rachel Sennott, Chase Sui Wonders, Myha'la Herrold, Pete Davidson, and Lee Pace all deserve their own shout outs and incredibly high praise for their performances.

The overarching plot of the film is smartly written, giving these characters space to play around, and the third act reveal is one of the most original I've seen in awhile. Where I think the film falters slightly is that the narrativ has characters act certain ways in certain scenes that maybe don't fit the way they had been characterized up to that point in the film to drive the commentary home more, with a few scenes having the characters just act outright really strange, with no concrete explanation of exactly why or what it means to the larger narrative. I think the film just wants you to assume these moments are due to the characters all being high during the events of the film, but personally I think that could have been done a bit less messy than it was. This is a strong movie that's making a lot of very razor sharp points about its subject matter and themes, and I've been struggling with what score to give it. My opinion since walking out of the theater has gone down, back up, back down, and even as recently as a few hours ago I had settled on a score and am now, as I write this, changing my mind again. It is an unarguably well-made, entertaining, and frankly hilarious film, and the problems, while a little glaring, are not enough to knock it too much. Needless to say, like Inu-Oh, I'm excited for this one to hit streaming/home video, because I think I'll benefit a lot from a rewatch.

Score: 8/10 (this has since been amended to a 9/10)

Currently available to rent or purchase on digital (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, etc.) and on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K through Lioinsgate Films.

"You're family... is Upper. Middle. Class."

[ladysparrow01]

I know that this is the Live Action Remake Hate Website. But I really enjoyed Avatar: The Last Airbender, 2024.

Mild spoilers and thoughts under the cut.

Firstly, it was beautiful. The set enviroments and costumes were gorgeously done. Actually seeing the Southern Air Temple, Wolf Cove, Kyoshi Island, Omashu, the Fire Nation Royal Palace, etc. as real places was incredible. It felt like coming back home. The costumes were lovely and each of the four nations were so distinctive in their textures, shapes, and details.

Similarly, I was blown away by the casting. All the actors were matched to their characters increadibly well. It's a tricky thing to map a real person onto a cartoon. But, my goodness, they nailed it. Sokka and Lord Ozai come to mind, particularly. But Aang, Katara, Zuko, Iroh, Suki, everyone was so good! And the aspects of these characters that were explored really went a long way to setting things in motion for the next two books. Aang's grief and feelings of displacement, Katara's strength and capability, Sokka's sense of responsibility and drive, Zuko's anger and vulnerability. It was really nice to see all of that on the surface right from the onset.

I also really enjoyed the way the previous three Avatars were brought into the narritive. Having Aang speak with Kyoshi, Roku, and Kuruk in order to gain insight into what it means to be the Avatar was a great way to put the importance of what Aang has to do into perspective.

Speaking of which, I find myself more aware of just how young the characters are because they are being played by real people . The weight of what they're up against is more tangible. The stakes feel higher. These are children. Aang only is twelve years old.

It was very different. But of course it would be. I would have been disapointed if it was just a shot for shot remake with human beings trying to act like cartoon characters. I enjoyed the fact that they condensed the story down, making changes to smooth the narrative and keep the pacing tight for the amount if time they had.

And I'm really looking forward to seeing how the next two books will play out.

[theharpermovieblog]

#HARPERSMOVIECOLLECTION

2023

I re-watched Clash Of The Titans (1981)

In 2010 they made an unremarkable, unmemorable remake of this film, full of bland CGI effects. Fuck that movie. Here's the original 1981 version.

Perseus, son of Zeus and a mortal woman, must defeat mythical monsters and the satyr Calibos in order to marry his beloved Andromeda.

Ray Harryhausen's stop motion special effects are an endlessly interesting piece of talent and film history. Dated in some respects, but full of the charm and wonderment that fantasy cinema is all about. That's why, when you ask me why I prefer the old version of this film to the newer soulless CGI laden trash heap, the answer is simply, because I like film not budgets and technology.

