#like for me this is just funny but subtitles are an accessibility feature and they should always be 100% correct

[grunge-mermaid]

cräm o'ber

volovonts

the CBC subtitles on bake off are killing me why are they so bad

[rjalker]

[ID: A screenshot of a reply by rjalker from August 26 2024, reading, "Before making the exact same tired ableist joke as hundreds if not thousands of other people on this post, maybe stop thinking of accessability tools as the punchline for y our ableist joke because you think lying to disabled people is funny.". End ID.]

Please copy this image description into your original reblog, or just delete the image and keep the text part of the ID for my reply. Adding undescribed images to a post that's already had an ID added is extremely rude and inaccessible.

If you are genuinely asking because you actually want to know, the answer is: All of the people reblogging this post and leaving replies insisting that the image description added above the haikubot is incorrect, because the original image is of an octopus, rather than a fox.

When the image is of a fox, climbing through a tiny fence. The person who added the image description did not describe the wrong image or lie to anyone.

Everyone who is insisting that it's an octopus is lying to people who need that image description.

It's fine (if obnoxiously uncreative) if you're making the joke normally, but there are literally pages and pages worth of people reblogging versions of this post that specifically have the image description, so they can specifically claim that it is wrong, and that the original image really shows an octopus instead of a fox.

They are lying to disabled people who rely on image descriptions, and treating it like a joke. They see an accessibility feature and have decided to make fun of it and the people who use it by lying about what is really in the image.

If you or anyone else is unaware, image descriptions are for people who are blind, have low vision, or have other problems with processing what they're looking at, like brain damage.

You can think of them as the equivalent for subtitles, but instead of transcribing what people are saying, they transcribe what there is to see.

Using image descriptions to lie about what an image really contains, or in this case with the thousands of uncreative bigots all dying to make the exact same tired joke, claiming that a correct image description is actually wrong, is lying to disabled people.

It's just plain old ableist bigotry. People are having fun lying to blind and other disabled people because they think it's funny and cool and all the other thousands of people in the notes are doing it already.

I'm taking the time to write out this response under the generous assumption that you're asking because you actually want to know.

If you're going to be one of those assholes who say "it's not that deep lol go touch grass" then please don't even repond just block me. I'm not in the mood to deal with more ableism.

TLDR: People are claiming that the image description is wrong even though it's not, because they think it's fun to lie to blind and other disabled people who don't have any other way of telling what's actually in the image. It's pure bigotry.

Octopuses can fit through any gap larger than their beak.

[alastryona]

I love the inner thouhhts mechanic but does the text really have to be so small. do I really need to physically get closer bc there's already a text size toggle in tbr settings. I feel like they could have made that apply to more things than JUST the subtitles. like yes it's good to have accessibility features like that but if the rest of the game is still teenie weenie does it really count for that much

God that mural really looks like ifrit risen though. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmml

plleeeeeasr please0leasepleasepleaseplease let us escape kanver in mids airship.pls

very funny to add new sidequest as we get to the city gates like oh no the city is actively being besieged and time is critical but GREEN JOBS

scratches my silly little gamer brain to do everything possible before moving on

ough...... life back in eastpool again.............🥺

AND WERE HAVIN OSCAR REBUILD TOO

I'm glad they finally seem to be wrapping up lostwing

hey... please don't make me fight an akashic qunten.......

oh thank god

honestly I don't think any game has made me tear up as frequently as this they've done SUCH A GOOD JOB at making you love the supporting cast so much that everything they face is so MM

uh oh harbered is armored now

THIS IS STRESSFUL BUT TORGAL WITH THE SWORD IS SO CUTE

where the fuck is Jill don't do this to me

[rainboq]

Some thoughts after playing the LiS 1 Remaster

I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that Life is Strange has had a profound impact on me as a person. It helped me embrace my gender identity, it got me into writing, and through the fandom I've met some absolutely amazing friends (you know who you are, kiss kiss). So the remasters were something I was equally nervous and excited for. Would it be like I remembered it? Would it hold up? Were Deck Nine going to botch this?

Which is honestly a lot like Max coming back to Arcadia Bay. And like Max, I found things the same, yet also different. Just like Chloe fucking Price.

It's kinda funny, honestly, the little tricks memory can play on you. Some details I once swore were there are different, and lines that came across one way come across a lot differently now. Maybe that's my brain, maybe that's the new animations, texture work, and lighting. A lot of it is really good too!

The added details to the characters and environments really add a lot, like all the girls having beauty spots and marks on their faces. It goes a long way toward making them feel less like barbie dolls and more like actual people. And the new facial animations?

Fucking amazeballs.

It's hard to do them justice in a still or even a gif (not that I really have the tools to capture and make gifs handy), but they're incredible. Everyone is so much more expressive, the emotions selling in a way that the original just couldn't because of the limitations it was under. Some of the expressions flat out gave me chills with how well they sold a scene.

Just look at how fucking pissed Kate is that Max won't march with her down to the principal's office right fucking now. This was something that was totally missing in the original. Kate sounded upset and disappointed, sure. But giving Max the stink eye? Hell no.

Now obviously, it's not perfect.

There's bugs galore, like the subtitles bug, not having your accessibility features working on launch is fucking inexcusable and makes the game totally unplayable to some people. But bugs can be fixed, like Warren's zits (holy shit dude, would doing some skin care kill you?), but launching them in this state was a mistake. The very least you can do is make sure your subtitles don't break, just in case anyone who might have trouble with hearing or auditory processing might want to play. Shocker, I know. And I honestly feel bad for anyone who didn't get the True Colors bundle because holy shit it is not worth full price with the bugs.

But coming back to this game, after all this time? It's like coming back to an old friend again, and finding that while they've changed, they're still fundamentally the same person you hung out with, maybe even loved. You still get along with them, you still mesh, they're still everything you remembered them being... only they're more now. More refined, more developed, and ready to have awesome adventures with you again.

And if there's one thing that's for certain, it's that Max and Chloe's story still holds up.

You could even call it timeless.

[the-hellion-studio]

OK so I’m watching Half play DATDR and I REALLY hope the subtitles are glitched because shit is NOT showing up during the audiolog sequences and its just fucking PISSING ME OFF so bad like how fucking hard is it to implement subtitles in the game like you did it perfectly right in the first fucking game im genuinely so mad about this its not funny its basic accessibility features. there IS the transcripts in the menu but it just ruins the immersion ? breaks the flow. its so shit it makes me upset beyond reason

also i didnt finish playing the game id appreciate no spoilers at all thank you

[vethbrenatto]

How do you make those gif sets so quickly? Are you just always recording the show? It just always amazes me how something can happen and then 20 minutes later you have it giffed and subtitled. It's impressive as hell

aw, thanks! i'm generally pretty speedy, but honestly, there are people out there faster than me where they'll gif things and ill be like how in the HELL- and then i'm the one impressed lol

basically, my process is, i'm watching the show live on twitch, and if i note a funny moment or something im interested in giffing, i'll note the time. for example, if i notice something happens at 10:05 PM (the show starts at 9 PM for me), I know it happened an hour and 5 minutes into the broadcast. at that point, ill either wait a while until i feel like giffing or immediately open a separate tab where I pull out the VOD for the episode. as a twitch subscriber, i have access to the VOD as the episode airs (you could also use the clip feature, but i don't really understand twitch enough to use it!), at which point I skip through the VOD to the point where the moment i'm looking for happens and I screen record it (usually on silent with captions on, so I know what the characters are saying in the moment im screen recording but I'm still listening to the live broadcast in a separate tab).

once i have the video, i just go through my giffing process! i'm a pretty speedy giffer in general because i've been doing it a while and CR tends to be very easy to color. i can basically create a simple coloring template for the set with some brightness, color adjustment, and vibrance and then can drag and drop those layers onto each gif in the set, so i don't have to make a custom coloring for every single gif (unless the lighting is dramatically different between different areas of the set with different cast members). subtitling is a very easy last step, and then i upload!

that was probably more in depth than you cared to know lol but that's my live giffing process

[slugtranslation-hypmic]

just out of curiosity, do you have any thoughts on the hypmic stage plays? casting, characterization, favourite parts, etc. (if you've watched them that is)

I watched the FP and M one since a friend lent me access to it. I think I’d like to watch the others someday since I love choreographed dance, but the expense and the strict time limits on watching are large barriers for me.

Put under a cut for length.

Collection of thoughts on the one I did see:

Loved the FUCK out of the choreography. That and the stage actions were phenomenal, especially during Gentarou’s song, Dice’s song, and the entire rain scene.

I’m a little saddened all the characterization was pre-first DRB stuff, because I’d love to see more current canon Fling Posse interactions. But those older characterizations are still fun too.

I also liked how the plot was a bit darker than most other first DRB adaptations and featured several manga elements. I loved how they showed the clones, the True Hypnosis Mic, and what appeared to be at least a hint of Jakurai’s hitman ability.

The way they depicted Ramuda’s Ability was SO CLEVER.

Character thoughts:

Ramuda’s actor was genuinely unsettling. I felt like I was watching a horror movie what with how he moved around and emoted. I loved the hell out of that.

Gentarou’s actor was like Gentarou come to life. I was incredibly impressed with everything from his mannerisms to the way he smiled.

I wasn’t as fond of Dice as Gentarou or Ramuda, but that wasn’t an issue with the actor. Dice felt pretty one-dimensional in this, but he was mostly a background character in terms of overall plot. He was decently funny and acted very well.

Jakurai’s voice actor enunciated so nicely, and for that, I am very thankful. I was impressed with the stage actor’s movements and mannerisms as well.

Hifumi didn’t stand out to me too much, but he was a lot of fun. Watching his interactions with Doppo in real time felt great.

Love how Doppo bowed and apologized to the audience. In the showing I watched, the actor at one point pantomimed sucker punching one of the Onigawara Bomber characters. That was one of the best parts in the entire show for me.

I couldn’t understand a bit the Onigawara Bombers said due to the way they slurred words together in casual speech. I have listening processing issues that make speech even in English hard for me to understand, and it frustrates me a lot, so I was pretty upset about that. I really wish there were Japanese subtitles. Thank god the songs were subtitled, at least.

Song thoughts:

The main song, Don’t Pass the Mic, was nice and catchy. I always tend to like the main themes for the stageplays.

Trap of Fling is the worst because it has been stuck in my head for months now. I’ll be walking down the street or at work or something and find myself going under my breath, “Trap of Fling! Trap of Fling! Trap of, trap of, trap of Fling, Shibuya no king! Yura-yura-yura-yurero!”

Blast Wolf was pretty fun. The choreography was enjoyable to watch. The Hifumi and Doppo portions in the middle were an interesting choice, I feel.

I LOVED THE ASAKUSA SONG SO MUCH! The aesthetic they pulled off was so high-energy and powerful. I loved how even the backup dancers were miming taiko drumming in their movements. I watched it on NicoNico, and the commenters were super high energy during that song as well.

Gentarou’s song had some lovely lyrics (thank god for the words written on the screen), and I loved the softer aesthetic of this one. The way they utilized the stage to flip pages was brilliant.

The party song was another high-energy song and was a ton of fun. Great aesthetic from the Asakusa gang again as well.

Dice’s song was my favorite in terms of how well they used the stage and the backup dancers. Just brilliant. The entire thing was a treat to behold.

I liked the duet with Jakurai and the Onigawara guy because now Onigawara dude was forced to enunciate properly, haha. It was a pretty sweet song, and I liked the overall message.

I liked all of the fight scene raps. Fight scene choreography is my jam, and I appreciated how well the actors mimed physical effects from what were only verbal attacks.

This wasn’t really a song, but Ramuda’s breakdown deserves an award. Not only was the acting and (simple, but very effective) stage direction wonderful, but I was blown away by some of the word association they pulled off.

The entire rain scene from Doppo to Ramuda was so, so, so, so good. So many brilliant things here. I loved the use of the umbrellas, and again, the way they showed Ramuda’s Ability was delightful.

The clone song was nicely creepy as well.

Overall, I enjoyed it a lot, and I’d like to see it again when I’m not stressed for time.

[talesofafangirlwithadvr]

SEPTEMBER PICKS

I don’t know about you, but this felt like a long month. I just looked back on my August post and that felt like another life. Putting together this list I couldn’t believe how much I was able to watch with the start of the semester. There was a lot of great ones, so let’s get to it!

