#its arguably the funniest detail

[advxnturerinlove]

listen. listen. fenton and betsy are besties and gyro is So Mad About It

[shihalyfie]

With Digimon Ghost Game starting, I thought about how different it is from previous Digimon series, though it's still undoubtedly Digimon... and then I realized all Digimon series are like that. So I wonder, what do you think sets each Digimon series apart from the rest?

I think both Ghost Game but also the reboot have been a wake-up call for people in terms of realizing that likes, dislikes, and tastes are subjective, and I think it's especially important in terms of this fanbase that is so obsessed with this idea you can objectively rank things by quality -- especially when each series is often deliberately trying to have its own identity, so it's arguably apples and oranges -- and forcing this idea of what's Good and Not Good on everyone else (especially when there's a nasty double standard phenomenon where Adventure and often Tamers get to be so impervious to criticism that people conveniently forget they're perfectly capable of being scrutinized for a lot of things they're weaker in). Very frustrating to see everyone who likes less popular series treated as if they have to accept that they like a "badly written series" for some things and everything else is a guilty pleasure, which I find to be incredibly dumb.

The most important take-home here is that the fact each series has its own identity is always going to be the main factor in what makes it "good" or not to you, not some arbitrary bar of comparison that's based on some narrow-minded view of "good writing" (which is usually unreasonably based on Adventure). For instance, the reason why 02 is so important to me is because (see below), to me, it has the highest amount of meaningful, important life lessons and themes that it wanted its audience to remember, to the point that I frankly do not care about where the plot goes in comparison. That may not be the case for everyone else, and that's fine, but should my tastes be called unreasonable for that? I think we're also coming to realize that because of Adventure (and kind of 02)'s precedent, so many people have been judging series purely by how intimate their individual character development style is, but this is unfair because Adventure and 02's ridiculous level of character depth to psychological detail is extremely unusual and unrealistic to expect of others; Adventure and 02 only achieved this by practically considering the plot utterly subservient to its character arcs, and it's arguably why they have some of the weakest "plots" in this franchise. It's so bizarre that I can see character development in other Digimon series that outstrips even most kids' anime on the market, but it's not as much as Adventure's so apparently it's bad. And, moreover, as it turns out, some people have priorities other than characterization; just because Adventure had that as its strength doesn't mean that's the only thing anyone should care about. Is the plot fun? Is there a meaningful message besides characters (also important to me)? Do you vibe with the tone being dark, or being silly? How much do you care about resourceful usage of Digimon lore? That kind of thing. Everyone is different, so that's why everyone has their own priorities. If you’re someone who prefers darker content, you may not realize that writing good and well-timed comedy is actually a very, very difficult task, especially when said comedy simultaneously has meaning (in comparison, it’s surprisingly easy to write “dark” but shallow content).

I think it's fair to like every Digimon series for its own thing, depending on your personal tastes. I can't speak for everyone, but my impressions are that it has to do with the following:

Adventure: Significantly easier to understand than 02 due to its more straightforward plot, and focus on individual character development ("individualism" being a strong point here). In terms of characters, it goes a lot into some very real social problems (the divorce around the Ishida and Takaishi families and the pressures surrounding Jou, for instance) in a very realistic manner. Also, it has that sense of mystique and absurdism to the Digital World that's both whimsical but also mysterious, and while 02 has it too, Adventure's the isekai story that has it the most.

02: The first is its focus on the importance of human relationships and the compelling group dynamic unparalleled in this franchise, and the second is its important themes and life lessons that I think are some of the strongest in said franchise. I have a whole tag for the ridiculous amount of nuance packed into every detail and dialogue line for this series, and I think every time I've rewatched an episode I've learned something new about it because there are so many things that clearly wanted to be said in each line. The entire series is basically an unpacking of the feelings of insidious self-hatred and the crushing feeling of being subject to society's expectations, and ones that are so deep-seated that you often don’t even have a single answer to how to unpack it (for instance, Miyako hardly has a tragic single event in her backstory, but she says and does a lot of things that'll be painfully familiar to those who have experienced chronic anxiety). Almost every plot point can be said to connect to each character arc in some way, and the mantras for appreciating and treasuring your own life and living life the way you will make this, in my opinion, the strongest series in terms of speaking to those who struggle with this kind of existential crisis for reasons of depression or otherwise. (Oops, I think I went too passionate about this; my biases are obvious...)

Tamers: I think it forms an interesting study and unpacking of the kinds of things you take for granted in Digimon or the monster-collecting genre in general, and an examination of how they'd work in a real-world context (although 02 had a focus on daily life, it didn't quite merge the Digimon and the real world factors until very late in the series). Also, probably the second highest on "hard sci-fi" (the only one that outstrips it is probably Appmon, but Appmon has a very different, more simplified take on it).

Frontier: A series that lies somewhere between Adventure's scale of individualism and 02's scale of group dynamic, and one more discussing the feeling of having your heart hardened from being an outcast, and what it takes to accept the idea of opening yourself up to others again. Recommended for those who like transforming hero and magical girl stories, too. From the Digimon perspective, also the one with the most detailed and consistent Digital World mythos.

Savers: I think this is the series that most drives home "life is complicated" (i.e. there isn't a single mastermind behind everything) in the most tasteful manner, because while it drives home the point that you can't just simplify everything into a good side and a bad side, some bad things really are evil (hi, Kurata), and it doesn't change the fact that everyone's responsible for cleaning up the fallout. The portrayal of the evils of government bureaucracy is probably the most realistic out of any of these series.

Xros Wars: For those who like fun, most of all! For those who like seeing Digimon finally get more of the spotlight and individuality since so much of it had been geared and biased towards the humans prior to this. For those who really like worldbuilding, and, after all, this is called Xros Wars, so it's interesting to see shakeups on the usual formulas in the form of the different factions and their priorities. Hunters is very different in tone, but I do think they have some of these aspects in common; that said, it being closer to having single partnerships brings it a bit closer in line to conventional Digimon partnerships, and it also has more of a picture of daily life. Also, as much as Tagiru is probably your-mileage-may-vary since he's not exactly a very nice kid (I get it if you don't vibe with that), which may also rub those hoping for not nice kids to become nice the wrong way, I do have to say I find him to be one of the funniest characters in this entire franchise, and you'd be surprised how hard good comedy is to write.

Appmon: Probably one of the strongest theme narratives besides 02, since it has a very clear and obvious theme about the importance of kindness in a world where technology is dominating and we're almost encouraged to strip the feelings out of everything. (Bonus for more straightforward plot than Adventure or 02 while still retaining a lot of its elements in terms of how to characterize them.) Also the first series to be speculative about the near future instead of taking place around the time it airs, and it's very obvious it wants to provide important and necessary commentary about what we need to do in the incoming era, especially as a lot of what it has to say becomes increasingly relevant.

Reboot: For those who like Digimon mythos and null canon -- this is probably the only series to show it off in this level of detail -- and the kind of cool action fights that would usually be saved for the climax in prior series (and animated in much more intimate detail with battle choreography than prior series would have). There are a lot of people into this franchise who felt like it genuinely was not making enough use of its Digimon roster and its potential because it kept going back to the old standbys (especially Adventure-based ones), so it was a huge relief for that crowd to see attention finally being paid.

[c-c-cherry]

I simply must ask... could you spare some spooky Halloween headcanons? I know it’s not quite Halloween yet but I’d love to see your spin on a jojo Halloween!

Oho....hohoho...you have no idea what kind of a beast you’ve awakened in me...

Halloween is arguably the best holiday ever because free candy, costumes, and the weather is fucking PERFECT. (also idk what’s up with the rest of y’all but Canadian thanksgiving is in the middle of October so I’m still riding the high of good thanksgiving food by the time its Halloween (AND I’m half-American so we celebrate it in November too hehehe)

But long story short I love spooky season (and autumn in general) with a burning passion and I am SO willing to go hard on jjba spooky headcanons

Thanks again to @jjadegreen for alway being my best headcanon bud!!

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Part One:

-For the sake of this, I’m making them like 13 or something, like maybe not even a year after they met

-In 19th century England, it was actually pretty typical for them to have a bonfire on Halloween!!

-Halloween costumes were popularized a few centuries ago in France so you bet our phantom blood buds were wearing costumes and shit :)

-I doubt the rich participated in such “unruly” stuff like lighting shit on fire and bearing torches and whatever (but you never know)

-Like George probably spoiled Jonathan with candy as a kid and let him dress up with his school friends and that was it lol

-Dio though OH MY GOD-

-You know based on where he grew up that all that wild shit definitely happened

-He can’t say that he misses living like that, but there’s some kind of weird nostalgia that comes with it

-...which is why Jonathan is really confused when he catches Dio sneaking out of the mansion in the middle of the night

-Begrudgingly, he tells Jojo his plan and this boy’s eyes LIGHT UP

-Instead of being a “stupid, crybaby, tattletale,” as Dio puts it, Jojo is like,,,super hyped

-“Oh! I have an idea! Why don’t we sneak out in costumes so no-one knows it’s us??”

-The sheets on their beds may have two holes in them now, but it's worth it

-They hijack a horse or some shit and skeet over to a giant bonfire

-Dio thinks it's gonna be a drag since Jonathan is there to watch his every move, but it's actually,,,really fun

-As a kid who’s barely ever left his sheltered property, Jonathan is having the time of his life and Dio never thought he would be happy to see Jonathan so happy

-It ends with the two of them sitting by the river, absolutely exhausted from the rush and Jonathan pulls out this bag of shit from his pocket and is like

-“It’s candy!! :D”

-Dio could never really afford things like sweets on Halloween growing up so he’s a bit touchy about it but OH MY GOD that shit is GOOD

-Probably one of the only times where they actually bond properly

-BUT IF THIS IS MY POCKET DIMENSION THEN I CAN SAY THAT THEY BECOME FRIENDS >:)

Part Two:

-I’m just gonna start out with the fact that Joseph is fucking OBSESSED with candy. You know those kids you knew growing up that loved it more than anything on this goddamn earth? *cough cough @jjadegreen*

-That is Joseph

-And now that he consumes that type of shit with the power of mastered Hamon at his fingertips,,,holy shit man,,,it's like a child’s sugar rush but 100x worse

-Caeasr is put in charge of Jojo to make sure he doesn’t do anything idiotic *which he definitely will trust me*

-The MOMENT he goes to the bathroom, Suzi pops in like “JOJO!!!! :) Let's go trick or treating!!!”

-He can’t say no to that, bro,,,he and Suzi are tight ;-;

-While Lisa Lisa is out to meet Speedwagon and Erina and bring them back over to where everyone else is, Joseph sneaks out with Suzi and the two of them dash off into the streets of New York

Caesar: *steps out of bathroom*

“Jojo, what the hell do you and Suzi want for dinner?”

*silence*

“...Jojo?”

*Hears the screams of of children in the distance*

“JOJO, NO—”

-So turns out Joseph’s way of trick-or-treating at such an old age is just terrorizing young children and ransacking them for candy

-Suzi Q is just totally unphased by how awful this is and just thinks its the funniest shit

-Caesar is running out into the streets of New York like ???? and spots Joseph being himself and he could probably just pretend he doesn’t know them

-But,,,Joseph may be an idiot but he’s his idiot and Suzi Q is his bimbo best friend so he goes out to drag them back home

-Erina, Lisa Lisa, and Speedwagon are already home by the time they get back and Caesar sits Joseph down and chews him out in front of everyone

-Erina is super pissed and lectures him about “Joestar values” or whatever and tells a really embarrassing story about how a kid took his candy once when he was little and he cried about it for DAYS

-Caesar is still really angry about it so he replaces all of Joseph’s gummies with sugar free ones (you goddamn know the ones I’m talking about) but he didn’t know Joseph WOULD EAT THEM ALL AT ONCE

-He is so fucking sick on November 1st

-Also off-topic but Lisa Lisa gives out dental floss or some shit on halloween

Part Three:

-Honestly all Jotaro wants to do is buy candy for himself, hole himself up in his room like he always does, and just munch and watch shitty horror movies 

-But of course he has actual friends now

-Kakyoin tackles him before he can get his ass upstairs and suggests that they go out and trick-or-treat

-To which Jotaro thinks is a joke and laughs because he’s not only 17, but also 6’5” but Kak’s face looks dead serious

-Kakyoin goes on this long, detailed ramble about how he meticulously made the best Halloween route for them to get the best candy

-Now THIS is when Polnareff abandons whatever he and Avdol are doing to join in on the stupid plan they have

-When Kakyoin comes back with a handful of white sheets, they already know what he’s thinking and its brilliant

Kakyoin’s 5-step, foolproof Halloween plan:

Step one: It’s already established that stands can hold non-stand items (like when Star Plat whipped Iggy across the desert) so what’s stopping them from being able to have sheets over their heads?

Step two: They faze a bit of their stands into the ground so that they at least resemble the height of children (plus non-stand users can’t see anything besides the sheets so it's perfect)

Step three: Polnareff pretends to be the father of these shy children who can’t speak (he looks the oldest) while Jotaro and Kakyoin hide nearby so their stands don’t de-summon

Step four: Hit up every good house in the neighbourhood

Step Five: Candy.

(Kak used to put a sheet over hierophant all the time as a kid and always got twice the amount of candy each year)

-It actually works pretty well, aside from the fact that Star would sometimes scream “ORA” in a really deep, manly, not seven years old at all voice whenever the people at the door would try to speak with him or make him say ‘trick-or-treat’

-They finally reach the richest house in the neighbourhood, where the snootiest lady lives (but she has a shit ton of candy leftover every year since no one goes there)

-Once the stands knock on the door, she starts saying stuff like “ohh, let me see your faces so I make sure you aren’t too old for this” and ducks under to look at the sheets…

-...Only to find that there’s literally nothing there

-She looks up at Polnareff like 👁👄👁 and Kakyoin seems to get the message because one of hierophant’s tentacles grabs her ankle and she SCREAMS and throws her entire candy stash at them, slamming the door behind her

-Half of them are full-sizes chocolate bars. Candy acquired.

-When they get back, Joseph is so fucking angry that they didn’t invite him out for Halloween shenanigans  >:(

-Avdol and Holy have a very nice chat, meanwhile. They answer the door while everyone's gone and are so sweet to the kids about their costumes :)

-Also Avdol is 100% the kind of person to bake pumpkin seeds and season them and shit

-Kakyoin sorts all his candy and puts it on a spreadsheet and also make a pie chart just like he does every year

-T’was a very successful halloween

Part Five:

-Giorno is probably short enough to go out if he really wanted to

-But he has maturity issues and there would be no way in hell that the Bucci Gang would catch him going out in a costume and begging for candy

-So as soon as all the daily tasks and shit are met Giorno locks himself in his room

-He honestly wants some candy and to watch spooky movies with the gang but he just feels like an outsider to all of that stuff since he never did it

-So Bruno slips a thing of dracula-themed chocolate pudding under his door and leaves him be :)

-Narancia and Mista DO go out, however

-Not only do they go out and steal shit, but they also go and hit up houses for candy just for the fun of it

-The moment the clock strikes 6 Trish is OUT of there

-Girl is hitting up as many parties as she possibly can and eventually meets up with Nara and Mista at some shitty Halloween party and end up just buying really shitty beer and going to the graveyard or something

-Fugo wants none of that shit

-He’s perfectly content sitting with the black cat that Giorno made him and watching shitty reruns of whatever’s on

-Bruno takes out his tacky Halloween apron that definitely looks something like this

-Fugo helps him make all this really good spooky-themed dessert shit and helps him sort the candy in the nut and nut-free bowls :))) (because Bruno really goes and does that)

-Abbacchio seems like the kind of person who would go really fucking hard with Halloween decorations

-Like, no explanation why, he just loves it and everyone knows not to get in his way

-The moment October 1st comes around, this man is in his ELEMENT. He’s READY.