The 1981 version of Clash Of The Titans is the last flicker of an era of films, most of which involved Ray Harryhausen's effects. Films about classical myths and fables, Gods and Goddesses, a hero's journey and lots of claymation monsters. The best of these films are usually considered to be The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad and Jason and the Argonauts. The former coming out in 1958 and the latter in 1963. That means Clash of the Titans is, on average, twenty years older than both films. But, despite it's '81 release, Titans has more in common with those older films than anything made in its era. Making it dated in style.

It's actually beautiful to see stop motion so heavily used in the 1980's. It was certainly still used in films at the time, but not in the heavy way it is here. What's so fantastic to me about it's use here, is that it still works so well. Yes, it's not all perfect and it's obviously fake, but I'd argue it's just somehow more magical than CGI is ever going to be. It's incredibly human and beautifully flawed.

It's 2023 and we're all still so glad to see a director of any film use practical effects over CGI, because seeing the work that went into something and the winking trickery on screen is part of the fun.

(I wanna be clear that CGI does have its place and that I do see it as an artform, so don't come at me lol. But, it's overuse over every other time tested style, is ruining filmmaking a bit.)

Clash of the Titans isn't perfect. You could blame the original myth for that. Greek and Roman mythology isn't exactly deeply written and is more about life lessons and spectacle than character growth or development. But, this fact doesn't really distract from my ability to enjoy this movie. I'm here for the pompous stage style acting, the story or heroes and monsters, those fun special effects. I'm here because I love Ray Harryhausen's work and believe he should be celebrated for what he gave to cinema. I'm here because I love movies.

I honestly don't know how you could not like this one, unless you really hate cheesy fun movies.

There's a really great cast, fine direction, some interesting sets and shots, good pacing, Maggie Smith looking pretty hot, etc...

Watch this with your kids, and if your kids don't like it, get new kids.

[sunriseverse]

genuinely sometimes i’m like. how the fuck did sh get produced. how did we get sh in 2018. what happened what stars aligned. like i love dmbj you all know this i don’t shut up about it but generally speaking adaptations are either bad (writing script acting whatever) or lacklustre (variable pacing bad directorial and editing decisions etc) and then out of the blue in 2018 sh is released and it’s narratively tight and the cast has incredibly talented actors and even when stupid writing decisions are made things feel narratively cohesive and it just all. it’s such a break from the rest of the series adaptations. like i genuinely don’t think i would have watched dmbj if i started with anything but sh in the same way that i could not have loved wx if i didn’t see him at his worst from the start rather than being introduced to a nice mild audience insert. like. how.

[bl00dlight]

I've been struggling with this lately. I don't think HOTD2 is a piece of shit. Like if you watch most TV series, you'll see how unbelievably incredible HOTD2 is in comparison. I think the trouble is, they've fucked themselves by making the season eight episodes. They've had to CRAM in so much set up, sprinkle so many seeds that each episode feels unsatisfactory because we are constantly waiting on the next to find resolution within conversations/ideas/etc. They also fucked themselves by making B&C on the first episode. We should have started the season after Luke's death. We should have seen the build up of grief, tension, panic between each side which means we would have TWO WHOLE ASS EXTRA EPISODES setting up the characterisation for the remainder of the season. And it would've allowed us to actually feel the bubbling of the war, which in season 1 (BECAUSE WE HAD TEN EPISODES) we could feel that tension getting worse and worse. At the moment I've not felt the tension as much as I should. We still feel so stagnated because they are at war now technically but the characters still feel like they are processing that fact, we've skipped what should have been the two first episodes of building the lead up into B&C. The entire season feels like it's missing the lead in. It would also have given the characters clearer motivations. Because right now? I really still can't tell what motivates half of these characters. Like what is motivating Alicent at this point? Does anyone know????? What is motivating BAELA FOR FUCK SAKES? What is motivating Daemon? There are surface level answers to give but, those are all answers which feel disconnected to what we see on the screen.

