#indie film analysis

[dgspeaks]

Capturing the Quiet Moments: A Review of "The Farewell" (2019)

In the vast landscape of cinema, few films capture the intimate intricacies of family and culture quite like Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell.” This independent gem, released in 2019, offers a poignant and deeply personal exploration of familial bonds, cultural clashes, and the universal struggle of saying goodbye. Through its delicate storytelling and authentic performances, “The Farewell” stands as a…

[wenitsiyoh]

is somebody gonna match my freak?

(loving the character of eric preston deeply, understanding his personality and the way he views the people around him, knowing how he feels in certain situations, acknowledging his flaws, while also knowing that he is probably the nicest / most normal character in the book / movie. knowing his friendliness and the way he constantly tries to please the people around him. always giving the other characters rides or even just giving brian a little present on his birthday. seeing how trapped he felt with his relationship with neil and then how he was ignored and discarded like he was nothing after he moved away. seeing how freed he felt after befriending brian. noticing how distraught and genuinely angry for the boys when learning about their assault. loving his little quirks and his knack for telepathy. loving the character of eric preston deeply.)

probably not.

[hotpotdragon]

A Different Man (2024)

[krookodyke]

something i noticed recently is that as marian is going about her character arc, her progress is evident thru her hair. seeing as how she starts out the film “tightly wound”, it makes sense the first time we see her in the film not only is she working (in an office, no less) but she also has a very proper bun in—

even when she shows up to sugar n’ spice she hasn’t changed out of her work gear, not even a teensy bit. she still has her blazer + her little blouse on and her hair is still very much up. even as carla tells her girl take your blouse off she’s like Um. No O_O

the only time in the first two-ish acts of the movie we see her w her hair fully down is when she has jamie over to give her frozen vegetables to put on her black eye, when the day is clearly over for her. she’s in the private space of her apartment only with jamie so obvs her hair is down. (you could also point to this as jamie being the only person marian is truly comfortable with, which i’d also wholeheartedly agree with.)

however as the two of them begin their Trek down south, her hair is still in the same very proper bun it seems she’s used to. even the night after marian is awkwardly kicked out of the hotel for jamie and her hookup to have sex, she still has that same fuckass bun when they’re getting pizza and spot the soccer girls.

but Notably the morning after jamie & marian’s First Kiss that marian scrambles away into the night from and after jamie picks her up from the police station, marian’s hair is now different! she’s in a high pony! (also interesting how jamie’s mess of curls have also been thrown into an updo here— this fit is the only time in the movie that she’s truly wearing a different hairstyle. i assume bcuz margaret was tired of the curlers, but it’s still a fun detail comparatively.)

when they arrive at the hotel, her hair is somewhat different once again! her once-high ponytail has sunk into a medium-bordering-on-low pony. it’s interesting to note because her bun in the first act never seems to come undone or slip at all, but she has loosened up to the point wherein she’s fine with letting her hair slip.

then- Of Course— when they have fancy dinner and jamie is courting her like a gentleman, her hair is fully down! she’s also in a cute dress, which seems like a far cry from the marian we met at the beginning of the movie who was pulling up to dyke bars in silly, boxy blazers. (i could probably write a separate post on the wardrobing without thinking, honestly.)

after this, her hair is only kind-of up (as is jamie’s) when they get kidnapped. for the rest of the movie, it pretty much stays down. and naturally, in the final scene we get of them, her hair is down and done-up so pretty and she’s in another cute and less formal dress. WHOA!!! CHARACTER DEVLOPMENT!!!!!

also important to note that jamie clearly has a Thing for touching/playing with marian’s hair— her pulling marian closer by a hand in marian’s thick black locks + jamie twirling marian’s silly little ponytail around (she’s stimming guys she has ADHD).

plus, of course, the very sweet moment before they have sex wherein jamie is moving locks of marian’s hair out of the way as she’s undressing her so lovingly. i love the sex scene because it’s so soft and tender and acts as a breather for both us and the characters. you can tell marian is definitely at Peak relaxation here, just letting jamie undress her and go down on her, especially when she’s soooo blissed out from her orgasm that she falls asleep immediately after. they’re such sweethearts… sniff sniff.

marian’s whole hair progression was just something i noticed at one point and i was like WAIT! that’s GENIUS. also genius in the fact that geraldine has beautiful hair and is literally a pretty pretty princess, so seeing her be at Peak Princess only really at the end of the film feels like a reward. it’s such a change regardless, but one you can clearly see is coming from marian becoming more comfortable with herself and entering a relationship with jamie, who she’s always loved, a girl who has always loved marian as she is. gahd-damn it. i love this movie.