Our usual spoiler warning....

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The Umbrella Academy

Umbrella Academy was a show that I started at the end of August. Many people I know were shocked I had never watched it and honestly I don’t know what took me so long. It was great and made even better by the second season getting released this summer. Now I had even more episodes to watch. 

I love how chaotic the Hargreeves are. The things that happen to them would only happen to them (if you know what I mean). I also love how they always put family first. Despite everything that’s happened to them. They might all be a mess (and honestly who isn’t), but deep down they love each other. For the first season I thought it was great how they formatted the plot. These characters were new to us and they didn’t give us all the backstory. (When you think about it we still don’t know how Ben died.) It made me continue tuning in and figure it all out. I always sensed Vanya had powers and I know it’s shocking that I wasn’t spoiled coming into the show so late. I liked the irony of the family essentially creating the apocalypse themselves by locking Vanya up.  Leonard aka Harold always felt shifty to me. I also liked the way they set up his story. Five and Klaus are definitely my favorites of the siblings. I love how Five is such an old man in a young kid’s body. The way they show his teleportation is really cool. The early scene in Run boy run, episode 2, is definitely one of my favorites from the whole show. The images paired with the song are chilling. Really nice job there. I love how Klaus’ power has been explored. We see more of it in season 2 and it’s something I wasn’t expecting. I love his and Ben’s relationship and I easily fell into the Klaus/Dave ship. We only got a slice of their backstory and I was already too invested. Season 2 took me a little bit to get into with the new setting, but after about two episodes I did. I really liked the plot and found it funny that there was yet another apocalypse. With that cliffhanger, I can’t wait to see where season three is headed.

Derry Girls Re-watch 

2020 felt like a good time to re-visit my girls in Derry. I wanted something familiar and funny and this was perfect. I just love this show. It makes me so happy after watching it. I’m so thrilled that we’ll eventually get a third season (even if it will be the last). This watch through I am noticing how many songs are in each episode. (Might help I’ve been watching it with subtitles.) There are so many bops. Sister Michael is always my spirit animal. She is hilarious! I also feel Gerry gets funnier as the season goes on. When he’s making the sandwiches at the funeral I crack up EVERY.TIME. I also love the seriousness of the show too. There are SO MANY great parallels. In the season one finale when the historical bomb goes off and the girls are shown at school unaware and just dancing with Orla it is so pure. Then we see Da put his hand on Gerry’s shoulder. Wow. It shows how the generations were affected. I will suggest this show to everyone no matter what they like to watch. IT IS THAT GOOD! So, why aren’t you watching it? (Or Re-watching?)  

Violetta Season 3

We can all rejoice! The third and finale season of Disney’s Violetta was released onto Disney Plus mid month. As someone who recently finished the second season, it was no surprise that I was ecstatic and wanted to watch it ASAP. This season is hands down the fastest one I have gotten invested into. Usually it takes me a bit to get into the new plot and characters. Because I’ve gotten so attached, I’m worried that means it will go downhill. I’ve heard mixed things about season 3. But let’s focus on the positives! There is so much music so far (both old and new songs). I am loving a lot of the new songs: En Gira and Armor En El Aire. I like how they started on tour and how they included actual footage from the real tour. Now they are in their last year in the studio (so I guess Seniors?). Lots of changes are already occurring including people leaving the Studio. Some are headed to Gregorio’s Art Rebel. I have to say that Gregorio has grown on me so much and now he is one of my favorite characters. I love his relationship with Diego and every time they call each other Papa and son. OMG it’s fantastic! So great to see them happy. This season we have a new teacher, Milton and I honestly can’t figure out what his deal is. Why is he so mean? I’m in episode 18 now and I am happy Leon and Vilu are still going strong. Obviously, they’re going to have issues (and they’ve already had minor ones), but it’s good to still see them in love. (It is adorable how they call each other Amor.) I also like that their “love triangles” seem to be misunderstandings right now. I’m in the VERY early stages of Fran and Diego and honestly I am so in love with them already. I’m going to fall hard for this ship. I know it. I am so tempted to continue watching spoilers, but I feel they’re not true spoilers if I can only find them in Spanish with no subtitles. ;) 

Sunshine on Leith

My journey through watching George Mackay films continued with Sunshine on Leith. This was a great choice and I highly recommend. The main difficulty is how to access it. I couldn’t find it fully anywhere online or through a streaming service, so I wound up purchasing it through Amazon and getting it as a UK DVD. This means you need a Multi-region DVD player to watch it. (I know. It’s weird that not all DVDs are the same.) Of course, I have one of these. I am a TV/Movie junky and love a lot of British programs that are unavailable to purchase in the US. I got it a few years ago also on Amazon and it was pretty cheap. I haven’t had any issues with it, so I highly recommend. 

The movie musical includes songs from the Proclaimers and takes place in Edinburgh. As someone who got to visit Edinburgh it was so cool to see the characters in places I’ve actually been. Before watching the film, the only Proclaimers song I knew was (of course) 500 miles. While watching I realized I actually new more and those I didn’t know I really liked. So, now I have a new playlist on my phone. Some are the original songs and others are from the movie (because I prefer their voices on some). What was cool to see was how not all the actors had the strongest voices, but could sing really well. I’m not sure if this was a purposeful choice or not. (I’d have to look more into it.) At times the plot felt a little rushed. Overall it was a fairly short musical, so that was probably why. Characters seemed to know each other really well really fast. So, if a lot of time would have passed I didn’t notice it. I can’t wait to re-watch the film. George Mackay in the cast brought me to watch it, but I stayed for a great story. (And of course I fell more in love with my crush on Mackay...No shock there :) 

I Am Not Okay With This

Netflix’s I Am Not Okay With This had been in my queue since the beginning of this year, but I didn’t get the chance to watch it till now....when I heard it got cancelled. [Netflix hit us with this news about a month back when they released that shows that were originally picked up were now getting dropped for a second season. I Am Not Okay With This and The Society were on the chopping block.] To make the comment everyone else already has, I am Not Okay With This. 

Despite knowing the show got cancelled, I still wanted to watch it. As I was watching Derry Girls, I wanted another show that was contemporary. I was very surprised to see how few episodes there were as well as how short they each were. It was a very quick watch because of this. While I expected this show to be contemporary with a touch of the supernatural, as Syd has powers, I was not expecting it to be so much more! This show blends so many genres and it does it so well. I honestly don’t know if I’ve seen it done before...at all. Which makes it hard to compare to some others. It feels like an Indy/Contemporary Coming of Age with both supernatural and thriller vibes. It even touches into horror-ish towards the end of the season. If only there was another season to see where it would go. And that ENDING! Is it bad I laughed? I think I did because I was not expecting it to go down like that AT ALL. Syd was a very dynamic main character and I really like how they had her explore who she truly is. Her and Stan’s friendship is one that I strive for. (Speaking of, where can I get a Stanley Barber? I need one in my life.)If you’re willing to be upset that the show got cancelled and there is no second season in the works, then I definitely suggest you just out I Am Not Okay With This. 

Enola Holmes

Man, I feel like I’m giving a lot of support to Netflix this month, but there was a lot coming out/ a lot in my queue so it makes sense. Overall, I would give Enola a 7/10. I had a lot of hype for this one (as it was one of my highly anticipated watches for September), which I think hurt my overall reaction. This doesn’t mean it wasn’t entertaining and enjoyable. I loved the female empowerment message as it was very strong. Millie Bobby Brown was fantastic and so charismatic as Enola. I loved the feature of her talking to us as well as giving some really great facial expressions. I am a sucker for a retelling (of any kind, but especially Sherlock Holmes), so I loved the concept and how they included a younger sister to the Holmes family. I know there has been some conversation about how Sherlock was portrayed and that’s not really Sherlock, but I had no problem with this (and I’m not just saying that because he was played by the dashing Henry Cavill). Honestly, Mycroft’s character bothered me more. I get that there had to be a “villainous” character (well other than the one in the mystery), but he felt a little too over the top. The movie felt a little too long at times and I still don’t like the reason for why her mother left and the conclusion to that plot. It did set it up as if there could be a sequel and I would definitely watch it. 

I would also like to add that I cannot get enough of the cast. Thanks to the YouTube interviews Netflix keeps uploading, I am falling more and more in love with this trio. They just seem like so much fun and I would love to be a part of this cast. They feel like siblings! 

Harriet

Another one in my watch-list for September can be checked off! Harriet has been a film that I have been wanting to watch since it came to theaters last year, but I felt like it came and went pretty fast. Luckily HBO just released it in the past month or so, which made me to tape it. I am so happy I did. 

WOW! Why didn’t I know about these facts about Harriet Tubman sooner? Why aren’t we taught these parts of history in school? I already knew she was amazing, and this just put her over the top. She did SO MUCH! It’s super impressive that she was a part of the Civil War and fought. Not only was this something difficult to do as a Black person, but also as a woman. I didn’t know about her visions, so that was something I Googled right when the film was finished. She never lost a freed slave in their journey to freedom. The list goes on and on how amazing Harriet Tubman was. This film showcases that so well and Cynthia Erivo is amazing as Harriet. (I have to start finding synonyms for ‘amazing’.) Her voice...WOW! Before watching the film, I have loved listening to “Stand Up,” but now afterwards it takes on a whole new meaning. Especially when you understand the direct quote from Harriet Tubman: “I go to prepare a place for you.” CHILLS! This film was nominated for multiple Academy Awards and it should have gotten one. WATCH HARRIET!

The Crimson Field

I’ve noticed that most of the programs I watch through Amazon Prime Video are mainly period dramas. So it was no shock that I would tune into The Crimson Field, a 7 episode series following the nurses and surgeons in France during WWI. As someone who is often more drawn to WWII, I am finding myself interested to watch more things involving the first World War (ie: 1917 and Tolkien). And this show was just what I needed. The pressure was on to watch it though, as it was only available through Prime Video till September 30th. Luckily with only 7 episodes this was an easy feat to accomplish, plus the first couple I marathoned because it was so good. As with any show it took a little bit to understand the setting and the cast, but I feel like I got to know them rather quickly, which made me invested to know what would happen next. I did find it strange that Prime Video only had access to the show for a month as it originally aired on BBC one and then PBS in 2015. The streaming service has programs older than that readily available to watch any time. 

The beginning of the series was definitely stronger in my opinion. I like how they gave breadcrumbs into people’s backstories, such as the main character Kitty. There was a lot of mystery there when we first learned she had a kid and then of her scandalous marriage. There are still a few things that I don’t 100% understand, but that might be because they thought they were getting a season 2 (but they did not). And with the way they ended the show it definitely had the feel. I enjoyed Kitty and Tom’s romance, but more at the beginning than at the end. With Tom’s character, I feel like they set him up as the super nice guy while Miles was the player, but then as the show progressed they decided Tom should have more Mr. Darcy traits and I just thought that was out of his character. Either way, I did still like him (and Miles) and could listen to Richard Rankin’s Scottish accent ALL DAY! It wasn’t until I looked up his IMDB that I made the connection that he is on Outlander now. Can you see the resemblance to him now? 

   Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe

And don’t we all just feel against the universe sometimes?

I know my range for this month is all over the place, so is it that shocking that I would add a cartoon to the mix. Definitely not...especially because it’s Phineas and Ferb. One of my favorite Disney Channel shows. Watching this film feels like FOREVER ago because it was so early in the month. I’ve only watched it the one time (because I don’t think it needs a second watch...I guess that tells you something), so let’s see how much I remember...

It’s been a while since we’ve had a new installment of Phineas and Ferb grace our screens and it was great to see the citizens of Danville once again. In a way, it felt like no time had passed. (And for them I guess it hadn’t because it always seems like the same summer.) It just felt like the moment for Phineas and Ferb. While I was really happy to see our beloved characters again, the plot of this film felt familiar. Very Queen of Mars. Now thinking back, it’s hard for me to relay what happens and I think that’s a good way to describe this movie. It was very familiar, and I wish they would have done more with it. I can’t even remember any of the songs (and that’s often my favorite part). Of course, it had all the classics antics and jokes. I love how Perry was helping out the kids and had to be very secretive about it. I always love a good Candace and Venessa team up. Dr. Doof was hilarious as usual and his pairing with the kids (specifically Isabella) was a great time. My favorite part was when they got meta and did the reverse engineering of their animation and then we saw the creators in front of the story boards. That was really cool and unexpected. Overall, it felt like Phineas and Ferb and made life in quarantine a little bit easier. 

