#it's slight and really just bad cgi

[sundry-whovengerslocked]

things we Don't Really Talk About in the Doctor Who fandom (although we really should):

this Scooby-Doo scene, mainly because it takes place in the same episode as this:

and this:

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this interspecies couple:

and their children:

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this creepy lady and her leech:

and how she turned The Doctor into this:

-

those few episodes with this kid who was sort-of-not-really a companion:

and The Doctor was essentially on the future space version of Big Brother:

and this was the bad guy:

also Scotty was in it:

-

these awful dolls that came to life and turned other people into dolls:

-

that time The Doctor and team saw this message on the surface of Mars:

only to discover Victorian soldiers there:

and the baddass Empress Martian:

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that time everyone got sucked into the tv:

and promptly lost their faces:

and The Doctor went all Mary Poppins on a misogynist:

-

my least favorite, the first time Mark Gatiss appeared:

and turned into this:

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and my most favorite, that time there was a (presumably) cis pregnant man:

and when asked if it was a girl or a boy, said that both male and female people of his species could get pregnant - and that men gave birth to boys, and women gave birth to girls.

and the bad guy of the episode was Just A Little Guy who ate everything:

(including a bomb. and not only did it survive, it was finally sated!)

-

these are out of order but there are definitely more. and the point is, like... Doctor Who is weird. it always has been. this isn't even counting Classic Who, as I haven't watched much of it.

and I think we should talk about the underrated episodes more. because they have some really poignant moments:

and also...

it's just fucking hilarious, dude

(evil vampire lady drinking life force through a straw)

[happyimaginaryme]

One Piece Live Action review

WARNING: SPOILERS DONT READ IF YOU DONT WANT SPOILERS!!!!!!

I went into watching this thinking it was going to tank. I honestly thought it was going to be a disaster like Dragon Ball evelution. I was worried about only 8 episodes with first season orgonally having 46. I was worried they were going to change a lot and take away a lot. Make it more dumb. I really had no idea what they were going to do.

I was wrong. The first episode had me shocked. Was there differences? Yes. But they werent bad. They made sense. I rated the first epide 4 of 5 stars. It wasnt perfect but it truly was a good opening episode.

The actrors were amazing. When I seen the postrs and trailors Inwas worried. Sanji missing his eyebroe, Usopp his long nose, and some of the CGI looked a little weird. That was one of the reasons had me worried. Yet the actors did such an amzing job!

Zoro is just fucking perfect. I love him. I love Love love love that they included Mr. 7 and Zoro's fight. That was shook and let me tell you I jumped and nearly squealed when I seen that. They don't show that fight in manga or anime. Its only mentioned.

Mackenyu Did a great job betraying Roronoa Zoro. 5 stars.

Though one of my dissapoitments when it comes to Zoro are three things: First his missing fight with Hatchi and how Luffy is introduced with Zoro. And His fight with mihawk. (Not that it was bad but that 3 people who witnese it I always thought was omportant were not there)

Not seeing Hatchi is a disapointment. However I can see why they may have cut him out. The live action is following the manga as close as it can while also being realistic. But we see Hatchi again in later arcs. Before timeskip and right after. It would be hard to justify soneone who worked for Arlong (who pretty much inslaved Nami) make him a good and likeable charector? I mean I dont hate Hatachi from the manga/Anime but I never understood why Nami would be okay with associating with him regardless if he wasnt one who did anything to her or not. So that could be why they left him out? Another reason could be time. They only had 8 episodes to work with. Could they fit a third fight sceen in the one episode? Hard to say. Or even his 6 arms could have been an issue. Not sure. But still I really like his fight with Zoro. Still the fight sceen with Zoro and Sanji working wonders together is amazing and makes up for it. It was still a good part and yeah its a sisspointment not seeing Hatachi but at the same time The fight and banter with Sanji makes up for it.

Now one dispoinment which is me more nit picking when it comes to Zoro is his introduction with Luffy. Luffy wanted Zoro on his crew by just hearing about him. He didnt see him or know him he was like "yeah? Hes a good fighter? Ima make him my crew. Then he heard what Zoro did for rhe little girl. I really really likes that from the manag. That being said! The way the live action did it was still really good too. Is it a slight bummer? Yeah but not enough for it to be bad. It still good and the point across of Zoro being a good guy stands.

As for his fight witb Mihawk. It was amazing ok? I loved it. Now what is a bit sad to see is no Johnny and Yadaku and Sanji didn't witness the fight. Again its more nit picking but hear me out! In the Manga and Anime Sanji watches the fight and hes angry. He is angry its not him going after his dream but also because its like Zoro is Waisting his dream. I always thought that was important. At least for Sanji's charector. HOWEVER because of the things they changed with Sanji and his story it probably makes sense. Ill get to that when I get to Sanji. Its also a bunner Johnny and Yadaku isnt in this but I get it. Time and money sometimes minor things need to be cut.

Overall though. Every thing with Zoro is jsut so good. Even the things I got a Tad bumbed at (more me nit picking) but even though I was the changes they made I liked.

Lets talk about Usopp. Usopp again I was a little bumbed with no long nose. I mean. Okay. It probably would have been a pain to either CGI it or wear a prostrdic. So I get it. That being said Jacob Romero did a great job! And the only Usopp to get the kiss haha. Now I was happy Usopp got the kiss. At the same time I am like "bah. No romance in OP lol" but damn the Usopp Kiya shipper in me was so happy! Honestly 5 stars for Usopp.

My disapointment with Usospp's arc was no Jango. Like this one I did not get? It was Jango that hipnotized the impoten Kuru to believe he was Kuru in the first place. So unless they are going to bring that into play later? Yeah I have to say thats one of the biggest disapointments. Again not enough for me to hate on or dislike the changes. I really enjoyed the arc. It was more darker and honestly sad to! Like they killed merry! He's supposed to survive! They also cut out Onion carrot and pepper but to be fair a gron man playing with 3 children? Weird lol. Actually I forgot about them until I realized that they were also missing. My more concern was Jango! Even so it was fun to watch. Different and more thrilling.

Nami my dear I enjoyed her. She isn't my favorate in any addaption but I still like the charecter. I thought Emily Rudd played her well. 4.5 stars. My only issue is I felt like she was a little stiff at times at first? But she really started to shine towards the end. Like she was amazing. If it wasnt for the first episode or two where I felt she was off I would give her 5 starts. Its again nit picking! Because she was amazing!

Lets talk about Luffy though. I thought Iñaki Godoy was amazing. Like he was amazing Luffy. 5 stars. I almost almost want to say 4.5 of 5 stars because there were times where I think Luffy would be smiling or doing something dumb he was more serious? But I didn't care so much because this isnt the Anime and its not the manga. Its live action and some things need ro be realistic. So I got it. And he the actor loved being Luffy and you can see he did his best at ir. Like he was made for this part!

Now I want to get into Sanji. I kept Sanji for last because he's not only my fave OP char he is my fave Anime/Manga char of all the anime/manga I read and love. Like he is #1 in my book. He is the Goat! So out of the first 5 straehats, if I was going to nit pick anyone it was going to be Taz Skylar's betryal of Sanji.

I was not dissapointed. He did a fantastic Job. I was impressed to know that he not only learned kick boxing and cooking he also did his own stunts. Fucking impressive for any actor. 5 stars. Dude. I loved it. We still got to see that anger and cussing he does but most of all we got to see his kidness.

Was there disapointments in his episodes? Yeah. It sucks that we didnt get to see his fight with Ging. That is one great fight. The whole Gin crying because he cant kill Sanji and taking the poison gas? Holy hell. I get it they didnt have time to do the whole don kerig saga. But daaamn that is the biggest disapointments.

Howeever! The changes they made was still good. Because if this serious continued and we learn of Sanji's past with Germma then I think I underdtand. Yes I like the Sanji disagreeing with Luffy to join banter and Sanji in general being more angry at the start. But his nonchalant more easy going side is.... refreshing and part of Sanji we dont see much until later. I like that they are focused on Sanji's kindness! Hes always introduced in the manga as 'A kind hearted chef who lives woman' in every issue of the manga.

The Live action is really focused on Sanji's kindness but also his silly side that he can be sometimes. Still top fighter next to Zoro. But more playful. In both Anime and Manga Sanji is seen eating and enjoying rhe party. But here in the live action he is the one cooking and serving. Like they are really highlighting the kindess in Sanji here. So yeah I was dissapointed that there was no Gin fight but. Again it was changed in a delightful way! Like I like the change. It was like the writers went to Oda. "Hey. We want to highlight Sanji's kindess how can we change this without xhanging his actual past story and what not?" And oda was like "well...do this" or something. Because it worked. They made Sanji's intro still sad as fuck wirh him and Zeff on the rock. The two still share the same relationship and they highlight Sanji's kindness. Also I kinda like the tone down womanizing.