[mayimkjs]

FOOL's MATE Master Post

What is "FOOL's MATE"?

FOOL's MATE will be a documentary about Kayano Mikoto from MILGRAM. The goal of FOOL's MATE is to discuss all of the theories and dive into all of the aspects of his character.

MILGRAM (ミルグラム) is an ongoing interactive music project by DECO*27 and Takuya Yamanaka that was first established in April 2020. MILGRAM is a mysterious, magical prison that houses 10 prisoners who have all committed a murder, and it’s the job of the guard to determine if their crimes are forgivable. Mikoto, the 9th prisoner, has Dissociative Identity Disorder. This means that he has multiple personalities/identities called “Alters”. Because of this, he has the most complex and confusing story out of all the prisoners. No one knows who truly committed "his" murder.

Why am I doing this?

I'm currently getting my Bachelor's in Digital Media Production, and I'm having a documentary class. I thought I'd get a head start on pre-production so I could make something big and not waste my time on research. I'm also making this as something for my portfolio.

FOOL's MATE is currently in full-on production mode right now!

Notes

The research document is sorta like a jumping-off point for multiple other things like the script and a shot list. Because I'm basing my script off of this, it's sorta wordy and there are some jokes (one's an inside joke).

So far in terms of filming, I'm planning on having a scene where I go to an actual psychic to get their opinion on Mikoto's tarot reading in MeMe. There will also be a continuous scene that's going to be sorta inspired by Mystery Files, so me presenting this shit to my friends like an insane person. 

Disclaimers

I do not claim to be a mental health professional by any means. This documentary is being made for entertainment purposes only. If I get anything wrong, please correct me.

I do not condone the harassment of any involved party due to the contents of this project.

The content in this documentary is supposed to have a neutral viewpoint and be based on fact and common theories unless stated otherwise.

School Dates

These are so people know sorta where I am and how close I am to my docu class. Don't worry; these are vague enough that I won't get doxxed.

Current: Winter, Term 10

Tags

Research - #fools mate research

Behind the Scenes - #fools mate bts

Update Posts - #fools mate update

Polls - #fools mate poll

Asks - #fools mate asks

Storyboards - #fools mate boards

Promo Videos - #fools mate pv

Misc - #fools mate extras

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This post will be updated as time goes on

[trobedgirldads]

because the actual trailer comes out TOMORROW OMGGG… here’s all my thoughts on the lovebug teaser trailer/sizzle reel!!!

fair warning… this post will have very little structure… it’s just my train of thought as a rewatch the teaser for the billionth time lollll

(also content warning bc i vaguely discuss abusive relationships in this post bc it’s very relevant to the film i’m talking about)

-empty diet coke glasses???? they’re beautiful for indicating period right off the bat but is there water in them or are they literally just completely empty 😭😭

-the music sounding like a heartbeat is so interesting to me.

-douglass’s fidgeting vs gracie’s stillness in the first overhead shot of them in bed together is such a good way to show that everything she does is calculated while he just makes choices without necessarily thinking it through

-“you’re special” hits me so hard

-i have nothing insightful to say about this but dougie’s signature is gorgeous

-THE LIVING ROOM CLIPS okok so in all three of these, she’s working on something while he’s just kinda hanging out, which really establishes the dynamic in their relationship

-and then the next shot where she’s the one driving… same thing with establishing relationship dynamics. she’s the one in power. she’s the one who makes the decisions.