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Well! That’s a wrap. These were some of my favorite picks to talk about (even if it took me longer than usual). I hope you watched some great stuff last month and continue to find new picks for October! 

[birdybirp]

👀 Tell me about the grinning man?

YOU DON’T HAVE TO ASK ME TWICE!!

Did you like Phantom of the Opera? Did you think it could use some more black comedy?? Would you like another musical based on another French novel about a tragic/sad man with a face disfigurement??????? 

If you answered yes to any or all of these, The Grinning Man is for you, my friend. 

Let’s start with the players: 

Meet Grinpayne, the titular Grinning Man. Disfigured as a child in an incident he can’t remember, he now performs at the Stokes Croft Fair as a freak show attraction to earn money to go to “a new world” while also trying to come to terms with his past. He is also a very good boy, if not a little dumb. 

This absolute angel Grinpayne is holding is Dea. Grinpayne found her as a baby, clutched in her dead mother’s arms and freezing to death in the snow. She was born blind but has better foresight and intuition than the entire cast combined. . 

As they grew up, Dea and Grinpayne fell in love and are THE CUTEST COUPLE!! LOOK AT THEM!!!!

If you’re not touched by a blind girl and a disfigured man falling in love... I don’t know what to tell you. 

Ursus is a puppeteer and potion maker who took in Grinpayne and Dea that day in the snow and became a surrogate father to them. He’s well intentioned, but maybe not the best dad. But he has a wolf named Mojo, so that’s fucking sweet. Just behind him in this screenshot you can see that Good Good Boy. 

This trio is the main emotional crux of the show and is amazing, but there are even more fun characters!

The Grinning Man has a lot to say about classism (which what we all want in our comedies, right??) so there is a royal family. 

Duchess Josiana is the textbook definition of a hedonist. She constantly tries to fill her life with pleasure and it’s never enough. 

Lord David Dirry-Moir is Josiana’s half brother. He is a bisexual disaster man who spends all his time at the Stokes Croft Fair to laugh at the freaks there. He is consistently one of the funniest characters in the show. 

Angelica is Josiana and Dirry-Moir’s half sister. It’s insinuated that she’s been institutionalized by her father multiple times against her will. 

I swear this show is part comedy. 

Angelica also speaks with an accent no one else in her family has and they just never address this??

And their father, King Clarence.... 

Fuck him. Moving on. 

Finally, we have the royal family’s clown and the narrator of sorts, Barkilphedro. He’s probably the least funny clown in existence, who says at the beginning of the show that he can’t imagine laughter without cruelty behind it. 

Again, I swear this show is partially a comedy. It features such hilarious moments as: 

An Erotic Breakfast Dance(tm)

The phrase “Hubert and his anal snake”

A puppet show performed in the middle of a dungeon

But a musical can have the best characters ever and be total shit if the songs aren’t good, right? 

Not a concern with The Grinning Man because the music is BEAUTIFUL. 

LISTEN TO THESE:

I’m sure this is much more than what this poor anon wanted, so I’ll slap on a TL;DR at the end here:

The Grinning Man is a beautiful and very underrated musical that is funny, dark, and touching. It takes the source material of Victor Hugo’s The Man Who Laughs and turns it into a creative, quirky, and amazing story about love and our place in the world. Slap on some AMAZING puppetry by the team who did War Horse and you really couldn’t ask for anything more.

If anyone is interested, I have a file of the proshot of the Bristol Old Vic run of the show that I would be happy to share with anyone who wants to shoot me a dm. I’m also working on a subtitle file for the performance because I want to make this as accessible as possible.

I am very much a disciple of The Grinning Man and will proselytize to everyone until I have more people to talk about this show with.  

[emanuelgr018]

Take A Look At This  Wizard Cyberflixtv.Site/  Strategy

Download ShowBox APK [February 2020] Free Movies Application

Best Android Emulators For PC 2019 (Updated).

The DNS (names) were taken down and after that ports were obstructed which the players and apps utilized, hence making certain completion. For this reason why set up with a VPN was set out as well as rarely several troubled.

You will certainly always find the latest films and shows available for streaming. Much like the others on this list, CyberFlix TELEVISION brings numerous web links, providing you sufficient selections to discover top quality playback. It is a FireStick remote-friendly application, which is simple to make use of. It might not be one of the similar apps yet it certain is an excellent Showbox substitute.

VidMate is a one-stop application to watch the latest films within a day of the film release and also even download them on your gadget. The Application has a really enticing UI as well as you will certainly like the Application instantly. VM is a one-stop app to watch the most up to date motion pictures within a day of the flick release and also even download them on your tool.

Is Netflix illegal?

MovieFlix is an example of a phishing scam, designed to steal credit card details. Versions of this scam have been posted repeatedly, and have been debunked by Snopes.

Invite To The ShowBox 5.11 Authorities Download And Install Page.

Even standard networks have a cost to enjoy them now without cord. I don't think they are harming so much that even fundamental has a cost. And trust me, individuals seeing newer films with subtitles or negative audio can't manage the 10 plus per ticket cost, so they aren't acquiring tickets anyway. When I have the ability to go to a complete flick experience, it's a 5 very early program as a treat. Nobody on the other side truly understands what cash battles are.

VideoMix

Thanks to the ShowBox, you can not just view films as well as TELEVISION programs, however likewise download and also upload HD motion pictures absolutely cost-free. Showbox is currently the most popular Android app many thanks to which you can see totally free films and also TV shows totally free any place you are.

What is a good app to download free movies?

The Showbox app don't own any rights to the content available on it for streaming. This app is not legal as they stream contents online through torrent & other direct/ indirect sources. This is the reason the app and its alternatives are not available on Google to download.

[Dec 16, 2019: App abandoned] Latest news related to ShowBox down & not functioning (' link error' problem).

You just require to paste the LINK of the film or share the film link with the Downloader Application which you wish to relax as well as download and install will be done by the Apps itself. So pop that popcorn, loosen up, as well as take a look at these wonderful streaming sites that offer free flicks online. A lot of them can be checked out in a web internet browser or a devoted application. Popcornflix is a free streaming app especially for motion picture material.

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ShowBox Alternatives.

Most likely to your phone's setups and allow setting up applications from "unidentified sources". Without allowing this option, installment of the Showbox application will not be feasible. ShowBox 5.26 has actually apparently been released with 100+ brand-new films as well as TELEVISION shows, yet I suggest you must resist updating currently.

Is ShowBox legal?

Popcornflix This free ad-supported service offers legal streaming of feature-length movies. In any case, it's worth checking out if you want to watch a movie for free. You can access Popcornflix on a computer or the app is also available on Roku, Xbox360, Samsung, Google Play, Amazon, and Apple.

You can additionally browse through included as well as most prominent motion pictures. Regarding the films go, they're top quality, as well as the film player works smoothly.

Popular on Engadget.

There is a good chance the distributing sites would eventually share your IP address as well as various other details with the copyright proprietors. Today I'm mosting likely to show you how to obtain the working showbox on your ios and android tools. Your streaming activity is proactively tracked by your Internet Service Provider, addon devs, and also government via your IP address. It is functioning fabulously and also drawing in lots of High-Definition streams. Subtitles and also Look work completely within Movie theater, together with the faves option for all your beloved content.

The Application supplies crystal clear sound by means of Dolby Atmos on sustained tools. Vudu categorises flicks into funny, suspense & criminal activity, action, household & kids, and so on . The Vudu Application has a really straightforward and clean user interface for fast gain access to. You can see 1000's of cost-free films with Advertisement assistance on the VUDU.

[wizardessheart-sideb]

The latest episode of the podcast is out! Although all the eps have built-in subtitles, I’ll now be sharing the videos with a transcription under the cut in case people live in areas where internet providers are pieces of shit.

HELLO Hello everyone, welcome to Royal Magic Academy Radio, a podcast about Wizardess Heart. I’m your host, Mari. It’s our 10th episode YAY!!!! Our next big milestone!!! It seems fitting we’re having a milestone when we’ve got a lot of cool stuff to discuss, so let’s get on with the show!

GAMING NEWS We got two new events this week. I was RIGHT, the next guy for the stories re-release event was Yukiya. The event’s called YukiyAmore and it’s a romance point slot. The stories being re-released are The Love Holiday, Flirting Time with Him, Flirting Time with Him and After, Heart-Pounding Moment in Bed, His Sweet n' Spicy Special Lesson, His Devilishly Sugary Kiss, and "Our Hands Stuck!" It’s running until June 8. The login bonus event, Detective Rex, also started. It’s going on until July 25 and the final prize is a CG so yay! That’s exciting. We also got a very interesting birthday event. Instead of a spin-off, we have a Randy-themed collection event! It’s called The Greatest Surprise -Randy’s Birthday- and I think it’s pretty cute! In addition to stories, we’re also getting CGs, one you can get with stars and the other is a ranking prize. But anyway, it’s going on until June 16, just as a heads up. 

SPECULATION So, we’re definitely going to be getting the CG part of YukiyAmore fairly soon. And if we’re still going in order of sequels, after YukiyAmore, we should be getting Vincent. However, I’m not really sure if we will. Vincent’s fallen from the most popular list and with the Happy Party Trainwreck his sequel was, I don’t know if Solmare’s gonna let him have a re-release event so soon. I mean, I def think he’ll get one, but considering he’s not as loved as he used to be, I dunno if he’ll be next, even though if we’re going by sequel line-up, he should be. Also while we’re on the subject of the re-releases, since the story line-up is the same for Yukiya and Klaus, I’m going to guess we aren’t going to get reruns of The Love Holiday, Flirting Time With Him, Heart-Pounding Moment in Bed, His Sweet n’ Spicy Special Lesson, His Devilishly Sugary Kiss, or “Our Hands Stuck!” because we’re getting the content through the rerelease events.Then, of course, Rex’s login bonus is a pretty strong hint that his route will be next. And now we have the biggest speculative piece of them all: Randy’s birthday event. Amelia’s birthday event back in late October was a collection event, but I have to say, I don’t think any of us were expecting a love option to get one of these. To be honest, I’m wondering if this is more or less a test from Solmare to gauge how we’d feel about birthday collection events for other dudes. Randy’s the fandom darling and if we approve of this kind of birthday event for a favorite, then it more or less indicates we’d be down for this for other dudes. Or maybe even multiple. After all, Ninja Shadow does their birthday events where multiple dudes are featured. Maybe we’ll get that for Wizardess. However, this event has stirred up the fandom a bit. 

WIZCOURSE You can’t have a Randy event without having wizcourse. I honest to God wish I were exaggerating, but it seems like every single time something with Randy happens, the fandom explodes. It happened with Bubbly Candy Randy, it happened with his sequel, and it’s happening now. So let’s chat. The fandom seems pretty mixed on this event. The main complaints boil down to:

Randy wasn’t given a spin-off like Klaus, Yukiya, and Elias. It’s even more unfair considering Klaus got a rerun AND a new spin-off.

One of Randy’s CGs is a ranking prize.

With the event stories, Randy essentially has to share his birthday with 6 other guys.

The items are ugly. Wig.

People who are content with the event generally agree on the following:

Randy’s getting a whole event to himself, and not many guys have gotten a collection event to themselves. Only Caesar had this. Nox didn’t play a huge part, or a part at all in some stories in Nightmare - The Phantom Thief, so that doesn’t count.

It’s something still pretty new, and people like the collection event format because it’s cheaper than a spin-off would have been or you know. They just like collection events.

They like the outfits and the aesthetic.