Also the Zoro and Sanji bantering? My ZoSan shipping heart is like Yuuuusss!

So yeah I had some dissapointments. I was hoping for Sanji to witness the mihawk fight. Even if it was out the window ya know? I do feel like it was important. Alas. But all that asside I loved it.

One more char I want to talk about it Buggy. This mofo is brillant betryal. Still Buggy but darker. More intresting!

So over all I give it a 4 of 5 stars. Not perfect but still fucking fantastic.

[crehador]

BROTHER CRAB'S SUMMER 2024 TOP THREE

i can't believe this is happening i really can't believe it but i think i'm gonna have to go with

THIRD PLACE: NIGE JOUZU NO WAKAGIMI

for much of the season, nigewaka seemed like it was easily going to be my anime of the season. it had a banging first episode and never at any point got less enjoyable to me

the animation was consistently beautiful (yeah sure with the occasional jarring bit of cgi but in all honesty it never bothered me much) and the characters are all delightful to me

i think the mix of humor and the horrors of war depicted here, understandably, might not appeal to everyone. but it really worked for me. the fact that these characters are so lively and alive, as opposed to doomed and hopeless, in these times of strife makes the stakes feel all the higher to me

so despite it taking third place on my list, this is still solidly one of the best shows of the season (of the year, even)

a few things just happened to blow me away a tad bit more

SECOND PLACE: DEAD DEAD DEMONS DEDEDEDE DESTRUCTION

honestly this is so close for me that demons and nigewaka may as well be a tie, but maybe demons gets a slight edge just for being something so fresh to me

god i loved this. it's been a hot minute since i've seen something that felt so real and human. aliens are invading, the world is ending, but girls will be girls

i guess, like nigewaka, demons also mixes some good ol' humor with The Horrors, and it really works here too. the theme of "hey there's this giant alien mothership hanging over the city but life goes on" is executed so well in the early episodes of this series, and the plottier plot comes together in such a satisfying way in the later episodes

and seriously just huge props to ano and lilas ikuta for their performances in the leading roles here, they smashed it. if i didn't know, never in my life would i have guessed they weren't voice actors with years and years of experience each

ANIME OF THE SEASON: TSUE TO TSURUGI NO WISTORIA

first things first, i would not say this is objectively the best show of the season

but holy shit this is the most fun i've had all year

i'm probably more surprised than anyone that wistoria is ending up as my anime of the season, because even after a whole season, the story is just so... it's basically nothing (stay with me)

there are so many things you could call the plot of wistoria. typical, tropey, contrived, textbook, tired, etc etc etc. anyone who finds the plot boring isn't wrong. it's a fantasy magic school series like any other fantasy magic school series, with so many tropes that you'll recognize if you've watched basically any amount of fantasy at all

but for some reason i didn't dislike it. maybe wistoria doesn't do anything new, but it hits on all these familiar plot beats in such fun and entertaining ways

at some point i realized what word i really wanted to use to describe it:

quintessential

sure, it wouldn't be unfair to call it contrived or derivative or what have you. but to me, this is a quintessential fantasy action/adventure series. yes it hits on all the story beats we're familiar with, from countless series before it, but it hits each beat perfectly

the characters are ridiculous, all easily recognizable archetypes, but they're so unrepentant in who they are that i find myself enjoying them too

and then there's the animation

guys this show is fucking gorgeous. like if it weren't this pretty, i doubt i would be raving this much about it. if it had been just decently animation, i'm pretty sure i would've just enjoyed it a normal amount

but the animation is so so so good that this quickly became the number one show i was hoping for a season two of (and we are getting one!)

like the production quality just did not waver. i found myself baffled that this is the series, the story, that got this level of masterful work put into it. but then i started thinking maybe that's unfair, because really, the story is not bad. fairly simple and straightforward sure, but again: quintessential fantasy

not to end on an absurdly cheesy note, but just like how it's wistoria wand and sword, i think it's the stellar animation and entertaining story/cast that makes this series work so well. without the animation being this good, the story wouldn't have been enough to stand out. but without a truly entertaining story, the animation, however pretty, would have felt pretty empty too

very eagerly awaiting season two

[bloodcoveredgf]

☕️ CGI vs practical effects

oh practical effects win over cgi like almost everyyy time. i think there is a place and a really good one for cgi though, especially when it works well and Makes the movie possible like in terminator 2 for instance! and as a huuuuugeeeeee practical effects warrior i do prefer and strive for practical effects to be used and think theyre severely underutilized now but i LOVE 90s-early 2000s shitty cgi sooo much its not so much a "guilty" pleasure of mine but it kiiinddd of is because i really really love it lol and even think its kinda lame to be reallyyy genuinely upset or turned off by it no matter what like 😭 its fun its silly sometimes live a liiitttleee.. like think about buffy the vampire slayer and stuff like that ouuu its just too good its classicccc!!! but more importantly practical effects should and do have a place in film TO THIS DAY And they did during the uprise of cgi then and now and they will Forever and should be utilized a LOT more and i think they often do look and feel a lot better especially when it comes to gore and such. i think cgi blood is a hard pill to swallow like 99% of the time, but its a little funny and fun sometimes its very video game-y to me and so cheap and so bad 😭 too many times its used when fake blood is just so much cooler and better, even with the clean up! like come onnn.. i also think creatures and the like should be practical again even if theres slight cgi usage to polish certain things up or whatever i just want practical creatures back!!!! theyre so awesome!!!! and itd be awesome if things wereenttt soooo polished!! it all takes a loooottt of work and resources but god the payoff.... its so worth it and i wish more filmmakers these days took that into account and had a passion for it. i am so happy that especially in horror a lot of movies Have been going back to the basics and pouring time and work and money into making things practical :-) yaaaayy!!!

[readingtoinfinity]

Secret Level part 2

The second half is out now, and like before I had completely forgotten to watch them. Well, I'm done now. There were some highs, some lows, but let's take the good with the bad and go through them.

The Outer Worlds: The Company We Keep

Like the game it's based on, this short is very bleak and kinda hard to stomach at times. The anti-capitalist message is front and center and just as horrible as the game wished it to be, but the message becomes muddled when you look at this main character, Amos. Not a smart man by any measure, the ending is ostensibly positive, with Amos working for Auntie Cleo as a gardener, and all of us watching knowing the company is going to hurt a lot of people to help their bottom line. That hidden horrible reality may be the point, in this case, but I feel like this short could've done with a bleaker, harsher ending, to reinforce the message from the rest of the short: it doesn't matter who you are or what you can do, you will be gristle in capitalism's meat grinder eventually. As it stands, it feels weak on the satire and unmemorable as a whole.

Mega Man: Start

Aah! This short was apparently made deep in the uncanny valley. It was here that you could really see the limits of the almost-realistic CGI most of the shorts use, and it would have benefited from either being less realistic (and allowing for a more cartoony, closer-to-the-games look) or more (making the original games an inspiration rather than a direct comparison, like how they designed Bomb Man).

Having said all that, it's quick, powerful and very cool. I didn't play any Mega Man games, and my only connection is the fan music by The Megas, although I love that a lot. Even without that nostalgic connection, I found this short to be a lot of fun.

Exodus: Odyssey

I found this one to be a slight mixed bag. On the one hand: a strong central thesis and conceit, with an emotional connection between the main character and his daughter that pulls you through the rest of the episode.

On the other hand: eh. I can see the narration is necessary to set up some things for later, but even so some of it is unnecessary. Honestly leaving some emotions and plot points more ambiguous would've made this episode a lot more memorable.

Spelunky: Tally

Finally, some stylized fucking animation. I found this short to be amusing, charming, but ultimately shallow. There's an earnest message about trying again and doing your best even in bad circumstances, but with little emotional weight behind it.

Concord: Tale of the Implacable

Why the hell did they try to make this game a $40 hero shooter?! The world is perfect for a single-player experience, something like the more-recent Star Wars games, Outer Wilds or even (a better version of) Starfield. Obviously these deals and animations were made way in advance so this was supposed to come out and grow the player-base for the game, but alas, it is the last gasp of a corporately-ordered failure.

And it's so fucking good. Oh my God why is it so good?!

I recognized the voice talents of Laura Bailey and Darin De Paul, both bringing their at-least B-Game to this short, but recognized nobody else. But the actors featured here were all up to the task and played their part to the hilt, and for that I must give props.

For most of the episode, you're dealing with your standard Han Solo types, only in it for the money and trying to get away with a stash. But there's a turn later in the story, and the fact whoever made this had the utter gall to give it not only an unflinching ending, but somehow managed to wrangle something beautiful and wonderful from that? I teared up watching this. And it's about fucking Concord! What the fuck?!

