#like is this going to be a cinematic masterpiece no but its going to give me 90 minutes of JOY

[spencerbegins]

this is not a drill hallmark released a sapphic fake dating christmas romcom oh my god

[cumulo-stratus]

reader being flustered at small touches from Spencer? like touch-starved spencer who would be all over reader when alone?

Fantozzi[s.r]

The BAU decides to have a movie night at Rossi's house, and Spencer you and Spencer find a quiet corner to sit in. You both fall asleep and cuddling ensues..

WARNINGS- established relationship, pronouns used, mentions of alcohol

Spencer reid x male reader ][ fluff, secret relationship ][ masterlist

a/n- ugh this is so cute, i know it's a little different but i hope you enjoy anon!

1.3k

It was a quiet night at Rossi's. The team had gathered for a quiet night together, and Rossi graciously offered up his mansion. 

By 8:30, everyone had arrived and was gathered in the large living room sipping on various drinks from cocktails, to seltzer. You and Spencer arrived together, as you had driven him straight from the office after finishing the never ending paperwork. 

Everyone was spread out on the various leather couches, settees, and chairs. You and Spencer had found a spot next to each other on a large chair. Spencer was sunk into the large saggy chair, and you were perched on the wide armrest, leaning against Spencer's side, a seltzer in your hand. Spencer's hand loosely gripped yours discreetly at your side. 

Spencer got clingy when he was tired, and by clingy I mean touchy. But you guys had not exactly told the team about your relationship yet, so Spencer had to settle for discreetly holding your hand. 

Neither you nor your boyfriend had been paying much attention to the conversations going on around you, until Penelope called you and your boyfriend's name. 

“Brainiac, Pretty Boy, we’re watching a movie for team bonding! What do you wanna watch?” Penelope's voice was giddy as she yelled across the room to the couple. Everyone gave a collective eye roll when she said team bonding, as while you and Spencer weren't paying attention, there had been extensive arguing over watching a movie, and penelope's main argument was that it would serve as “team bonding”. Everyone dismissed it first until hotch nodded and agreed with Penelope- it was settled.

“Derek wants to watch die hard, and although I love my chocolate thunder- no. JJ thinks 10 things i hate about you, and Rossi wants to watch some old italian movie-” Penelope was interrupted in the middle of listing the options by an annoyed Rossi, “its Fantozzi actually, a cinematic masterpiece of the 70’s..” Rossi would've continued, but Penelope waved him off and continued listing. 

“And I think we should watch the princess bride, aka the best option!” Penelope spoke with a giddy glee, but her face fell when Spencer gained a look of confusion and asked what that movie was about. 

“You’ve never seen Princess Bride?? Spencer Walter Reid- I demand we watch it right now.” Spencer was a little taken aback by Penelope's insistence, but obliged, agreeing to watch the movie. 

Not 30 minutes later, the lights were off and Rossi tried to figure his own TV while JJ made popcorn. Eventually Penelope just took the remote out of Rossi's hand, tired of him struggling. 

“I'll take that as my cue to get popcorn” Spencer said as he lifted himself with a heave from the large leather chair. But you grabbed his arm with a pout on your lips at the loss of warmth, “where are you going?”

Spencer chuckled lightly, giving your hand a reassuring squeeze as he comforted you,  “well you want popcorn right?” Spencer's tone was a bit teasing, but loving nonetheless. 

“fiiiine!” You let go of Spencer's hand and sigh dramatically, flopping back into the large leather seat as Spencer turns his back to you, chuckling, to get popcorn. 

A few minutes later, Spencer returned with a big bowl of buttery popcorn and a blanket he'd picked up on the way in his arms, a timid smile on his lips. 

Your face lit up despite the now dark room when your boyfriend entered. “Popcorn!!” You spoke with glee and Spencer smiled at his boyfriend. 

Everyone began to take their places and you and your boyfriend settled in next to each other. There was a blanket over you and Spencer's laps, and the large popcorn bowl sat on top. Spencer leaned into his boyfriend's side, causing you to blush a bit  at the contact, feeling heat creep up your cheeks.

The movie started, and everyone was silent, enjoying the movie. And by the time they had gotten to the fight scene on the cliff, the amount of comments you heard coming from your right had died down. 

When you noticed the lack of facts about fencing, or the architecture, or something, you looked down at your boyfriend, to find him half asleep, his chin resting on his fist. 