In my opinion, I’m totally fine with Randy getting a birthday collection event. I think the aesthetic is pretty good and I think it’s really cool Randy’s getting an event like this. Last time we had a Randy-themed event that wasn’t a route or sequel, it was a gold medal slot and a lot of people were angry because you had to whale to get those. To be honest, I think the collection event is great in part because it makes his birthday a lot more accessible. It’s true that you can buy stars, but for the most part, we’re getting a birthday for free. We don’t have to whale, we don’t have to use up all our Lune, or keys, or story tickets. I’ve gotten up to Azusa’s story in the event and they all balance the two guys well. No one is overshadowed. Randy isn’t overshadowed. Not to mention, as I said before, I think they might be testing us with this event and maybe in the future do this sort of thing for other guys. But I understand being upset because there’s no spin-off. Randy’s fans are incredibly passionate about him and I’m sure this feels like a blow to the head for them. And overall, as much as I love the idea of birthday collection events for love options, there’s really no way for anybody to win. If they did this with Klaus, the fandom would be outraged because Klaus gets a LOT of content. But with Randy, it’s a bummer he didn’t get a spin-off and if I’m being 100% honest, some of Randy’s fans have super high standards and always get upset when those lofty standards aren’t met. It’s not every Randy fan, of course, but let’s be real, when people are upset they get loud, and loud people are the most visible in fandoms, so even if it’s not the majority of Randy fans, it ultimately looks like it is. And of course, that sends the message to Solmare that we don’t like these events and no other dude is gonna have a chance at a birthday event like this. Although tbh, the only dudes I think could pull the collection event off are Yukiya and maybe Hiro, since they’re very beloved. But Yukiya’s birthday passed and Hiro’s isn't until like. November? Either way, this whole situation is hella messy and it sucks. We should all be happy and celebrating Randy’s birthday together, but this event’s unfortunately really stirred the pot.

DARLING OF THE MONTH But onto something happier: Darling of the Month! To be honest, I was very conflicted on who to make this month’s darling. Originally, I had planned for someone else, but then a week ago I remembered it’s Pride Month. And then once I remembered that, I had to decide between Amelia or Scarlett and that was an incredibly hard choice. But after a lot of thought, I’ve decided on one. So, this month’s Darling of the Month is Amelia Nile!

Amelia is just. Absolute bae. She’s so sweet and kind, and is honestly the best friend we all deserve. She’s funny, helpful, and so so so so generous. Amelia is honestly one of my favorite characters in Wizardess and I’m so happy our LGBT rep in the game is with such a wonderful person. Congratulations Amelia, you absolute Bicon.

CONCLUSION I knew I was gonna have a lot to talk about today, but this ended up being more than I originally anticipated. This was honestly an interesting week in the fandom, but hopefully next week, things quiet down. Let’s all just take a deep breath and keep moving forward. Next week, I’ll be coming back with a theory and I’ll be talking about Amelia’s spin-offs, since she doesn’t have a route for me to review. Thank you to everyone listening for reaching this milestone with me! I’ve been so busy that I haven’t been able to put anything special together for this and our past milestone, but I’m planning to do a special episode for our 15th episode. I’m still working on the details for that, though, so stay tuned for it. And that’ll do it for us this week! This is Mari, signing off.

[sir-adamus]

Actually the chibi videos on Youtube always have at least one set of English captions that lack any jokes (and in some cases all of them). The people who need them (and anyone else) DO have the option (which is default depends on your settings) of joke or non-joke captions. I know that this is hard for you to empathize with, but there are people who enjoy the 'insipid, obnoxious little' joke captions and are glad that they have a choice rather than resentful that it exists in the first place

okay, i’m gonna paraphrase @femboss on this

they are deaf, their hearing isn’t going to improve - they go on youtube, to watch some Content. turn on subtitles, pull open subs bar, pick ‘English (UK)’, because they’re from the UK and that’s a legitimate option in many DVDs and games - but instead of getting transcribed content, they’re getting some jackass who thinks they’re being funny locking them out of that content

because these ‘joke’ captions, are not clearly labelled as ‘joke’ captions, like ‘pirate’ or ‘chewbacca’, where it’s clearly a joke before you even pick the track. it’s a legit subtitle option that actually exists, and it’s being used for subpar jokes that people can instead just put in the comments, or on their own blogs and crap with the three seconds it takes to screencap shit

i’m sorry, but the selfishness and smugness that goes into making people think they deserve a wider audience than these crappy jokes would net on their own, and they clearly don’t give a damn that they’re invading an accessibility feature if it means they can mooch off of Rooster Teeth’s wider audience, doesn’t make me very inclined to ‘empathise’ with them

so don’t come at me accusing me of not being able to empathise with people when you’re not considering what the accessibility feature is for and defending it being used in a way that makes accessibility difficult

[daleisgreat]

Not for Resale: A Videogame Store Documentary

I have been following the work of gaming personality/author/collector/podcaster/YouTuber, Pat Contri for several years now. His line of ��complete’ guide books that review every NES and SNES game have provided ample bedtime reading for me for well over a year. When I recall him first mentioning on his podcast that he teamed up with director Kevin J. James to executive produce a documentary on independent videogame stores, I instantly made a mental note to put their film, Not for Resale: A Videogame Store Documentary (trailer) on my radar. I pre-ordered it soon enough and wasted no time in devouring the BluRay and its extra features shortly after it arrived in the mail a little over a week ago. I have always had a soft spot for the independent/”ma and pa” game stores. I was fortunate to have one in my town in my childhood years where I first dabbled in trading in awful GameBoy games, but spent hours there perusing and trying out games on their multiple kiosks. Since then for about the last 15 years a small regional chain opened up here that specializes in retro games, but also has some new games and plenty of clothing/figures and other gaming related merchandise. There is just that intangible local comradery that is more welcoming there than the nationwide chain, GameStop.

Not for Resale captures that spirit of the indie game store by interviewing several independent game store owners that are featured throughout. Hearing their stories on what inspired them to start up their own game store and how long they have been in the business all had their own powerful DIY stories and a lot of them put a lot of stock into why they prefer physical games over digital. The production values for these interviews stands out with artistic B-roll, a pleasant ambient soundtrack dominated with smooth piano melodies and multiple camera angles making the interviews more dynamic. The theme of physical over digital came across to me as the thesis in Not for Resale with the interviews branching off on that topic in multiple directions. I was able to relate with them on many of those facets with some key argument points being addressed such as rural communities and military bases with limited to no Internet access, having actual ownership of a physical game compared to buying the ‘license’ of a digital game on a storefront that is not guaranteed to always be online among other factors touched on throughout. The not-so-desirable effects of collecting physical games are also touched on like when Greg Miller states being primarily a digital game supporter by justifying it of being not a fan of clutter. Other interviews state expected downsides of physical game collecting such as a gradually slimming retro game market and wear and tear taking a toll over the years on physical games and systems. One of my favorite scenes in the film is a collector trading in his complete American Saturn collection and him having a constructive back and forth with the clerk on how it was tough to let go, but he was moving onto marriage and the next step of his life.

Eventually Not for Resale pivots to game preservation and has some fascinating interviews with Videogame History Foundation members Frank Cifaldi and Kelsey Lewin. Both have a tremendous amount to offer, with Cifaldi especially being featured throughout on the importance of physical games and why they must be preserved. I liked how they tracked down the portion of the National Archives that has a videogame wing and showcased what they have in their vault and they touch on how they have a long way to go. Another informative scene is how the doc covers conventions and how Kelsey and Cifaldi state how imperative it is to reach out to collectors at retro game cons in order to chronicle and preserve as much material and rare prototypes as humanely possible. Another notable little highlight of this film for me was how an exhibit at a retro games convention has an early-to-mid80s model bedroom (complete with vintage woodgrain wallpaper) that I had to pause multiple times throughout and think to myself, “yeah, that was my childhood.” As much as I relate and am on board to the positives of physical games that Not for Resale hits on, I am relieved this is not a total dump on digital games and the filmmakers make sure to give digital games their proper due with them being huge for the rise of indie games and making game development for the latest systems accessible to nearly anyone. There is a well done scene interviewing the developers at Psyonix (pre-Epic acquisition) on their success story with their digital game Rocket League and how important it was for them to eventually have a physical copy on the shelves. They tracked down the founders of publisher, Limited Run Games who state why it is important for them to reach out to small indie game developers and get their games that launched first only as a digital game and get them out on a physical disc.

If I were to make any nitpicks with the documentary they had to deal with the subtitles. I love subtitles and am glad they are there, but whoever was in charge of them I feel is not familiar with some of the obscure platforms covered in Not for Resale. Certain instances being the ‘Ouya’ subtitled as ‘Uvio’ and Sega’s kid-friendly platform, the ‘Pico’ subtitled as ‘Peko.’ I love it when films go above and beyond for having the bonus features and commentaries subtitled, and sadly Not for Resale has neither. Again, I am splitting hairs and when my only qualms with this BluRay is with the subtitles then that is saying how well-rounded the rest of the package is. Speaking of the bonuses, Frank Cifaldi, Kelsey Lewin and Pat Contri do a roundtable session that a couple of quotes are pulled from in the documentary, but nearly their entire 41 minute discussion is available in the bonus features. The same treatment also happened to Greg Miller of Kinda Funny Games with a 14 minute extended interview with him touching on how the Master System’s Ghostbusters got him into games and why he prefers digital over physical games. There are two audio commentary tracks. One with director Kevin J. James and cinematographer Thomas Chalifour-Drahman and another with James and Pat Contri. I listened to the track with James and Contri and they unsurprisingly have a constant rapport of insightful factoids from the production such as highlighting favorite interviewees and how they surprised game store owners with their level of production equipment. I tend to be a fan of documentary commentaries by their sheer nature, and this one did not disappoint.

If you dear reader have been trending towards more and more digital gaming purchases only or are a younger game player who have not had the experience of going into a game store that is not a GameStop then be ready for some require learning. Not for Resale tremendously encapsulates a culture of gaming that should be celebrated and not forgotten. It does not overstay its welcome and you will have a whole new understanding of this slice in videogames in a brisk 86 minutes that will stick with you for years to come. Other Random Backlog Movie Blogs 3 12 Angry Men (1957) 12 Rounds 3: Lockdown 21 Jump Street The Accountant Angry Video Game Nerd: The Movie Atari: Game Over The Avengers: Age of Ultron The Avengers: Infinity War Batman: The Dark Knight Rises Batman: The Killing Joke Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Bounty Hunters Cabin in the Woods Captain America: Civil War Captain America: The First Avenger Captain America: The Winter Soldier Christmas Eve Clash of the Titans (1981) Clint Eastwood 11-pack Special The Condemned 2 Countdown Creed Deck the Halls Detroit Rock City Die Hard Dredd The Eliminators The Equalizer Dirty Work Faster Fast and Furious I-VIII Field of Dreams Fight Club The Fighter For Love of the Game Good Will Hunting Gravity Guardians of the Galaxy Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 Hercules: Reborn Hitman Indiana Jones 1-4 Ink The Interrogation Interstellar Jobs Joy Ride 1-3 Major League Man of Steel Man on the Moon Man vs Snake Marine 3-6 Merry Friggin Christmas Metallica: Some Kind of Monster Mortal Kombat National Treasure National Treasure: Book of Secrets Pulp Fiction The Replacements Reservoir Dogs Rocky I-VII Running Films Part 1 Running Films Part 2 San Andreas ScoobyDoo Wrestlemania Mystery The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Shoot em Up Slacker Skyscraper Small Town Santa Steve Jobs Source Code Star Trek I-XIII Sully Take Me Home Tonight TMNT The Tooth Fairy 1 & 2 UHF Veronica Mars Vision Quest The War Wild Wonder Woman The Wrestler (2008) X-Men: Apocalypse X-Men: Days of Future Past

[marikou]

Adding translations to videos on YouTube is NOT there for you to put in inaccuracies and jokes.

I just needed to emphasize this because Emma worked very hard and very quickly to add subtitles on Soraru and Mafumafu’s most recent video, just for the sake of us English viewers. Understand that these fan translators aren’t paid or anything of the sort; they do this on their own time, just to help other people. This should already be obvious, but I don’t think people understand that. I repeat: THEY DO THIS ON THEIR OWN TIME TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE—OTHER FANS. Emma has been translating utaite content for quite awhile now, and from what I know from all the times I’ve spoken to her, she’s been nothing but considerate, precise, thorough, productive, hardworking; need I say more? This doesn’t even just apply to Emma alone. There are so, so many translators that work to the best of their ability, just because they want to help international fans like themselves.

To explain: YouTube has a new(?) feature that allows its viewers to add title/description translations. They've also had the CC/Subtitling feature around for awhile. These are both being utilized by fan translators so we can understand what's going on in the video. However, we can't do that if 'fans' are too busy messing around, adding jokes/memes/etc. to the translations just for the fun of it. Those who are doing it might believe it's harmless; that it's just 'haha I'm making a funny joke that other fans will find amusing'—no. By doing this, you're literally hindering other English fans from understanding the content.

