#it's bonkers to me. i wish 15 year old me could have known. 25 year old me too.

[scare-ard--sleigh]

honestly uhh . good things keep happening and that's ??? !!

[bewitching-elizabeth-olsen]

Press/Gallery/Video: Not Your Mother’s Suburbs

The Marvel Cinematic Universe comes to television with WandaVision the new Disney+ series that places a super-powered Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bettany in the suburbs of classic sitcoms.

https://elizabeth-olsen.com/media/Photoshoot/2020-EmmyMag.mp4

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  EMMY – When you wish upon a luxurious star, you just might land at Club 33 in Disneyland.

Tucked away above New Orleans Square and decorated with historic flourishes (the harpsichord at reception belonged to Walt Disney’s wife, Lillian), it’s a pricey, ultra-exclusive club for members and VIPS. On August 25, 2019, Marvel Studios president and chief creative officer Kevin Feige, joined by producer-director Matt Shakman, enjoyed lunch and swapped stories there with Dick Van Dyke and his wife, Arlene.

“It was unbelievable!” Feige recalls. “You sit down and don’t know what to say because you’re so starstruck.” Shakman is more succinct: “It was the best afternoon of my life.”

They weren’t there just to catch up with a 93-year-old legend. They were about to start production on an innovative Disney+ series called WandaVision — which Shakman will only describe as a “love letter to television” — and they wanted to hear about the star’s experiences on his groundbreaking 1960s sitcom, The Dick Van Dyke Show.

Van Dyke waxed about his fellow actor and the show creator, Carl Reiner, who mined real-life anecdotes for the episodes, as well as his own delight at filming in front of live studio audiences.

In turn, Feige talked about the new series he was executive-producing with Shakman, among others. “I tried to explain how there was this robot and a witch and how she had to kill him because Thanos reversed time,” he says with a laugh. “I’m thinking, ‘He doesn’t need to hear this!'”

With the premiere of WandaVision on January 15, it will all click. Set after the events of the 2019 blockbuster Avengers: Endgame, the weekly series — which is patterned on prototypical sitcoms of various eras — explores the adventures of Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and her love, an android named Vision (Paul Bettany).

Yes, Vision died when the Mind Stone was ripped from his forehead in the 2018 film Avengers: Infinity War, and he is still dead. But rules can be malleable when one of the two main characters is also known as Scarlet Witch.

“What I love about Wanda in the comic books, and what drew me to her originally,” Olsen says, “is what we get to explore in a beautiful way.” To that end, even a witch couldn’t have manipulated the series’ timing any better.

When Disney+ launched in November 2019, it did so with the promise that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) would soon unveil new series based on some of its lower-profile action heroes. At last, fans of the gazillion-grossing, 23-movie Infinity Saga would enjoy extensive and exclusive insights into the likes of Falcon, the Winter Soldier, Wanda, Vision, Loki and others, all in episodic installments.

But the global pandemic wreaked havoc on production schedules. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier — which required a complex, multi-city shoot and was set to lead the charge — got pushed to 2021. That left WandaVision, which aims to change the future of the medium by paying homage to its past.

“The show is complicated,” explains co-executive producer Mary Livanos, “because we’re incorporating the rules of the MCU and narrowing in on suburban family sitcoms — but not all the episodes are structurally similar.

“What’s fun about it is that it leads the audience to ask questions about when this takes place or whether this is a social experiment and if this is an alternative reality and an unraveling of the mystery. We’re excited that the Disney+ platform allows us the creative space to play around.”

Indeed, with revenues from cruises, theme parks and cinema down sharply due to the pandemic, Disney+ emerged as the clear winner in the Disney portfolio, signing more than 73 million global members in just 11 months. (The company had initially set its five-year goal at 60 million to 90 million.)

Meanwhile, the Star Wars series The Mandalorian nabbed an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series — and seven awards in crafts categories — and the MCU has expanded into the freshly minted series She-Hulk, Moon Knight and Ms. Marvel.

Those successes led to a major announcement this fall from new chief executive Bob Chapek: Disney would realign its business divisions to focus future creative efforts squarely on Disney+.

Feige admits to growing up with “a near-unhealthy love and obsession” for some of the characters on his favorite shows, like Alice and Little House on the Prairie, and he’s just as committed now to his behemoth production studio.

“Streaming is 100 percent the future and where consumers want to watch things,” he says. “And hopefully they’ll want to watch our longform narrative series. An experience like WandaVision is something you can’t get in a movie. You go to movies for things you can’t get on streaming, and you go to streaming for things you can’t get in a theater. And of course, everything in a theater goes to streaming eventually.”