Also Harrenhal? And Alys Rivers? Yea no one wants to admit it, but Alys has gotten too much screentime and Daemons haunted house trip was added in by the writers, the book clearly stated Daemon wasn't asking affected by Alys. I suspect they are doing this because they aren't implementing Nettles, so they need a Daemon arc in which he "betrays" Rhaneyra in order to prove himself worthy again. Because in the books he is unwavering in his loyalty to Rhaneyra, betrays Rhaneyra with Nettles and then comes back around by the end of the Dance. Alys being set up has taken so much from other, and lets be real - more important characters. The Targaryens are the important characters. They should have been set up properly before everyone else.

That includes the Dragonseeds. All of those Dragonseed scenes are ridiculous and time consuming, they weren't relevant in the books until they were needed. Last episode should have been the first episode we were introduced to them. Because, I'm sorry - NO ONE CARES ABOUT THEM. The smallfolk? NO ONE CARES ABOUT THEM. Let's be real. What we wanted to see, what was pitched was an in-depth look into House Targaryen during the dance. That's what we are watching for. But the writers are attempting to set up this GOT mutli layered, multi perspective story in which FUNDAMENTALLY does not work, because it means they have to write random shit into the storyline.

If they had done what was done in season 1, which was focusing solely on the Blacks and Greens, we would have gotten tighter writing, clearly character motivations and more expanded character chemistry. We haven't spent alot of time with the older cast, like we've spent eight episodes with this cast (ep 7 s1- ep5 s2). Now is the time to set these reltionships up properly before delving into everyone else's. Think of how streamlined GOT was in season 1? How we spent the early seasons setting up the core characters and plots, before branching off into everyone else?

They've rushed it. It's not that the writing is bad, or the acting (Harry is shaky at times), or the set, directing etc etc. It's the pacing.

They've also given us incredibly compelling characters with the Greens and then not spent any time WITH THOSE CHARACTERS. What we have gotten is Alicent and Cole fucking. Well I'm sorry, love Alicent... but we can't afford her screentime hogging anymore.

And the Blacks? Holy fuck have they stripped them of their complexity? Daemon was complex because he was morally grey but fundamentally loyal to Rhaneyra. Now? He has become one dimensional.

Rhaenyra? God what a waste of Emma's talent. Rhaenyra used to be my mother, my favourite. Now... she is fucking devoid of all personality. Her whole "restraint" arc should have been resolved after Luke's death WHICH IS WHY WE SHOULD HAVE SEEN THE DIRECT IMPACT. It would have given her two episodes to battle with that arc ans then let loose. Where is my righteously angry Rhaenyra? Where is my episode 6 Rhaenyra who was complex and messy and desperately trying to do the best she could but was ultimately flawed? Why am I not getting her? Why am I not getting her shouting down her council and taking control of them WHERE IS MAEGOR WITH TITS!!! Where is Rhaenyra making mistakes???? Inaction in war kills as many people, at this point the writers feminist arc is turning into "women are fucking incompetent and can't read the writing on the wall and have unnatural levels of stoicism." Okay I want to see complicated women. Bro that's why GOT was amazing. Every woman was complicated and mortally grey to a point.

Jace? Boring as fuck. Mewing on screen too much. Where is his complexity? His little brother is dead, where is his rage, his grief? Why didn't he cheat on Baela out of grief? Why is he so good?

Baela? Boring as fuck. Where is her complexity with Daemon's neglect? Where is the anger she should of had at Jace for betraying her? Her drive to prove herself a true Targaryen. Her being given one liners of "I am blood and fire" blah blah blah. Are you? Right now Rhaena is giving more bite and she's been given 0.5 seconds of screentime. Where is Baela finding her identity within being a Targaryen after years of being rendered a Velaryon?