Two recent examples include: someone changing Mafumafu's Comet Honeymoon video description to 'pwease like and subscribe' when literally all it says is 'mosu'. Another is on the video I linked earlier; someone changed the video title to '2 boyfriends play...'. The second example ESPECIALLY infuriates me, because not even more than 3 days ago did Mafumafu and Soraru state how they were uncomfortable with some 'shipping'; then someone has the nerve to outright ship them IN THE TITLE 'TRANSLATION'? Really outrageous.

All of this nonsense can easily make Soraru think, 'ah, people are misusing the feature... I should disable it on my videos', and just like that, there goes our translation accessibility. And this doesn't just affect us, the English community. Fans from places like Korea, China, Indonesia, etc. can utilize these features too; I've already seen some different translations up on their videos. But if the English community keeps messing around and messing up the translations, it'll simply ruin it for everyone. Not to mention the utaites and the translators. Undoubtedly, utaite want to break the language barrier between them and their international fans. Having to turn off this new feature would just be disappointing to them. For the translators? There goes hours of timing, translating, checking, etc. all down the drain. All because people wanted to joke around with their memes.

"Why can't the translators just create a new video with hard subtitles?" you might ask, if you're newer to the community. While this seems like the simple solution, many utaites have EXPLICITLY asked their fans not to reprint their videos (this doesn't apply to all utaites!!!). It takes away views, likes, comments, and more from the original video. If you really claim to be a fan of ATR, you'd respect their wishes and move on. Simple as that.

This new feature can be really beneficial, but it’ll only prove to be a nuisance if people don’t stop this... for example, if other translators were to add onto another translation, perhaps to make it more accurate or to clarify something, then great! That’s exactly how this should be utilized. But we can’t enjoy the content if people are messing up the translations.

Needless to say, this is really upsetting to see that people have the need to mess around on actual translations. TL;DR: please respect translators, uploaders, and fellows fans by NOT messing around with the 'add translations/subtitles' features on videos.

[anticipatingevaporation]

my attempt at watching the oscar movies: 2017

So for the last couple of years I’ve eagerly watched each Oscar ceremony, all the commentaries, discussions of winners and nominees without actually seeing any of the films.

This year I decided that needed to change, I took it upon myself to watch all the films nominated for Best Picture, Director, Animated Feature and all the acting categories.

I’ve hesitated to watch Oscar movies in the past because I find that the “Oscar-y” movies tend to be very…inaccessible. They are usually slow burners, filled with long shots of just a person staring into the distance and very little plot. For a viewer like me who just isn’t very accustomed to “sophisticated” movies, understanding and appreciating them isn’t easy.

I’m putting all that aside this year and giving the Oscar movies a shot; I’d like to actually have an opinion during the ceremony this year. So here we go! (be prepared, this post is absurdly long) Also note these were written in the order I watched the films, (with the exception of Zootopia) I reviewed each one after I finished watching it.

Manchester By the Sea:

So I had heard about how much of a downer this film was before watching it, but evidently I was not prepared just how sad it was. There’s one sequence in particular that just, I had this awful ugly feeling inside whilst watching it. It was deeply unsettling. And I mean that in the best way possible, whenever a movie can evoke such strong emotions, it’s a great sign. Having said that, I think this movie, as a whole was quite good, but not incredible. I do watch very few movies, so my standards are very high. I found this to be a very good movie, but I don’t think it was breaking any ground. It was well executed, but in my opinion, not Best Picture worthy. (I’m saying this without having seen any of the other nominees, so let’s hope I don’t have to retract this statement) Casey Affleck has been getting tons of love for his performance in this film. I’m not going to comment on the harassment scandal he’s going through because tbh, I’m here to discuss his performance not his personal life. All I am going to say is that if I was going to boycott all the movies starring or made by people who had questionable pasts, I’d be left with very little to watch. I think Affleck did a really good job in this movie (although I was so shocked by how much he sounds like Ben Affleck) I liked how subdued his acting was and how he managed to make me feel bad for his character despite how awkward and cold he is. A good performance, but not necessarily Oscar worthy in my opinion, Michelle Williams also does a good job here, she has one scene in particular that really impressed. But the real highlight of the movie for me was Lucas Hedges, I’m so glad he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor because he has been for the most part left out of the other major awards ceremonies. I’m particularly impressed with his talent considering he’s pretty much my age. His performance felt so real, he seemed to be at such ease behind the camera, it didn’t seem like he was acting, my personal favourite performance in the film. As far as the direction goes, I was at first confused by, but ended up really appreciating the way this story was told- constantly alternating between past and present, often perfectly accentuating the drama, really driving the emotions home. I did find some of the music choices to be a little odd at times and although I didn’t, I can see people having issues with pacing in this film, but overall, a well directed and well acted family drama that is very emotionally impactful.

Also, I totally thought this movie was set in Manchester, ENGLAND, the constant snow did not help, I had to Google it halfway through the movie to clarify. (for those of you who were wondering, there’s a town in Massachusetts USA called Manchester-by-the-Sea, the more you know)

Moonlight:

So I really, really liked this movie. It’s a coming of age story about a boy named Chiron, following his life in three stages, childhood, teenage years and as an adult. The three acts have a different actor playing Chiron and each one was really brilliant. The first two acts in particular, my eyes were glued to the screen. Chiron is one of the most poignant characters put to screen, he wore his heart on his sleeve, and especially in the first two acts, I could see every emotion he felt in his eyes, his body language, his manner of speaking. Chiron just came across so raw, and it just shows the director Barry Jenkins’ and the actors’ immense skill. Movies like this (Oscar type movies with little plot and a real focus on characters) can tend to drag, but I was just so invested in Chiron’s story that I couldn’t get enough of the movie. The pacing was really brilliant, and the use of colour in the film was beautiful. It had a really artful feel to it, as if each shot was well thought out and intricately crafted. I’m not too great at identifying good directing, (I’m working on it) but I think Barry Jenkins did wonderful work here, this movie is very well written, but it could so easily have fallen apart without the correct direction. I still have 3 more contenders to watch, but right now, Jenkins is my favourite to win Best Director.

With regards to performances, I have to applaud Alex Hibbert and Ashton Sanders, portraying Child and Teen Chiron respectively, they gave brilliant performances, I was entranced by their performances. I had a little more trouble with adult Chiron because he was more hardened by his circumstances and therefore more difficult to relate to, but by the end I was captured by Trevante Rhodes’ performance. Mahershala Ali, who has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor was really great, despite his part being small, he was effective. Naomie Harris, nominated for Best Supporting Actress, was also very good here, both giving subtle and impactful performances. I was also glad to see a movie with a total black cast that didn’t resort to clichés. It really captured the feeling of the environment it was set in. And it felt real, the themes were subtly explored, nothing felt over the top, it’s just overall a really great film, definitely deserving of the recognition it’s getting.

(also I really like the poster for the movie, it’s so awesome...can we award that please?)

Hell or High Water:

So this was probably the Best Picture nominee I was looking forward to the

least

. I just didn’t see much appeal in a bunch of white guys in country Texas; I knew the movie was about…banks? Or something, and let’s just say I wasn’t very enthused. I had a feeling Jeff Bridges was going to mumble his way through this movie and I wasn’t going to be very interested at all, I mean Chris Pine is nice to look at, but that wasn’t really enough to excite me for this one. So I figured I’d just get it over with and it would end up being my least favourite of the bunch. And as I watched this movie, I discovered I was right. Hell or High Water is by no means a bad movie; it just didn’t intrigue me at all. The plot didn’t feel innovative and the performances, whilst good, weren’t enough to elevate the material. As expected, Jeff Bridges was mumble-y (I’m glad I downloaded subtitles), there were interesting aspects and I did like the characters, but nothing really blew me away. 

But somewhere in the third act, things changed. The movie itself didn’t actually change, but the film subtly turned from drama to thriller. And I was super invested. The performances became top notch; I really cared about all of the characters and found myself on the edge of my seat, and actually gasping when certain events occurred. All three of the leads, Ben Foster, Jeff Bridges and Chris Pine, did an excellent job at making me care about their characters, regardless of whether or not they were actually in the right. I was rooting for all of them, and found myself genuinely upset when tragedy struck. Whilst Jeff Bridges started off as a mumbling country guy I couldn’t care less about, by the end, I was engaged in his character, he definitely deserves his Best Supporting Actor nomination, and I think Pine and Foster also deserved some recognition for their work here. What this film really excels in doing is using small slow moments in the first two acts of this film to make us care about these characters, and the best part is, you don’t even realise it’s doing so. I personally found myself a little bored in the earlier parts of the film, but when the plot intensifies at the end, I realised those slow moments were worth it, because the action at the end wasn’t action for the sake of action (which I loathe) every bullet shot had emotion behind it, my eyes were glued to the screen by the end. I found myself thinking, “I’m really glad I saw this movie” as the credits rolled. Which is an achievement considering how little interest I had going in. Is the film Best Picture worthy? Perhaps not, but I’m glad it’s nominated, any film good enough to overcome my stubbornness is a deserving nominee in my eyes.

Hidden Figures:

So I have a weakness for actors of colour, female actors in particular, being a female of colour myself. I was very excited to see this movie, I really like the three main actresses and was interested to see a part of history that has been more or less hidden (aha I’m funny) until now. I mean, when I think of the space race, I think of Neil Armstrong and “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” I do not think of black people at all, let alone black women. So I’m really glad this movie was made, if anything to further educate and enlighten us about the stories less told that need to be heard.

Despite the fact that this film is based on three black women, (a double minority, some would say) I would say this is probably the most accessible of all the nominees. In that the film is very familiar, you’ve seen this kind of movie before, these themes and tropes have been discussed and displayed on many occasion. At times, this movie can come across as clichéd, there are a lot of plot aspects that feel predictable and obvious. This isn’t necessarily a fault in the film, but I think that in trying to widen the appeal of the film, subtlety was lost and the writing became at times heavy-handed. The themes were explicit and at times far too overt. I guess in a Best Picture nominee, I was looking for a little more sophistication, this movie felt a bit too easy, for lack of a better word, there was little to no risk taken, the film more often than not resorted to somewhat overused clichés. The film never ventures into “dark” territory, whilst the situation the characters find themselves in is frustrating, the viewer is never made to feel more than mildly irritated on their behalf. And whilst some may say it’s good thing there are more movies starring black characters that aren’t total downers, I guess I enjoy a little more drama and emotional weight in the movies I watch. Having said that, this is still an entertaining, feel good movie. What I most enjoyed was the performances, these actresses had excellent chemistry together, their group scenes were some of my favourites in the movie. Taraji P. Henson and Octavia Spencer were very good here, but for me the standout was Janelle Monáe, she was my favourite performer of the three. She gives a really brilliant speech about the importance of being first; it was very well done, not over the top at all. As much as I enjoyed Spencer in this film, I do feel perhaps Monáe deserved a Best Supporting Actress nomination. I know it may sound like I’m bashing on this movie, but I enjoyed it for what it was, and I am glad this kind of movie exists and it’s getting awards and box office recognition. It does speak to the power of perseverance and how despite your race, religion or gender, if you are genuinely talented at something, you will be rewarded. Talent speaks louder than anything else, and I love that this film showcased that. It also presented intriguing perspectives on black people through the supporting cast made up of Kevin Conroy, Sheldon Cooper Jim Parsons and Kirsten Dunst. I also loved the small detail that all the white men working in NASA wore identical plain white shirts, so when Taraji P. Henson’s character comes in to work with them, the difference between them is that much more stark. It was a perfect, subtle touch that I felt worth mentioning. Another quick mention for Mahershala Ali, this guy has a talent for making a big impression from the smallest of roles. He didn’t do anything revolutionary here, but the man has a certain charm; I really enjoyed his performance. All in all, this movie doesn’t really break new ground, but it is worth your time, it leaves you feeling extra motivated, with a smile on your face. (I’m actually smiling as I write this… which probably would look super weird if someone saw me…anyways, Hidden Figures!)