But let me not say that corporate slop cannot be an inspiration for art. Great art can come from anywhere, spurred by anything. So may it be for this.

Honor of Kings: The Way of All Things

I didn't like the art style very much. There's an inconsistency in the models, from the madman who looks very realistic to the bishounen (or its Chinese equivalent) Yi Xing to the strange-looking Tiangong, none of the characters quite look like they belong on-screen together, and not to the point of something like Kingdom Hearts where that's the point and it becomes its own art style.

It's not distracting for long, however.

I liked this setup, and the themes played with throughout this short. Tiangong claims to be a computer that can calculate and predict everything, calling the actions from one to the other "cause and effect" and comparing itself to the moon pulling water. Yi Xing is a boy who wants revenge, and Tiangong, the computer that is a city, would try to convince him revenge is pointless and his defeat has already been preordained.

This one benefited greatly from being a philosophical game between its two named characters. The interplay between the two, both in their game of Go and over the idea of free will was made extra fascinating to watch by stunning animation and artistic flourishes which fed back into the story. Setup and payoff, cause and effect, past and future, all of these things were wrapped up into this episode.

It also benefits immensely from a final twist ending that I found astonishing and a tough nut to crack for a bit. Even if the ending isn't a chestnut like Inception, It's still a bit of something sticky and tough, like fruit leather, that makes everything seen before take on a different light, and you question the conclusion of both the game and the argument. And I like that; I like that this ending asks you to question everything you saw, from beginning to end. It forced me to go back through and re-watch some scenes so I had a greater context; there's a confidence to this execution that is as underplayed as Tiangong's introduction and character, and I'll be thinking about this one for a long time.

Playtime: Fulfillment

Let me start with the positives. Kevin Hart, though he is still annoying in this short, is supposed to be, and in that respect he does a good job. Heaven Hart, his daughter, does a passable job as the main character, though she could use a little extra practice. And the central message against microtransactions and meager rewards in favor of a more pure competitive gaming experience is one I can respect.

But with God as my witness I will not be tricked into liking any fucking version of Ready Player One!

This episode is the only one in the season that wasn't based on an original video game, instead being about PlayStation's exclusives and IPs and about how fun they are, how better they are. Maybe you can see my disdain? Even Astro Bot got flack from people who didn't like the corporate crossovers in it, and that game had the benefit of being fun and engaging (according to Jacob Geller and the good people at Overly Sarcastic Productions; I don't own a PlayStation). How much more should they righteously hate this short that peddles more of that slop?

I am not against crossovers. I think there's a lot of fun to be had from throwing characters together in an oddball setting. Fortnite, for all its flaws, provides a lot of fun from having recognized characters going at each other in a game that's at least a little fun. So having Kratos from God of War, Gauis from Shadow of the Colossus, Helldivers (from Helldivers 2) and Sackboy from Little Big Planet all crossing over with one another could be fun.

But my annoyance at watching an ad in my free time turns to annoyance when it offers little artistic merit. All of these IPs are only here to remind you to play PlayStation games, and they are thrown in your face to force you to remember the better times you spent with other medias and games. Kratos was a big draw for most audiences and the fact he's on-screen for a couple seconds and Christopher Judge even reprises the role only to yell and then be discarded tells you the priorities of this short.

I hate it. It's not bad, not completely, barely even mediocre, but its core premise is rotted from corporate oversight. All these other shorts were about something, even at their worst they were trying to tell a story or provide a message. This is nothing; it is solely an advertisement to play other, better games, from studios shuttered by the company that bought them. It's Sony congratulating itself for projects it wasn't involved with, and to that I say: fuck 'em. They don't deserve the accolades.

I've taken the liberty of including a tier list of all these episodes. Please note letter grades are only approximations; this order is how much I enjoyed or think these shorts were of quality.

S: something new, something surprising or intriguing. Unreal Tournament: Xan (a surprisingly-powerful origin for the game's main villain) Honor of Kings: The Way of All Things (a strange, compelling argument with a great twist) Concord: Tale of the Implacable (honor among thieves, even in dire straits)

A: something I enjoyed without reinventing the wheel. PAC-MAN: Circle (a delightfully fucked-up reinterpretation) Warhammer 40,000: And They Shall Know No Fear (I mean… come on… I love these space marine guys) Sifu: It Takes a Life (exactly as artistic as I was expecting)

B: it's alright, maybe even fun, but the flaws are stark. Mega Man: Start (quite cool, but that's about it) New World: The Once and Future King (moderately amusing with a good emotional core) Armored Core: Asset Management (a good ending on a bland episode)

C: cracks start to form. Enjoyment lessens. Exodus: Odyssey (forgettable, feelings of wonder fall flat, lack of emotional tether) Dungeons & Dragons: The Queen's Cradle (uncanny at best and punchy-fighty without any emotional stakes) Spelunky: Tally (earnest but clumsy) The Outer Worlds: The Company We Keep (lacks the strong bite that made the games so good, ending fell flat) Crossfire: Good Conflict (things happened, I suppose)

Pure, visceral hatred: lack of artistic qualities drive me to madness. Playtime: Fulfillment (...HOW MUCH I'VE COME TO HATE YOU...)

So, that is Secret Level in total. Despite everything I'm still glad I went through it. It's not something you see too much of, and everyone who worked on the animation gave it their all. Even still I'm almost certainly going to watch season 2, but I've no idea what the final product will look like. And isn't that exciting?

[onesaltysir]

I need to settle this with myself, I can't decide if it's a good movie or not. Debate material under cut.

Eva Gabor slays as Miss Bianca (my queen) both times so that's an automatic yes from me. The story itself was also not bad.

On the other hand the animation threw me off because I've always been so loyal to the original 1977 The Rescuers. Milt Kahl's animation is such a big deal to me, that was the best era of Disney and I will not be hearing other opinions because they are wrong.

The egg scene with Johanna and Mcleach in the kitchen? Made me smile during my surgery recovery. Animated movies rarely make me smile. That scene was peak cinematic gold.

The absolute deciding factor is if Jake is sexy or not. Now for the record I am 100% team Bernard. Thicc mouse man with a dumpy and a big heart? Yes maam. (He also has a slight stutter. As a stutterer myself, child me instantly fell in love when my father had me watch the original for the first time.) But there's just something about Jake's charm. That Indiana Jones ass kangaroo rat could punt me into the sun and I can’t tell if I would thank him or dropkick that Crocodile Dundee motherfucker.

Miss Bianca, however, has been and always will be my favourite. Everyone has a crush on her everywhere she goes and she looks so put together but I promise you she is so fucking autistic and probably does Jello shots with whoever wishes to humour her. Just watch the original, and then this is emphasized in Down Under. Fucking icon. God is a white mouse from Hungary with a purple hat.

That being said, let's turn back to the animation. What are these CGI scenes doing in here? Now mind you, overall I *am* impressed with the CGI. This movie came out in 1990 and they combined 2D animation with so many near flawless CGI shots. But why though? The combination was awesome, it slayed, it served. But there was just something about it that seemed so corny to me and I can’t place my finger on it.

And what are these size proportions? Cody is six years old acording to the Disney Wiki. If you are familiar with six year olds, then you know those things aren't exactly tiny. Why is he able to ride on that eagle? Golden eagles are real birds however they are smaller than bald eagles. Bald eagles are large birds but they are not that large. In fact the largest eagle as of right now is the giant Philippine eagle, which is only a meter tall. A six year old can’t ride that. Not only did Marahute fly hundreds of metres in the air supporting an entire six year old and then some, but she was also large enough for this kid to pitch a medium sized tent on. What the hell. Fake ass bird.

Another problem I have is that it takes place in Australia. So why in the absolute FUCK does Cody sound like he's from Nebraska USA? Riddle me fucking that. Mcleach is understandable because he's a poacher, probably dropped in from the US. In fact he sounds like he's from Tennessee so you know his ass did. But come on. Cody? He's a six year old born and raised in Australia. The only characters with Australian accents were two kangaroos, a koala, and Cody's mother. His mother is a stretch though, Edinburgh sounding ass bitch.

Also what six year old owns a large pocket knife? Cody if you don't put that shit down and go work on your colouring book. I swear to god.

What redeems it for me is Bianca and Bernard. Jake really thought he could pull Bianca from the perfect man. Bernard respects Bianca with everything he has, he continually gave her everything he could. Bernard loved her, and Bianca loved him back. Jake tried to shit on her man and Bianca said 'I think the fuck not.'