Why are the Blacks devoid of what makes them so compelling? Is that they DO love each other deeply, they are stronger as a family and are in the moral right? But grief and pain is tearing them apart?

And don't get me started on the Greens. Where is my messy, uncommunicative, hateful, cluster b personality disorder off ass family?

It's not that the writers are bad and haven't thought of it. It's the writers haven't given themselves time to write develop it. They sacrificed that for pacing. They want to rush to get to battle. But I'm not here for dragon sequences in war, I'm here to see the CHARACTERS!!!!

Why are people unable to admit that Hotd2 is a piece of shit? this show is pity, stupid and boring, I can't stand what they've done with Daemon... everyone on the black council act like a jerk, nothing has sense, the greens have known how to act faster and better; it's a shame that having everything to make a masterpiece, they've done this, To think I waited months and months for this and If it sucks for me that I haven't read the books, I don't even want to think about those who expected something more to the original... or do they really like it? I guess then some people's standards are really low.

[glossolali]

TLOVM Watch Party EP 1 Summary:

- Sam recorded the demo for the Vox Machina song Scanlan sings when they first meet the Council at the park while his kids were running around playing

- They intentionally made all the magic effects unique to each character

- Maximus Riegel and Zoe O'Brien did such a good job at their first voice acting gig!

- Mechanics of DnD like buffing another character was cool to see, and they didn't want to spend too much time explaining how it all works, it was enough to have the solid logic there in the background

- The dragon of that size and complexity had to be 3D CGI, and it started out as too cute and Pokémon-like but they tweaked it till it looked right

- The show's OST starts off orchestral but goes to different genres as the show develops, and Matt and Sam still get teary-eyed when they listen to it

- In the first draft of the script, a messenger goes to the Briarwoods' and things don't go well for the messenger, but this end scene was so powerful it had to be the end of episode 1

Q&A:

Q: How was it handing over the show to the TLOVM team?

Matt: I didn't want to embarrass myself by talking about my DnD campaign, it was very surreal and it was helpful to have everyone with me. A lot of the first meetings were character-focused, and then moved on to story

Q: How not to be heavy handed with Easter eggs and all the early hints for future romances etc.

Matt: Focused on a realistic pace, was great to be able to go back and focus on and flesh out the NPCs too

Sam: Being efficient with what you have to show and say, and writers took everything very seriously with their research

Q: What was the process to make characters into cartoon form?

Travis: Phil Bourassa was incredible and he was dead on from the start, could have had sweet mutton chops! But ended up with a design that was easier to draw over a long time

Sam: There were some more wild child versions like a street urchin Scanlan and lounge lizard Scanlan

Q: The first bar fight scene was great to show each VM member, how was that process?

Brandon: Worked with the cast to figure out how to highlight their character, for example Percy is a tightass and didn't play drinking games

Everyone: Keyleth is that girl at the party, low constitution or something, it [alcohol] always ended up coming out

Q: What parts of the show were important to bring in to this show?

Travis: Did our best to include things that we and critters loved about the original stream, like bottle episodes, shopping episodes, etc.

Q: New Emon design?

Matt: Changed from original design, design team who know how to design cities helped them make it make more sense like the centre of the city is next to the port etc. Design team is fantastic! Everything they brought forward was amazing, as much care and passion as us was put into the project and it comes through in the final episodes, it's all universally positive and exciting

[hikari-kaitou]

Capcom's Official AA Fanclub Surveys - DGS Edition

Many Western fans may be familiar with the Turnabout 4koma comics that get posted on the official AA fanclub site that Capcom runs, thanks to some lovely fans on tumblr and elsewhere who have shared their translations. What fewer people seem to know about is the character surveys.

Back in the old days, they used to hold a survey on Capcom's official AA fansite every few months where they'd write about the seasonal activities of a handful of characters and ask fans to vote for the funniest/most pleasant/strangest/etc answer.