-It’s the one month where he looks anywhere near normal compared to other people and man is ready to rock that shit

-Later that night they go to check on Giorno and find him asleep surrounded by bags of candy

-Turns out he snuck out and had a good time after all :’)

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You’re wondering why I skipped part 4, right? ↓ ↓ 

I’m sorry to disappoint y’all, but I don’t think I’m gonna be doing much for Whumptober this year! (I’m just shit at monthly challenges in general lmao) but I think y’all need a breather from all this giant dump of whumpy stuff coming this month, so I, your dear friend Cherry, have decided to write fics throughout the month that I dub SOFT HALLOWEEN :D  (with uhhh a side of whump and hurt/comfort and all that shit because I can’t help myself)

It’s gonna vary (hopefully from parts 1-5)! I didn’t add any part four headcanons in here because Jade and I are literally writing part 4 shenanigans first and we didn’t wanna spoil anything :)

SPEAKING OF SPOILERS here’s a horrifying, blurry, teaser picture that’s only gonna make sense once you read the fic:

Isn’t it beautiful?

Hope you enjoyed these!! Tell me what you want the Jojos to do on Halloween!

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Ok so apparently its not normal to sort your candy by type, count it all out and then put it into a spreadsheet which then gets made into a graph? Because I did that. EVERY. FUCKING. YEAR. Ask Jade​. She was there every goddamn time. Please I’m begging you someone else tell me you did shit like this I need to know

[agentnico]

Top 20 Best Movies of the Decade (2010′s)

Now that we have entered the 2020s, it’s time to look back on a decade of movie magic. To emphasise the importance of each year, I’ll balance things out by including two films from each year for my Top 20 list. I’ve tried to pick films that both defined this decade as well as appealed to me personally, so my list will of course, as always, be different from yours, but hopefully, I won’t totally irritate you with my humble choice, which I deem worthy to post online for the public eye to witness.

2010:

INCEPTION - “You’re waiting for a train...” Christopher Nolan unarguably is the most exciting and original directors working today. Each time he releases a movie, its an event. A literal must-see at the cinema. Which is why this isn’t the only film of his you will find on this list. With Inception, Nolan gives us a movie that is both enjoyable and imaginative, rewarding the audience for the attention that it demands. Filled with so much detail that if you miss certain shots, you will completely get lost in confusion of the narrative (as confusing as it already is). It’s intense and complex, with great performances from the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy, this movie will leave you lingering for more even after that mysterious ending.

SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD -  “You cocky cock! You'll pay for your crimes against humanity!” Once again, another exciting director on this list (oh there are so so many!). Ever since Edgar Wright emerged from the British isles, he’s given us some of the funniest films of the past decade and onwards. His Cornetto Trilogy is a blast, Baby Driver is a blast, Ant-Man was going to be even more of a blast if Marvel allowed Wright to do his magical shenanigans his way, and the upcoming Last Night in Soho will surely be a blast also. With Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Wright creates a meta-clever universe taking inspiration from comic books and video games and filled to the brink with wink-wink-nudge-nudge humour, this is an exciting and very sarcastic over the top endeavor. Also, Brie Larson in this movie.....phew!! And unsurprisingly, its all a blast!

2011:

DRIVE - “I just wanted you to know, just getting to be around you, that was the best thing that ever happened to me.” Drive is more of an elegant exercise in style, and its emotions may be hidden but they run deep. A shamelessly disreputable, stylish, stoic, ultra-violent thriller with amazing stunt work, one of the best opening sequences of any movie this decade and a neon-pumped soundtrack that’s a must-own for all vinyl users, if you still haven’t seen Drive, there’s only one thing you can do. Clue: it’s to go watch Drive.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL - “Your mission, should you choose to accept it...” Tom Cruise’s deal with the devil allows him to do some literally impossible stuff, and though I don’t condone his Scientology ways, the man’s stunt work and efforts in his area of expertise are worth all the praise and respect. To be honest, I’m commemorating all three of the Mission Impossible flicks that graced our screen this year (Ghost Protocol, Rogue Nation and Fallout). This franchise is like a game of dodgeball, except that Tom Cruise is the dodgeBALL, being thrown and thrust left and right like nobody cares. Also, with me being Russian, the fact that a movie manages to destroy the Kremlin and then have me not hate the film in the aftermath shows that this film is way too fun to hate.

2012:

DJANGO UNCHAINED - “Gentlemen, you had my curiosity, but now you have my attention.” Quentin Tarantino is one of my favourite directors working today. And Django Unchained happens to be my favourite film of his. The writing for this film is orgasmic (I went there!). The way the actors deliver the lines and the lines of dialogue themselves sound almost poetic to my ears. I can quote so many lines from this darn thing. The cinematography is immaculate. The soundtrack choice is great. The performances, my goodness, the PERFORMANCES!! Jamie Foxx does arguably his career-best work here, but also we have Christoph Waltz and Leonardo DiCaprio both chewing up the scenery, and I’m sure everyone has heard the story involving DiCaprio and the broken glass. Django Unchained is an easy choice on this list for me, and possibly in my Top 10 of all time.

LES MISERABLES - “Do you hear the people sing?” The film that is based on a musical that is based on a book that is based on certain true events. Tom Hooper did an interesting choice of having actors sing live in front of the camera during filming rather than pre-record their voices, and it works to grand effect, though Russell Crowe should have probably been given more singing lessons. The movie is one hell of a way to adapt such a popular stage musical. With an opening shot that emphasises the scale of this picture with a zoom-in towards this big ship during a storm being pulled by these poor prisoners, we are plunged into the despair and conflicts of various characters with adroit narrative thrust so that not a moment feels wasted or redundant. You’d think that a film with hardly any dialogue and an overall reliance on singing wouldn’t be so emotional. Yet, somehow, it works. Also props to Anne Hathaway for winning an Academy Award for being in a film for only 5 MINUTES!!

2013:

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET - “Sell me this pen.” Martin Scorsese’s mad look into Wall Street life is a bombastic caper and running at nearly 3 hours, Scorsese and his editing team manage to keep an astoundingly intoxicating pace that keeps you enthralled and engaged throughout. This one is definitely not for the families, as this R-rated fest is filled with drugs, money, sex and everything you can possibly imagine and paints quite the picture of the rich folks of Wall Street. And the middle of it all a bravura performance from Leonardo DiCaprio. Someone needs to give DiCaprio’s agent a raise, this is Leo’s third appearance on this list and we’re only in 2013!

THE WAY WAY BACK - “I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave. You're having way too much fun, it's making everyone uncomfortable.” Sometimes a little indie flick is enough to lift a human spirit. Real, fun, uplifting and innocent, The Way Way Back dedicated to anyone who felt awkward or out of place at some point in their life, which, let’s be honest, counts all of us. I’m not afraid to admit that. So stop being a b*** and reveal your sensitive side too! Yes, you, the person reading this. Who else could I possibly be talking to? Myself? Maybe. The Way Way Back though is one of the best feel-good indie films of this decade, with the loveable Steve Carell acting very unloveable and Sam Rockwell Rockwelling himself to charm city! If you’ve missed this one, treat yo’self and check it out.

2014:

THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL - “And?? Where is it? What's it all about dammit don't keep us in suspense this has been a complete f***ing nightmare! Just tell us what the f*** is going on!!!” Easily Wes Anderson’s best in my opinion (I have a friend who would argue Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums has the better hand but I think my opinion is more valid because it's me), this movie is a glossy, colorful, whimsical deadpan affair with an energetic turn from Ralph Fiennes as the hotel concierge M. Gustave H. as he and his lobby boy run into various Wes Anderson regulars and deal with murderers, stolen paintings, love affairs, prison breaks, and all kinds of crazy shindigs, but all shown in such a casual Wes Anderson way. This movie is like a slice of cherry pie - damn fine!

INTERSTELLAR - “Murphy’s Law doesn’t mean that something bad will happen. It means that whatever can happen, will happen.” As promised, Christopher Nolan makes another appearance on this list, now with his space time-traveling epic Interstellar, where he takes inspiration from the likes of Kubrick and Tarkovsky to give us, as always, a tad bit confusing adventure with great visuals and an interesting narrative (though it does sometimes get lost in its own way), however, the key thing holding this piece together is the father-daughter relationship with Matthew McConaughey and Mackenzie Foy (and Jessica Chastain) managing to bring so much raw emotion to their respective roles that you can’t help but want to shed a tear. I mean, I haven’t cried for over 14 years, but I remember when I first watched this film, the audience around me was sobbing quite a few times during the duration of this movie. Give it to Nolan to give us the emotional moments!

2015:

MAD MAX: FURY ROAD - “Oh what a day! What a lovely day!!” Easily the best action movie of this decade. Sorry John Wick, neither you or Tom Cruise could defeat this beast. The sheer, limitless invention behind this movie's exhilarating, preposterous chase scenes highlights action filmmaking at its finest. With big monster trucks and a random guitarist rocking-it in the middle of all the action, it’s like a nihilistic version of a Cirque du Soleil show! And it makes Tom Hardy the calmest person on-screen; no idea how it managed that.

STEVE JOBS - “I sat in a garage and invented the future because artists lead and hacks ask for show of hands.” If there is anyone who can make formulaic, mathematical or technological sound fun and exciting, its Aaron Sorkin. The man has a talent for writing screenplays about difficult and complicated topics yet turning them approachable for the casual moviegoer. Pair him with director Danny Boyle, and the result is Steve Jobs, a look at the man behind the phone. Narratively set during three important product launches of Jobs’, we get to see the behind-the-scenes of his relationships with his colleagues and family members, and this character study is one that could have easily fallen into generic biopic tropes, but it holds it’s own right till the credits roll. Also props for showing that Seth Rogen can actually do a serious role. Who would’ve thought that pot-smoking fella had dramatic chops in him?

2016:

NOCTURNAL ANIMALS - “Susan, enjoy the absurdity of our world. It’s a lot less painful. Believe me, our world is a lot less painful than the real world.” Fashion designer Tom Ford does sew his suits well. Apparently, he can also make great films too, with 2009′s A Single Man and with said Nocturnal Animals. This movie is truly incredible and I remember it taking me and my friend by surprise when we first watched it at the cinema. It’s shocking. Horrifying. Depressing. Upsetting. Altogether exhilarating. Being of a fashion background, Tom Ford directs the hell out of this movie, with gorgeous shots and great use of colour as well as managing to masterfully create tension and suspense when necessary. Honestly, I know Tom Ford is probably busy at a department store somewhere, but the guy needs to make another movie. The man has a talent.

LA LA LAND - “Here’s to the ones who dream, foolish as they may seem. Here’s to the hearts that ache; here’s to the mess we make.” Oh, La La Land. Damien Chazelle’s follow-up to the also excellent Whiplash. People who know me well know how much I love this movie. An old-school tour-de-force musical that’s a love letter to jazz and the golden age of Hollywood. The city of stars never looked so good. Featuring catchy original songs, excellent dance choreography (the sequence to the song “Lovely Night” is especially memorable) and a romance tale ten times better than the forsaken The Notebook, La La Land is one special movie. I know many are put off by the film’s not so happy ending, however for me it was the only way this narrative could have ended. 

2017:

BLADE RUNNER 2049 - “We’re all just looking out for something real.” Similarly to Nolan, Denis Villeneuve is proving to be one of the most exciting directors working today. He’s the man behind such films as *deep breath* Prisoners, Enemy, Sicario, Arrival and Blade Runner 2049. And those have all been done within the last decade. The man constantly makes quality movies of various genres, though lately, he has been leaning more towards science fiction, which is a-okay in my books, since as Blade Runner 2049 proves, he can turn science into fiction like butter on bread. A sequel made 30 years after Ridley Scott’s classic, this visually breathtaking piece is arguably even better than its predecessor with many moments giving you the “wow wow wow wow wow WOW!” factor, and when Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford are both on-screen they are dynamite. Forget the new Star Wars film (that’s right, I'm throwing shade there), Blade Runner is where it’s at!

PHANTOM THREAD - “The tea is going out. The interruption is staying right here with me.” The supposed last Daniel Day-Lewis film, as he has now apparently retired from acting, but let’s be honest, nothing stops him from simply unretiring at any point. Exhibit A - Joe Pesci. However, like Pesci, if he comes back I’ll only be happy. He’s one of acting greats of our time, and his collaborations will director Paul Thomas Anderson bring out some of his best roles. Phantom Thread is a marvel of a movie. No, I don’t mean that’s its part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I mean as in it can fill one with wonder and astonishment. Phantom Thread is PTA’s Gothic dark fairy-tale romance film, which expertly planned shots and scenes where every word of the dialogue counts. There is no wasted moment. And as the film transpires to its dark and unsettling climax, one begins to realize that this, THIS, is what filmmaking is about. Telling an engrossing story in an interesting way with crisp-clear shots and off-the-chart acting at play, with great costume design on display, although the latter is unsurprising due to a major aspect of the movie revolving around fashion.

2018:

MANDY -  “You ripped ma shirt!! You ripped maaa shiirrt!!” An acquired taste for sure, however, Mandy is indeed something truly special. From first glance, this film might seem like nothing out of the ordinary, especially from the point of view of the plot. Its the usual revenge flick. However director Panos Cosmatos’ vision and how he presents it is so much more unique. And what’s not love in this film? There’s something for everyone! It’s artsy and slow enough for the critics, hip and metal for the nonchalant, gory and violent for the hardcore genre fanatics and of course the Nic-Cage-rage factor is present for the fans of the actor. Alright, it may not be a family film, but this one is worth a watch. The whole thing is bound together by this psychedelic otherworldly environment, with the whole movie conceived in this dark, unsettlingly beautiful yet horror-filled aura that might stray people away, as it might be just too different for them, however, if you are looking for something different to watch, take mandy. I mean, watch Mandy!

A STAR IS BORN - “Music is essentially 12 notes between any octave. Twelve notes and the octave repeats. It’s the same story told over and over. All the artist can offer the world is how they see those 12 notes.” The film that began all the rumours surrounding Bradley Cooper’s and Lady Gaga’s affair. People, heads up, they are actors! They were putting on a performance! Jeez. That being said, I totally ship them. Nuff’ said. The film though? Yes, it’s good. Some country-style music, romance blooming, Gaga can apparently act, people sing about shallows for some reason...all together works for a pretty decent motion picture. Also, the fact that Bradley Cooper wrote, directed, produced and starred in this gives me so much respect for the guy. He poured his heart and soul into this. And Lady Gaga absolutely shines!