And yes. I know Bernard is some Hobbit ass motherfucker. He didn’t wanna go on the trip to save Penny in the original, he hates flying, he hates adventure, but Bianca taught him to love that and it was beautiful. He tried it for her and found out that he did love it after all. Bianca brought out his courage, and Bernard brought out her heart. They're the best Disney duo. Fuck you.

I got distracted. The question I want to answer is, is The Rescuers Down Under a great movie or is it a horrible movie? It's not just good or bad. You either love it or you hate it, and I can't decide.

Miss Bianca supremacy for life.

[male1971]

Ranking the Indiana Jones movies

I just finished watching all five Indiana Jones movies over three nights. I thought now would be a good time to rank them from best to worst:

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - Of course it is #1. It is the original and the best. It set the standard that all the subsequent movies are judged by.

2. Dial of Destiny (2023) - Yes, you are just as surprised as I am that I ranked this #2. It really came down to nostalgia. This movie had complete respect for ALL of the movies that preceded it and each of them got a call-out or easter egg in some way. It hit every mark that I would expect from an Indiana Jones movie. It was fun, entertaining, and made me cry.

3. The Last Crusade (1989) - Everyone loves The Last Crusade. I fully expected it to be my #2. The Last Crusade came out the summer I graduated from high school. I read the book. I played the video game. It is funny and Sean Connery is great. And who knows, maybe a week from now I will move it back to #2. But right now, having just finished The Dial of Destiny, I am giving it a slight nudge above The Last Crusade.

Now we are getting into, which is worse? The Temple of Doom or The Crystal Skull?

The ONLY thing The Temple of Doom has going for it is Ke Huy Quan. Short Round is the heart of a very dark movie. (Kate Capshaw is no Karen Allen.) The whole movie was filmed on a sound stage, so visually it was dark as well as the story being stagnant, taking place in only one location. And Indiana Jones hitting Short Round in the face almost killed the franchise in that one instant.

The Crystal Skull has a lot going for it. Karen Allen is back. They are globetrotting again. There are Nazi's again... er, I mean, the Russians. But here is what I think is its weakest link - the CGI. Part of what made the Indiana Jones movies was that Harrison Ford did most of his own stunts and they used practical special effects in the movies. In The Crystal Skull it was all very bad CGI. Very fake. And parts of the movie dragged. It just fell flat.

I think I will give The Temple of Doom the nudge over Crystal Skull just on the back of Ke Huy Quan himself. I asked myself, "If you had to watch either Temple of Doom or Crystal Skull right now, which would you pick?" I'd rather watch Ke Huy Quan as Short Round than Shia LaBeouf as Indy's son and Cate Blanchet as the villain.

4. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)

5. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)

[wickedwizdom]

Lets talk Knights of the Zodiac:

This review will be mostly positive based on my own experience but I still will have my criticisms as I go along. To begin I want to be very transparent here and say after watching this movie: It is NOT--I repeat--NOT “Dragon Ball Evolution 2.0” like many people claim online. This movie's characters, script, dialogue, action, and story are leaps and bounds more faithful to the source material it is adapting and showing respect for it all the same. I'm positive those who keep claiming that it is have never watched the movie or are just speaking utter nonsense because let’s be real: Dragon Ball Evolution is beyond bad and KOTZ—objectively—is not.

This movie is perfectly fine; very fun I might add. It definitely stands up there with the likes of Alita: Battle Angel in terms of anime adaptations and as a movie it gets the job done.

Now for the fans going into this story expecting it to be verbatim like the original animanga, you are not going to find that here. This movie is very much an origin story for this particular universe of Saint Seiya with its own key lore and world building that takes influence from the Netflix reboot but actually executed those aspects better in comparison to how the CG show did it. I certainly appreciate this movie trying something new with its setting and story in comparison to LoS which told a very rushed rendition of the Silver Saints and Twelve Temples arc and I believe if this movie did the same thing, my expectations would be significantly lower and my criticisms far more harsher.

From an objective standpoint, this movie’s pacing definitely could use some improvement. I definitely appreciate what the writers and directors could give with the runtime they had but when it comes to character such as Nero and Seiya and Sienna’s time spent bonding, there’s definitely something to be left desired, Nero especially but we’ll get to him later. The script itself is okay, can be basic in some areas, cheesy in others but never anything that made me actually cringe. The movie’s music is otherwise really good. The orchestral Pegasus Fantasy rendition was definitely a highlight of the film for me and the music that plays through a lot of the action and somber scenes is really atmospheric.

To add, I know there were some fans that complained that not all the bronzes were here but I’m pretty sure that was for the movie’s benefit. Introducing so many characters all at once would mean that audiences would have no time to connect with them and the story would have been bloated and full of plot holes. I love how they kept the core cast as just Seiya, Nero, and Sienna for the time being to get us more familiar to their world before moving onto the others.

As for other things, the set pieces and CGI aren't terrible. It's definitely a step above most tokusatsu shows and movies but not on the level of something like Alita or some MCU movies. It's passable but definitely not a complete eye sore.

Some shots are a bit goofy but they don't linger too long and I think it adds to the charm of this being an otherwise fun action film based on an even more zany and violent anime. The fights are all well-choreographed and filmed. I saw some complaints about the lighting being dark but that's not the case here. Everything in the movie is well lit and it's obvious who's who.

I thought the armors looked pretty okay and knowing that Kurumada actually approved them looking more medieval and archaic rather than how they were in the original animanaga makes for a nice creative detail that gives this movie more uniqueness in the StS verse.

Slight spoilers here but it is confirmed and shown in the movie that the armors do in fact evolve like how they do in the original manga and anime so if this movie does get its potential sequels, I look forward to seeing how they translate that.

⚠️SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT⚠️

To move onto characters I enjoyed a majority of the main cast throughout the movie. Everyone not only understood the characters they were portraying but giving them their own charm and nuances to make them feel more like individuals.

To start with the main man Seiya, he's a lot more reserved here, because he is a lot older, but some of his attitude from the animanaga still remains like his brash attitude and his unwavering resolve to never give up. His character is quite complex with this movie going further in detail about the conflict he has with losing his sister, his obsession with finding her, and his hesitance to accept Sienna as a goddess until he witnesses it for himself. I appreciate them putting more and more time into emphasizing Seiya's relationship with his sister and Seiya at a crossroads between finding her and protecting Sienna all at once as opposed to how the anime/manga did it.

Seika is almost forgotten after the first few episodes/chapters of the original so it was nice to see that she had more of an impact on Seiya's character here.

Next, we have Sienna and I'm going to say that she is the best iteration of the Saori Kido character. While some of the pacing of her scenes were a little off at times, it didn't matter because I was engaged with what they did with her in this film. This story focuses on Sienna's humanity as opposed to the original where Saori has pretty much already accepted what she is and we never truly get to see a lot of her struggle with her heritage and most of that was relegated to the very beginning of the series. Here, Athena is the equivalent of a malevolent spirit that Sienna is constantly trying to drown out. From the way, she speaks about Athena to her parents and how that separated them feels real. She is a toung woman who’s not only caught in the middle of a broken family she cares for but is essentially a ticking time bomb. She accepts that she may not be herself one day but you can tell that deep down she doesn't want to believe that. She starts off as the typical haughty rich girl towards Seiya and while I do think that their relationship could have used a few more scenes of them getting used to each other, it still feels plausible that he cares for her I’m the end. I would be a bit of a brat too if I was going to become doomsday incarnate one day. Here she suffers loss but in turn finds a new purpose and reason to keep living. At a core it is her human side that matters most.

I also adore that Sienna starts off not in complete control of her cosmo. It gives more presence to the gods in this scenario and how dangerous their cosmo is to a regular human. It makes me really excited to see what gods late like in this universe but only time will tell.

Moving onto Alman and Guraad since they're basically two sides of the same coin. Making Alman a morally ambiguous man who is not all good fits very in line with the Mitsumasa in the original animanaga. The slow unraveling of the truth that he first and foremost only cares about his daughter is perfect and sets up the domino effect that will extend to all the children he used as a means to an end.

Guraad on the other hand is a MILLION times better than the Guraad in the Netflix reboot. Not only does she feel appropriate as an antagonist but she gives better layer to the conflict of fighting against the gods and at the same time having to come with the burden of killing her surrogate daughter to do so. Sienna and Guraad share a bond that feels genuine and when her maternal instincts shine it's wonderfully executed. It adds so much more emotionally weight knowing that a complete accident on Sienna’s end pushed away who she considered family and Guraad realizing that to makes her attempt to save Sienna feel earned.

Moving onto Alman and Guraad since they're basically two sides of the same coin. Making Alman a morally ambiguous man who is not all good fits very in line with the Mitsumasa in the original animanaga. The slow unraveling of the truth that he first and foremost only cares about his daughter is perfect and sets up the domino effect that will extend to all the children he used as a means to an end.