They stopped doing them in like... 2016? 2017? The original text is lost for good as far as I can tell. Even the wayback machine couldn't help because the content was password locked and you can't get past the password wall while remaining in the archived version.

Fortunately, I saved some of my translations of them so I thought I’d share them.

Cut for length...

"February has begun, and the DGS cast is nearing the end of their journey aboard the RFS Alacrei. Which of them acted the most strangely?"

Ryuunosuke ~ Exhausted from his intensive study session, he decided to try some katana swinging practice as a change of pace and to combat his recent lack of exercise. But because he wasn't used to handling the katana, he swung it too hard and it went flying out of his hands and got stuck in the wall right next to Sherlock, who had just entered the room. Sherlock asked him, "aren't you supposed to be studying right now, Mr. Naruhodo?" and handcuffed him to his desk.

Susato- worked on developing a curriculum for Ryuunosuke. 'If we keep going at this pace, he won't be able to learn it all in time... It'll be hard on Naruhodo-sama, but we'll have to work hard through a couple of nights together.' With that thought, she created a harsh study schedule, and almost seemed to be looking forward to it for some reason.

Sherlock- Driven by excitement over the thought of returning to England after a long absence, he went up on deck to stare at the ocean. Being February, it was very cold out there and he ended up being chilled all the way to the tips of his fingers. He returned to the ship cabins and amused himself by putting his frozen hands on Ryuunosuke, who was stuck in his room studying.

Van Zieks- Upon hearing from Vortex that there was a Japanese exchange student coming to England to study law, he smashed a Lord's Bottle. He apparently also didn't care for the fact that that Japanese student wouldn't be alone, because he proceeded to shatter his chalice, too.

Hosonaga- in order to provide a respite from studying, he provided some hot chocolate. They enjoyed a pleasant tea time, marveling over how sweet and delicious the drink was until Sherlock piped up with some unnecessary trivia: 'Actually folks, chocolate has long been used in Europe as an aphrodisiac!' Everyone promptly spat it out."

"The long winter is nearly over and spring is on it's way, putting the DGS cast members in a celebratory mood. Who found the best way of enjoying spring?"

Ryuunosuke: the Yuumei University faculty members were holding a flower viewing event, and he joined the assistance committee. He exhausted himself keeping the blankets clean so the intense shower of flower petals wouldn't pile up too high on them, delivering sake and snacks, and mediating whatever pointless fights arose. To top it all off, for some reason his compensation was only a single piece of leftover candy. Talk about a sad result!

Susato- her father and the others living in his dormitory were  holding the flower viewing event, so she got up early to prepare the bentos. But her father carelessly forgot to tell her that they wanted tea cakes, so she had to go around the house and neighborhood collecting sweets. For some reason, she ended up being able to gather caramels, biscuits, candy sticks, basically everything but tea cakes, for the tea ceremony.

Sherlock- he disguised himself as a beat officer and infiltrated Scotland Yard to have some fun. There was a real beat officer napping on his feet in the spring sunshine, and while observing him, Sherlock ended up falling asleep too. Detective Gregson gave them a good scolding when he found them, but then Sherlock revealed his true identity with a "hey, it's me, folks!" "What the blazes do you think you're doing?!" Gregson shouted, his rage growing even more, and Sherlock ended up making a run for it.

Van Zieks- went to the vineyard to oversee the production of the contents of his Lord's Bottle. As he viewed the still unopened grape blossom buds, he thought about how they would someday grow up to fill his Lord's Bottle, and ended up going around to look at each one. But the farm hands couldn't stop wondering whether the bottle itself or its owner's heel might come flying at them and were quite uneasy.

Asougi: exhausted himself running around since early morning helping with the professors' flower viewing event. When it was over, he took a break, sharing his reward candy stick [the name of the candy literally translates to 1,000 year candy] with Ryuunosuke, who had also been helping out. 

"I wonder if the candy's effect is halved if you share it with someone."

"That still gives us 500 years."