Fences:

So word on the street was this film is very hard to get through, due to the fact that it is just a collection of long conversations between people. And considering it has been adapted from a play, that would make sense. However, I was not concerned in the slightest, in fact I was excited. I’ve said it time and again, I choose dialogues over action any day; well written and delivered dialogue is a form of action in my opinion, and my favourite kind for that matter. However, I was not prepared for the sheer volume of dialogue in this film. The movie opens with two characters conversing, and does not let up for a good twenty minutes. There are very few actual pauses between dialogues, it is unrelenting- you can tell this film was adapted from a play. It pretty much is a play, in cinematic form. That being said, when I got used to the fact that this is just how these characters communicate, there is real merit to be found in this film. You do have to pay close attention though, because the dialogues do move very fast, if you aren’t fully focused you will miss important points. But I am delighted that I stuck with this movie, because there were some brilliant moments here. The dialogues and scenarios felt so real, the way these characters conversed reminded me of conversations I had heard and participated in. There’s this grittiness the movie possesses, it doesn’t feel polished and Hollywood-ised, the fact that the film is set almost exclusively in a backyard provides a sense of claustrophobia that just adds to that feeling of realism. Whilst others have commented on the fact that this film feels too much like a play as a detriment to the film, I feel it was a positive; after initial wariness I really enjoyed it. It is difficult to get through and I don’t think has very high replay-ability, but the emotions it evokes are totally worth it. Speaking of reasons to watch this movie, we must discuss the performances. For a film like this, so reliant on dialogues to make it work, good acting is crucial. And both Denzel Washington and Viola Davis do incredible work in this movie. I’ve never seen Washington act before (insert obligatory gasp) but he was so compelling, I could see people I knew in his performance, it was just perfect, I actually found myself rewinding a couple of times to re-watch and marvel at his awesome delivery, totally worthy nominee. And Viola Davis, just….there are no words, give her the Oscar already. She was amazing in this role, I guess some could argue that this movie was a bit “act-y” in that the actors had a lot of long speeches where they raise their voices, therefore implying that the acting in Fences is a little less subtle than other films. I didn’t think that at all, yes Davis and Washington had long speeches and opportunities to “act” in this movie, but none of it felt forced or fake, it was shockingly real. Davis really moved me in this one and if she doesn’t win Best Supporting Actress I will be genuinely annoyed (but who am I kidding, she’s got this one in the bag!) So whilst Fences isn’t the easiest movie to watch, if you are an appreciator of good dialogue and drama and are a patient viewer, I think you’ll find something to appreciate in this film. I don’t think it’s necessarily Best Picture worthy, but it was an experience that stayed with me after the final scene.

Lion:

So this movie ruined me… I was quite emotional during this one. And that is in huge part due to the brilliant, brilliant performance of young Saroo. Sunny Pawar was so great that I couldn’t go two sentences into this review without mentioning him. Throughout entire first act where he pretty much carries the film on his shoulders, he is so captivating that you can’t take your eyes off him. Aside from being awfully cute, he’s an excellent performer, I dare you to watch him and not have your heart wrenched.  I knew the basic plot of this movie, a young Indian boy gets lost and ends up being adopted by an Australian couple, as a grown man he ends up using Google Earth to find his family again. But I thought young Saroo would be onscreen for maybe 10 minutes, I did not expect almost half of the film to rely on this 8 year old boy’s performance. It was a move that could have ruined the film, but Pawar is just so compelling that it actually elevates the film and I think is responsible for much of its success. The strength of the first half is what sustains the film through the not as well crafted latter half. Whilst the Saroo’s separation from his family is tragic and filled with dramatic tension, his search for his family is comparatively lacklustre. Now I have been a long time fan of Dev Patel (I actually didn’t love him in Slumdog Millionaire, it was Skins where I grew to adore him) I’ve been following his career for a while now and I couldn’t be happier that he’s nominated for Best Supporting Actor, especially considering how rare it is for actors in his position to get the opportunities he’s getting. And can I just say he looked so good in this movie like…. That hair/beard combo is really working for him ;). Anyways, despite how much of a Dev Patel fan I am and how much I love Rooney Mara and how cute they looked together and Nicole Kidman’s performance, the second act of this film just lacks the focus and strength the first act did. The film slows down and some unnecessary side plots were added that didn’t add to the story overall. The writing could have also been tightened up a little, the material present is enough to make a really gripping emotional drama, and I couldn’t help but feel with a little tightening up and some better writing and dialogues, this film could have been phenomenal. But the film does pick up at the end, I never cry in movies but I found my eyes getting watery. The small clip at the end of the real life person who inspired this film just made it all the more emotional. And the explanation of why the movie is called Lion is just…*clutches heart and sighs*. The film also discusses adoption in a way I haven’t really seen before. It made me think about both the children and the adoptive parents and consider their perspectives in a new light. Patel and Kidman give good performances worthy of their respective Supporting Actor and Actress nominations (however having completed the Supporting Actress category, I’d have to say Nicole Kidman is my least favourite performer in this category). I think they work best when together, you really buy that these two are a family, there is a depth to their interactions; their relationship is very well done.

Is it a perfect movie? No, but I think it’s a really heart-warming, beautiful film, I would recommend you give it a watch, if anything for Pawar’s marvellous work. (also Nawazuddin Siddiqui was in this movie, yay!)

Hacksaw Ridge:

So if I didn’t already love Andrew Garfield before this movie, I’m head over heels for him now. The character he portrays in this film, based on the true story of Desmond Doss, is nothing short of a true hero. And Garfield’s performance is my favourite (so far) of all the Best Actor Nominees; he does a great job of portraying this incredible man without making him feel holier-than-thou or nauseatingly good to the extent where we can’t relate to him. As I said earlier with regards to Casey Affleck, I’m not here to comment on an actor’s (or in this case, director’s) personal life, I’m here to discuss their work. The same goes for Mel Gibson, I’ve read and heard about his past controversies, but I’m putting all that aside in this review. This is my first Mel Gibson film and I have heard they have quite a reputation for being excessively violent and gory. I am not the biggest action fan and I find myself zoning out during long action scenes that don’t have much emotion or drama driving them. The action and violence in this movie is intense and almost to the point of excess in certain instances. But I think it worked well in that it never glorified violence, if anything, it further emphasised Doss’ perspective that war is nothing but the world ripping itself apart and we could well do with someone helping to put it back together. What sets this movie apart from the countless other war movies out there is that it focuses on a man bent on saving lives who refuses to even touch a weapon, so whilst there are many shots of men getting shot down, the truly epic, heroic music in the background shots are the ones showing Doss rushing out to save his injured comrades. Gibson did a good job directing Hacksaw Ridge, one sequence in particular where Doss just stays up all night saving more and more people, it’s incredible to watch and so moving. I’ll also say that whilst the first act of the movie is a bit more romantic whilst the latter acts are heavily action oriented, it never felt too jarring, it just felt like the inevitable progression of the story. And I think quite often viewers end up caring more about one aspect of a film (usually the action) than the personal or romantic plot, I found myself equally interested in both so props to the direction.

Also special mention to Vince Vaughn who does a great job here, delivering a dramatic performance with comedic elements that I really enjoyed. Also Teresa Palmer as Dorothy, Doss’ wife was just so sweet and beautiful and I loved their relationship so much! This is a truly remarkable story that I’m so glad got told, I would never have heard about Desmond Doss if not for this film. Sure the film could be improved upon, the writing I feel could be better, but I think it was still a worthy Best Picture Nominee. It speaks to standing up for what you believe in despite the difficulties you may face. It really touched me, I ended up loving it a lot more than I expected. 

Arrival:

So I think it’s safe to say I was cautiously optimistic going into this movie. I am a big fan of films that make you think, in fact, Inception is one of my top 5 favourite films. So I’m not opposed to thought provoking pieces of cinema, however I am not very good with films that just totally confuse me and require much deliberation and theorising to make any sense out of. (The recent TV drama Westworld being a good example, whilst enjoyable, it just messed with my head way too much.) Having heard that Arrival was a mind-boggling sci-fi I was concerned that it would raise too many questions and leave them unanswered, thereby leaving me really frustrated. However, I had only read and heard really good things about the movie, as well as director Dennis Villeneuve’s previous films, and what’s not to like about Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner? So I gave Arrival a shot.

And I’m glad I did, this film is a gorgeous, intriguing and thrilling piece of work. I found myself on the edge of my seat throughout, I didn’t even notice the time fly by as the film progressed and I eagerly tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together. I wouldn’t call myself the biggest sci-fi fan, I appreciate it in small doses, but I can’t say I’ve watched a bunch of alien invasion movies as the subject matter doesn’t really appeal to me. But I simply loved the way the “aliens” were portrayed in this film. I’ve always taken issue with the fact that we simply assume that if aliens were to exist, they would be bipedal, speak English and more or less resemble humans with the exception of perhaps their skin colour. I find that to be irritatingly close-minded and self centred. For that reason I simply adore the approach taken towards the subject matter in this film. The aliens are just that, totally alien they don’t resemble us in any way, be it physical appearance or communication style. It’s just so brilliant to watch Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner’s characters attempt to decipher the aliens’ language. Being a lover of languages and writing myself, it was wonderful to see a movie focus on a linguist of all professions. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a film so centred on the idea of communication before; it’s such an intriguing and important stance to take. Whilst some of the world leaders’ position towards aliens was slightly clichéd, it highlighted the importance of our ability to communicate, both with the unknown and among ourselves. In fact, some of the most thrilling sequences in the film were watching Amy Adams’ character learn more about the language of the aliens. Which is wonderful, considering the amount of alien action flicks we have hurled at us that contain nothing but thoughtless loud explosions. When looking at this film from a visual perspective, it is nothing short of incredible. The one thing I thought throughout the movie was sophisticated, from the cinematography to the sound and editing, this film was very well polished and seamlessly put together. The alien writing looked impeccable, just so clean and crisp. The colours and camera angles were great stuff, very impressive.

Performance-wise, Amy Adams does a brilliant job in this film, I haven’t seen any of the best actress nominees yet but I believe she deserved to be among them, it’s a real shame she wasn’t recognised for her work here, because when you realise how complex the plot of this film is, her performance becomes all the more impressive. Jeremy Renner, who many are labelling as unimportant to the plot of the film, was a welcome addition in my opinion (but I’ve always had a weakness for Hawkeye, so maybe I’m not the greatest judge). Despite how concerned I was regarding the writing and plot of the film going in, I’m pleased to report Arrival was thought provoking in the best kind of way. Whilst the third act reveal is surprising it’s not out of left field. If you listen carefully, it’s actually alluded to from the first line of dialogue in the film. The more I think about Arrival and its twist after it ended, the more I love it, it’s just so clever and makes you want to go back and watch the film all over again. What’s brilliant about the film is that it isn’t so much about aliens as it is about humans, the alien invasion is but a lens used to examine us as a species. It’s more a drama than a sci-fi. The themes can be a little obvious at times but overall, it’s really enjoyable. The writing was very good here- the pieces all fitting together in a rewarding manner. However, of all the wonderful work done in Arrival, I think director Dennis 

Villeneuve deserves the most credit; everything works so well because of his masterful work behind the camera. The performances, the editing, cinematography, sound and script all come together perfectly. He is most definitely deserving of his Best Director nomination and I would be glad to see him win. Arrival is a film I would recommend to pretty much anyone, the longer I think about it, the more I love it, it’s definitely one of my favourites among the Best Picture nominees. It’s a fascinating watch that will leave you thoroughly entertained and won’t quickly leave your mind after the end credits.

 Nocturnal Animals:

So this movie had the craziest opening credits sequence I’ve ever seen and one of the most unsatisfying endings I’ve ever seen, but what goes on in-between is very intriguing. I have mixed thoughts regarding the film itself, but I won’t be discussing those here as I have (with the exception of one film) moved into my performance phase of reviews. The next few movies are ones that were only nominated in acting categories and therefore I will be focusing on the films’ performances. Nocturnal Animals features an array of actors doing some very fine work. I would recommend watching this film on the merit of the performances alone. Jake Gyllenhaal, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Michael Shannon and Amy Adams all deliver very good performances. Whilst I’ve heard suggestions that Adams should have been nominated for her work in this film, I personally prefer her performance in Arrival, if she were to get a nomination; I think that her work in that film is stronger. I am personally an Aaron Taylor-Johnson fan; ever since his performance as Quicksilver (one of my favourite comic book characters) I’ve had a bit of a crush on him. So it speaks to the strength of his performance in this film that I absolutely loathed him here, his portrayal of this awful guy is just brilliant, he pretty much loses himself in the role, worthy of a nomination in my opinion. Michael Shannon, the only nominee of the bunch, also delivers a very good performance, however my favourite performance of the film is undoubtedly Jake Gyllenhaal, who someone in the Academy must have a grudge against or something…this guy is being repeatedly snubbed! (I haven’t seen Nightcrawler but I’ve heard ravings about Gyllenhaal’s performance for which he wasn’t even nominated!) I think his performance in Nocturnal Animals is definitely worth a nomination. So whilst Shannon is good in this role, I would have given his slot to either Taylor-Johnson or Gyllenhaal who both did magnificent work in this strangely fascinating film. 