Now we have Nero. I love Ikki in almost every universe and here it is no different. The mystery behind his character and past along with him as an antagonist is one of the best but weakest aspects of his character in this movie in my opinion. His true motives are unclear but from what a lot of people have speculated and based on Diego himself, his motivations largely have to do with Shun. Potentially Nero does not know where his brother is and I think that would make for a great parallel between Seiya and Nero if this series is to continue. He definitely has a vendetta against the gods and has the Sagittarius armor in his possession but at what ends? His character toward the end leaves more questions than answers and I wish we got a fair balance of flashbacks from his perspective to compare/contrast with Seiya’s. He is a threat through and through and the movie does well in establishing the bar that is set between him and Seiya. He's definitely a character I want to see expanded upon more in the future and what ulterior motives he has going on as it seems that Guraad was a stepping stone for things to come. I want more of him and I hope to god we do.

Marin is, dare I say, perfect. Everything from her nonchalant demeanor, to the way she trains Seiya, THE WAY SHE GOES TO SLEEP and her presence she's easily another favorite of mine in the movie next to Sienna. We get just enough of her to see what she's all about but like Nero, I hope we do see more of her. She serves the purpose she’s meant to in the story and I was quite confused about her “bound to this island by destiny” schtick (which was really an excuse to keep her out of the third arc) but overall she’s just awesome.

And last but not least Mylock. Easily he's better than Tatsumi by a country mile. The writers actually managed to make a dull asshole of a character into a fun and entertaining one. His action scenes were a highlight and were just classic king fu action that I just adore.

The story overall centers around the ideals surrounding family, humanity, and fighting through a destiny that’s not completely set in stone. It’s very anime but at the same time is personable and relatable in some way or another.

To conclude : Knights of the Zodiac is a fun film with great action, solid writing, a talented main cast of characters, and I was genuinely surprised at how much I ended up liking it. It shows respect or to the source material while doing its own thing and that’s honestly the best route it could have gone. It could have been way worse.

It’s a solid 7/10. Had some bumps in the road but it managed to make it to its destination safe and sound. Regardless of performance, I will definitely watch sequels.

[mechaniz89reviews]

Madame Web Review

Oh boy. Where to start with this? I really wanted to like this film when i first heard it was being made. I had always loved the Madame Web character, especially the 90s animated series version.

But, sadly, it wasn't meant to be.

First of all, this project, at least from my point of view, was kept in the dark. Like, it was hearing it being announced to oh its coming out next week. The fuck?

But anyway, first I'll tell you a spoil free version of what i had an issue with and then give you the points i thought weren't bad or at least, that bad.

Ok, the two things that i felt like sank this film, was

A: The story.

B: The acting.

Story-wise, i felt this story was lazy and predictable. We all saw where everything was going just from the start. As it started, i felt deja-vu because this set up has been done so much. Parent doing something important, then something bad happening which greatly affects the main protagonist later. I felt i was being spoon fed story here.

As for how it ended, I hated the final fight. Some of it was done ok, but it was still predictable and mostly terrible CGI as well as a big WTF moment.

Acting-wise, they were everywhere. At some points, trying way to hard and at others, no where near hard enough. Mostly from the lead actress. Seems like half of the movie, she was barely going through the motions and it shined through. It felt like she found out during filming it wasn't a MARVEL film, but a SONY film. Which shows very VERY well throughout the film.

Now, as for the things I liked.

I enjoyed the Spider-Girls. Yes i know they don't have an official name.

I liked the chemistry the 3 actresses had. Little rough at first but then became pretty fluid and seemed to have fun. Of course, i enjoyed all the sexy spider suits, but this one especially.

Also, she was probably one of my favorite characters.

Safe to assume I'm a Sydney Sweeney fan now and I'd watch any Spider movie with her in it.

Anyways, back to the other stuff i liked.

The other thing i liked was the fact that they used a practical villain... most of the time. Which, even if it's a badly or overused villain type, I'll enjoy a practical villain then a CGI mess.

This is Ezekiel Sims, the big bad of this film. Not the best by any means but I still enjoyed the practical scenes with this actor in the suit. I'm a fan suits and having someone in one on set, interacting with people was awesome. I feel like, this was a preview of what a potential serial killer Spider-Man film could be. just saying.

in short, awesome idea and awesome potential. Meh, execution.

And the final thing that i liked, actually has to do with the trailer. The trailer actually misleads us into thinking one thing about this which turns out to be the other way. Which I love. I hate it when trailers tell you EVERY SINGLE FUCKING THING about the films plot.

This one, at least, misleads us to give us a slight surprise. Which I can appreciate.

Alrighty, think I'll end it here. This film, like sooooo many other Sony films, had so much potential, but it fell short because of the people in charge at Sony...and possibly others but whatever. The hardcore Madame Web or Spider-Man fan may enjoy this film just to see characters on the screen. Otherwise, this film is pretty damn bad. My love for the Madame Web character is the only reason I'm not completely blowing this film to hell.

I give it a 2/10.

2/23/2024

Ya FUCKED it up again Sony.

[x0401x]

Yes, please do a post after every Tsurune ep, reading them from your pov is amazing!! :D

Ask and ye shall receive. Here comes my opinion of episode 7. Really sorry for taking so long with this!

I usually begin with the positive points when doing these reviews, but I have to break this default here because I've never thought we'd come to this with KyoAni out of all studios. I almost fell off my chair with the horrible CGI in this episode. Yes, 3D and 2D walk hand-in-hand, especially for anime like Tsurune, but the viewers are not supposed to spot the 3D. I did mention before that the animation quality suddenly decreases at certain moments in this season, and this episode has been the worst example of that so far. This legit terrifies me and what makes it worse is that there are several causes for it. And again, this isn't just KyoAni. All Japanese animation studios have been seeing even if just a slight downgrade in overall quality for a few years now. We've just lost another one to this horrifying trend. I know it doesn't seem so bad and sounds like I'm exaggerating here, but this is unthinkable to the standards of such big-name studios. Unfortunately, the tendency is for it to continue, at least for now.

Another thing that bothered me is that this episode seems to be focused on long shots and showing the character's faces as least frequently as possible in order to mask the drop in quality. This is actually a commendable decision, since they're not just giving us static shots that feel a few seconds too lengthy, and instead are using these moments to explore the locations (gotta love that drawing of Kaito on the black board, for example). But it's hard to ignore the discrepancy in art style between said long shots and the contrasting close-ups.

Okay, enough about the animation and on to the story.

It's easy to tell from the first few minutes that KyoAni is still pushing Seiya as the MVP. Just as Seiya was the one who got Minato to realize where and how he had messed up in the tournament with the brilliant idea to record everything, and just as he was an indirect assistance to Kaito and Nanao making up not just by arranging for them to meet up at the dojo but also giving Kaito a prep talk, we have him being ahead of everyone once again in this episode. It's obvious from the beginning that, whatever the boys are trying to grasp here, he already has it all down and is just waiting for them to catch up to him. Yamamura Takuya might as well just make Seiya the protagonist at this point.

The whole deal here was about teamwork once again, but this time around, it was specifically about synchronization. Which, I must say, is one more thing that we should've had in S1 and are getting only now, therefore creating a disconnect between the level that this team should be and the level that it currently is. Just as I discussed in episode 6 that Minato shouldn't have to relearn everything from scratch because that's narratively inconsistent, the same applies to the way that the boys' team is relearning how to... well, be a team. They'd already been doing all of this for a while now, so it's kind of confusing to see them act like it's the first-ever time that they're trying it (not to mention it makes the viewers wonder how the hell they won the prefecturals when they can't even line up properly). Literally all of these movements and tips that they’re just figuring out are things they had been doing perfectly fine until this point and they wouldn’t even be able to participate in tournaments without knowing these basics in the first place. Yet suddenly they don’t. Make it make sense.

Another thing I'd like to make sense of is... why is Eisuke poor in the anime? I get that KyoAni is trying to sell him as someone Relatable TM, but that's going a bit overboard. He already has biological disadvantages (photosensibility), mental disadvantages (claustrophobia), club-related disadvantages (no dojo, no coach) and even spiritual disadvantages (wrong mindset being a bitch in general). There's already enough to sympathize without actually rooting for him. The scenes of Eisuke working hard at a café and having no money to hang out with his colleagues coming right in-between Ryouhei visiting Shuu's extravagant estate are kind of... not a very good look. Eisuke's situation in the anime sort of validate his envy. Makes it seem reasonable, and the only motive as to why it's not truly reasonable is because envy is Bad and you shouldn't harbor it even when the world is so ridiculously unfair. Miss me with that bullshit. I want this little shit to be the spoiled brat he is in canon. Life gave him lemons and he decided to take them and throw on other people. No amount of handicaps can redeem him from the pettiness of having lost to his juniors one (1) time.