They laughed and enjoyed looking at the flowers until dark. Then they parted ways with a handshake and a "see you later, best friend."

(This one was something about celebrating New Years. For some reason I didn't save the original question)

"Ryuunosuke ~ To celebrate New Years, he planned to pound mochi with everyone at the office. He somehow managed to get his hands on some mochi rice and he and Sherlock started pounding. Iris was having such fun watching them that she steamed a whole bunch more mochi rice so they could have some to share, and he and Sherlock spent the whole evening pounding mochi like crazy.

Asougi~ Because it's New Years, he went around to a bunch of shrines. When he drew his new year's fortune, he got a "horrible luck" result. "I'm not worried about it," he claimed, and headed up to the mountains early on New Years morning and work hard on a full training course of purification by water, meditation under a waterfall and wooden sword practice. It seems that he was working really hard to clear his mind of all earthly thoughts

Sherlock- Agreed to help Ryuunosuke pound mochi. As Ryuunosuke was flipping the mochi over, he carelessly dropped his badge into the bowl and Sherlock mixed it in without noticing, so they had to crack open both the hard and soft mochi to look for it. Fortunately they found it in the 4th one they checked, but apparently Sherlock got his hands and face covered in sticky white mochi in the process.

Susato- Wore a furisode and went with her father to do the first shrine visit of the year. The shrine was incredibly crowded and they had to wait in line for a long time, but she brought the Encyclopaedia of British Law and a copy of the Strand Magazine in her sleeves to secretly read as they waited so she actually ended up enjoying the wait.

Van Zieks- Ryuunosuke cheerfully gave him some mochi as a New Year’s (which at that time was celebrated at the same time as the Chinese New Year) gift, which he accepted confusedly, wondering “...Can the Japanese not even keep track of when the New Year is?” Because Ryuunosuke referred to it as a rice cake, he tried to eat it like a regular cake without softening it with heat first. It was so hard that he couldn’t imagine how it could possibly be food, and ended up misunderstanding the Japanese even more!

"Autumn has arrived, and the weather is starting to cool off, which means that everyone is becoming more active. Which character chose the most pleasant autumn activity to keep busy with?"

Iris was making bread but her hands are small and it’s difficult for her to knead the dough, so she asked for Ryuunosuke’s help. She wanted to make enough to hand out to Gina and all the other homeless children in the East End, so she made a massive amount and Ryuunosuke was stuck kneading this massive mountain of bread dough all day. Apparently he became such a expert at kneading that he could be a baker now.

Asougi was practicing with his sword, slicing autumn-colored ginko leaves as they fell from the tree. He cut so many leaves, though, that he ended up making a big mess on the ground, the number of fallen leaves now having increased, and it took him a long time to clean it all up.    

Sherlock: Ryuunosuke told him that he was making anpan (bread filled with sweet red bean paste, the bane of my Asian-dwelling existance) and asked Sherlock to help by being in charge of getting the poppy seeds they’d need to sprinkle on top, so Sherlock went out and gathered a ton of poppy seeds. In fact, he got so many of them that no one knew what to do with them all cuz they had a huge amount of leftovers. Sherlock said, “Well, they’re only the size of poppy seeds! Surely you two can deal with them somehow! Ahahaha!” and Iris scolded him.   

(I couldn’t capture it in English, but Sherlock’s line contained a pun, and a pretty stupid one at that, so that’s part of why he got scolded)

It’s grape harvesting season, so Van Zieks commutes to the winery regularly to direct the production of the contents for his “Lord’s Bottle.” He demands perfection in everything from the selection of the grapes to the way they’re squeezed, and the winery staff is terrified by the “grim reaper’s” gaze and heel swinging (i.e. the leg thing he does in court) so they grumble as they work. 

"Hearing that there’s a holiday in the West called Halloween, the people involved with the court in Japan decided to try it out themselves. Naturally Halloween is a big deal in England as well. So, which member of the DGS cast had the best celebration?"