2019:

PAIN & GLORY -  “Writing is like drawing but with letters.” Director Pedro Almodovar semi-autobiographical film takes a close look at how one deals with acceptance, being forgotten, symptoms of depression and generally all fairly negative attributes, but delivered in such an honest and profound way that there is a strange lightness that emerges from it all. Antonio Banderas is uncannily vulnerable in the lead role, delivering such an earnest performance that shows a man that is filled with melancholic regret who seeks his own form of redemption. This movie is a thing of beauty.

PARASITE - “You know what kind of plan never fails? No plan at all. If you make a plan, life never works out that way.” Parasite is easily the most original and surprising films of 2019, and possibly the decade, managing to subvert expectations and blend together so many different genres so naturally. To spoil any narrative element of this movie would be a sin, like this one in particular works best when not knowing anything about it. This movie comes to us from Bong Joon-Ho, a South Korean director behind such films as The Host, Memories of Murder, Okja, and Snowpiercer. It’s nice to see the awards ceremonies giving him the proper recognition finally. He deserves it.

That sums up my Top 20 Best Movies of the Decade list. Of course, there are so many other great films that came out in these 10 years, such as Whiplash, When Marnie Was There, Paterson, Silence, Kubo and the Two Strings, The Nice Guys...I can go on forever. Cinema is a constant ever-growing medium, and it is fascinating to see how it changes through the years, in some ways improving and in some parts not so much. In any case, I look forward towards a new decade of, hopefully, great movies, however, let’s be honest, for all these great films there’s always a Norm of the North, a Scout’s Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse or frickin’ Cats. But let’s hope those will be kept to a minimum. In any case, bring on the 2020s!

[johannas-motivational-insults]

Adora might be autistic too

Alright, most people in the SPOP fandom agree that Entrapta is autistic, as her coding is extremely obvious. However, some of us also believe that our beloved protagonist Adora is on the spectrum as well. She comes off as quite the aspie, and while Asperger’s is no longer a diagnosis in the DSM-V (but is in other manuals), it falls under the blanket diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and its diagnostic criteria is still useful in analyzing people for signs of the disorder. In analyzing Adora’s character I will refer somewhat to both disorders, with the understanding that Asperger’s is a specific manifestation of ASD.

I would like to preface this by saying this is a headcanon and people are free to disagree with me. Some of these characteristics I’m going to bring up could also manifest because of her very sheltered upbringing in a cult-like atmosphere or mental illnesses such as anxiety and complex PTSD (both of which she arguably has). I am autistic myself, so obviously I am inclined to interpret these symptoms this way, but to each their own. It’s also worth noting that Adora has a lot of symptoms that cross over with AD(H)D, a cousin disorder to ASD, and it’s totally possible she has both.

In any case, there is now enough evidence hinting at Adora’s neurodivergence (especially now that the Rebel Princess Guide has been released) that I feel the need to explain this theory in detail instead of just occasionally mentioning it. So here goes...

She’s naive/easily manipulated

This one doesn’t really need explaining, we’ve all seen it. Adora assumes people are telling the truth because why would anyone lie to her? That is such a relatable spectrum feel. She was handily brainwashed by Shadow Weaver in the Horde, while some of the others didn’t seem to swallow the propaganda so easily. This is of course partly because of the special attention and affection Adora got from Shadow Weaver, but she had to be vulnerable to manipulation in the first place for it to work.

Later, she trusts Huntara easily in the Crimson Waste despite Bow and Glimmer’s warnings about her questionable character. Adora happily follows her into a trap even once Bow and Glimmer tell her they're going the wrong way, reasoning it’s probably a shortcut rather than reevaluating her misplaced trust. This can be partly explained by how she‘s gay af for Huntara, but still.

(Interestingly, the episode cuts straight from this moment to the obviously autistic Entrapta going against her own friend's advice and refusing to give up on the portal machine despite the obvious warning sign of Hordak’s violent dismissal. Parallels, much?)

Her difficulty understanding other points of view

A lot of Adora’s conflict with Catra is predicated on misunderstandings, and she has a hard time understanding the effects her actions have on other people, Catra in particular. For instance, she misunderstands Catra talking about ruling the Horde together as being purely about power, while Catra’s actual goals are safety and Adora’s companionship. That miscommunication is not just Adora’s fault, but it illustrates that she has difficulty understanding other people’s needs and motives without being explicitly told.

This isn’t just a problem with Catra, either. In general Adora has a difficult time understanding other’s motives and feelings. For instance, she doesn’t understand Glimmer’s insecurity over Bow’s friendship with Perfuma at Princess Prom, and she can’t fathom why Entrapta would choose to work for an evil faction, going so far as to assume she must have been brainwashed into it. This is because, just like with Catra, she doesn’t understand that some people’s priorities are not the same as hers.

Autistic kids tend to reach developmental milestones at different times than neurotypicals, sometimes being way ahead and other times falling behind. One such marker that is usually slower to develop and often stays impaired is theory of mind, our ability to a) understand that other people have different perspectives and b) understand those perspectives. Adora’s difficulties being able to put herself in someone else’s shoes definitely lines up with this symptom.

She’s clumsy

For someone so athletic, Adora sure lacks coordination. This is a commonly cited symptom of people with Asperger’s, though it shows up in people with other forms of ASD too. In general, autistic people often have difficulty with fine and/or gross motor skills, and this can lead to being accident and injury prone. According to Catra in 3x05, Adora bumps her head a lot. That may have just been a callback to 1x01, but either way clumsiness has been part of her characterization since the beginning, one of her many loveable, adorkable qualities.

Her lack of social and self awareness

Adora can be painfully oblivious to her own inappropriate behavior. There’s several examples of this throughout the series, one of the more costly ones coming at Princess Prom. Shocked by Frosta’s youth, Adora fails to register how maybe this (in front of Frosta, with all eyes on her) is not the time to remark on it. She immediately realizes this was the wrong thing to say (or at least not something she should shout), but that small delay causes both her and Glimmer a lot of embarrassment.

Part of the issue here is that she loses control of her volume, which in itself is a common problem for those of us on the spectrum. This isn’t the only time we see her have this problem, either, and it’s amplified (tee hee) when she’s drunk/infected.

More generally, one of the funniest examples of Adora’s poor social awareness comes when she barges into Huntara’s flirtation with the bartender in the Crimson Waste. She’s so focused on her task of recruiting Huntara that it doesn’t even occur to her that this is an intimate moment and intruding would be rude.

In the Rebel Princess Guide Adora also says she wishes Queen Angella would let her make some adjustments to the uniforms of the Bright Moon guards, which implies she tried to make these suggestions already. Maybe she figured She-Ra could suggest anything, but as both a newcomer and a royal subject that’s a bit of a faux pas. Chances are, that went right over Adora’s head.

She can’t read a room to save her life (literally)

This is another, more specific aspect of social awareness. Adora has difficulty picking up on the implicit rules (social norms) when she enters unfamiliar situations, and has a tendency to step on toes because of it. She also doesn’t understand when her friends try to nonverbally communicate what she’s doing wrong, and nonverbal communication deficits and problems with social awareness and insight are two major symptoms of ASD. One specifically listed example is “difficulties adjusting behavior to suit social contexts”, including:

Lack of response to contextual cues (e.g. social cues from others indicating a change in behavior is implicitly requested)

Unaware of social conventions/appropriate social behavior; asks socially inappropriate questions or makes socially inappropriate statements

Here’s a couple specific example of times where Adora misses or misunderstands nonverbal cues to change her behavior:

At her first Rebellion meeting she doesn’t realize that maybe she shouldn’t sit in the special-looking chair, and doesn’t clue in that that’s why everyone is freaking out.

In the Crimson Waste, Glimmer responds to the growling bar patrons surrounding them by suggesting that maybe these aren’t the kind of people they should be asking for help, but Adora persists. She jumps up on the bar and makes a speech trying to get directions (which is socially inappropriate for the context as well as dangerous), somehow missing all the scowls from the patrons as well as Bow and Glimmer’s wild gesturing.

Panic over unfamiliar social situations

Adora’s anxiety about going to Princess Prom could be attributed to many things, not just a spectrum disorder. Her obvious anxiety, for one, though to be fair there’s a high comorbidity between the two disorders. In any case, it seems the unfamiliarity of the situation is a sticking point for Adora in particular, while Bow and Glimmer are nothing but excited for their first ball.

Adora’s anxiety seems to stem mostly from being overwhelmed by the prospect of entering a new social situation with a whole bunch of unfamiliar rules to remember. She’s still learning behavioral norms outside of the Horde, and this is a huge jump up in terms of difficulty for her fledgling social skills.

To cope with her stress she goes overboard trying to prepare by making a conspiracy board of sorts, flash cards, and an obstacle course. And at the ball itself, it seems like she’s even rehearsed how to behave.

This probably isn’t only relatable to autistics, but it’s very relatable to us. Creating and rehearsing behavioral scripts is a common strategy to avoid embarrassing ourselves in public. Unfortunately, as we saw above, this works for about five seconds before Adora botches the whole thing by commenting on Frosta’s age.

Extreme stress over details

In general, Adora is a very anxious, perfectionistic person who hyperfixates on details, a very autistic trait. As mentioned above, this is wonderfully illustrated by her overpreparation for Princess Prom. She’s broken down the overwhelming list of rules in the invite into categories to make it more manageable, gone into detail categorizing people’s relationships to each other, and learned trivia about the guests in order to feel more prepared. Yet, somehow she missed the important fact that the hostess is only eleven years old.

Unfortunately this hangup doen’t only affect her, but also her friends and allies. The overarching theme in “Roll With It” is how debilitating Adora’s anxiety and perfectionism can be. Her eye for detail and ability to see flaws in plans is actually very valuable, but she gets so hung up on every possible thing that could go wrong that she can’t accept imperfect solutions with calculated risks.

Her propensity to be overwhelmed by too much information (like with the Princess Prom invite) shows up here too. Adora grows more and more frustrated and overwhelmed as more princesses join the planning session, adding more variables to deal with and more people to manage. She begins lashing out and shooting down every possible solution that doesn’t satisfy her need for perfection immediately. Her behavior looks like it may be headed for a meltdown until it culminates in an epic rant revealing all her anxiety and how it ties into her insecurities about her own imperfection.

Thankfully her friends are able to reassure her that she has support and doesn’t have to be perfect, but it’s an ongoing battle, one we already saw her struggle with in “Flowers for She-Ra” and “The Battle of Bright Moon”. It’s a strong tenet of Adora’s personality that is proving difficult to shake.

What she misses about the Horde

The recently published Rebel Princess Guide contains a list by Adora of things she misses about the Horde, and this list screams neurodivergent. I’ll go through it point by point, since there’s a lot to unpack here.

THINGS I MISS ABOUT THE HORDE

1. I miss the rigid schedule. It never changed, and I always knew what to expect.

Ritualistic behavior and an insistence on sameness are often seen in individuals with ASD. In fact, it’s a major symptom. Many of us have diifficulty adjusting to changing schedules, changes in diet, or even minor changes in our environment (such as placement of objects, boy do I have stories there). We need warning when things are going to change, and even if we know it’s coming it’s still a struggle to adjust.

2. I miss the constant sound of machines and whirring. In Bright Moon, there’s always music playing, or people laughing, and birds singing. It’s nice but it makes it hard to focus!

Autistic brains process sensory information differently from neurotypicals, that’s basically our disorder at its core. Over or under reactions to sensory input are common and in fact considered a major symptom, and this entry of Adora’s specifically refers to difficulties with sensory filtering. We have a hard time filtering out information that’s irrelevant to our current task, which makes us easily distractable.

3. Believe it or not, I miss my hard cot in the barracks. My bed in the castle is way too soft!

This ties into both the insistence on sameness and sensory issues.

4. Catra… sometimes.

This isn’t autistic, it’s just gay.

Speaking of which...

She’s gay

Adora's relationship with Catra has always been queer-coded, but any doubts about her sexuality were dispelled in season 3 by the way she fawns over Huntara like a baby gay over her gym teacher. Her obvious queerness might seem unrelated to the topic of autism, but those of us within the community can attest there’s probably just as many queer people among us as there are cishets. It’s so notable that there has been quite a bit of scientific research confirming people with ASD are more likely to be LGBT and gender atypical and exploring the cause of this link.

(This needs no proving at this point, but enjoy these gifs anyway...)

In conclusion

Overall, there’s a lot of hints and circumstantial evidence suggesting Adora could have ASD. Was this the creators’ intent? Hard to say. Adora is the protagonist and one of the most developed characters, so she’s definitely not a cardboard cutout or checklist for ASD symptoms (compare that to Entrapta, a secondary character whose behaviors can often easily be attributed to autism). It’s totally possible the creators just characterized her as naive and awkward and obsessive without realizing the implications of that cluster of traits together.

Regardless of authorial intent, it’s perfectly valid to look at Adora and see representation of the ASD community. The groundwork is there. And if someone else looks and doesn’t see it, or sees something else causing this behavior, that is also fair. No one is forcing anyone to accept this headcanon (or at least they shouldn’t be), but in return please don’t disparage it. Even if she is not autistic Adora is definitely autistic-coded, and we could use some more heros with the disorder, given how we’re mostly relegated to being villains and anti-heroes (not that there’s anything wrong with us filling those roles sometimes, but a little variety would be nice).

Adora is often referred to as a dumbass, but she’s actually quite intelligent, just sometimes slow to understand how she should act and how people feel. Still, she tries her hardest, just as she does with everything else. Adora is heroic and compassionate, even if she sometimes struggles to understand others. When autistic-coded characters are so commonly portrayed as cold and unforgiving, Adora is a sorely needed exception.

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Michael After Midnight: Heavy Metal

Sometimes it’s fun to revisit old movies you watched when you were younger and find out, hey, this is better than you remembered! Sometimes your young mind just wasn’t ready to accept how awesome something was, and you needed time to fully understand what you look for and like about cinema to truly appreciate it. But then, sometimes, you watch something you liked when you were younger, and you realize… wow, this is absolute dog shit!

Such is the case with Heavy Metal. This is a movie I have frequently cited as a low-ranking entry on lists of the finest animated films of all time, and to be entirely fair to the film, it is important in a historical sense, being a cult classic that was passed around through bootlegs because music rights kept it from getting a home video release, and it came out around the dawn of the 80s and kind of destroyed what you would think an animated film was capable of. This film is full of sex, drugs, and rock and roll, and it entirely, unabashedly unashamed of this, for better or for worse.

Now, while I do think the overall film is a bit lacking, it is an anthology film divided into segments, and there are some pretty good ones I will make note of; this is not a film with absolutely no merit. But before that, let me point out the one thing everyone can agree is amazing about this film: the soundtrack. You’ve got Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Stevie Nicks, Devo, Cheap Trick… if nothing else, the kickass soundtrack is worth a listen, though Blue Oyster Cult’s song inclusion irritates me to a great degree. The movie went with “Veteran of the Psychic Wars” for the soundtrack, despite the fact Blue Oyster Cult had a song ready to go that is literally about the final entry in the anthology, called “Vengeance (The Pact).” Why the people compiling the soundtrack made this choice baffles me; it reminds me of how they didn’t use “Jennifer’s Body” in, well, Jennifer’s Body, instead opting for a different Hole song from the same album.

But I digress. Let’s go one by one and touch on the segments:

The framing device is about an entity known as the Loc-Nar, who claims to be the sum of all evil, detailing to a little girl how it has influenced chaos and carnage across time and space. The thing is, though, the Loc-Nar doesn’t come out on top in any of the segments, and its schemes are often thwarted. So the entire movie is basically this supreme evil being detailing to a little girl how much it sucks ass at its one job.