All right, now following in this reverse order, we have the good points coming up!

I quite like that this episode showed a side of Masaki we hadn't gotten to see in S1, which is the pure-hearted, childlike elation he displays at his disciples fumbling for solutions and working together to solve problems. S1 was hellbent on the weird revenge stuff and kinda forgot that this guy genuinely loves to see his pupils making progress. The whole point of Masaki as a character is that he doesn’t see himself as the best fit for the job, but he actually is. Because he actually cares about these kids. Because he isn’t using them for revenge in canon. Because that doesn’t suit his personality at all in any possible way. And apparently, KyoAni at last understands that now, thank you very much.

One more thing that got butchered in S1 and this episode finally gave to us was Masaki's second nickname, "pervy old man". I gotta say I was particularly pleased by the fact that Minato's face and voice when he said it were exactly like how I'd imagined it when reading the books, but I'm still not digging the way that this was framed to make Masaki look like an actual pervert for the things he says without thinking. I get that the animators are trying to go for some lighthearted comic relief here, but underneath the joke, it's evident that they're also using these tidbits to poke fun at anything that seems remotely not-heterosexual in the series.

Sounds like another exaggeration, I know, but looking back at S1 and then at this episode, it's easy to find a pattern where Masaki either spouts a double entendre or is caught performing an action that doesn't seem appropriate, and when confronted by anyone about it, he responds in either a desperate or exasperated manner in order to clear up the misunderstanding immediately. These double entendres or actions always frame Masaki as preying on the boys, which is, of course, something that would never happen, so it's all played as a joke. The message this sends out is that the other person is totally overreacting, because Masaki would never make advances on his pupils, except this card is only ever used on the boys, specifically. So what we get between the lines is that making presumptions about Masaki's reckless word choice is ridiculous not just because he clearly isn't into kids, but also because that would be gay.

It's a simple recipe. We viewers are shown ambiguity on purpose and yet we're treated like we're reading too much into it if we so much as assume that it's ambiguous in the first place. Because if we assume it's ambiguous, we're also presuming the presence of homoerotic subtext, which is then shot down as something far-fetched, if not near-impossible. You know those scenes in movies where someone’s trying to connect the dots and comes up with overarching explanations as to how A relates to B, only to be dismissed by other characters telling them that they’re watching too much TV or something? That’s the vibe I get from this cheap-ass narrative device. It’s almost as if KyoAni is speaking directly to us, like, “I know this seems gay as fucking hell, but how dare you assume it's gay! You're implying that this perfectly decent man is a predator!”

Don't get me wrong, of course Masaki isn't actually suggesting or doing anything other than what he's supposed to. But what rubs me wrong about this approach is the fact that it gets gayness and p*dophilia lumped together. That's how KyoAni subtly rids this series of any unjustified gayness (i.e. gayness where you can't pay the "they're really good friends" card). And this is probably the clearest example of the difference between how the anime handles the gay subtext and how the novel does it. The anime makes it come from Masaki, in ways that are wholly unnatural, mostly through word usage that anyone with the bare minimum of common sense would never go for. It then makes the kids react negatively so that Masaki can brush off the delusions of these silly teenagers, because just how far ahead of themselves do they have to get to assume that their coach would want anything of the sort with them!

True enough, he would never want anything of that nature. The novel totally agrees with this. Except it doesn't laugh the gay away as a joke, oh no. The novel takes the gay very seriously. Which is why it gives the subtext from Minato's perspective.

Always from Minato's perspective.

Whenever we have anything coming from Masaki that looks or sounds like something else, it's from Minato's POV, 100% of the time. Not even other characters. Only Minato. And when it sounds like something else, it's usually Masaki being funny, but when it looks like something else, that's mostly Minato being confronted with something he wants that is directly related to Masaki, but that he can't have. Take the scene that this anime equivalent was based off as an example. Everybody (Seiya also tipped in) getting to have an exclusive lecture from Masaki, except for Minato. And there's great emphasis on the fact that everybody got to touch Masaki while Minato didn't. Plus the fact that even Shuu got to have his own share of it, despite him being from a whole different school. And Minato keeps sulking at how unfair all of that is, for days. He wanted to be there. Heck, he wanted to be the only one who gets this privilege. He has to hold it back and it gnaws at him. The pinning is real and it's never framed as negative, because it isn't.

When all is said and done, he manages to keep his ground. And in the end, he gets some sort of compensation for it, which always comes in the form of a private lesson and quality time. That's where he gets to have twice if not thrice as much of what he initially wanted. This is Ayano Kotoko working in accordance to Zen principles: you fight your inner demonds and desires, and for that, you get compensated with enlightenment. In Minato's case, he gets compensated both with that and... with Masaki. As far as plot devices go, that's just mandatory in the novel. It has both a character development and storytelling purpose and acts as a nod to Japanese archery and Buddhist ideologies, so removing that part is very much a disservice to the author’s intentions, but hey! KyoAni can’t pretend that it isn’t gay if it’s from Minato’s perspective. This would be just a kid having a puppy crush, which isn’t a crime and has no reason to be frowned upon if it’s unrequited. Ayano knows this and she makes conscious writing decisions based on that fact. So does KyoAni when reversing the positions.

Basically, KyoAni uses gay subtext in order to dismiss it in a total dick move. It's kind of their way of signaling, "Don't worry, snowflake audience who can't take anything that isn't cishet seriously, you can enjoy this show", and I find this kinda gross, to be honest. Meanwhile, the novel makes the subtext into the text itself, because Ayano Kotoko is powerful like that.

Anyway. I digress. Back to the good things.

The dedication to detail keeps delivering. I love the little things. The way Ryouhei goes back from school on a bus that is headed to a hospital. The knock on his door after he raises his voice that he knows is from his sister. The lush vegetation on the other side of the window looking like it's sprouting from Ryouhei when seen from behind. Shuu's reflex on the dojo's floor being tinted green. The way that a maple leaf falls on the pond and the ripples push away the other four leaves when Ryouhei starts talking about how far behind he is in comparison to everyone else in his team.

But I also love the big, in-your-face things. Ryouhei's shirt having no print except for the word "nice" in a small font next to his heart. Toujou serving cola in porcelain cups. Sae having the exact same reaction as Shuu when he drank it for the first time. The way that the light bulb lits up when Ryouhei talks about how Shuu's family is really supportive of him. The close-up on their wish slips.

My favorite has to be that fucking arrow casting a shadow over Ryouhei and Shuu. Second favorite those paper stripes. All of them represent not just the Kazemai boys' team, but also the girls' team, Masaki, Tomio, Shuu, Sae, Eisuke, Koushirou and even Minato's mom. I dare guess that one of them also represents Ryouhei's sister.

Honorable mention to the most obvious visual symbolism of this episode: the paintings. They sure were used a lot this time around. The painting in Shuu's study and the way his head fits perfectly under the crown in the center. When Eisuke is coarsed into hanging out with Koushirou after work, there's a painting of a grey dog being patted on the head beside him. When Shuu finally asks how Ryouhei and Sae knew each other, we see a painting of opening doors behind him. And goddamn. Goddamn. The way that the rest of the painting is revealed in the next scene. And the way the little boy looks like it's running from Shuu to Ryouhei. Fucking hell, what a good addition. If only KyoAni would put as much effort into the plot as it puts into this.

Also, other than paintings, there was that hilarious coca cola poster behind Eisuke when he's meeting up with Koushirou. For those who couldn't read it, it says, "Beginnings taste good. Peak youth", and that's a referrence to what the characters are going through right now. We're onto a new phase and that's youth at it's max.

Speaking of coca cola, anyone else feeling like KyoAni's going a little overboard with the marketing? First it was the kyudo tools, which I don't really mind, but then the accessories and now this. It's one thing to promote culture and small businesses that keep it alive, but coca cola.......... was kind of annoying. Even more so when there are already so many shows that are basically just one big ad nowadays.

[trulyinspiringmovies]

Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3

“Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3″ is incredibly funny, dark, and heartwarming all at the same time.

Rocket is relaxing on Knowhere when suddenly he’s attacked by Adam Warlock. He’s mortally wounded and can’t be operated on unless the kill switch in his heart is deactivated. The Guardians Of The Galaxy must now go to Orgocorp and find the override code before it’s too late for Rocket. On their adventure, they learn about Rocket’s traumatic past.