Team Ryuunosuke and Asougi- Asougi got Naruhodo up on his shoulders and they draped a white sheet over themselves to make a ghost costume. They went out like that, but Naruhodo had such exaggerated reactions to the fear of the people who saw them and to bumping his head on tree branches that they ended up losing their balance and falling on top of each other?!   

Sherlock Holmes- went wearing a horse’s head mask. Iris used her skills to make it a fancy horse covered in stars, but the eye holes weren’t well made and he had to wander around blindly. Because of that he tripped hard over a pile of coal! He ended up getting so dirty that the stars on his costume were covered up!

Van Zieks- took inspiration from his nickname and dressed up as the grim reaper. He covered himself up with a skeleton mask and hood figuring no one would know it was him. Unfortunately he got angry when he saw Megundal (McGilded) pass by and started throwing bottles and glasses and ended up giving himself away.

"November has arrived, and autumn is nearing its end. However, the DGS cast is still keeping busy, even on their days off. Which character chose the most interesting way to spend their late autumn day?"

Ryuunosuke- Thinking that he’d better learn more about British culture if he was going to be a defense attorney in Britain, he went down to the East End with Gina for a little observation. However, because an Asian like him stood out so much, he got mobbed by the other children. On top of it all, his arm band got stolen from him and he had to send a replacement request to Yumei University on the other side of the ocean.

Asougi- He went for a meal at La Quantas. The customer at a nearby table got a persimmon for dessert and scarfed it down, saying “Mm! This is it! This sweetness makes it worthy of being called a treasure among foods!” Asougi tried to comment on this by saying, “The customer at that table sure is enjoying his pershim--gak!” but he may or may not have accidentally bitten his tongue in the process and been unable to finish his sentence.

Iris- She accepted Ryuunosuke’s request to learn more about British culture and prepared a bagpipe and kilt costume for him. “This outfit sure is breezy,” Ryuunosuke said shyly upon trying it on. With Ryuunosuke now dressed, he, Iris, and the others from their office headed over to Gregson’s place to get him to treat them to some fish and chips.   

Sherlock- He accepted Ryuunosuke’s request to learn more about British culture and cooked up some European style curry for dinner. Thanks to the fact that his secret ingredient was a large amount of Chinese herbal medicine style spice, it caused some strange side effects and Ryuunosuke, who’d eaten it, ended up passing out and falling over.

“Another taxing trial for Ryuunosuke has finished and now it’s December. As the year draws to a close, which character acts the strangest?”

Ryuunosuke- he was recruited to help with snow removal around Yumei University and the courthouse and he enthusiastically began his task with the help of a large shovel. He got a little carried away, though, and ended up accidentally burying his umbrella, which he’d left propped up against the side of the building, in the snow he’d just finished shoveling.  He had no choice but to share Asougi’s umbrella on the way home.

Asougi- On the way home, he nods silently to Ryuunosuke’s question of whether he’d finished his travel preparations and changes the subject: “...Come to think of it, it seems that tomorrow is celebrated in the West as God’s birthday.” “I’ve heard that they eat chicken as part of the traditional celebration. Wanna try it?” Ryuunosuke asks invitingly. Asougi is strongly opposed to that particular menu item, however, and they end up going out for their usual beef stew that night instead.           

Susato- in addition to her year-end travel preparations, she also was busy with straightening up the book room in her home. She managed to get the law books in order when she suddenly stumbled upon some old issues of Strand Magazine! She hurried through the rest of her cleaning, then began flipping through the magazines she’d found, trying to decide which to take with her on her trip. She accidentally lost herself in her reading and didn’t realize it until it was already the middle of the night.

Sherlock- he was in the middle of a long ship voyage when Christmas night came. His mind on his partner in a far-off country, he made a toast alone on deck, when suddenly the crew began shooting off fireworks with a cry of “Merry Christmas!” Sherlock had to dart back and forth across the deck to prevent the fireworks from hitting him and setting off the explosive chemicals he carries with him.