The first segment is Harry Canyon, a story about the eponymous futuristic New York taxi driver. In some regards it reminds me of The Fifth Element, what with a scruffy, slummy, futuristic taxi driver trying to help a smoking hot babe find out the truth and all, but unlike that film, this short is a lot bleaker and gritty. You kinda know what you’re in for when Harry vaporizes a dude who tries to mug him, and if that’s not enough, the female lead of this short literally throws herslef at him, and yes, he gets to take a dive into her Harry Canyon – and you get to see it.

This is a running theme throughout these shorts – almost every female character has huge titties and is sexually promiscuous, throwing themselves at the first penis they see as if it was their job. It’s so incredibly juvenile and tacky as to be laughable, but I guess this comes with the territory considering the magazine this film adapted.

Anyway, the segment is harmless and unremarkable. It’s exactly what you’d expect from this sort of story, without much in the way of twists or turns.

The second segment, Den, is arguably the best segment in the entire film. We have a nerdy kid named Dan who gets transported across space and becomes the musclebound warrior with a huge cock known as Den. Every woman throws herself at him, every villain in his way gets pummeled, and no task is too impossible for this man! And did I mention that he is voiced by John Candy? Really, Candy’s comedic touch is what makes this entire thing feel fun and palatable; it’s a cheesy swords and sorcery romp through and through. Honestly, I don’t have much bad to say about this one, it’s just very silly fun.

Unfortunately we are back to being not great with Captain Sternn. Sternn, played by Eugene Levy (of The Wacky World of Mini Golf fame), is basically an intergalactic war criminal on trial, and when his paid witness Hanover Fiste (played by Rodger “Squidward Tentacles” Bumpass) comes up to the stand, the Loc-Nar influences him to the most evil act possible… betraying this war criminal in front of the judge and jury! GASP! I’m not sure what the Loc-Nar is really trying to do here; you’d think it would maybe want Sternn free to continue spreading wicked influence across the galaxy, but nah, it just makes Squidward hulk out and tries to kill him, only for the tables to be turned and Squidward to be dropped out an airlock, further cementing how utterly useless the Loc-Nar is.

Thankfully, once that’s over, we have yet another very strong segment, another contender for best in show: B-17. This is a genuinely creepy zombie short film, and the zombies are utterly horrifying and grotesque. This is regarded as the most nightmarish part of the film, and for good reason; this shit is certainly worthy of being called “heavy metal.” Honestly, there isn’t much bad to say about this one either, except perhaps that it is over far too soon.

Then we get to what is probably the worst segment: So Beautiful, So Dangerous. The entire segment is sort of meant to be a lighthearted comedic breather between The last segment and the final one, but it just comes off as combining every problem the movie has into one segment: the uselessness of the Loc-Nar, copious and ridiculous sex, drugs, and so on. Really all that’s missing from this is gratuitous violence, but hey, guess you can’t have everything all the time, right? It just comes off as really dull and pointless, and there’s not really anything particularly funny about anything that happens in it, unless of course you’re a thirteen year old who thinks “big boob woman having sex with robot while aliens snort cocaine” is the funniest shit on Earth.

Thankfully, we end on a strong note with Taarna, which is about a proud warrior woman dressed in horrifically impractical armor (and this actually effects the plot, I’m not kidding, somehow there was some self-awareness here) and a cool alien pteradactly flying off to fulfill a vengeful pact after the slaughter of a peaceful race by barbarians mutated by the Loc-Nar, in what may be the Loc-Nar’s sole impressive feat. Taarna is the ultimate hero, giving us the trifecta of qualities a heroine in this movie should have – boobs, butt, and bush... Er, I mean, sword, cool mount, and ass-kicking prowess. This one is not quite as good as “Den” or “B-17,” but I still think it’s a solid finale that has enough action and awesome music to make up for its tackier elements.

The movie ends with Taarna’s defeat of the Loc-Nar echoing through time and killing it which… makes absolutely zero sense, but whatever, the Loc-Nar is an absolutely atrocious villain and perhaps one of the most useless in cinematic history, he gets a 1/10 on Psycho Analysis. Then the girl gets her own kickass space dragon thing and becoming the new Taarna or something and, honestly, it’s the exact  sort of batshit ending you should expect from the film.

So, is this really an awful film? In some places, no. It’s a love letter to cheesy, trashy sci-fi fantasy from the 70s, with all that comes with it, and in that regard it does succeed. But still, a lot of the film feels like the utterly juvenile fantasies of same sad high schooler, or perhaps even middle schooler, who has never had and who likely never will have sex. It’s a tashy little time capsule to a bygone era where this sort of storytelling was okay so long as there was enough blood and titties on display, so if that appeals to you, by all means, check this film out. It’s certainly not the worst thing in the world to watch, but animation has come so far and adult animation in particular is capable of so much more than adolescent masturbatory fantasies that this film has little value beyond a few solid segments and a damn good soundtrack.

Hell, just go listen to the soundtrack. I think you’d have a better time doing that.

[hudsontfreeman]

Noticing (or a Case for Seinfeld Living)

It’s really impossible to know definitively, but I’d say I’m about halfway through the fourth or fifth season of the second reboot of my life’s tv show.

This is more of an estimate - I’m not really sure how I’ve been dividing up the seasons. Obviously, the first season was the 3-4 years at the beginning where nobody really knew what was going on and the protagonist was kind of just there. He was arguably, more of a blank canvas for the audience to see themselves through, as the real protagonists (his mom and dad) did all the expository heavy lifting. To be fair, this was just an introduction to the series and audiences were at least impressed enough for it to be renewed.

The formula found its bearings in the second season, as most successful shows tend to do, and stayed more or less on track for ten seasons till adolescence prompted a hard reboot. I can’t stress enough how much the show changed: episodes varied widely week to week, multiple characters were booted, the previously so-called co-protagonists of the show (those rascally parents) occasionally became outright antagonists, etc… It was quite frankly, not that great of a show, and in many ways traded the lack of conflict of its predecessor, with an abundance of conflict rarely resolved. It was not a show anyone was enjoying and the second college reboot was a welcome return to form.

This latest season is not half bad. We’ve got a lot of good series-wide story arcs going. There is a fair amount of midseason conflict, reoccurring characters that are staying relatively fresh (with the exception of Trevor), a decent theme song (it’s currently some experimental jazz from hell), and I’m really feeling like the protagonist is “starting to figure out what his deal is”, so to speak.

It is important to note that the protagonist has “started to figure out what his deal is” many times before this season, so I wouldn’t necessarily trust his judgement, but the confidence is remarkable.

He, at the very least, seems to finally be able to admit that he is not a cool person, which is certainly progress. Naively, though; he is convinced that this admission might very well be the first step to eventually becoming cool.

Most engaged viewers know this is a misstep.

~

“Life’s not like a movie” might be as useless of a phrase as it is pervasive. The assumption of the phrase implies that everyone is going around living their lives like the main character in a blockbuster comedy - cartoonishly pursuing their dreams, accidentally falling in love, and somehow, repeatedly being surprised when things don’t work out the way they think things should.

This is clearly false. No one thinks like this.

No one thinks everything will work out. No one thinks they’ll get everything they want. No one thinks their life is simple. No one thinks they’ll find the complete answer to the question they’ve been asking all along.

No one is nearly as naive about their existence as we seem to think they are. And I don’t think people watch movies and TV shows because they want these things either.

Sure, maybe there is someone out there who says they want life to be this uncomplicated, straightforward thing, but no one actually believes them. Nearly every person I’ve ever met genuinely believes that they are the true pragmatist. Has anyone ever actually met a consciously sincere idealist? Who wants to be the sucker?

Perhaps I’m generalizing, but I don’t think people watch television or movies, read books, and tell stories because they are innocently convinced of the simplicity of their narrative structure or because they want to vicariously live through that simplicity either. People are not starry-eyed, gullible children, nor do they wish they could be. People reflect their lives through story, not because they make life seem simple, but because these stories make life seem meaningful. I would go as far as to say - they don’t just make life seem meaningful, they remind them that it already is.

~

My friend Trevor and I believe genuinely, that we are this latest generation’s reincarnation of the 90’s sitcom, Seinfeld. He is George and I am Jerry, respectively. We’ve drawn out many of the parallels over the course of our friendship and I will list them here now:

- Trevor is short and stocky (George), while I am tall(er) and lanky (Jerry).

- My friend, Sam (Kramer) often walks into my house unannounced, hair lopsided, looking to “borrow” things from my kitchen.

- We routinely complain about our lives at various diners/coffee shops loudly and with little sympathy for the people around us. (The plot of the show)

- We improvise neurotic standup routines about the absurdity of mundane life and our own selfishness. (Much like George and Jerry, these routines are more sad than they are funny)

The only thing we’ve failed to find a direct parallel for is Elaine, as perhaps the most unrealistic aspect of the show, was the fantasy of anyone staying good friends with their ex.

All of these specific comparisons aside, I think what Trevor and I really like about this joke, is the idea that the only difference between our lives “in the real world” and our lives as tv characters, is the perspective that comes with observing rather than experiencing. What I mean by that is to say, there is something inherently and beautifully constructive about observing years as seasons, days as episodes, and people as characters. They become features of the life we are actively noticing, not just necessities of the existence we are passively being forced to endure.

As many sad, 90s-sitcom-obsessives like myself know, the significance of the creation of the Seinfeld rested in the catchphrase Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld sold the show on - it’s “a show about nothing.” The idea of it was, if you take a comedian like Seinfeld and put him in a variety of mundane settings, the jokes will come, not from heightening his experiences, but by letting him endlessly interpose his observations on the absurdity of the mundane itself. But I don’t think that’s significant in the way people may think it is.

Yes, George/Jerry/Elaine/Kramer are funny, goofy people with above average neurotic tendencies. Yes, it is a situational comedy written by professional comedy writers, building narratives out of the ways standups get their material. Yes, it broke many mainstream television conventions and historically broke the formula of the sitcom. But I think the most brilliant thing Seinfeld did, is definitively inspire the tacit belief that everything is worth paying attention to. Maybe, it’s worth noticing because its infuriating, or ridiculous, or hilarious, or disturbing, etc… But absolutely everything demands to be noticed.

In the fourth season of Seinfeld (arguably the best and most influential season), George and Jerry begin developing a TV show in much the same way Seinfeld and Larry David did four years prior. Throughout episode after episode, they go back and forth trying to come up with some fresh idea to wow NBC executives. This goes on with some degree of expected laziness and hijinks till George finally has it. Ever the meta-self-referential goldmine, George decides it should be “a show about nothing.” NBC executives are neither wowed nor thrilled, but the pilot get’s made, and all the characters in Seinfeld get remade in the show-within-the-show - “Jerry”. This was genius for two reasons.

It justified itself as a show by explaining its own concept directly to the audience through the show itself. (Perhaps the reason why this season skyrocketed the shows viewership)

It explained how television works, and more importantly, it explained how stories work.

The characters of Seinfeld, much like the characters of any story where the writer takes the time to describe them, are just bizarre people living in our bizarre world. Brought to their logical conclusions, television characters are human beings incapable of not observing the particularities of their existence. They go to the same coffee shops, they hang out with the exact same people, and they can’t stop scrutinizing the smallest detail of, or change, to that reality. Television shows remind us that the details of our existence are interesting.

The characters we surround ourselves with can be the funniest people in the world when we notice why they do what they do. The job we spend thirty to seventy hours a week at can be the weirdest thing in the world when we notice how ridiculous it is. This year can be a not-so great season. Tomorrow can be a particularly great episode. The television show we’re participating in can be surprising and disappointing and funny and sad and predictable and strange, but its a show we choose whether or not to watch - just watch it!

~

Sometimes, when I have a bad day, I go home, I go to bed, and I narrate out loud, “Hudson was not having a good day.” It almost always helps. Not because it reminds me that I am an insane person and that’s funny, but because it reminds me that I am a character in a movie I am watching, not just playing a role in. I am the protagonist of my own movie, playing a character in other people’s movies, learning how to notice why we’re in a movie at all. Any moment that we don’t realize that, that the story is meaningful, whatever it is, is a moment lost to ourselves.

"Life’s not like a movie” is a pointless phrase that doesn’t mean anything about anyone. We know life is not simple, but we want life to be consequential. Stories tell us it is. So we remind ourselves by telling the stories and listening to the stories and vice versa and on and on till we're dead and death is always a pretty good story too. (Almost always a great tv show or movie)

Life may not be painless or easy, but it is certainly interesting. Movies, television, novels, myths, comics, plays, etc… Those things are at their best when they remind us that the only difference between letting living pass us by and actively choosing to experience existence, is the amount of attention we pay to it. The latest season of the tv show that is my being is sometimes pretty rough, especially when I’m arguing with Trevor about who the main character is, but it is not boring. I can’t ask for much else.

[uzuuzuking]

so this started out as just a general post about why i like cinderella adaptations, but slowly spiraled into a ranking/review of all the cinderella adaptations i’ve seen in my short, young life. so strap in for possibly the longest post i’ve ever made on this blog. (look, i never know how much i have to say about something until i really get going lmao)

idk why i like cinderella adaptations/remakes/spinoffs so much? most of them are garbage (especially the ones within the last 10 years don’t @ me) but fuck it i like this brand of garbage. it’s fun to watch these movies and rework the bad plotlines and dialogue in my head as i go along.

i guess i like the source material and some of the aspects of all the different adaptations, but honestly i just like re-imagining them because there’s only so much cringey script-written-for-teens-but-clearly-written-by-40-year-old-adults-who-have-no-idea-how-teens-or-even-people-for-that-matter-actually-talk-and-interact i can take in one excruciating sitting.

anyway here’s my personal ranking of all the cinderella adaptations i’ve seen that no one asked for. (not including stage productions because i haven’t seen any and have no opinion of them. also not including into the woods because that’s not just cinderella, but a spectacular amalgamation of fairytale mishap and shenanigan.) and reviews because apparently i had more to say than i originally thought when i first started constructing this list:

cinderella (1997) - the absolute best cinderella adaptation of all time, hands down, this is non-negotiable. this movie has it all: an excellent and diverse cast, gorgeous costume design, beautiful sets, some of the most dazzling dance numbers i ever witnessed when i first watched it at the wee age of 4, and a positive, progressive message that was accurate for its time yet also so ahead of its time. i cannot praise this version of cinderella enough, it is my all time favorite and one of my top 3 feel-good movies. if you watched it today, the effects might not be as magical compared to what we have now, but keep in mind it was released in 1997. anyway, the cast is truly amazing and so effortlessly inclusive (and honestly the fact that the prince was asian with a black mother and white father and they literally never addressed it was such a power move). i could go on about this movie forever (i’ll probably make a whole post dedicated to it in the future) and what it meant to me and many others as young, impressionable poc. in conclusion, this movie set an exceedingly high standard for me and destroyed the chances of any other cinderella adaptation even hoping to live up to that. i love it! so! much!

