#kind of surprised at how poorly ryan gosling did

[lookninjas]

This Ken is trying to get over Loretta. (2.7%) -- "Loretta," Ginger Root

This Ken is the O.G. (3.5%) -- "I'm Just Ken," Ryan Gosling

These Kens have joined forces to kick some brass. (4.3%) "Bank That," Too Many Zooz and Thumpasaurus

This Ken is the Allfather (4.3%) -- "Nordavind," Neon Odin

This Ken is trying to get away from Loretta before she murders him. (4.5%) -- "Loretta's Vendetta," Birdmask

This Ken is legendary Sonic Youth Kim Gordon (and it's good enough for Nancy) (5.1%) -- "I'm a Man," Kim Gordon

This Ken is looking for his mother and also himself (6.4%) -- "Completely Half," Bolis Pupul

This Ken is tender, melancholy, and lost in the last days of summer. (8%) -- "Agosto," Helado Negro feat. Buscabulla

This Ken won Eurovision in 2023. (10.1%) -- "Cha Cha Cha," Käärijä (video contains strobe lights)

These Kens are here to win the dance-off. (10.3%) "Dejo Nost," Citi Zēni

These Kens are in a heavily dysfunctional relationship. (13.6%) -- "Haine Coloree," Tayc feat. Christine and the Queens

This Ken is the hottest bisexual in the room. (27.2%) "Bi," Living Colour

And that's the playlist! I have to say, there were some surprises in the voting for me this time around. But that's what makes it interesting.

See you the next time I do this. Hope you listen to the playlist or at least one or two songs from it -- hope you pick up something new or rediscover an old favorite.

How many times have I watched the Oscars version of "I'm Just Ken"? It doesn't matter. Have a bad song description poll!

Pick a song based on a bad song description. You do not have to recognize the song, although some will likely be recognizable. But just pick whatever appeals -- maybe it's the one that's funniest to you, or most relatable, or the one that best describes the type of Ken doll you'd find face down in the dirt next to a squashed lemon.

At the end of the poll, I will create a playlist based on the voting, in order from the least popular song to the most popular song. If you would like to be tagged when the playlist comes out, please leave a comment or put it in the tags when you reblog it (you are going to reblog it, right?) Also, if you desperately want to know what a song is and you don't want to wait a week, you can send me an ask and I will answer.

Have fun! Feel the Kenergy! Pass me a black napkin!

Update: Everyone now has their own Ken poster and that post is here. If you want to get visual clues to each song, or if you just want to see what those came out looking like.

[arts11501-blog]

Blade Runner 2049

Blade Runner 2049 was a much anticipated sequel to the original classic which aired in 1982. While many found this film to be significantly impressive, I found it to be inadequate and rudimentary.

Although his roles vary slightly, Ryan Gosling’s acting unfortunately does not. We finally come face-to-face with just how mediocre he performs as an actor when watching Blade Runner 2049. Playing Officer K, Gosling presents us with a muted performance. Given the fact that Officer K is a cyborg helps cast a shadow over Gosling’s ho-hum attempt at creating a spectacle, however it can’t be overlooked. Officer K wasn’t presented with the most colorful of lines, most of his responses were cold and flat throughout the film. A.O. Scott of the New York Times disagrees, “Mr. Gosling’s ability to elicit sympathy while seeming too distracted to want it — his knack for making boredom look like passion and vice versa — makes him a perfect warm-blooded robot for our time.” This begs me to question whether we were watching the same film. However, we do finally see a glimpse of personality shine through in a moment near the end when Officer K brings Deckard to meet his daughter, whilst clutching the wooden horse in his hand, informing him that, “all the best memories are hers.”

This scene, Gosling’s acting aside, is brilliantly poetic when put in contrast with the rest of the film. From the beginning we’re shown barren wastelands, radioactive deserts, and bustling cityscapes all lacking nature. We follow Officer K’s journey in following his false memory, which leads to a happy ending for someone else. This final scene, while still cliche, is well orchestrated with a light snowfall, which represents both serenity and a fresh start. This is the moment where everything he worked toward is finally paying off. An aerial view of Officer K and Deckard standing at the landing of the staircase that will lead Deckard to his daughter helps create a soft appearance to the scene and allows us to connect that all is resolved and the film is coming to a close. He clutches the wooden horse, which causes the viewer to jump back to the memory of the fire pit. A classic fire and ice trope.

Another cast member we have to thank for a subpar acting debut is none other than Jared Leto. It’s no surprise that he’ll portray the villainous, Mr. Wallace in Blade Runner 2049 . In this film, Wallace is evil, kind of. We’re supposed to know that he’s a bad guy and he’s even given lines to help us piece that together. One in particular is when Deckard asks Wallace if he has any children to which he replies, “I have millions.” I half expect this to be followed by a maniacal laugh. There’s no heart behind Leto’s performance as Wallace. Yes, he’s meant to be seen as a cold, evil genius trying to take control of the universe, but wouldn’t someone with such great ambitions be a little more passionate in their planning, even if it’s evil? That’s just human nature.

Most certainly whenever there is a bad guy, there has to the be opposing good. Because Officer K is just too neutral, the film called for the classic stereotype of rebellious truth seekers. In this case, it’s the uprising of the cyborgs. This is a subplot that was so poorly developed that it genuinely irks me to the core. We’re loosely introduced to the rogue cyborgs a quarter of the way into the film and then nothing. We’re told at the end that there have been looming characters in the background watching Officer K’s every move, but we weren’t shown it throughout the film which would cause the viewer to lose interest in that subplot. Yes, the woman he sleeps with puts a tracker on him midway through the film, but we’re never shown the mystery people watching him so we simply don’t care. Whether it was a decision to cut certain scenes through the editor, the director choosing not to film them, or the writers not incorporating them, it was most certainly a poor decision on someone’s part.

In one of the final scenes of the film we’re finally given a proper introduction to the unidentified hooded figure from the beginning, Freysa. She unravels their intentions through a verbal storytelling session with Officer K. She asks him to join them in their rebellion, convincing him with romanticized dialogue, “Dying for the right cause. It's the most human thing we can do.” I must give the writers some credit where credit is due, they managed to lock that phrase in my mind, but not for the right reasons. While watching the film, it immediately sparked emotion where I found myself wondering if I would die for a cause. The most honest answer is no, I would not, and neither would most people we know, unless lacking fundamental education. These are cyborgs, they’re supposed to be highly intelligent. Clearly if they think that dying for the right cause makes them “more human than human,” then they are sorely mistaken and have much more to unfold within the human psyche. Back to the books, cyborgs. You fail.

When all is said and done, the performances fell flat, and so did the plot and sad attempt at the underlying sub plots. Villeneuve tried to combine multiple storylines and have them all work cohesively with intentions of them coming together in the end to wow us all. Unfortunately, he didn’t trust the viewers enough to piece the puzzle together on their own which ultimately led to him holding our hands the entire length of the film, leaving us with absolutely no surprises. It certainly held massive amounts of potential, but the film as whole felt unremarkable and poorly developed. Hopefully in the future, Villeneuve can learn from his mistakes.