Loving:

So when the nominations were announced, I don’t think there was one I was happier to see than Ruth Negga for Loving. I love when my unknown TV actors get recognition for their work. After seeing Ruth Negga in Misfits and Preacher and being a fan of hers, I couldn’t be prouder of her nomination for Best Actress. So I might be a little biased, but I truly believe her performance in this film is deserving of the nomination. What I liked about Negga in this film was she didn’t have any loud screaming and crying scenes, which are usually what the Academy looks for in nominations, they want to see “acting”. But Negga is very subdued in this film, she plays a very quiet, shy character however that doesn’t prevent us from seeing and understanding all the emotions she’s going through. So whilst she’s most likely not going to win, I think this nomination is a win for Ruth Negga. I’m so excited to see where her career goes from here. 

Florence Foster Jenkins:

So I was expecting nothing going into this movie, after watching the trailer I had zero interest in the subject matter, but as Meryl Streep was nominated for Best Actress, I had to give Florence Foster Jenkins a go. I actually haven’t seen many Meryl Streep films, The Devil Wears Prada is the only one I can remember seeing, so whilst I had heard about her incredible talent as an actress, I had not witnessed it myself. But she is fabulous in this film; the singing sequences in particular are so great to watch. When you think about it, this is not an easy character to play; she can so easily come off as rich, snooty and full of herself. But Streep imbues the character with a likeability and vulnerability that make her difficult not to love. Streep does deliver a performance worthy of a nomination here, but I do perhaps feel that other actresses who have never won before may have benefitted more from the nomination. A special mention to Simon Helberg, who delivers my favourite performance in the film, I’ve never seen The Big Bang Theory but this guy is really charming and a gifted comic, I loved watching him perform.

Jackie:

So the majority of my knowledge regarding the Kennedy assassination comes from Mad Men and subsequent YouTube clips I looked up. I don’t know very much when it comes to American history, so I can’t speak to how accurate Natalie Portman’s portrayal of Jackie Kennedy was. What I can say is, the way she spoke was so irritating. I had a lot of trouble getting into this movie, I wasn’t interested going in and I was somehow less interested as it ended. Portman’s performance was good, but not incredible enough to make me enjoy a film I had little interest in already. She has some moments I enjoyed and at times I could really feel her grief, but overall it wasn’t a career-defining performance for her. As Portman has already won an Oscar it’s unlikely she’ll win again for this film. I guess I wasn’t the target audience for Jackie because I didn’t like it very much. Portman is gorgeous as usual but…the performance doesn’t really stand out for me in a film that didn’t capture my attention.

 Elle:

So I actually learnt French in high school, I still speak it now and just went to France for the first time last month. However I don’t watch as many French films as I’d like, which is a real mistake because French films are just so awesome! Elle was a dark, twisted and intriguing film that kept me hooked the whole runtime. I didn’t realise till I re-watched the trailer for it but I’ve seen Isabelle Huppert in Amour back in 2012. She was so brilliant in this film, her character was so complex and morally ambiguous, a joy to watch. I have one nominee left to watch for Best Actress, but I would love for Huppert to win, characters like this don’t come along very often, (or maybe they do in French films, I should really watch more…) her performance was just so great. Being a fan of all things French this movie was right up my alley, Felicitations to Mme. Huppert, you were just so awesome! A Best Actress in my eyes, whether the Academy agrees or not is irrelevant.

 Captain Fantastic:

So this was the movie I was least educated about going into, I had no clue as to the premise or plot of Captain Fantastic (apparently it has nothing to do with either Captain America or the Fantastic Four, so there’s that); I hadn’t even heard of Viggo Mortensen before. Suffice to say, I would never have seen this movie had it not been for this Oscar film project I have going. And it’s films like this that make me so glad I decided to do this. Captain Fantastic is a gem. I don’t think enjoyed myself so much whilst watching any of the other films on this list so far. Being bombarded with the same old Hollywood blockbusters, I hardly get a chance to watch offbeat films like this one, and usually when I do, they’re very unappealing and just too strange for my tastes. Captain Fantastic was delightfully unique, providing an intriguing premise I haven’t come across before. There were a couple of clichéd plot points in the latter half, but overall, I loved this movie! Viggo Mortensen delivers a wonderful performance, this role was brilliant stuff and he really grounds the film, providing an emotional centre. I would rank his performance highly among his contemporaries just due to the uniqueness of the role and his excellent handling of it. The numerous child actors were also spectacular. I really really loved this movie, I’m so glad it was nominated and I was therefore given a chance to watch a type of movie I’m not typically accustomed to seeing. And let’s just say, after a certain line in this film, I’ll think twice before using the word “interesting”.

 The Red Turtle:

So we’ve officially (again, with the exception of one film) entered the animation phase of reviews. Animated films are probably my favourite genre of film, I grew up on the Disney Classics, as many people did, and many of my favourite films are animated. Like Captain Fantastic, I knew nothing about The Red Turtle before watching it, and like Captain Fantastic, I really liked this film. The Red Turtle is a gorgeous film; each frame is beautiful to look at. I didn’t realise how much I missed hand drawn animation until I saw this movie. Devoid of dialogue, this film is a piece of art. It’s a great contrast to the overstimulating, hyperactive animations that tend to monopolise the market. The Red Turtle shows how much can be said by saying nothing at all; the sound design is also brilliant. The story is a slow burner, but it’s very heartfelt and moving. This film probably isn’t for everyone; it is a bit more “artsy” than your typical animation. But if you’re a fan of the genre, and are a patient viewer, I think you’ll really enjoy this one. The animation alone is worth a watch. And kudos to the Academy for nominating non-flashy movies like this one, a very deserving nominee.

 Moana:

So I’m a big Disney fan, I’ve loved their animated films since I was a child, and have followed them pretty much all my life. I was looking forward to Moana back when it was announced, the concept art looked beautiful and the idea sounded great. However, the more I heard about the film, the less enthused I became. By the time the trailer and release came, I had pretty much decided not to go see it. Moana just seemed far too familiar and not too exciting to me. There was nothing unique to draw me in, from the trailer alone I got a sense that I’d seen this film before. Nevertheless, the film was nominated for Best Animated Feature, so I went in with a (semi) open mind, hoping the film would surprise me. Unfortunately, it didn’t, at least not in that respect. Whilst Moana has some impressive elements worth praising, I found it to be a let down overall. We’re all familiar with the Disney Princess formula that has made Disney famous over the decades. Over the last few years, Disney has worked to revolutionise this trope, to add new twists and sneakily alter the formula whilst not veering too far from it. The Princess and the Frog, Tangled and Frozen all found ways to add a new perspective to the Disney Princess brand, and whilst none of these films are perfect, they all impressed me in different ways. Not so with Moana, after the credits rolled, I just felt disappointed with what could have been. Never before has the plot of a Disney film felt so derivative of other films to come before it. We’ve seen all of these plot points before, the sassy grandma, the princess who wants to explore and go out there, the father who keeps her from doing so, the forced third act conflict that separates the two leads. Every single thing that happens was so predictable; I could see it coming a mile away. And usually I don’t have an issue with this. Disney Princess movies, when you think about it, all follow a very similar structure and storyline, but the difference is, they all found a new way to tell an old story, they all added something to the formula. Moana does present certain unique elements, the Polynesian setting for one, however overall it doesn’t really add enough to the genre to set it apart. So whilst the plot was a major let down for me, that’s not to say the film is without merit. The animation is as we have come to expect from Disney, it’s spectacular, the ocean looks beautiful, and the scenery and the character designs are fantastic. Maui and Moana look great; I especially loved Maui’s tattoos and the way they helped progress the plot. Moana’s hair (read my bio, I’m a curly girl) is brilliant, I also liked the fact that she wasn’t a typical, stick figured princess. I really appreciated that this is probably the first princess that we’ve actually seen rule her people. Unlike other princesses who embark on their journeys for more selfish reasons, Moana is doing so not only because she loves adventure and the sea, but because she genuinely wants to help her subjects and save her island. The voice acting, from both the leads was very good. Dwayne Johnson adds a lot of charisma to his role and Auli’I Cravalho has a brilliant voice with a much character and heart, she has a bright future ahead of her. As previously mentioned, the Polynesian culture in this film was wonderful to see, it’s nice to see Disney broadening their horizons and presenting us with new characters of colour without seeming tokenistic. The presentation of this culture is only enhanced by the very good music done by Lin Manuel Miranda. I haven’t heard any of the Hamilton music, but the Moana soundtrack is quite good, the songs are catchy and grow on you, and what is a Disney film without a good soundtrack? The comedy was also good, although there wasn’t enough of it in my opinion.

Perhaps the fact that I’ve been steadily watching a list of offbeat awards contenders over the past few weeks has hardened my heart towards predictable blockbusters, causing me to be overly critical of this film. It’s a harmless time pass children will undoubtedly enjoy, but I personally found it to be passable. And given the setting, the animation and the music, I think Disney could have taken more risks with this film plot-wise, especially considering the fact that they also released Zootopia this year, a brilliant, edgier and altogether (in my opinion) better film. You win some you loose some I guess. So overall, this is an enjoyable film, however considering how imaginative and unique the other films in this category are, I’d be a little disappointed if Moana wins Best Animated Feature, it’s a bit of a boring choice, and I don’t think we should award safeness, I prefer a little edge to my animation.

 Kubo and the Two Strings:

So I had heard many good things about this movie, and the production company behind it. Whilst I haven’t seen any other Laika films before this one, I’m very interested to see one now. Kubo and the Two Strings is a film to be applauded. As much as I enjoy and marvel at the beauty of CGI animation, there’s something to be said about stop-motion animation. This film is simply stunning, the animation is some of the best I’ve ever seen, it made each scene that much more enchanting to watch. The animators use stop-motion to their advantage in this film, each sequence is gorgeous. The end credits feature a clip showing the work that goes into creating one of the characters in this film, it just makes you respect and admire this film so much more. Another thing I loved about this film was just how imaginative it was. The world presented here is brimming with creativity and uniqueness, the mythos and lore in this world is also brilliant. The magic and its depiction is marvellous and a sight to behold. The voice work done by Matthew McConaughey and Charlize Theron to name a few is also very good. I also really liked Regina Spektor’s rendition of While My Guitar Gently Weeps, featured in the end credits. My one issue with the film is that at times there are faults with the story itself, especially by the third act. Whilst the setup is great and makes sense, there are lapses in logic towards the end of the film and at times I found myself wondering why things were happening, as they hadn’t been properly explained. If the script had been tweaked and fixed a little in the final act I think we could have a perfect film on our hands. Kubo and the Two Strings is a gorgeous, imaginative and enthralling adventure I adored watching.  I would love to see this film win Best Animated Feature if it means we get to see more stop-motion films in the future. They’re definitely worth saving.

 Ma Vie De Courgette:

So I used all the Internet skills at my disposal to make sure I caught this film before the Oscars after just missing out on it in cinemas in Switzerland last month. And I can say staying up looking for subtitles for this film was totally worth it, Ma Vie De Courgette cannot be missed- it’s a wonderful experience. After Kubo and the Two Strings, this is another stop-motion film I adored. I actually got the opportunity to see an exhibit dedicated to this film in a museum in Lyon in January; I saw real life models of the characters, storyboards, and some behind the scenes videos. As I said when reviewing Kubo and the Two Strings, there’s a certain level of artistry that can only be achieved with stop-motion animation, it makes the characters look more real, not to mention how impressive it is to think about the amount of effort and work that went into each little moment of the film. Animation aside, this film is a beautiful and moving one. The story is simple and takes its time to progress, but each second is filled with genuine emotion and heart. Each character is well realised and you end up feeling for all of them. The film is subtle and never resorts to clichés, there are plenty of beautiful, well written moments in this film that are emotionally provoking. This film is short, but sweet, a well-written masterpiece I would highly recommend.