ever after: a cinderella story (1998) - tbh i never saw this until i was in college but i immediately fell in love. i love the flow of the story as a whole - i never felt like anything was missing. i love the costumes and i especially love how danielle and henry’s relationship progressed throughout the film. slow-burn comes to mind when i watch their interactions and we all love a sweet, sweet slow-burn. it’s romance babes! it’s Dramatic in a few scenes and all i can say is that it really works because drew barrymore’s performance is exceptional, fantastic, engaging, more adjectives to describe how enthralled by her i was. above all, her character is compassionate - she uses her voice to speak in support for those who are suppressed by the flawed government systems and law enforcers, and influences the prince to use his status and power to better his people who lack the privileges of the nobility. she’s such a strong female lead (emotionally and physically - she literally fireman carries her love interest, who is taller than her and definitely exceeds her own bodyweight) and truly the mvp of this adaptation. watch it. watch it for Her.

enchanted (2007) - amy adams and idina menzel - ‘nuff said. okay but for real this one is so unique with its transition from classic d*sney 2D animation style to the real three-dimensional world and i adore it to the ends of the earth. the music? slaps! the story? slaps! the development of the main character? slaps!! she’s so princess-y and d*sney cartoon-y and struggles in the real world, but she adapts at a good pace and i love that she learns to be realistic while also keeping hope and love close to her heart. also her mother figure / daughter figure bond with morgan is so so precious. the only constructive criticism i have for this movie is the fact that we were robbed of idina menzel singing!!! did they know all along she was destined to play the frozen queen years in the future and decided against her singing in this one?? is that it? ridiculous. it’s been over a decade and i’m still seething over this. other than that this movie is *chef’s kiss*

ella enchanted (2004) - anne hathaway’s back must still be hurting from carrying this film. (no shade to the other cast members, they’re good, but anne is a queen and i forever love her.) this is another childhood favorite of mine. the story itself is a refreshing take - hats off to gail carson levine for the source material! i’ve talked about the differences between the movie and book before in the midst of my reread of the book a few months ago, but i don’t remember how much i focused on the movie. it’s so different from the book that it might as well be its own thing. on its own, the movie is pretty decent! again, mostly because of anne. it’s funny, it’s sad (especially that scene towards the beginning between ella and areida, i’m in stupid tears every time), and it gets weird but it’s a fun time. the chemistry between char and ella is so zesty i can feel it through the screen, i swoon over both of them. tbh i probably wouldn’t like this movie so much if not for the fact that anne hathaway is truly talented and i spend most of my time watching it just looking at her. 

cinderella 3: a twist in time (2007) - i genuinely enjoyed and appreciated how the characters were written in this one. they all had clear motives and became much more dynamic through their lines and actions (drizella is arguably the most static character here but she still amuses me so it’s fine i guess). cinderella has more agency since the stakes are higher. prince charming actually has a gotdamn personality and has some of the funniest scenes and dialogue. good for him. i was kind of sad that anastasia’s story with the sweet baker boy was thanos snapped by the stepmother, but she and baker boy get a cute credits illustration together so it’s still canon! maybe i’m more biased on this one because i grew up rewatching it A Lot, but i definitely prefer it to the first and second movies.

cinderella (2000) - this one is kind of weird but i like it? the film has a really interesting vibe that i’m still trying to figure out how to describe even after seeing it like 5 times. wikipedia refers to the aesthetic style as “the glamour of the 1950s” which just might be as close as we can get. it follows the general guidelines of the cinderella plot, but the main differences were: zezolla (cinderella) was already helping with the chores before her father remarried, claudette (stepmother) was actively trying to murder zezolla’s father during their marriage, the stepsisters were much more violent and crass (they hunted zezolla’s beloved farm animals for sport and talked about getting “a man in [their] bed”), zezolla’s father was manipulated by everything claudette did and said and treated his own daughter poorly as a result, and prince valiant is honestly kind of a douchebag but seems willing to improve himself after meeting zezolla (basically his vibes are iffy but he’s willing to learn). this whole movie is pretty niche and i have yet to interact with someone who’s also seen it. and the only reason i’ve seen it so many times is because i just like listening to how the dialogue is delivered. (except for prince valiant’s random song at the ball, i kind of hated that and i skip through it every time lol).

a cinderella story (2004) - the classic hilary duff version. very cliche early 2000s high school romance, but it works for the cinderella narrative. not particularly diverse. a classic nonetheless. in my mind this is the pinnacle of the “modern cinderella movie” type. this is one of the most iconic movies for us zillennials and i’d like to think it’s known well enough for me to not go into a lot of detail about it. basically it was fresh and new for its time, had plenty of memorable scenes, and did i mention hilary duff? the film kind of plays into the “not like other girls” trope - as do a couple of the movies i listed above - but i’m just going to acknowledge that the early 2000s were Wack and simply move on. all in all, i like this movie for the nostalgia, iconic scenes, and hilary duff. also jennifer coolidge is pretty funny as the stepmother.

another cinderella story (2008) - again, an early 2000s classic, but this time with selena gomez. i liked the dancing in this one. i like selena’s quiet, somewhat timid characterization of her character, mary. and jane lynch in the stepmother role is perfection. she’s so fun to watch and is always hilarious. the story is nothing remarkable, but it’s okay and i liked it as a kid. after the hilary duff version, this one still managed to feel fresh because, though it was similar in its modern era approach, it focused more on the performing arts and dance. “cinderella” is an aspiring dancer, rather than the 2004 aspiring scholar. the “prince” is a famous popstar, not a football player. the stepmother is an outdated popstar desperate to stay Hip and Relevant with the kids, not a cranky botox lady. honestly i just love watching this one for the dancing, mary’s genuine and innocent love for the “prince”, and literally everything that comes out of jane lynch’s mouth. that woman is a dialogue gold mine.

a cinderella story: once upon a song (2011) - lucy hale is good. missi pyle is good. they play their roles and lines that they’re given fairly well. over all, it’s entertaining. lucy, of course, has them Pipes and i do like the songs in this movie. the only major downside for me was the “token best friend of color” trope. lucy’s best friend is an asian girl who’s good at sports and is there for one liners and support. the prince charming character’s best friend is a black guy who he only knew for probably a month at the most. he can beatbox, sing, and dj. basically he’s also just there as support. they really don’t do much for the plot but they’re there for diversity and whatnot. this movie is.. fine.

cinderella (1950) - the only reason this ranks so low for me is because i watched it a lot as a child when it was on vhs and it always felt like a fever dream to me. i was just really young and didn’t feel invested in any of the characters. it is a classic, though, and i would watch it again and be able to enjoy it.

cinderella 2: dreams come true (2002) - i liked cinderella’s and anastasia’s stories from this one. jaq’s was meh. it was fine.

dj cinderella or cinderella pop (2019) - netflix knows i like cinderella adaptations so, naturally, they shoved this into my recommended and, naturally, i watched it. twice. which is more than i can say for the following review... so this movie is brazillian and is pretty much the cut & mold of modern cinderella movies. but she wants to be a dj. she stars out living a perfect life as a wealthy girl with a loving family, but turns out her dad is cheating on her mom with his secretary. that’s when she “stops believing in love”. which is actually valid bc if i saw one of my parental figures cheating on the other, i honestly wouldn’t know what to believe in anymore. anyway, cíntia dorella (yes. that’s her full name.) and her mom move into her aunt’s place. a year or so passes. stepmother/secretary/cheating lady is throwing an extravagant birthday party for her daughters and hires freddy prince, a popular musician who cíntia doesn’t really like. meanwhile, cíntia gets a dj gig she’s excited for until she finds out she’s the opener for freddy prince at her stepsisters’ party. she ends up disguising herself as “dj cinderella” and freddy is super into her. it’s pretty generic from there but i was entertained enough to watch it twice. take from that what you will.

cinderella (2015) - ok so we been knew that d*sney’s live action remakes ain’t shit, and this one is no exception. d*sney within the last few years has been like 99% aesthetics and marketing. this movie was visually stunning, especially with the settings and costumes. those were the only 2 things i truly liked. everything else was forgettable. in its defense, i did read a post about the “have courage and be kind” message which is something wonderful to hold onto, especially for anyone in an abusive situation like ella. that’s valid and i respect that. i still lowkey hate this movie tho. i started getting a headache about 4 reviews ago, but remembering how much praise this movie got has reignited my fighting spirit. honestly if you like it, that’s good, you like what you like and that’s that. but this is my review and i hated how proper ella’s posture was (she’s been doing physical labor hunched on the floor for years now, how does she not slump around in exhaustion at the end of the day??), i hated how perfectly curated the whole thing was (again, that’s mostly because of d*sney and their aesthetics), and i hated how hollow everything felt. i can’t perfectly describe it, but i never felt emotionally invested in any of the characters. something about their performance was lacking and yet again i blame d*sney. i actually really like lily james, but something about the way she was directed left me devoid of emotional attachment to ella. i remember nothing about ella’s step family or the prince. that’s how much of an impact this adaptation had on me. also i just remembered the fairy godmother as i type this. i ADORE helena bonham carter, but this movie does a horrible disservice to her. if she liked working on this movie, then i’m happy for her, but even she wasn’t strong enough to sell this to me. i saw this movie in theaters and came out of it lamenting my waste of money that i could have spent on something i would have actually enjoyed. but the thing that enraged me the most, the thing i despised, i detested, the thing i seethed over and rant about to this day was the ONE (1) token black character. i don’t even know if he had a name but he was captain of the guard or some shit. if i remember correctly (but probably not tbh this movie was so forgettable), he was the one who heard ella singing and was the whole reason the prince was able to have her try on the glass slipper. this man, who had zero character development, zero relevance to the plot, an insignificant amount of screen time, is suddenly the reason the main character is able to finally connect with her love interest. um. What. i hate how the writers treated him and i will forever be filled with every last grain of salt over this. anyway he’s my favorite character and everyone else is just eh. to conclude this ungodly long review, i don’t like this movie. i tried to watch it again once but got so bored i quit 10 minutes in. do yourself a favor and watch cinderella (1997) instead. (the only reason this movie is ranked above the remaining 5 is the production quality. but i guess that’s unfair bc d*sney has the big bucks. and maybe i wouldn’t be so harsh if i weren’t sleep deprived and grumpy from a sugar-induced headache, but these feelings still come from my Chest so idk.)

a cinderella story: a christmas wish (2019) - i think we all secretly enjoy christmas-themed movies and this has got to be someone’s guilty pleasure. i was mildly entertained (but again with the cringey dialogue written by people clearly not in high school...) and i do like laura marano. but they autotuned her to hell and back - which i loathed - because the woman can actually sing and she has a lovely voice. she got to sing candidly one (1) time and i relished the experience. my ears thank her beautiful, un-autotuned voice. other than that it was.. fine. i didn’t hate it but i didn’t like it either. laura marano deserves better than this. (can’t say the same for the other actors tho because their roles were unmemorable.) also laura marano was super cute in her elf costume!

not cinderella’s type (2018) - i legit forgot about this one until after i compiled the entire list lol. i saw it on youtube and it was decent as far as i remember. it’s another modern day cinderella. i think the “prince” runs over “cinderella’s” cat or something?? i’m pretty sure it was her mom’s cat so now she has nothing left to remember her mom by. prince boy feels awful and tries to befriend her or do something to make it up to her, but she just doesn’t really like him. i think her aunt and uncle are emotionally abusive to her and prince boy does his best to be there for her without making things worse. if i remember correctly, i liked that aspect of the movie because it’s hard to be there for a victim of any kind of abuse if trying to help them could potentially hurt them more, especially minors still under the care of abusive guardians. anyway i think cinderella girl’s best friend is in love with her or something but she ends up not being into him and slowly gets together with prince boy. she eventually moves out of her guardians’ house and into the spare house at prince boy’s home (he’s rich or something). i need to rewatch this movie tbh i could be wrong about everything here lol.

rags (2012) - not amazing, definitely not memorable because i have nothing to say about its plot or writing, but it has keke palmer which is its one redeeming quality. also it’s the only one on this list where the male protagonist is the cinderella. so that’s solid i guess.

a cinderella story: if the shoe fits (2016) - this was a movie. it happened. i vaguely remember how ridiculous it was and sometimes i felt secondhand embarrassment. i don’t remember what about specifically, but i remember the emotion. sofia carson is a talented singer. i think she’s a decent actor but this script was Bad.

elle: a modern cinderella tale (2010) - i only watched this one because i was bored out of my damn mind and saw it on youtube. i felt bad for all the actors because this script was terrible. i don’t recommend this unless you’re about to sit down with your squad and make fun of it.

apparently descendants is on the “cinderella adaptations and references” list on imdb but i refuse to put it on my list because it’s not a cinderella-specific adaptation and i don’t like the descendants franchise. now, if we’re going to discuss a quality series about the children of fairytale characters, that would hands down be ever after high. but that’s a different topic for a different day.

thus concludes the ranking no one asked for but i felt compelled to make. thank you and goodnight

[wwereaderinserts]

Those Blue Eyes

A/N: I’ve decided to try branching out a little more, so have a Finn fic!

Pairing: Finn Bálor x Reader

Word Count: 1,400

Summary: After several months apart, Finn plans a night in for you both, but he has another plan behind it all...

Finn’s back home for a few days after being on the road for months on end, and he’s insisted on making dinner for you both this evening. At first, you questioned it. You can’t recall him making dinner from scratch like this before, but that’s probably down to the fact that he’s a very busy man. But, you can’t complain. He’s made your favourite dinner, and he’s even gone to the trouble of properly setting the table, lighting candles, and even playing some background music for you both. It’s very...romantic, to say the least.

“You know...you never mentioned you were this good of a cook. Finn Bálor, you dark horse.”

You chuckle, flashing a smile at your boyfriend while you continue to dig into your dinner. Finn simply smiles and shrugs, momentarily setting his cutlery down on his plate to take a swig of his drink that’s currently sitting in a glass on the table cloth.

“What can I say, sweetheart? ‘m a man ‘a many talents.”

Finn hums, catching your eye, and despite there being only candlelight illuminating the room, you notice a certain gleam in his eyes. You smirk, earning a wink and a raise of the glass from him when he sees that the penny has finally dropped with you. In response, you raise your own glass, outstretching your arm across the table to him. Then, Finn mirrors the gesture.

“May as well call for a toast, right?”

You hum, smiling. Finn gives you a brief nod, and both your glasses chime when he gently clinks his against your own. Before you can proceed with proposing a toast, Finn beats you to it, and he does so with a grin.

“To bein’ reunited, even if s’only for a few days. To us.”

Saying cheers, you both drink in comfortable silence, save for the background music. You pay more attention to everything this time around, and you think about all the trouble he’s clearly gone to in order to plan this all out.

You had no idea that he’d gone food shopping yesterday when you’d gone to meet a friend for lunch, and it was obvious that he’d quickly got to work with the cooking and every other detail when you’d gone out to run a few quick errands earlier today. You aren’t complaining. Absolutely not. You love that he’s planned something so nice out for you both, but you still can’t help but wonder why, even now.

“...Babe? Can I ask you something?”

Setting your glass down, you cast him a smile from across the round table, only to offer him some form of reassurance that it’s nothing for him to worry about. Though he’s bemused, Finn nods and sets his own glass down, then, he props his elbows up on the table, tenting his fingers and resting his hands against his chin.

“‘Course ya can.” he smiles, “Somethin’ on your mind?”