It was back in the days of yore — ahem, early 2018 — when then–Disney CEO Bob Iger approached Feige about extending the MCU for what would be a new Disney streaming service. At the time, Feige, who started at Marvel Studios as a producer in 2000 and became president of production in 2007, was wrapping up the 10-year-long Infinity Saga storyline.

“My team and I were wondering internally about where to go from here, and what would be the next step that was equally challenging and unexpected,” he relates. The notion of extending the brand to television “was an adrenaline boost.” Looking to showcase MCU characters who hadn’t yet reached their potential in terms of screen time, he zeroed in on Wanda and Vision and their romantic but doomed love story.

“Elizabeth and Paul were these amazing actors — who had done amazing things in four movies — but never had a chance to dominate the narrative because there was so much else going on,” he explains. “It felt fun to finally give them a platform to showcase their astounding talent.”

Bettany, for one, assumed that his run as Vision had ended with his death in Infinity War. “I was called in to see Kevin and [Marvel copresident] Louis D’Esposito and was convinced that they were going to be gentlemen and say, ‘It’s been a great ride; thank you for your work and good luck,'” he recalls. Instead, they pitched him what he describes as an “exciting and bonkers” idea for the character’s return. “Of course, I said I was in.”

During Olsen’s meeting? “Kevin told me he wanted to merge two different comic series as inspiration. He explained the series would show how Wanda is originally from an Eastern European country and grew up on American black-market products like television,” she says, then cuts herself off to avoid revealing spoilers.

At first, she says, “I was a little bit nervous about Marvel doing something on television, because what does that mean and how could it possibly intertwine? But I got so excited when I heard that nugget of the idea.”

That nugget grew into a fleshed-out narrative in early 2019 after Livanos, who is also director of production and development at Marvel Studios, tapped screenwriter Jac Schaeffer (Captain Marvel, Black Widow) as head writer. “We envisioned Wanda and Vision in this sitcom setting but didn’t know what that meant until Jac came on,” Livanos says.

Schaeffer remembers: “I got wind of this percolating crazy notion of this project and told myself that I needed to get in on that!” …

Press/Gallery/Video: Not Your Mother’s Suburbs was originally published on Elizabeth Olsen Source • Your source for everything Elizabeth Olsen

[sebs-pev-reviews]

Lacroix Nazare - A Rocketship for the Streets

Not interested in reading the entire review? That’s alright with me! Click “keep reading” and scroll all the way down. I’ve added a “tl;dr” section that wraps up everything discussed in this writeup. Enjoy!

Introduction Lacroix Boards Co. burst into the esk8 scene in 2018 with their Prototipo DSS60 and DSS50+ boards. These boards used large flexible decks, slick pneumatic tires, powerful motors, and trucks commonly used on mountainboards. These components came together to create a machine that took the esk8 community by storm. Lacroix’s Prototipo competed against offerings from Kaly.nyc and BajaBoards. Their second generation lineup -- the Jaws, Nazare, and Nazare Lonestar -- continue Lacroix’s heritage of speed, stability, and comfort. Let’s check it out.

User Experience Before I get into the user experience, let me clarify some things. The Jaws is Lacroix new entry-level board. Like its Prototipo predecessor, the Jaws uses MBS Matrix II trucks. It has a narrower deck (42in x 16in), smaller motors (2x 6374 190kv), and smaller battery (12s4p 726wh) than the larger Nazare and Nazare Lonestar. The Nazare -- which I will be reviewing today -- is Lacroix’s new mid-range board. It sports a wide deck (42in x 19in), beefy motors (2x 6389 190 kv), and a large battery (12s6p 1089wh). The only difference between the Nazare and the Nazare Lonestar -- Lacroix’s top-of-the-line board -- is the battery. Instead of the regular Nazare’s 12s6p battery, the Nazare Lonestar sports a ridiculous 12s12p 2178wh battery. Finally, you’ll see me talking about my other board -- a Boosted Dual+ V2 -- a lot in this review. The two are not intended to be compared, since they are completely different machines. I only mention my Boosted in order to convey the differences between typical longboard-style esk8s and the monster that is the Nazare. Now that that’s cleared up, let’s get into the review.

I pre-ordered my Lacroix Nazare on June 21, 2019 and received it on September 6, 2019. The first thing that stood out to me was the box. It was REALLY heavy. I dragged the box inside and tore open the packing tape. The unboxing was pretty standard: the board right on top with all the accessories on the side. I removed some cardboard pieces holding the board in place and then I tried lifting the board...emphasis on tried. According to the Lacroix website, the Nazare weighs a whopping 39 lbs. Compared to my Boosted Dual+ V2, which weights a measly 15 lbs., removing the Nazare from its box was a whole workout.