With the current state of Marvel movies, “Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3″ had to be a smash hit to win back people’s favor. And, if anyone is going to make a fan-favorite movie, then it’s definitely going to be James Gunn. So, what did I think of the movie? Is it the smash hit that’ll save the MCU? I liked it, but it’s probably not going to singlehandedly save the MCU. It’s a good step in the right direction, but it’s not good enough to win back the goodwill of the people. Let me start with the positives. This is probably one of the more emotional movies that Marvel has put out. There were multiple moments when I felt a lump in my throat and I was on the brink of tears. James Gunn knows how to write characters that truly feel like a family, with all the good and bad that come with it. In the third act, Mantis and Nebula were really tugging at my heartstrings. Dave Bautista continues to impress me with his acting chops because he finally showed me why Drax was a good father before joining the Guardians Of The Galaxy. Before this movie, I’ll admit that I had a bit of trouble seeing this version of Drax as a father. He was too dumb and goofy in my opinion. This movie showed me how his goofy nature was actually his strength as a father. There were a lot of genuinely funny moments. A lot of comedy movies get a slight chuckle out of me or the occasional sudden burst of air from my nose, but this movie was actually funny. To be honest, I wish the movie held back on some of their jokes because it was starting to undercut some of the more serious moments for me. I can see the filmmakers thinking it was necessary to have a little more comedy than usual to balance out the darker tone this movie had in store for us. Plus, I bet it’s really hard to cull comedy gold. Speaking of darker tones, I think this movie benefitted greatly from them. We’re so used to PG-13 fight scenes in Marvel movies that seeing an arm breaking is considered ‘dark’. Still, it was effective for the story that this movie was trying to tell. It set the stakes right away and completely sold me on the gravity of the situation. It allowed characters to be more emotional than usual and that sold the feeling of finality I was looking for. Other moments were really pushing the PG-13 rating. I’m surprised there wasn’t much talk about a potential R rating. If any MCU movie deserves it, it’s this one for the gore alone. The whole Rocket origin side plot broke my heart. They really let James Gunn have at it for this movie because the fight scenes were spectacular. There’s this one long-take shot that was just jaw-dropping. I genuinely think it’s the best shot in the entirety of the MCU. I was trying to wrap my mind around how they achieved it. Probably a lot of CGI, but still. Also, unlike other movies and shows from Phase 4, this movie’s CGI is perfect. There wasn’t any moment when I thought the CG could’ve looked better. Marvel is back to their typical, high level of quality. There’s a lot to praise about this movie, but there are some criticisms that can’t be overlooked. For starters, I thought Chukwudi Iwuji’s High Evolutionary was a fantastic villain, but he lacked character development. He was genuinely terrifying because of how evil he was, but he doesn’t get much more than that. James Gunn’s music choice is always a stand-out in his movies, but this movie’s soundtrack seemed ill-fitting at times. The music is great, but I don’t think some of them fit their scenes all too well. Adam Warlock felt like wasted potential. He was teased as this big thing in the last movie, only to be another bumbling idiot with little relevance to the plot. They definitely should’ve saved him for another movie where he would’ve been better utilized. Also, I don’t think Will Poulter was a good fit for the character. He’s probably a great actor, but he just doesn’t fit my idea of Adam Warlock. The movie also flips back between the present and Rocket’s past, but it felt like it was done randomly. I would’ve loved to see a clear reason why each flashback was inserted into each point in time. Finally, the ending felt a little unsatisfying. I get that the movie was going for a more emotionally mature ending, but I wanted a little more positive ending. It just felt like the Guardians Of The Galaxy needed a more positive and uplifting ending, especially with everything they’ve gone through. Still, this is definitely promising from Marvel Studios and if they keep this up, then I might start getting excited for future movies again.

★★★★

Watched on May 7th, 2023

[jvstheworld]

The Buffy re-watch: S1 E3 (part 2)

The Witch

Continuing from where I left off:

-We get the first time Willow does a potion on the show, one that is never used again. But this is how it starts for her and her exploration into magic that leads down a very slippery slope. For now it is harmless.

-Looking for a counter-spell to the magic being done. And we all should know that counter-spell is the most powerful spell of all, thanks to a certain gnome bard with a purple, glowing hand.

-The reveal of the body swap. Buffy realises what happened while Giles is berating her. Poor Amy, having to live with an abusive, controlling, narcissistic mother.

-Just to add to the stereotype of witches, there's a black cat.

-The way that Giles carries Buffy and makes her as comfortable as possible while he tries to save her. He already cares for her so much, even after knowing her only a few weeks

-We get a slight hint of Giles' previous use of magic as he performs the reversal spell to save Buffy and undo the body swap.

-Plus, the first time of many times where Giles gets hit in the head.

-Joyce may make mistakes, as all parents do, but she admits that she does and talks to Buffy about not being able to fully understand her, and is okay with it. It's a good moment of communication between mother and daughter. Also, watching this after knowing what happens in Band Candy, yeah I can understand why she wouldn't want to be 16 again.

-Amy is back living with her dad, and after their estrangement he wants to connect with her and make it up to her, which is really sweet. He probably feels really bad about the situation she was in and wants to make it right.

-Last point for the episode, the CGI for the trophy that Amy's mum is trapped in looks very dated now. Such is the way as technology develops.

That's it for episode 3. Next we deal with the dangers of having a crush on a teacher that happens to be a giant insect. The first of Xander's interest in demons.

[firstaidspray]

I am a photorealistic Flounder defender sorry. I think he is very cute and pretty accurate for the species they are going for, except for the slight stylization of the eyes and fins which are to be expected from a Disney film. He can't be expected to have an absolute realistic appearance, because he is going to be speaking and expressing emotions, yet he can't be an absolute cartoon because that's just not what would fit with the type of film this is.

It's a live action movie, did you guys really expect a super cartoony Roger Rabbit Space Jam type of thing? A cartoon alongside a real life woman? Get real. Disney doesn't do that type of film anymore because they aren't as whimsical as they once were, but tbh it would look very out of place anyways.

Flounder being realistic with slightly bigger eyes than the real species is not a bad design just because you personally find it ugly. It makes sense for the movie's live action setting along with this CGI fish having to speak and express emotions. Calm down about this fish.

[itsjustafan]

Man, 25 mins in and the new Blair Witch is shit compared to the original

First, is it cutting edge technology with crisp images, or is it shitty audio? What, you just wanted the jump-scarey static? Then make the visuals a little more shitty too. Make up your minds.

The original had that air of isolation and helplesness because it was only the three of them. Now we have a small town, complete with Manic Pixie Dream YouTubers, the main pair making moony eyes at each other and the Angry Black Man (nice(!))

It also suffers from Too Many Cameras. There were, what, two in the original? And now we have 4 ear cams and 2 filming cams, and honestly, less would have been more.

Also, the close up swirling shots all the time? It makes it feel like you can't see anything going on outside the very narrow scope of the ear cams, like anything could be going on if you just take a wider angle.

The original gave a sense of the space they were in - the new one makes it really look like they're in a studio. That space also made the original feel really isolated, nothing for miles.

It really felt like three people lost in the woods.

This one was like watching 6 people getting lost in Central Park. Like every 'did you hear that!?!' was some dude walking home from work.

Also, the slight fish eye effect on the ear cams made me nauseous. I much preferred the grainy, low-quality footage from the first one.

40 mins in and I've just seen the cut-that-no-one-bother-to-rebandage do the Bad CGI moving thing and I'm done with this piece of crap movie.

[chadepitanga]

Fun fact i spent the last six months editing videos, some of them in 4k, for a video studio. I'm also a visual arts bachelor, w/ a technical specialization in theater sfx and illumination. Thinking about this, I have realized I can hate more efficiently. I'm being a bad hater by complaining vaguely.

So here's a lenghthy techinal infodump of why I hate how a lot of newer shows from the global north are shot & edited (sponsored by autism)

1. Never resting the camera

Why is the camera always moving? Well, in the age of 200 thousand types of information per second, they need to fight for your attention, right? By making the camera always move, esp in scenes like a dinner where the characters are mostly quiet, they trigger that part of our monkey brain that sees movement and pays attention to it. Sounds logical? If you're shooting a commercial, maybe.

The camera is a key part of visual storytelling, the camera is the POV- seems obvious, but that means that it needs to be coherent with the narrative. They're feeling, or actively being, watched? Camera from a distance, framing them through a hole, ruins, books, or whatever would be in front of a hiding spot for a creep, slight motion since the POV here could be a living thing and our necks arent 100% stiff; They're on a boat? The camera sways, like you're also at sea; Earthquake? The camera shakes considerably; Ship being hit/crash? The camera moves, shakes and/or tilts, taking in consideration the momentum of said crash. I could keep going.

So, what does it tell us when the camera is always doing that "drone over city" slooow panorama across the room, as a replacement for a still framing of the characters? It tells us that this is not a scene where people are "at rest". And it can be used like that in a good way- anime does this a lot, successfully.