“I was just wondering...what made you want to set this all up? Don’t get me wrong, I love that you did, but...what’s the occas-...oh my god, did I forget our anniversary or something? Shit! No, I can’t have-”

As you trail off, Finn laughs a little. So, that’s some sort of relief. He’s not upset, so you clearly didn’t forget your anniversary, and you know you haven’t forgotten his birthday. You’re still completely clueless, so you give him the opportunity to offer you some idea.

“‘Ya didn’t forget anythin’! I jus’ did it ‘cause I just wanted to treat ya. S’not often I get the chance t’ cook for ya, so...t’ought I’d make the most of it.”

Finn smiles and leans back in his chair, growing quiet for a moment. You’re smiling at what he’s just said, but you can tell there’s something else on his mind. Though, you wait and see if he speaks up to address it first, so you don’t try prying it out of him.

“Actually, uh...there’s somethin’ else, too. Like...another reason behind all’a this.”

Now, you’re seriously confused. If you didn’t forget an anniversary, and it’s neither of your birthdays...what’s he got in mind here? You nod, straightening up in your seat, and you will him to continue.

“...Oh? What is it?”

You ask, and Finn clears his throat, though he doesn’t speak for another moment or two. He appears to be mulling something over, and no matter how badly you want him to speak his mind already, you wait patiently, despite the knots that begin to form in the pit of your stomach.

Finally, Finn smiles, and he slides the palm of his hand across the table, stopping an inch or so short of yours. Then, he slips his hand over yours, and he gives it a light squeeze, and you perceive it as one of reassurance that this is nothing bad, only positive.

“...I love ya. I don’t get ta tell ya enough, ‘least not like this, anyway. Not face ta face, y’know?” Finn smiles, and he gives your hand another squeeze, but slightly tighter this time, “But I’m not done. I got way more I wanna tell ya!”

You chuckle at that, and already, you feel yourself growing emotional. Sappy texts, voicemails, and phone calls from him are one thing, but Finn getting sappy right before your very eyes? Your heart can’t handle it.

“(Y/N), before we met, I t’ought I had everythin’ I could ever want. But I was wrong.”

Finn pauses. Then, his soft gaze meet yours, and he lightly strokes his thumb over the top of your hand. He sighs, contentedly, and you can’t contain the smile that’s bubbling on your lips for much longer.

“I didn’t have you.” Finn’s other hand makes its way across the table, taking hold of your free one, “An’ I know s’not easy wit’ me bein’ on the road a lot, but now I know what life is like wit’ ya, how can I do anythin’ other than spend the rest of it by your side?”

He studies your reaction for any sign of his words dawning on you, and, surely enough, he’s met with an expression of pleasant surprise on your behalf while you replay the words over and over again in your head.

At first, you’re sure it’s wishful thinking. A dream, even. But the sight of Finn slowly raising up out of chair, fishing something out of his pants pocket, and propping himself down on one knee right in front of you, that tells you that, yes, it’s very real.

“You’re the most beautiful, most intelligent, funniest person I know. You’re my today, my tomorrow, my yesterday, an’ my forever.”

Now, you’re getting misty eyed, and he hasn’t even popped the question yet. You don’t even attempt to blink back tears. When they threaten to spill, you simply allow it, and when you speak, your voice is merely a whisper.

“Finn, ask me.”

“(Y/N) (Y/L/N), would ya make me the happiest man alive? Will ya marry me?”

He asks, opening up the small box he holds in his palm to reveal a rather impressive - not to mention expensive - looking ring. You’re no expert, but judging by the look of it, you want to say that it’s a platinum band. You aren’t sure precisely how many carats, but you do know that it’s arguably one of the most beautiful pieces of jewelry you’ve ever seen.

Crying tears of sheer happiness, you push your chair back and drop to your knees, unable to nod your head fast enough to get your answer across to him. Finn gently raises his hand to your face to brush the tears away, then, he pulls you in for a tender kiss that lasts until you both absolutely have to draw back for some air.

You giggle to yourself, and you cast your eyes downwards to look at your hand while he’s slipping the ring onto your finger. Finn flashes you a megawatt smile, and you mirror him, not letting the smile fade, even when your cheeks begin to hurt.

“So…’m takin’ it that’s a ‘yes’?”

Finn asks, and you nodd, framing his face with your hands while you go to pull him in for yet another kiss.

"I couldn’t turn down those blue eyes, could I?” you giggle, then, you affirm, “...Yes. That was a thousand times yes.”

[amymation101]

Animation Review: Hilda

Hello internet!!! T’is I, humble idiot ready to spread her half-formed opinions about an industry and medium that she knows little to nothing about except that she likes it. So my first target...er...I mean subject is Hilda, a perfectly delightful new show available on Netflix. Well, now that I’ve given away that I think it’s delightful, I shall now attempt to go into more detail on why I think you should watch Hilda. Just a note, I’m going to try to keep this as spoiler-free as I can because I feel that you should watch this show for yourself. Now, onto the word vomit.

Characters: One strength of Hilda is it’s fun and diverse cast of characters. Hilda herself makes for a compelling main character. Her curiosity and fearlessness drives the story forward in what is otherwise a very laid back tale. And her mother (Johanna) may be one of my new favorite parents in animation. Not only are mothers shockingly (and sadly) rare in children’s animation but the relationship that Hilda and her mother have is a refreshingly healthy one. They both clearly love each other and try to understand each other’s point of view even when they don’t see eye to eye. Hilda’s friends Frida and David make for a nice contrast. Timid but loyal David and perfectionist and overachieving Frida appear to be stock characters at first, but as the show goes on they both gain more depth. I found David in particular to be surprisingly endearing even though Frida arguably has the most character development of the two. The side-characters are all equally colorful and intriguing. They all feel as though there is more to them than they let on, with the librarian being a particular standout. Perfect for a show that’s main message is not to judge first appearances. As for the non-human characters….hoo boy. I LOVE them. Words cannot begin to describe the Woodman in all his oddball ways and bizarre personality. He is both endearing and off-putting at the same time, and it is AMAZING. Seriously, look up some clips with the Woodman. He is probably one of the funniest characters in the show and I wish he appeared in every scene. And dear, sweet, bureaucratic Alfur. He easily ranks among my favorite characters of all time. Everytime he is on screen he just brings the biggest smile to my face. All of the non-human characters are as intriguing as the human ones, not to mention beautifully designed. Seriously, I could go on and on about the characters but I think I should turn to another aspect of the show for now.

Story: Since I am trying to avoid spoilers I won’t be giving a summary of the story as much as an impression of the story and what I think of it. The main story has Hilda moving from the forest to the city of Trolberg, making new friends and finding new creatures. Maybe even solving a mystery or two. Although I’ve seen this show compared often to Gravity Falls (and I get why, I truly do) I find that it reminds me less of that show and more of Over the Garden Wall. Let me see if I can explain what I mean. From the very beginning, Gravity Falls moves with a driving intensity. Just listen to the opening theme song and you’ll get a sense of what I mean. While Gravity Falls includes plenty of side vignettes and standalone stories, solving the mystery of the journals and the author is always the main focus and the show pursues this with frenetic energy. Meanwhile, Over the Garden Wall moves at a much more relaxed pace. Yes, there is a story and a mystery here, but the show is presented as almost all side-story with the main “plot” as it were only making itself know at the end. TLDR: Gravity Falls is mostly plot with some side stories and Over the Garden Wall is mostly side stories with some plot. This “mostly side stories with some plot” feel is exactly what watching Hilda is like. It is extremely relaxed (and thus relaxing to watch, throwing this on at the end of a stressful day is a real treat) and while there is a plot and a mystery, it doesn’t really make itself apparent until the end of the show. But like both Gravity Falls and Over the Garden Wall, the real heart of the show is the world in which it takes place and the characters and creatures that we meet along the way. Additionally there are a few surprises in Hilda that don’t have to do with the mystery. Some story lines that I thought would have cliche endings wound up going in a more mature and thoughtful place than I originally expected. Just because this show is aimed for younger audiences doesn’t mean that it is pulling its punches. Some of the characters have a bit of a falling out, and while I expected the characters to get back together (gotta maintain that status quo after all) the show makes sure to demonstrate growth from these characters and the reunion did not take place where I expected it to. It really made sure to show that actions have consequences that can’t always be wrapped up after the end of 20 or so minutes. A bold and refreshing stance for a series that up to that point had been mostly stand alone adventures. I won’t say more for fear of spoiling, and I have probably said too much already, but Hilda approaches story and plot from a mature and thoughtful place that is rare to see even in adult media.

Animation and Character Design: It goes without saying that the character designs in Hilda are a treat to the eye. Colorful, but muted. There are no neon colors here, which is fine as it once again lends to the relaxed atmosphere. The magical creature designs are particularly well done. They are cute and inventive, and even the more off-putting ones still have an air of softness to them. The human characters are well defined as well with each having a distinctive look and color palette. The animation is very fluid and playful and it’s clear that special attention was paid to the character animation. I don’t really have much more to say except that it is beautifully animated and if any of this word vomit made you interested in seeing the show for yourself, you absolutely should. Hilda can be found on Netflix and pairs nicely with a hot cup of tea and a blanket to snuggle under.

[animebw]

Nichijou: Series Reflection

You know, I feel like I’m repeating myself on this particular point a lot, but throughout my watch of Nichijou I was constantly thinking back to Daily Lives of High School boys. Because conceptually, they’re pretty much the same show: a bunch of loosely connected comedy segments with the slightest nods at continuity that exist to find meaning in the meaningless, to, as I put in in my reflection on Daily Lives, “highlight the little odds and ends in life that we may not remember as readily as, say learning an instrument or getting into our favorite college, but in some ways are the true defining moments of our lives.” But I never felt like Daily Lives ever managed to find that meaning in the meaningless, and ended up feeling just kind of meaningless itself because of it. It never got over that first step of figuring out what it was supposed to be once it had tossed out the rulebook.

But now, I understand. All this time, the show it was trying to be-the show that actually captures that ethos- was Nichijou.

Nichijou finds that meaning in the meaningless that Daily Lives never could. It understands why the little moments matter so much, and it understands how to convey that feeling in the most humorous way possible. Make no mistake, this is probably the funniest straight-up comedy I’ve ever watched (with exceptions made for the works of Jun Maeda, which arguable have made me laugh harder but don’t primarily exist to make you laugh in the first place). Aided by some of the most stunning animation and direction I’ve ever seen, pretty much every joke hits, and plenty of them had me all but choking on my own spit. I will remember moments like the temple in the rain and “GOD IS DEEEEEEAD” as some of the best jokes in anime history. But the reason these jokes are able to hit so hard so consistently is because Nichijou understands the emotional logic behind them. It understands how we interact with the world and its many absurdities, and how we can see ourselves in these situations no matter how bizarre they may get. In other words, it understands the millions of tiny miracles that make life matter.

And it extends that understanding beyond the realm of comedy to create one of the sweetest, most genuine atmospheres I’ve ever seen. Everything about Hakase and Nano is the most pure, wholesome wonderfulness ever, and their infectious camaraderie spreads throughout the entire show, dousing every character in a warm, welcoming sheen. I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen a cast this unreservedly lovable in every conceivable fashion. Every character works, even the tiny bit parts. I get invested in their petty, overblown issues, from hopeless crushes to parental misunderstandings to the simple desire to make friends. And the show imbues them all with such nuance and charm, expressed in a million subtle animation details, that I feel like I know them as well as my own friends at this point. THIS is what makes Kyoto Animation the king of anime. Literally no one else operates on this level of raw, unfiltered humanity, with this level of respect for every individual spot and scar, with this level of understanding of the complexities and mundanities of ordinary life and why they matter so damn much. The fact that all of this still comes through in a production as unapologetically daffy and cartoony as this is proof that everyone who just dismisses their work as “moe trash” has no idea what they’re talking about.

In fact, I really have nothing to criticize about Nichijou. At all. Like, maybe some of the jokes and segments could’ve been a little funnier, but in terms of serious storytelling flaws, I’ve got nothing. And that so rarely happens. But it’s proof of just how wonderful a show this was. So when I don’t end up giving it a perfect score, understand that it’s just because a 10/10 for me is so special and important that I only give it out to the rare few shows that I don’t just love, but that hit me on such a deep personal level I can’t imagine my life without them. That said, Nichijou is worth all the praise in the world, for its humor and heart alike, and I happily award it a score of:

9/10

Man, I’m gonna miss this show. Thanks for joining me on this ride, and I hope you stick around for the show that will take its place! And according to the random number generator, that show will be:

Kimi no Todoke

What’s that? I finally get to talk about a classic rom-com? HUZZAH! See you all next time for the start of a new adventure!

[junker-town]

Fumble Dimension’s quest to ruin soccer and everything else

Kofie and Jon finally ran an experiment so irresponsible that they got canned by a video game. After five hours of misadventures, it was bound to happen.

The disastrous conclusion to our Football Manager experiment is above. We lost a soccer match 22-1. We got fired. We learned nothing.

While we’re here, Jon took the time to review the hours and hours of Fumble Dimension’s video game experiments that led us to this point. Every previous episode can be found below.

Even by Secret Base standards, Fumble Dimension is a particularly ambitious, weird project. When Kofie joined up with my team, which would eventually become part of Secret Base, we both knew we wanted to produce a video game series. We also both love the original run of The Twilight Zone. Taking inspiration from one of the greatest television shows ever made, Kofie wanted the title of the series to reference some kind of place. He suggested “_______ Dimension,” I added “Fumble,” and off we went.

Fumble Dimension is the sort of show I would have made years ago if I could. Years ago, when I was producing Breaking Madden, I saw so much more potential in more ambitious, horrifying video game experiments. Thanks to Kofie, we were finally able to make that happen.

The basketball episode

For the series premiere, we decided to resurrect an old experiment from the “NBA Y2K” era: what if good basketball players stopped being born? What if, year after year, every available player in the NBA draft was a useless dope with zero basketball skills?

In NBA 2K19, we created a draft class full of 5’4 players with the lowest possible skill rating in every category. Then we simulated decades of NBA basketball, all the way into the 2050s. Every year, we fed this draft class into the league. As the stars we know and love began to retire, the ranks of players we recognized grew thinner and thinner, until none of them were left at all.

This time around, we did a far more thorough job of tracking statistics and recording footage of what this nightmare NBA actually looked like. In the end, Kofie and I actually played a game against each other with these abominable teams, a fitting conclusion to one of the funniest projects I’ve ever worked on.

The football episode

(This is Part 1. Part 2 is here.)

This is the thing about sports video game series: sometimes, in some sense or another, the old ones are better. Year after year, they tend to remove beloved features and game modes, and add new ones. NFL Head Coach is more than a decade old, but its play creation tool is far more extensive and in-depth than anything you’ll find in a modern Madden game. That’s the game we dug out of the archives, because that’s the game that would let us run the experiment we wanted: running one, and only one, offensive play for an entire season.

We did everything we could think of to create the best play possible. A couple guest stars, Madden champion Young Kiv and football writer Richard Johnson, stopped by to take their best shot. In the end, against all odds, we won a few games with the 2008 Lions, arguably the worst team in NFL history.

The golf episode

An episode of Fumble Dimension requires tons and tons of research and experimentation before we even begin production. Kofie typically spends weeks looking through piles of sports games, testing out their “create-a” modes, and identifying which have the most potential for fun and chaos.