Main series edition

[whetstonefires]

Ooh do you have a pent up rant on Ella Enchanted? I loved that movie as a kid and tried the book when I got older, but I didn't like it (I loved Fairest, which was set in the same universe by the same author so 🤷‍♀️). I'd love to hear any thoughts you have on it!

Hahaha 🤘 okay going for it! I’m specifically of the age that Ella Enchanted was one of my top five reread books as a child and I was in high school when the movie came out, so.

Among other things I think reading the book when ‘older’ is a funny idea because. It’s a children’s book. How old were you when you saw the movie for the book to be later?? I guess it is appropriate for fairly little kids, come to think about it, although small-child me would not have liked it. On its own merits, without taking its failures as an adaptation into consideration.

And okay, queue the salt. The Ella Enchanted movie is such a bad adaptation. Record-setting. It contains none of the significant themes, worldbuilding, or basic narrative content of the book other than item: attend a giantish wedding, and only about 4% of all characterization.

The titular enchantment isn’t even the same--movie Ella effectively has superpowers as a result of her curse, since telling her to ‘freeze’ actually stops her midair etc. The fact that book!Ella doesn’t have superpowers of any kind but if you order her to do something impossible she’ll be compelled to try anyway, and keep trying until released or dead even if her body breaks in the attempt, is one of the underlying threats driving the fear of her curse that hangs over the whole story.

Obviously, the film people took it a different direction. I guess feeling that ‘the helpless anxiety of being at the mercy of others’ is not a child-appropriate subject despite being relevant to the experience of basically all children ever.

And it’s not even like, a sincerely bad adaptation! It’s solidly kitsch, cynical to the bone, a deliberate series of decisions to be as screamingly shallow as humanly possible to maximize marketability over all. This is by rights a soulless B-movie with the budget of a god.

It’s really an incredibly terrible adaptation of the book, which is a slow, thoughtful, character-driven work whose final act in particular is highly psychological. (By the standards of children’s literature, obvs.) With a main romance that develops through several stages over a number of years based on personality and respect foremost, and several other key relationships that all have their own unique tone and process, mostly with women. The fairy godmother--the actual one, not that terror Lucinda--is one of the main characters and they cut her from the film entirely because no part of her was compatible with the kind of flash and glitz story they were telling. It is really a masterwork in ‘not actually adapting this material in any meaningful way.’

The fact that this towering stack of complete corporate-workshopped disaster nonsense manages to be pretty fun to watch even as someone with an attachment to the book (i get mad about the ogre and elf writing choices but for their internal inconsistencies rather than wrt the book) is really a testament to the passionately hamtastic performances of the whole cast, and Anne Hathaway in particular. She’s just very capable and I respect both her talents and her work ethic.

Also the editing team did an excellent job; the pacing is so tight in just the way you need in a comedy. And everyone involved in the visuals, actually; I don’t think they made the right movie but the movie they made is visually cohesive in a satisfying way.

The script is such incredible horseshit though, I cannot. 😂 But, I mean, in a way it’s good they bolted out the gate with inanity, once your expectations are on the floor you cannot be disappointed. (This is I think the principle the new Batman film employs with the 500% cheese opening voiceover; it works.)

The Ghibli Howl’s Moving Castle (another childhood favorite) actually wound up bothering me a lot more because it started out as a reasonable adaptation more or less and then lost all the significant themes and story beats as it went. When the key strength of DWJ’s writing style was how it would start out meandering and low-stakes, and then tighten into a needlepoint as you got to the end.

But that is the wrong salt! Lmao.

So yeah I’m not mad about the movie--well, a little right now, because making a movie that wildly different from a book creates that exact phenomenon you describe, of people being disappointed by something really good because it’s nothing like its derived material.

But. Wow. Ella Enchanted. Did you ever see anything so Hollywood in your life.