When I say "at rest", I don't mean how the characters feel, I mean how the audience feels. If we are seeing a man in his own house, doing his usual routine, even if his mind is in a million places, we can't always be getting the panoramic view. We need him framed still, at least enough time of it so we know that this is a "rest" moment. Later, in contrast to this, "action" moments will hit better.

Something that goes "still camera > a swaying camera > a shaking camera > still cam > panoramic view > shaking cam > swaying cam > still cam"? That's a narrative. And I didnt yet add actors' performances to it, or even a story.

So yeah. Let us take a breath. It's not a fight against the attention span, the challenge is to convince people that it's better to watch a still frame of your character looking into the distance with little to no movement, than to do anything else. Move the camera when it needs to move, rest it when it needs to rest, and you're one step closer to that.

2. Relying too much on after-shooting corrections

This one is split into three categories so I can better flesh out why it's bad

2.1 CGI over props/makeup

Notorious complaint for sci-fi/fantasy/horror fans is how the CGI looks soulless, or just plain stupid. Visual fx makeup artists are unionized, the underpaid guy doing the CGI animations isn't. Also, it costs a lot less than physically making your props/sets. As long as you can keep quality and appeal for less money spent, there is nothing wrong with this. But they won't stop there. They do sacrifice quality to cut costs. And the end result is just what you would expect: it looks uncanny and artificial.

2.2 Luts

A lut is like a little pre-set of light edition you do when editing high-def videos. A lot of high definition cameras will record with less saturation and contrast in order to get small details that would be missed otherwise; the edition team will flesh out those colors, and save the scene's lut in order to re-apply it when necessary. This in and on itself is not a problem, the problem is when they reutilize luts without thinking if that color set really works for this shot, or even for the show's story and desired tone. This results in that washed out/sanitized look, or in a gritty, instagram filter from 2015 look - dark bits too dark or not dark enough, colorful bits inconsistent with the scene's emotional tone, too much or too little saturation, etc etc.

Part of the reason you can't see shit in dark scenes is that it was not properly edited, another part is because it was not shot thinking it should be visible at all before someone edits it.

2.3 Chroma keys (aka the infamous green screen)

Illumination suffers, suspension of disbelief suffers, the actors' performances suffer. Like everything here, this is a misused resource, not a demon to be burnt. But a chroma key needs to be veeeery carefully used, when all other options are either not possible phisically, or don't feel more adequate from a composition POV.

When chroma keying, you need to have in mind that the illumination of what you're relaying to it will not be the same as the set's, for a start. You also need to think of proportion, and of how you will blend the set lighting into it when editing. Adding one thousand filters/luts and making the whole thing seem artificial is one way to go about it. Disney m4rv3l is a big fan of this one.

3. "Tell, don't show", or neither.

When the dialogue is not nearly enough spaced out for the audience to process both the visuals, and what's being said, they need to chew it real tiny and spit it into your mouth. No time for nuance if you want your show to be binge-watched the night it was released. This doesnt mean everything will be literally verbalized, but scenes that could be subtle, i.e. a character picking up a hand gesture from another, will not be shown in a wider frame of the character, but directly focused on (with a shaky/swaying camera, more often than not....). Of course, these are choices. If it best fits to be real obvious about it as a pivotal point of narrative, do it. But is it, really?

Sometimes, it will also be literally said out loud, redundantly. A person who has just watched 10 hours straight of TV can't really be trusted to pick up on nuance, even if, when compared to a weekly release, they will have a fresher memory of what was said/done 8-9 hours ago.

So, gotta make sure everything is stated loud and clear. Or they think they gotta. I, personally, do not consider this to be a good creative choice.

Obviously, a lot of stuff is guilty of the opposite, sometimes at the same time: they don't care for consistency and will give you nothing substantial to tie in the story lines. No time for that, onto the next action-packed scene. Look at the sparks and lens flares and indistinguishable figures fighting in the dark as you squint. Here's a strong quote. Here's some more action. Here's some propaganda. We don't have to say anything about this because everyone gets the reference (nobody in the global south, or even another generation/demography, quickly gets or cares about the reference.)

4. Choosing to avoid bright colors, or always muting the pallette to look "mature".

There seems to be a huge fear of looking like your colors are too much, so they go for the "adults don't like colors" mindset. Cold, blue-ish tints on top of whites and greys and browns, or just that brown-ish filter most live actions from cartoons use to look "grown up". The problem is that this cold-ish, sanitized look, takes us to "this feels like a hospital, and with the amount of white walls and un-saturated costumes, it might as well be." - great for something like House MD, horrible for something like Star Trek, appalling for something like a coming-of-age, upbeat show. The brown-ish one is great for a lot of horror/psychological scenes, but never a good look for a whole thing.

Contrast is key- if everything feels the same all the time, it feels like nothing. If all scenes have a sad, anxious, "grown up zone no fun allowed" feel, your sad scenes don't hit like they should, and neither do the happy scenes. A show is a coming together of many takes and angles, and while having a signature look can be very good, having a generic, washed out look that everyone and their mothers are doing... is bad.

5. Light, shadow and color are too separated from the "shapes and lines" category when thinking of a composition.

I have talked about illumination a little up there, but now I'll talk about it a lot. Basically, when you do the lighting for a scene, "we can see them" is not the only end goal. The way we can see them matters, and what we can't see matters a lot too. How does the light hit this face? Which shapes does it create? Which mood? Where have I seen lights and shadows like this in real life? Do I go for the fantastical, dramatic etc, and leave realism aside for now, or is this a sober lighting moment? Why is it dark, where is it dark? Why is it light, where is it light?

It doesnt seem to matter. The goal seems to be "you can see this is a person" "you can see it's dark". It doesnt matter if the shadows on a character's face dont look appealing, or if they are unflattering to the actor, if it hits lipstick in a weird glossy way it shouldnt. Its a person doing something, you can get that? Good enough.

When thinking up a composition, you think of shapes and lines- where to put the actor so its balanced, which angle to frame from, where do the lines converge, where do they grow apart, what shapes does it make, what ratios does it make, which funitures to move around. But I can have a masterpiece of shapes and lines, if I shine bad lighting into it, I will have destroyed it- new shapes and lines are born from the edges, or the fades, where light meets dark. And the more I watch more recent shows, especially sci-fi/fantasy/thriller/superhero shows, the more I think at some point "shape/line" and "light/color/shadow" got divorced in this niche of US/US inspired TV, pairing up now only for the occasional exception. This is, also, another reason why you can't see shit in dark scenes- the shapes don't make sense, and to make it all worse, they are moving. Always moving.

Well, I have talked a lot. Idk if anyone will even read this. But if you do, ty for your time. Peace and long life <3

[mirtifero]

Watched The Flash.

My little brother rlly likes Flash and he rlly wanted to watch it sooo I went w him to the movies.

My thoughts (so far):

I liked the movie! The CGI (which was all that I heard about before watching it) was not THAT bad. Sure, it wasn't great, and there were moments where the people obviously were made out of CGI, but it wasn't really strikingly bad. It was nothing that ruined the experience or anything.

That aside, for the vast majority of the film I was very... weirded out by how much Flash didn't really feel like a protagonist. It felt like the audience was happier to see other characters and all the nostalgia baiting. By the end of the movie I felt like he was a protagonist again, and it was comforting. By the beggining too but whatev.

Speaking of the beggining. The begigging dropped something and never really went with it. The whole "Flash doesn't really matter and he is a second option", so I felt like the movie was going to be about him proving himself an important part of the JL. But it wasn't... it was about his bad decisions and him having to deal with it.

All of this are my bad impressions, MORE bad impressions I will bullet point because they don't need too much explanaition:

Anti-soviet propaganda in 2023, cringe.

Typical slight copaganda. Nothing too VISIBLE, just slight. Like most hero movies.

Also a tiny tiny bit of military propaganda. Same as previous. (They are not as visible or grotesque as mcu ones. But the lingering idea is there. As always)

All the controversies that I refuse to list.

Slight misogyny, nothing too visible, but the use of female characters was written, although not violently misogynist, using the idea of woman=wife/mother/caretaker

Okay so that ends the "what I didn't like about it"!

About what I liked about it...

So, it was nicely structured. It didn't feel dragged out, you could feel the main character struggle to find the solution to the mess he created. The characters were sympathetic and funny. They felt flawed and very human. I laughed really hard at many moments (probably due to the amazing brazilian dub) and it was overall very enjoyable. There were very interesting emotional moments, and they almost got me crying. You rooted for the characters and also! The plot twist by the end was amazing. And the fights were fun and creative! I really enjoyed it, felt like a silly superhero movie in a lot of it... but it could do better, specially in the "silly" part.

Overall... an 7/10. Enjoyable!