If he hadn’t put in that time, we would’ve have found The Golf Club, a game with an incredibly robust course editor. You can build the golf course of your nightmares and drop all kinds of junk on the fairway, from livestock to buildings to yachts.

We could have just built a terrible golf course and left it at that, but Kofie had a much more brilliant idea: to let our viewers design it. The logistics of this were daunting, but Kofie figured it out: he’d place a grid over the course and then set up a public Google form, in which people could detail exactly which item they wanted to place on a particular square of the grid. This was Fumble Dimension at its finest. We take our goofing around with the utmost seriousness.

In the end, you, the viewers, created a golf course so large that Kofie actually had to build it across several different save files. Then we played it. Kofie and I stayed late at the office that night, because it took far longer to play through than we’d expected. I’ll admit that I had a terrible, TERRIBLE time. Kofie can attest to this. I was so mad. This was the worst time I’ve ever had playing a video game, and it was all your fault. Thank you.

The baseball episode

Kofie thought it would be interesting to produce a companion episode to Dorktown’s “History of the Seattle Mariners” project. Continuing the crowdsourcing element we’d used in the golf episode, Kofie set up a form and let our viewers make every single decision for the 2001 Mariners. Every pitch, every swing, everything. Then we ran the answers through Out of the Park Baseball, the most in-depth baseball strategy game on the market.

We knew this would be a mess. We weren’t surprised when you told us to hit 3,000 batters. This one was more of an exploration of how a video game responds when you try to fundamentally break a sport, and the results were fascinating.

Kofie also took some artistic license with this one, threading in a horror-movie element that turned out to be completely appropriate for this disaster. As the director and main editor of Fumble Dimension, Kofie lays out the blueprints for how, exactly, we’ll pull each experiment off, but he also finds ways to pull stories out of them. It’s really incredible.

The soccer episode

(This is Part 1. Part 2 is here.)

And finally, our biggest experiment yet. With the help of our friend, soccer journalist Kim McCauley, we pulled off a dual experiment, trying to create both the best and worst soccer formations possible. We used the long-running hit series Football Manager, which might be the most fascinating video game we’ve explored so far. As Kim told us, even the best FM players in the world have trouble with this game every time they play it. There are just so many moving parts, chaotic elements, and total unknowns.

We reached a milestone this time: at long last, we did such a terrible job that the video game fired us. It was part of the payoff for a project that was several months in the making.

So there you have ‘em: five hours, 10 minutes, and 25 seconds of Fumble Dimension. To all our videos, we want to say a) thank you, and b) we have lots more planned for 2021. And to catch them when they drop, be sure to subscribe to Secret Base on YouTube and follow us on Twitter.

[blockingtheshot]

Top 15 films of 2017

Yeah Twin Peaks: The Return was better than all of these but wygd? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

15. Good Time

A pulse-pounding neon-soaked descent into hell, Good Time has a classic setup of a robbery gone wrong, but it’s the breathtaking way the Safdie brothers stage it that truly sets this story apart. A completely unrecognizable Robert Pattinson stars as Connie Nikas, a demented, strung-out criminal searching for a way to break his brother out of Riker’s Island only to be sidetracked by his own vices and incompetencies. You simply can’t take your eyes off it.

14. Okja

Every film by Bong Joon-Ho has an uncanny ability to whiz by so effortlessly and his latest creature feature is no exception. Crafting a significantly more sympathetic beast than in his earlier The Host, Okja is a classic tale of human/animal friendship in the vein of E.T.. But make no mistake, Okja is a pointed satire of the giant capitalist racket that is the meat industry. It never sacrifices the good story whilst still delivering this message however, and Okja will tug at your heartstrings as well as thrill your inner action junkie.

13. Logan

In a year full of very fine superhero films (Wonder Woman and Thor: Ragnarok come to mind) Logan easily towered over the rest. Anchored by two excellent performances by longtime Wolverine Hugh Jackman as well as Patrick Stewart as an aging Professor X, James Mangold proved a good story told well eclipses the novelty of a cinematic universe any day. It’s a stirring climax to a franchise that desperately needed an injection of pathos.

12. The Shape of Water

Guillermo del Toro has proven he’s the most versatile maker of monsters in this medium, and he returns on a smaller scale to tell this fantastic fairy tale about a webbed fish-man and the mute woman who falls in love with him. It may stick a little closer to formula than some might like, but it makes up for this with some brilliant performances from the entire cast, especially Sally Hawkins as protagonist Eliza and Richard Jenkins as her equally lonely best friend. It’s a film that only Del Toro could make and he imbues it with his signature amount of heart to make it a lovely fairy tale.

11. Personal Shopper

Personal Shopper is a not a film eager to divulge its mysteries. A dreamy, creepy exterior covers the heart of this film that’s really a gut-wrenching portrait of grief. Kristen Stewart is at her absolute best as a grieving sister moonlighting as a personal shopper for a member of the Paris elite. Her descent into paranoia and madness is both spine-tingling and mesmerizing and the ending will knock you out.

10. John Wick: Chapter Two

The original John Wick was a welcome and pulpy surprise return to form for action maestro Keanu Reeves, but its sequel goes for broke in a way that pays off in a way I doubt anyone could have expected. The action is bolder, the stakes are even higher, and Wick’s society of assassins becomes deeper and more interesting than it had any right to be.

9. Call Me By Your Name

A tender, beautiful romance set in the heart of northern Italy, Call Me By Your Name will make you long for the dog days of summer and pine for the caress of a lost love. Both Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer give Oscar-caliber performances as two star-crossed lovers who share one sweet summer together. The exceptional screenplay by James White makes it feel so authentic and the haunting songs by Sufjan Stevens will make sure this is not a film that will leave your soul any time soon. 

8. Phantom Thread

One of the film industry’s most unique voices, Paul Thomas Anderson seems to challenge his own ambitions with every new film he creates and Phantom Thread is no exception. Set in post-WWII London, Daniel Day-Lewis (in his alleged final performance) plays dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock who falls in love with the young ingenue Alma, played to perfection by Vicky Krieps. To get too far deep into the plot would spoil the magic, but Phantom Thread is one of Paul Thomas Anderson’s funniest, quirkiest and most elegant movies he’s made in his incredible career.

7. Get Out

To harp too long on the timeliness and sharpness of Get Out’s societal commentary may be natural, but can do a disservice to just how tightly and expertly it executes as a thriller. Yes, Jordan Peele’s script contains some of the sharpest barbs towards white society in the Trump era, but it would be just as thrilling without them. Get Out is one of the best horror films in years and the future is blindingly bright for Jordan Peele’s directing career.  

6. After The Storm

Hirokazu Kore-eda’s After the Storm is an incredibly endearing tale of an ordinary Japanese family, a relationship drama about a man trying to do right by his ex-wife, his son and his aging mother. Full of humor, incredible performances and a bittersweet melancholiness to the whole affair, this is the cinematic equivalent of a warm hug that will leave you misty-eyed. Don’t miss this one now that it’s made its way to Amazon Prime.

5. Star Wars: The Last Jedi

What better way to characterize the year that was 2017 than failed resistances, distrust in old institutions and everything going to hell in a handbasket. If being that thematically resonant was all The Last Jedi was able to accomplish, it would still be a fine movie. But Rian Johnson’s assured direction and script full of zippy and wonderful dialogue made sure The Last Jedi is of the finest entries in the entire saga.

4. Dunkirk

In many ways, Dunkirk is a film that Christopher Nolan’s entire career has been building towards. A ticking clock in three concentric circles, Dunkirk dramatizes the thrilling escape of one of the most pivotal moments of World War II by telling the story from land, sea and air. Dunkirk is much more than its narrative gimmick, however, as this is easily one of the most tense hour and forty minutes you can endure on the big screen. Its editing of each dramatic escape is simply thrilling and cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema makes us of every inch of detail the 70mm IMAX cameras can capture. Seek out a 70mm screening before it’s too late as it may be the best theater experience out there.

3. Blade Runner 2049

Even with people as talented as Denis Villeneuve, Roger Deakins and Ryan Gosling onboard, it was going to take quite a bit of quality for this to be a worthy sequel to arguably the most seminal piece of science fiction cinema ever. And yet Blade Runner 2049 is a stunning work. Rarely is a blockbuster of this size so hypnotic, meditative and thoughtful, and rarely does a sequel come so close to eclipsing its original.

2. Baby Driver

There’s no one making movies today quite like Edgar Wright does, and Baby Driver is but the latest shining example of a master at work. Wright made a movie for all of us who drum on our steering wheel too much, stay in the car a little extra to finish a great tune of air guitar, or need an extra "HEY" to pull out our earphones. This is a symphony of action, hilarity and pure filmmaking bliss set to a delightful soundtrack with editing that is head-spinningly frantic. Frankly you won’t have more fun watching a movie than Baby Driver. 

1. Lady Bird

Coming-of-age films have a tendency to ring a little hollow if they don’t mirror your own experience or the dialogue feels even just a tiny bit off. Lady Bird avoids every single one of these pitfalls and morphs into some universal while at the same time feeling so singular. Greta Gerwig also wrote the incredible Frances Ha and simply knocks you flat with this as her directorial debut. Each character has just the right amount of quirk while also feeling so authentic in their delivery. Saoirse Ronan is simply perfect as the titular Lady Bird and equally amazing is her mother played by Laurie Metcalf. It’s an odyssey about youth and growing up that will make you both cackle with laughter and leave you misty-eyed with tears. 

[globalcommunitybuzrush-blog]

Ask any question and get an answer

Each of us depend on the world-wide-web with regards to a little something we never know. However, does Google know everything? Are we ability to think it so blindly? Why the search engines a little something when it will be advisable to look for specialized question and answer webpages? This type of providers frequently provides informed professionals who offer in-interesting depth solutions. Q&A websites always have terrific towns in a position to assist its individuals. No matter what topic area you are considering, from anything at all as distinctive as working on your pursuit to having inquiries addressed about a cup of coffee to finding out how to be considered a more desirable make meals plus more !, we guarantee you can locate it on specialised or standard QAndA products and services.

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There are certain items you should not google and yahoo, specially those that problem any health issues. Medicinal online sites have earned their own individual parts on our list of the best question and answer websites due to their subtle mother nature herself. It usually is preferable to consult an established medical physician for support-the opportunity gladly provided by clinical Q&A web-sites.

So, here is a list of reliable sources that store hundreds of Ask any question and get an answer and are ready to help you find an answer to yours.

Google! Information

Yahoo! Resolutions can be a strategy to obtain questions on different information. You will have to search the website for a bit, even though here, you can find some solid answers. Enduring threads and answers, you can easily bounce from a single spot for a a further, figuring out anything available on a topic.

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The service allows you to ask anonymous questions if you do not want your true name to be shown in the thread.

QandA

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This questions and answers homepage is usually a set up to find tips and advice from simultaneously gurus during the arena and then your frequent young people wanting to promote their tales. Before, QandA helps you to prepare for college and find answers to the topics you haven’t even thought about. Among all other ed discussion boards, it is a put that protects its owners probably the most. It repeatedly decides on the most well liked topics to its customers and gives make it possible to anybody who requests correctly.

This is the scholar provide answers to company for everybody. Though the big the main thoughts is specifically for higher education, customers of various age groups can see things helpful here. The main types of QandA feature personal-knowledge, web based classes, tests and even more. While you obtain an unique line that makes a difference to you personally, one can follow it and view all of its information ever before.

It actually is difficult to get decent schooling web-sites for college students. QandA is the place you should stick to either to find answers or to share your experience with other users, however.

Quora

Of all answer and question web pages, Quora has become the most recognized just one. This may be a destination where you can check with any thought on any subject. This may be a storage area of solutions to the most ridiculous and useful questions similar. Visitors have the freedom to reflect on something right here. It contains a variety of hobbies and interests and definately will absolutely have some thing available to suit your needs. If you want to get the general touch of the categories, you can easily browse its topics. Plus, you can look Quora applying some standard keyword phrases and keyword phrases to check out what folks are presenting.

This can be an establishment where you may both of those consult questions and answer them. You can actually be a expert on your sphere of knowledge and allow a person to find what they want. In addition to that, you could add your own personal webpage and posting bits of information and advice for the general public.

You can get suggestions about how to enhance your essay crafting or selling tactics - any matter you desire. Quora is rather quite easy to navigate and find exactly what you’re looking out for.

Askville

Make inquiries, get the right answers-this is why you need Askville. The web page is operated by Amazon . com site, as a consequence making certain its excellent quality of functionality. Its mainly focused upon specialized doubts however is not fully one-dimensional. At this point, you can also find this kind of subject matter as home entertainment incorporating its varied kinds, so, family and traveling on.

Askville is an efficient system for all on the lookout for material. Substantial concerns are offered good solutions, discussion threads bring up important issues and tell you the full picture of the situation. The services are most famous for their network and respectable professionals who frequently give effective explanations.

This one also has plenty of hilarious conversations and funny responses, as any website that allows its users to interact with each other.

Try to ask Medical Doctor

Question Physician is often a site where you can get no cost medical advice from trained professionals. Its data source has tens of thousands of thoughts it is possible to search through. The information are varied and may also press any subject, presented it really is a health a single. The website has the information of healthcare doctors who are sanctioned to give explanations. The services are valued exceptionally amongst its visitors who positive reviews the reliability of its professionals.

You can locate all of the health concerns that can assist you in your search. You can either inquire wellness questions your body or look into the comparable lawsuits. If you send a matter, an answer commonly happens the same day. At the most, you will need to wait around for twenty-four hours.

MedHelp

MedHelp is not only a web-based medical professional service plan as well as a style of a healthcare social network. The community is large and features together medical professionals who will be consequently marked and typical individuals. The most exciting aspect of the website is that anyone registered can write a comment to your question. Beyond the hints from practising medical professionals, you will definately get to listen to those who been through things very similar. They may give you an alternate way to deal with the situation. You must fully understand that medical questions are a serious matter that require the help of professionals, however.

WebMD Responses

WebMD The answers is usually a position to inquire the physician zero cost problems and grab professional reputable advice. The community of WebMD can be quite mature and supportive. You will not be laughed at or ignored. One can ask WebMD specialists something that worries your well-being and get a response at any time throughout the day. The website’s message boards are broken into various classes that touch immediately after each and every of your wellness by a straight forward cold to raising a child and combating most cancers.

Any person of a blog cost nothing to produce a write-up. All inquiries are treasured on this page, whichever you may well ask. Remember you should report your circumstances offering the tiniest info for just a health care professional as a way to decide your needs on the ideal position. Additionally, you possibly can address the unique health practitioner you pretty much have faith in in person and make sure to receive a results.

Selecting a Effective Provider

answer and Question websites could possibly be the most useful system the world wide web boasts us. A lot more people are visiting like suppliers to access information and share their understanding. Enterprisers often have concerns regarding making more funds or expanding their existing industry. In occasions when it is an overall belief that others can buy nearly anything using major search engines, it truly is really good with an other that enable you to be distinct. As expected, additionally you can surf the present threads and acquire ideas following that. It is always better to submit your own question and receive a detailed answer concerning a specific situation, however.