-my big thing… omg omg omg i’m obsessed with the way it builds it up like it’s a kinda raunchy but overall cute and sweet romcom (with just a few hints otherwise that you don’t catch the first time around) UNTIL you get like 2/3 of the way through and you’re hit with “you should be grateful…” (i’m not about to write out the whole speech but yeah). it really well represents what a toxic/abusive relationship like this really feels like, when you think it’s all great and you’re in love, but a few things start to crack and then it all shatters and you realize how bad it really is. playing it from this angle and showing the build of how people find themselves in these dangerous situations is so important

-the hesitation when he repeats “dougie style” like even from when they first start out he isn’t confident that this is what he wants but he does it anyway bc he thinks she knows best…

-i will say tho i still have a very mild fear that i have read way too deep into this and this movie isn’t going to take this topic as seriously as it should and i’m gonna end up being really disappointed… hoping not tho!!! bc wow it really could be the most incredible representation of abusive/toxic/controlling relationships if it’s done well so i really hope it is

[theomenmedia]

"Queer" Trailer, Starring Daniel Craig, Is Out Now!

Dive into the world of desire and delusion with Luca Guadagnino's 'Queer'. From Daniel Craig's transformative performance to its psychedelic visuals, get ready for a film that challenges the norm.

Check our the trailer right here: https://www.theomenmedia.com/post/unveiling-the-layers-of-luca-guadagnino-s-queer-a-trailer-breakdown-and-analysis

[pdrojack]

The stare

Submarine by Richard Ayoade

[thefandomentals]

This Sunday, Jeremiag takes a look at @americanapictures latest film, Summer Day in Brooklyn.

[iseenoway]

a sexy video essay by meeee

[anotherpapercut]

coworker asked me a few weeks ago about what theme he should do for the book group he was starting and I was stoked bc he has great taste and was going to do it at a time I could actually go and he ended up choosing popular booktok books as his theme 😒

[screamingeyepress]

Ever wondered what happens when an escaped mental patient on PCP crashes your Thanksgiving? Dive into the madness of "Home Sweet Home" (1981). Wanna read Buttonface's review? Check it out here: https://www.screamingeyepress.com/review/home-sweet-home-thanksgiving-horror/

[captaingimpy]

Thoughts on medpa: Everything Everywhere All at Once: A Cinematic Journey Through Choices, Regret, and Generational Tension

Everything Everywhere All at Once, directed by the Daniels (Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert), is a film that defies categorization. It blends the intensity of martial arts cinema with the complexity of sci-fi storytelling, all while exploring deeply personal themes like generational trauma, existential reflection, and the burden of unrealized potential. Its ability to merge the narrative depth…

[birukzz]

Movie: The Creator 2023

>>Watch The Full Movie For free... https://tinyurl.com/3kw7bj9y

[mayimkjs]

FOOL's MATE Update Post #5

Master Post　　Last Update

School Date: Fall, Term 9, Week 1

Haven't done much this month. Mainly just house keeping stuff. Most of the changes to the research doc have been made in the past week because I wanted to have this update out on the 6th.

Obligatory happy birthday to our favorite mentally ill twink. I'll be adding today's timeline to all of the documents that it needs later today. So It wont be in today's research compile. I'll give a little bit of what I think here though. I find it interesting that it's John who's in it and that he's still playing the monster act. I'll make a full post about it soon.

I was also watching Akidearest's newest video which reminded me that I should probably define what Japan counts as murder. So I wrote up a quick slide that takes what she read off of an article about if writing in the Death Note counts as murder. I'll expand it using other and more appropriate sources soon. I just want to have that slide and those ideas down so I don't forget about it.

Pre-Pro Mode

I have officially started my Pre-Production class. I'll be posting work that I do for that class whenever I have it done. The main assignments for the class, in order of due date, are the project proposal, budget, scripts and storyboards. I have the class Tuesdays, so these posts will likely be on Tuesdays.

Prototype Intro

Here's the finalized prototype intro. There isn't any audio in this version. There was audio in the version I turned into my teacher. I would have had to cut some things out and the timeline got messed up somehow, so I just rendered a different comp that contains everything that I wanted to render.

Promo Video

I've started to make the first promo video. I wanted to have it ready for Mikoto's birthday, but that's obviously not happening. So now my goal is to have this done for Double's anniversary. Here's the storyboard.

Changes

Added

How did he not get caught

General Music Info

What in Japan counts as murder?

English Covers

Finished

Vocal styles

Expanded

Birthstones

The Role of Jackalopes in MILGRAM

Links

Mikoto’s & John’s Speech Patterns

Moved

The Kayano System in a Musical Context under Mikoto’s & John’s Speech Patterns

Links

Research Doc (Comments on like always)

Milanote

Reddit Post

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