I decided to swap out the stock bushings for a looser setup, since you can’t tighten Lacroix proprietary “Hypertrucks” like you can with a standard longboard/skateboard truck. This turned out to be a terrible decision on my part. I took the Nazare out to San Francisco the next day for a proper field test. On my way up Twin Peaks, I went a bit too fast, wobbled out, and took a tumble. Luckily, it was only a few scrapes. Remember kids: thoroughly test out your hardware before you attempt to thrash it on a group ride!

I swapped back to the stock setup and all was well. It just took a bit of time to get used to it. Again, my previous board was a Boosted Dual+ V2, a board known for its snappy maneuverability. The Nazare was the complete opposite. Turning required me to put my entire body into it (whereas the Boosted could round a corner at the shift of a heel). However, the Nazare isn’t a last-mile commuter like the Boosted is. In the title of this review, I refer to the Nazare as a “rocketship for the streets”, and I stand by that.

The ride is on a whole other level. The flexible deck, made of Canadian maple and triaxial fiberglass, was nice and springy, but not too flexy that it was unstable at high speeds. The 8 in. Kenda tires ate up literally every imperfection in the roads. I could attack cracks, rumble strips, and speed bumps without worrying at all. Even though the Kenda tires are slick tires intended for street use, the Nazare is more than capable off-road. I’ve ridden the Nazare on everything from dirt paths to grass fields, and it has never failed me. I’ve lost traction a few times when rolling over wet grass, but these are slicks. Again, these tires aren’t even intended to be used off-road, yet they overachieve. All in all, the Lacroix is comfortable as hell. I’ve ridden 30 miles in one day during a group ride, and my legs weren’t sore at all. I’m sure I can roll over a small village and not even notice it.

The speed is absolutely bonkers. I have ran multiple speed tests around San Francisco, and the fastest I’ve been able to take it is 34.3 mph (GPS-confirmed by Ride). This speed was achieved with the stock 16T pulleys, tires inflated to 40 PSI, and a 150 lb. rider (me). Additionally, this speed was not recorded at 100% throttle AND was recorded on a slight incline. In short, it can go faster than 34.3 mph. On the Lacroix website, the Nazare’s top speed isn’t even listed. They only say that the top speed is “more than you need.” With a lighter rider and/or with the optional 17-20T pulleys, speeds of 40+ mph are certainly possible.

The entire Lacroix lineup is belt-driven. No hubs or gear drives here. While it may be disappointing to some that the second-generation boards are not gear driven, you need to understand that gear drives aren’t that big of a deal. There’s really no performance benefits if a company chooses gears over belts. Belt-driven boards are relatively easier to perform maintenance on. Additionally, they’re a tad more quiet than gear drives. All the boards I have owned thus far have been belt-driven, so I have no complaints here.

Besides some upgrades (discussed below) and the routine tire inflation, I haven’t needed to do any maintenance to my Nazare. I would share the mileage on my odometer, but my Nazare’s VESC -- a FOCBOX Unity -- is currently at the Lacroix HQ being fixed. I sent it in after my board randomly turned on and wouldn’t turn off. According to JF, a support associate from Lacroix, the problem likely stems from a faulty anti-spark switch. To be clear, the faulty anti-spark switch is not Lacroix’s fault. The VESC was manufactured by an Australian company called Enertion (before they abruptly shut down earlier this year). I know that my VESC is in good hands. After all, Lacroix is planning on working their own OWN VESC, the Stormcore 1000. I’m currently a beta-tester for the Stormcore iOS app (thanks Sophia!), and judging by the fact that the app works with my old Unity, it looks like the Lacroix team will be providing support for it for a long while.

Upgrades Besides the e621 and Hyena Agenda stickers, I have made two major upgrades to my Nazare. The first upgrade that I made was to the controller. The Jaws, Nazare, and Nazare Lonestar all use the same remote: a Flipsky VX1. If you aren’t familiar with the VX1, it is a pistol grip-style remote with a scroll wheel for a throttle. I noticed that my remote would sometimes drop out while at a stop. I also wasn’t too happy with the feel of the remote. I didn’t like the grip, the thumb wheel felt too light, and the whole thing felt like it would shatter after a small wipeout. So, I ditched it, opting for a Hoyt St. Midnight Puck (pictured below) instead. Now, it may seem counterintuitive to ditch a stock pistol grip remote for what looks like a literal hockey puck. All looks aside, the Hoyt Puck is actually very comfortable in the hand. It perfectly contours to my grip and the scroll wheel on it feels so much more solid than what is on the VX1. It has a nice heft to it, and I have never experienced a dropout with the Puck.