They greatly differ, although these Q&A services may sound like regular forums to you. Hilarious threads can also be found, even though here, people are more focused on giving a useful answer and being serious. Arguably the greatest thing about question and answer web-sites are their neighborhoods. People among all experiences and spheres obtain in one place to share their know-how and grab assistance. Any way to obtain the type presents its variety of gurus named to provide professional suggestion. If you’re looking for digital marketing assistance, the experts from a company like SERP Co will provide insight on good tactics, for example. Furthermore, in most instances, end users have the freedom to remark in the process. So, this mix of various opinions is the best way to get the full image of your situation and consider various options.

In a time when question and answer solutions are preferred, you must get the most trustworthy people. The Web is filled with plagiarism and frauds these days. Discovering a thing original and trustworthy should be the priority for almost any owner. If you are looking for questions and answers related to products, try using the price comparison website Compare Hare.

Question & Answer Website: https: //community.buzrush.com/

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Ask any question and get an answer

Every one of us depend on the net regarding some thing we don’t know. However, does Google know everything? Are we ability to think it so blindly? Why google something when it will likely be easier to lookup expert answer and question web sites? Such suppliers normally delivers skilled professionals who provide in-level advice. Q&A sites always have fantastic towns willing to enable its associates. Regardless of topic area you would like, from just about anything as distinct as growing your leisure pursuit to getting inquiries solved about caffeine to figuring out how to even be a more effective make plus much more, we guarantee you will discover it on specific or popular QAndA providers.

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There are particular issues you should not the search engines, particularly those that matter well being. Health internet sites deserve their own personal places on our catalog of the finest question and answer online websites because of their gentle design. It is usually advisable to talk to an experienced doctor for allow-a chance happily provided by health care QAndA web pages.

So, here is a list of reliable sources that store hundreds of Ask any question and get an answer and are ready to help you find an answer to yours.

Google! The answers

Google! Replies really is a source of questions on distinct information. Here, you can find some solid answers, though you will have to search the website for a bit. Enduring answers and threads, you could hop from a single area to an alternative, learning all the things seen on a topic.

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The service allows you to ask anonymous questions if you do not want your true name to be shown in the thread.

QandA

Understanding the principles of a useful sphere is known as a strong objective that usually requires time and effort. In making your search easier and a lot faster, it is possible to find a effective Q&A web page.

QandA is usually a online site that enable you to try to ask any issue based on education and try to get a complete response immediately. This is among the preferred internet websites for university students. There is a great chance that some users before you have already asked a question similar to yours and you will not have to wait for the solution. Browsing the site’s types, you can get just about the most assorted threads that dwell on each matter plugged into degree.

This questions and answers websites is known as a put to find tips and advice from simultaneously pros in the line of business along with your conventional individuals wishing to talk about their tales. QandA helps you to prepare for college and find answers to the topics you haven’t even thought about before. Of all other ed community forums, this can be a location that takes care of its customers essentially the most. It frequently decides on the most popular issues for the people while offering help you to anyone who openly asks as it.

This really is a scholar solution support for all. Nevertheless the leading an element of the issues is committed to higher education, women and men of various age groups can purchase a product advantageous on this site. The biggest types of QandA incorporate self-schooling, online courses, exams plus more !. While you find an intriguing line that concerns to you personally, you can actually follow it and view all its the right answers without notice.

It actually is difficult to find decent schooling internet sites for college kids. QandA is the place you should stick to either to find answers or to share your experience with other users, however.

Quora

Of all answer and question web pages, Quora is among the most popular you. This is actually a set up to talk to any inquiry on any topic area. This is often a backup of strategies to essentially the most ridiculous and useful queries alike. Visitors are free to reflect on anything right here. It covers a number of pastimes and definately will unquestionably have some thing available for you personally. You can easily browse its topics if you want to get the general touch of the categories. As well as, you can search Quora choosing some basic terms and key terms to check out what folks are presenting.

This is also a place where you may the two check with questions and answer them. It is possible to turned into a wizard in the sphere of information and help website visitors to determine what they are seeking. As well as, you could add your own private web page and submit bits of information and advice for most people.

You could find tips to be able to boost your essay writing or promotional practices - any subject you want. Quora may be very uncomplicated to navigate and find just what you’re seeking out.

Askville

Make inquiries, get the answers-this is exactly why you will need Askville. The website is powered by Amazon marketplace, as a result insuring its excellent quality of functionality. It is usually largely guided toward tech thoughts but is not perfectly 1-dimensional. Right here, you will also find these sort of concepts as activity among them its a number of forms, so, family and traveling on.

Askville makes a great system for everyone wanting material. Dependable questions are provided stable explanations, argument threads elevate crucial worries and explain to you the full picture of the outcome. The service is most well-known simply because of its neighborhood and dependable experts who generally give good solutions.

As any website that allows its users to interact with each other, this one also has plenty of hilarious conversations and funny responses.

Make sure you ask Medical Professional

Check with Physician is usually a websites where you can get complimentary medical advice from professional people. Its collection has tens of thousands of issues you may read through. The stories are mixed and may also contact any subject, available it can be a medical-related you. Your website contains the description of general practitioners which were sanctioned to make right answers. The services are valued highly concerning its people who praise the reliability of its analysts.

You will discover an index of medical ailments that may assist you in your search. Either you inquire wellness problems your body or look into the comparable instances. Once you present something, a response generally occurs within 24 hours. At most, you should loose time waiting for 24 hours.

MedHelp

MedHelp is not merely an internet medical professional service plan but will also a form of a health-related social network. The neighborhood is large and is made of both the medical experts who definitely are correctly labeled and ordinary buyers. The most exciting aspect of the website is that anyone registered can write a comment to your question. Beyond the tips and hints from practicing medical experts, you will definitely get to hear individuals who have gone through a thing related. They may offer you a different way to handle the predicament. However, you must fully understand that medical questions are a serious matter that require the help of professionals.

WebMD Right answers

WebMD Advice is really a location which you could inquire your doctor free issues and acquire proficient good advice. The community of WebMD is incredibly mature and supportive. You will not be laughed at or forgotten. You will request WebMD experts everything that fears well being and try to get a solution any time during the day. The website’s discussion boards are split into a number of classifications that stroke in each and every aspect within your health and fitness in a easy chilled to parenting and fighting with each other melanoma.

Any buyer with the blog is free of charge to develop a publish. All inquiries are important listed here, whatever you may well ask. Do not forget that you must identify your circumstances providing the littlest points for the health practitioner in order to determine your position via the best position. Moreover, you will location the precise medical doctor you undoubtedly have faith in professionally and make sure for a response.

Selecting a Dependable Reference

Question and answer websites will be most useful technique the web can give us. Lots more people are touring this sort of places to locate share and information their know-how. Enterprisers can have doubts about making more moolah or raising their active enterprise. In occasions when it is an over-all assumption that men and women can see a single thing utilizing internet search engines, its beneficial to find an other that permit you to be a little more particular. Surely, also you can explore the old threads and acquire guidelines after that. However, it is always better to submit your own question and receive a detailed answer concerning a specific situation.

They greatly differ, although these Q&A services may sound like regular forums to you. Here, people are more focused on giving a useful answer and being serious, though hilarious threads can also be found. Arguably the nice thing about answer and question internet sites are their towns. Customers of all of the spheres and experiences collect in a single to share with you their insight and try to get guide. Any resource for the type features its list of masters titled to provide you competent help and advice. If you’re looking for digital marketing assistance, the experts from a company like SERP Co will provide insight on good tactics, for example. In addition to that, usually, buyers are free to feedback at the same time. So, this mix of various opinions is the best way to get the full image of your situation and consider various options.

Currently when answer and question offerings are so common, one must always have the most trustworthy models. The Online Marketplace is filled with frauds and plagiarism nowadays. Getting a little something trustworthy and original needs to be the top priority for just about any consumer. If you are looking for questions and answers related to products, try using the price comparison website Compare Hare.

Question & Answer Website: https: //community.buzrush.com/

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Ask any question and get an answer

Most people have faith in the online market place concerning an issue we never know. Does Google know everything, however? Are we ability to believe it so blindly? Why search engines like google a little something when it will likely be safer to explore dedicated answer and question webpages? This type of references normally offers well-informed professionals who give in-deepness responses. QAndA internet sites have always very good groups wanting to guidance its affiliates. Regardless of question you are searching for, from whatever as diversified as working on your leisure activity for you to get thoughts answered about premium coffee to finding out how to even be a much better prepare food plus more !, we wager yow will discover it on special or basic Q&A services.

You will not will have to contemplate the challenge “Is Yahoo and google normally best? ” if you discover an honest supplier precisely where people, professionals and amateurs identical show their personal experience away with you. Regardless of whether you might have doubts about launching a small business or dealing with an unruly prospect, you choose to successfully are recommending off to the right web-site.

There are specific factors you should not search engines, specially those that dilemma any health issues. Medical internet websites require their different places on our directory of the best question and answer online websites due to their fragile characteristics. It is best to ask a competent physician for help-an opportunity be glad to provided by medical-related Q&A online websites.

So, here is a list of reliable sources that store hundreds of Ask any question and get an answer and are ready to help you find an answer to yours.

Google! Explanations

Yahoo! Answers can be described as cause of questions in diversified issues. You will have to search the website for a bit, even though here, you can find some solid answers. Undergoing answers and threads, you may bounce from one place to some other, training all available on a subject.

There are also plenty of strange answers that always cause the funniest discussion posts. Google! Resolutions is not merely a cause of useful tips but a great entertainment online site as well. It is easy to identify like-minded most people right here and start thoughtful or surprising chats with these.

The service allows you to ask anonymous questions if you do not want your true name to be shown in the thread.

QandA

Learning the guidelines with the academic sphere is definitely a robust pursuit that always normally takes too much time. To create your search less complicated and speedier, you are able to pick a dependable QAndAn internet site ..

QandA may be a web page which you could check with any challenge linked to reports and find a comprehensive provide answers to quickly. This is among the most very best sites for college students. There is a great chance that some users before you have already asked a question similar to yours and you will not have to wait for the solution. Searching the site’s categorizations, you can discover by far the most distinctive threads that dwell on every last subject matter connected to education and learning.

This answers and questions website is often a spot to find tips and advice from both professionals in your field and also your common people eager to reveal their reports. Before, QandA helps you to prepare for college and find answers to the topics you haven’t even thought about. Of all other ed discussion boards, this is the area that handles its visitors the maximum. It continuously determines the most well liked ideas due to the individuals and will be offering aid to anybody who openly asks correctly.

This really is a learner best solution company for all. Even though important part of the questions is focused on higher education, customers spanning various ages could find things helpful below. The key kinds of QandA consist of personal-education, web based classes, examinations even more. Whenever you obtain an interesting thread that makes a difference to suit your needs, you will stick to it and look at all of its answers suddenly.

It really is hard to find decent education internet websites for students. However, QandA is the place you should stick to either to find answers or to share your experience with other users.

Quora

Of all question and answer web sites, Quora is probably the most widely known a particular. This is a set up that enables you to request any issue on any area. This is often a storage area of solutions to by far the most useful and ridiculous problems equally. Owners are free to ponder on almost anything on this site. It handles a wide range of likes and dislikes and definately will without doubt have one thing available for your requirements. You can easily browse its topics if you want to get the general touch of the categories. Besides, you can search Quora utilizing some normal expressions and key terms to look at what people are wondering.

This can be a space where you could simultaneously request questions and answer them. It is simple to be a wizard within your sphere of information and guidance men and women to find what they want. Aside from that, you can add your individual blogging site and post parts of advice and information for the general public.

Yow will discover help and advice concerning how to spruce up your essay simply writing or marketing and advertising procedures - any topic you desire. Quora is incredibly not hard to navigate and find just what you are interested in.

Askville

Inquire, get explanations-for this reason you absolutely need Askville. The web site is fueled by Amazon . com site, as a result providing its good quality of overall performance. It will be mainly focused on technological important questions however is not 100 % one particular-dimensional. On this site, you can also get such subject matter as home entertainment together with its a number of types, family, so and traveling on.

Askville is a good company for many searching for important information. Dependable issues are given reliable information, argument threads increase necessary concerns and explain the complete picture of your situation. The services are most famous because of its town and legitimate professionals who definitely give effective solutions.

As any website that allows its users to interact with each other, this one also has plenty of hilarious conversations and funny responses.

Talk to Medical Doctor

Request Physician is known as a internet site for you to get 100 % free medical advice from trained professionals. Its databases has many hundreds of doubts you can easily browse through. The stories are diversified and may even impression any issue, given this can be a healthcare just one. The web site has the page of medical professionals that happen to be authorized to grant advice. The service is treasured very along with its people who praise the longevity of its masters.

You can get a listing of health problems that can assist you while searching. You may either question health thoughts your body or look at the similar cases. Any time you publish a subject, a response generally comes along within 24 hours. At most of the, you should watch for round the clock.

MedHelp

MedHelp is not merely a web-based health care professional service along with a sort of a clinical social networking. The city is big and is made up of the two medical professionals that happen to be properly designated and routine owners. Anyone registered can write a comment to your question. That is the most exciting aspect of the website. Beyond the hints from studying general practitioners, you will definately get to listen for folks who suffer from gone through a product alike. They may give you an alternative way to deal with the concern. You must fully understand that medical questions are a serious matter that require the help of professionals, however.

WebMD The answers

WebMD Information is usually a set up for you to request a physician zero cost concerns and acquire licensed reliable solutions. The community of WebMD is definitely mature and supportive. You will never be laughed at or abandoned. You can talk to WebMD masters something that problems your overall health to get a solution if of waking time. The website’s message boards are split up into a couple of different types that effect immediately after all facets to your wellness coming from a easy icy to parenting and fighting cancerous cells.

Any buyer of this site cost nothing to generate a submit. All issues are useful the following, regardless of what you may ask. Remember that you need to talk about your circumstance supplying the most compact highlights to obtain a health practitioner as a way to assess your position out of the best suited angle. Aside from that, it is possible to house address the specific health practitioner you pretty much trust for me personally and be sure to receive a effect.

Choosing a Efficient Supply

Question and answer web-sites will be very useful program the web has to offer us. More and more people are viewing these types of suppliers to get information and share their insight. Businessmen have doubts about generating bucks or growing their existing home business. In times when it is a broad perception that many people can locate almost everything utilizing major search engines, its really good with an other where you may be a little more specific. Of course, you might also check the already present threads and find ideas after that. It is always better to submit your own question and receive a detailed answer concerning a specific situation, however.

They greatly differ, although these Q&A services may sound like regular forums to you. Here, people are more focused on giving a useful answer and being serious, though hilarious threads can also be found. Arguably the beauty of answer and question website pages are their neighborhoods. Consumers in all spheres and experiences get in one place to express their experience and receive benefit. Any origin of the kind offers you its couple of authorities titled to provide competent help and advice. If you’re looking for digital marketing assistance, the experts from a company like SERP Co will provide insight on good tactics, for example. Also, most often, visitors cost nothing to thoughts to boot. So, this mix of various opinions is the best way to get the full image of your situation and consider various options.

Currently when answer and question companies are incredibly favored, you will need to look for the more effective kinds. Websites is filled with frauds and plagiarism nowadays. Getting a little something original and trustworthy should be the main priority for almost any owner. If you are looking for questions and answers related to products, try using the price comparison website Compare Hare.

Question & Answer Website: https: //community.buzrush.com/