Zootopia:

So of all the Oscar films, Zootopia is the only one I saw in cinemas when it released. Unlike Moana, this was a film I was semi-excited for when it was announced, but became very eager to see after seeing the trailer. It’s been almost a year now since I saw the film, so bear with me (aha, animal puns). Despite it being a while ago, I distinctly remember leaving the theatre with a huge grin after Zootopia. The film is a definite favourite of mine; I love movies that are “for children” but manage to convey mature themes that also cater to adults. This movie is wonderfully complex, whilst being evasively simple. The plot isn’t anything too new, but the way it deals with and explores themes that are highly relevant and important is something to be admired. The social message in this film is by no means obvious, it’s there, but you’re not being hit over the head with it. Sure, there are some obvious narrative clichés, the forced third act dilemma that separates the leads, the obvious bait and switch at the end. But none of that really matters to me when the subject matter is just so well thought out and executed. If you want to teach kids social issues in a delicate manner, this is the way to do it. The characters are brilliant, I love Nick Wilde; he’s my kind of guy… or fox I guess. The voice acting is also very good. Another thing I loved in this film was the comedy it’s just wonderful, so many great jokes that are genuinely well thought out, not easy slapstick comedy. This film is a triumph, an intelligent, well thought out piece of work that was far beyond my expectations. After I watched it I literally thought to myself, Best Animated Feature here we come! Any film with a Breaking Bad reference as brilliant as this one deserves an Oscar.

 La La Land:

So I purposely left this film till last because if the Golden Globes are any indication, La La Land is going to sweep the Oscars. So I decided to give the other films a chance before I saw the awards juggernaut that is La La Land. This film is pretty much made for me, it has all of the things I love to see in film, it’s almost as if someone read my mind, saw my movie wish list and transferred it to cinema. Musical, check, Romance, check, Subject matter involves movie business, check, two attractive Hollywood leads, check. I was so excited going into this movie, especially considering the amount of good things I’d heard about it and the amount of awards it was picking up. So it really pains me to say that overall, I didn’t love this movie. That’s not to say it’s without merit, far from it, this is a very well made film with numerous elements worth praising. Firstly, the direction by Damien Chazelle, is for me the highlight of this film. It’s clear old Hollywood films, particularly musicals, have inspired him in the making of La La Land. And this film perfectly emulates that tone and style, from the editing, to the camerawork, Chazelle does a brilliant job at capturing the essence of a Hollywood musical and modernizing it to fit our current era. The costumes and use of colour in this film was beautiful to see. The performances, both by Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, were very good. Playing a struggling actress, Stone flawlessly captures that heartache that comes with being rejected time and again and having to somehow bounce back and keep trying. The sadness in her eyes is palpable when an audition, once again, goes badly. And her feelings of self-doubt and questioning of her talent are genuine emotions I think anyone can relate to. Gosling is excellent, playing an obsessed piano player who is unable to let go of his dream and simply settle until; he too, has moments of doubt and realizes he may have to do just that. I loved just how passionate he was about Jazz, he brilliantly conveyed his frustration with just being mediocre and letting his talent go to waste. Again, something many of us can relate to. Not to mention Gosling’s incredible work on the Piano, I simply cannot believe he learnt to play like that in a matter of months, I learnt Piano for years and am nowhere near that good.

I also appreciated the comedic moments in this film, both Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling are very skilled comedians, so it was great so see their talents utilised here.

The music, by Justin Hurwitz, was also very good, I particularly liked City of Stars, and Ryan Gosling sings quite well for a non-professional, Emma Stone isn’t as good, but she can carry a tune, so I won’t complain too much.

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been obsessed with movies, (I think the fact that I wrote thousands of words that very few people will ever read just to talk about movies should be enough of an indicator as to how much I love films) Like the characters in La La Land, I am a dreamer, being involved in the moviemaking process is, as Stone’s character puts it, a pipe dream of mine. Therefore, there were moments in this film that really touched me; I was fully connected with the characters, understanding exactly how they felt. However, it’s the moments between these moments where the film lost me. With regards to the writing in this film, I was very hot and cold. My real issue is with the development of Mia and Sebastian’s relationship, it just came across as very choppy, as if there were some moments that were missing. I think I needed more time spent on developing their relationship for me to buy it. Whilst Gosling and Stone have good chemistry, too often it felt like events were just happening instead of character motivations causing them to. What somewhat saved the movie for me was the ending, those final 20 minutes or so were at first agitating, but then as I thought about it, truly profound and brilliant. Chazelle does a great job at combining the bright joyful tone of a musical with the true struggle and pain that comes along with following your dreams. When you think about it, if the film had ended any other way, it wouldn’t have felt genuine. So whilst La La Land is very good and deserving of much of the recognition it’s getting, it wasn’t the all time favourite of mine I thought it would be. There are a couple of issues with the writing that just don’t sit well with me. Perhaps I’ll like it more after a re-watch, but for now, I can’t say I love it as much as some of the other Best Picture Nominees.  I will say, the title and it’s dual meaning is brilliant and I love it, so there’s that.

So now, I’ll just do a quick summary of each category, with 1. Who I Would Give it To aka WIWGIT and 2. Who Will Probably Take it = WWPTI

 Best Picture:

WIWGIT: Arrival or Moonlight. I loved watching Arrival, it was the most enjoyable of the nominees for me. But I recognise that Moonlight is a wonderfully made film that I would be glad to see win.

WWPTI: La La Land

Best Director:

WIWGIT: Barry Jenkins for Moonlight or Dennis Villeneuve for Arrival Pretty much the same as my Best Picture picks, they both did fantastic work WWPTI: Damien Chazelle for La La Land I wouldn’t be too fussed if Chazelle won, he did a great job directing La La Land, and his previous film Whiplash, is one of my favourites, so I’d say he deserves it. I will say, I’d like to see a split between Director and Picture; I hope the same film doesn’t take both. There are enough Oscars to go round!

 Best Actor:

WIWGIT: VIggo Mortensen for Captain Fantastic

Such a unique film and performance. As much as I love my boi Andrew Garfield, I’d love to see a performance and film like this recognised

WWPTI: Casey Affleck for Manchester by the Sea. As much traction as Denzel Washington is getting for Fences, he’s already won two Oscars, I’d be very surprised if he won a third.

Best Actress:

WIWGIT: Isabelle Huppert for Elle

For such a strange and edgy role, I would love to see Huppert take home the prize, you just don’t see actresses doing this kind of thing very often

WWPTI: Emma Stone for La La Land

I like Emma Stone, and it’s nice to see young actors given awards, it doesn’t happen too often. No qualms if Stone wins, but it’s a bit of a safer choice, in my opinion.

  Best Supporting Actor:

WIWGIT: SUNNY PAWAR IN LION come on guys! Ok but seriously, I really liked Lucas Hedges’ work in Manchester by the Sea, but I think Mahershala Ali’s performance in Moonlight is superior and more deserving, I would like to see him win.

WWPTI: Mahershala Ali in Moonlight I think this is Ali’s year, and he has proven himself beyond his work in Moonlight to be a talented and Oscar-worthy actor.

  Best Supporting Actress:

WIWGIT: Viola Davis in Fences She was a powerhouse in this film, and it’s about time she won an Oscar. WWPTI: Viola Davis in Fences If she doesn’t win I will be shocked with a capital S. Don’t make her 0 for 3, Academy.

 Best Animated Feature:

WIWGIT: Ma Vie De Courgette

I know this film won’t win but I would

love

for it to. It’s pretty much perfect in my eyes. And I would love to see a smaller studio take home the Animation prize for a change

WWPTI: Zootopia

I have no issues with this, I loved this film and it should and most likely will win. 

 Congratulations on getting this far, as hard as this was for you to read, it was 10x harder for me to write! (actually that is a lie, I quite enjoy writing…)

That was my attempt at watching the Oscar movies. This was an exhausting fortnight or so, but I’m so glad I did it. I might even do it again next year. I will be eagerly watching (or reading updates on my phone) the ceremony tomorrow to see if my predictions are right or if there are some exciting upsets!

Also quick shout out to @dolores-wyatt I was actually inspired by her to do these type of Oscar Reviews, go check out her blog, it’s great stuff And to my one (and only) fan @requiemforatuesday, thanks for reading everything I put out, I’ll see you at my book signing, you’ll be the only one there but that’s ok

Now, back to my regularly scheduled endless TV shows……

[chicagoindiecritics]

New from Jeff York on The Establishing Shot: GI’S, JOKERS, AND JUDY: MY OSCAR PREDICTIONS FOR 2020

Oscar predictions can be tricky. The contest in each category usually comes down to two real contenders, but the Academy is often fickle and can confound. Lately, there have been few sweeps. The old days of sentimentality driving awards seem long gone. And sure-things aren’t always so. Just ask Glenn Close.

My correct/incorrect ratio for the last few years hasn’t been stellar, so if you’re thinking of following my thinking, be warned. The best I can do is offer educated guesses based on what’s winning other awards, and where the buzz lies.

So, without any further ado, here are my predictions:

BEST PICTURE: “1917” The serious British war pic will likely squeak past the subtitled, darkly comic “Parasite.”

BEST ACTOR: Joaquin Phoenix “Joker” Phoenix’s sterling performance has won the most prizes. He’s due. And the popular film scored 11 nods.

BEST ACTRESS: Renee Zellweger “Judy” Zellweger staged a big comeback and voters love rewarding actors tackling biopics.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Brad Pitt “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” Great performance. Beloved actor/producer/star. He’s due and he’s also given the best speeches. A lock.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Laura Dern “Marriage Story” She’s been sweeping the awards and is a beloved veteran who’s always good in everything. Overdue too.

BEST DIRECTOR: Sam Mendes “1917” Staging all that choreography, outdoors, in one seemingly seamless shot? It’s the showy direction all can see.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: “Parasite” If Mendes doesn’t take director, Bong Joon Ho will, but he’ll get plenty of podium time, including here.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: “JoJo Rabbit” It’s between Greta Gerwig for “Little Women” and Taika Waititi, but he won the WGA and BAFTA.

BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM: “Parasite” The most certain lock of the night, and deservedly so. In another year, “Pain and Glory” would’ve been.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE: “Toy Story 4” It could be the Annie-sweeping “Klaus,” but more voters likely saw Pixar’s beloved third sequel.

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: “American Factory” The Obamas helped get this documentary made. Celebrity names help. And it’s a great one.

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: “1917” “1917” starts to run the technical tables here with Roger Deakins stunning “one shot.”

BEST SOUND EDITING: “1917” Its only competition is “Ford v Ferrari.”

BEST SOUND MIXING: “1917” Its only competition is “Ford v Ferrari.”

BEST EDITING: “Ford v Ferrari” The winner could and should be “Parasite”, but the car race editing will be clearer to more members.

BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN: “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” Academy voters love to navel-gaze and this film turned Hollywood back to 1969. Should be irresistible.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN: “Little Women” Period pieces usually prevail. Lots of dresses do too. This one has both.

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING: “Bombshell” For turning Charlize Theron into Megyn Kelly and John Lithgow into Roger Ailes. Remarkably.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE: “Joker” Who says Golden Globes don’t matter? Hildur Guonadottir’s win put her in the game and likely, the gold.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG: “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from “Rocketman” Celebrity names often prevail in this category and they don’t get much bigger than Elton John.

VISUAL EFFECTS: “1917” The “Jungle Book” win could suggest “The Lion King” prevails here, but “1917” has more prestige.

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT: “Learning to Skateboard in a War Zone” Always a tough category to call. This one seems to have the momentum.

BEST ANIMATED SHORT SUBJECT: “Hair Love” It’s moving, sweet, and the most likable of this year’s animated shorts.

BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT: “The Neighbors’ Window” Most of the others are downers. This one is serious but more accessible, and even funny at times.

Those are my best guesses, but remember, Oscar always holds a few surprises. Does that mean Antonio Banderas or Adam Driver could upset Phoenix? Will “Parasite” do what “Roma” almost did last year and become the first foreign-language film to win the top prize? Or will Hollywood reward another film that is all about them like Quentin Tarantino’s latest? We shall see Sunday night.

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