The second major upgrade I’ve made to my Nazare is swapping the headlight mounts. The two 2000 lumen headlights on the Nazare are AMAZING. They’re brighter than the headlights on my Prius and they make pedestrians hate me. What’s not so amazing are their mounts. They’re dinky plastic pieces that are prone to breaking if you overtighten the mounting screw too much. After one of my mounts broke, I decided to grab some CNC'd aluminum GoPro mounts off of Amazon (thank you to Fred Zhang from BAEsk8 for the recommendation!). They were pretty pricey at $20 for two mounts, but it came with the assurance that I’d never need to worry about a floppy headlight or a broken plastic mount again.

As I mentioned in the “user experience” section, I rock the 16T setup. I like the torque and I don’t think I’ll upgrade to the 18T anytime soon!

Expectations vs. Reality You know, I don’t even think the Nazare even needs this section. Its specs are already ludicrous.

Manufacturer claim: “more than you need” top speed Tested: 34.3 mph (8 in. Kenda slicks, 40 PSI, 16T pulleys, 150 lb. rider, can definitely go way faster)

Manufacturer claim: 25-32 miles Tested: I’ve gone on a 20 mile ride without needing to charge. I don’t remember just how much juice I had left when I ended the ride, but I know that I had a lot more juice left. Range anxiety disappears when you own a Nazare.

Manufacturer claim: can ride up 40% grade hills Tested: No data, but I have taken it up some pretty steep hills in San Francisco. I have no doubt about Lacroix’s claim to go up 40% grade hills. It can probably go up a vertical wall and I wouldn’t be surprised.

Gripes The gripes that I had with the remote and the plastic mounts were easily remediated when I swapped them out for better parts. Though, it would be nice if the aluminum headlight mounts and Hoyt remote came stock with the board. Seeing as the board has some amazing headlights, the lack of tail lights is disappointing. The board is stupid expensive (like, whole-summer-for-a-minimum-wage-worker expensive) and I wish there could be a few extra creature comforts, but oh well.  Finally, the deck of the Nazare is certainly a controversial topic. The deck (pictured below) features a deck with exposed carbon with light blue, dark blue, and red accents that would make a BMW fanboy proud. The griptape that is superimposed on it has an interesting choice of creases and lines on it. Personally, I think it looks fine (though I do miss the exposed wood on the Prototipo).

Conclusion The Lacroix Nazare a “rocketship for the streets.” Its ride comfort is next level, its speed is blisteringly fast, and its hardware is simply amazing. Even though the Nazare is technically Lacroix’s mid-range model, the range and features make it feel like a flagship. Speed needs? Fulfilled. Range anxiety? Gone. Clout factor? People stare at you like you’re goddamn Marty McFly when you ride this thing. I took my Nazare to Santa Monica last December and people LOVED IT down there. I got so many fist-bumps from drivers and waves from pedestrians because you look like an absolute badass on a Nazare. Just like supercars, superboards require a) modifications to make it exactly how you want and b) some TLC every so often. It kinda sucked shelling out around $200 for extra modifications for a board that was already $3300, but it’s all in the pursuit of the perfect ride. I think the $3300 for this board is justified, since the Lacroix team has had my back since day 1. If I have and questions, comments, or concerns, Alex makes that me and my board are well taken care of. I gotta admit, I thought the Nazare was an unwieldy chonk of a skateboard at first, but now that I’ve had some time to play with it, I’ve been able to harness its full potential...and, oh boy, does it kick. If you’ve been saving up for your dream board, this is it. tl;dr The Lacroix Nazare is superboard in all aspects: it’s really fast, has a huge range, and is very well-built. You’ll be shelling out a pretty penny for a Nazare, since they start at $3300 before options and shipping. I personally didn’t like the remote or the headlight mounts, so I had to purchase upgrades. Unfortunate, yes, but I was willing to overlook that since you gotta make certain changes to make it your own. With Lacroix, you’re buying a hand-built board with a fantastic team behind it. Overall, the Nazare is a kick-ass board.

Transparency is very important to me. The Lacroix Nazare and all its upgrades discussed in this review were all purchased by me. The other companies discussed in this review (Enertion, Flipsky, Hoyt St.) did not pay me for or advise me to write any content in this review. All opinions are my own.