His eyes were half closed, and he took long blinks, before perking up again for a second.

“Spence?”

The sound of your voice startled him, causing him to jump a bit and rub his eyes saying, “yeah I'm awake- I'm here-” your boyfriend was very clearly not very awake. 

Less than a minute later, Spencer was falling asleep in his hand again. You just sighed and smiled to yourself knowing he needed the sleep. 

By the time you got to the halfway point in the movie, you felt a weight slump against your shoulder. You didn't have to look to know it was Spencer. 

You could already feel the heat creeping up your cheeks and behind your ears at the contact. Spencer was clinging to you like a koala, which he tended to do in his sleep often. 

Spencer didn't get a ton of physical love as a kid, and not much as a teen and young adult- so meeting you was a bit of a change. But a very welcome change. 

Spencer shifted a bit, and his face was now tucked into your neck, his arms were wrapped tightly around you, and one of his legs slightly overlapping with yours. 

You were a puddle pretty much, but your head was on a swivel, making sure your coworkers were too absorbed in the movie to notice the two guys cuddling in the back. 

But that didn't last long as within minutes your head had dipped down to lay on Spencer's, your eyelids getting heavier by second. 

Finally, the weight became too much and you let your eyes stay closed this time, drifting off peacefully as you snuggled farther into Spencer, forgetting where you were. 

Spencer was woken up by the lights being turned on, blinding him a bit despite his eyes being closed. Still half asleep, Spencer grumbled a bit and shifted around, trying to stuff his face further into your shoulder to block out the light.

But what caused him to lift his head from the warmth and peace of your neck, was the sound of giggling and the click of a photo being taken. When Spencer finally managed to peel his eyes open, he found most of the team staring at him. And then he remembered why they were probably staring. 

there were some mixed reactions, as previously mentioned- penelope was giggling to herself at the photo she had just taken. Both JJ and Emily had unsurprised smiles on their faces. Your boss smiled at your boyfriend and shook his head slightly. Rossi just didn’t care, more interested in his cigar.

Spencer was finally awake enough to register what was going on and blushed, hard. Even the tips of his ears were pink as he tucked a piece of hair behind it like he always did. Spencer looked down, stuttering. 

“I- well, he was tired and he- he didn’t mean to fall asleep on me and-“

Derek cut him off, “so, pretty boy and brainiac huh, took ‘em long enough,” Derek was dismissive, it was no surprise to him. He didn't miss the glances you threw at each other from across the room.

You were blissfully unaware of what the whole team had witnessed as you finally came too, mumbling something about five more minutes to spencer. Spencer couldn't help but have a lovesick smile on his face at your cuteness, the big strong FBI agent with a gun- grumbling about five more minutes in the lanky genius’s arms.

The End

Taglist- @spencers1wifey | @mvndfvelds | @mindfullycriminal | @luce-reid |@ferrjulie | @khxna | @il0vebeingdelulu

join my taglist here

[thehuntfortrencherlostmedia]

Hello folks.

So, I waited a while to let everything marinate in my brain before writing this. Haven is an interesting album to discuss in the grand scheme of the Trench discography. Everything feels familiar & status quo, but different, new & exciting all at once. Its production is fantastic throughout and truly allows for everything to shine. It’s also their most cinematic album to date, which is saying something given what Astoria was inspired by.

So let’s break down each track, shall we?

A Normal Life: Already gushed about this one when it came out and my thoughts haven’t changed one bit. This just might be my new favourite opener. There’s just a little sprinkling of everything from all across their discography that allows this beauty to marinate and stand on its own.

Lightning & Thunder: I’m torn. I like it still, but I do think that when you listen to it within the context of the album it loses something. It was definitely made to be a radio single. There’s nothing wrong with that.

I’m Not Getting Better: Straight to the point, catchy & fun. I really have nothing else to say on the song.

Down To You: Arguably the biggest earworm on the album. This one gets in your head and it just stays with you.

Now or Never: The By Now of the record for me. Soft & yet full of momentum all at once. This is a dream worth fighting for, indeed. Also, while both INGB & DTY show off a more R&B/Funk flow, it really sticks on this song, and now that you’ve noticed it, you’ll be hearing it a lot throughout the record.

Into The Storm: Hello, Porcelain. But also… it’s own thing. It might not be giving up, but I don’t see it as surrender either. I see it as going with the flow, facing your problems head on. This is also the first true dive into Josh’s relationship with Amanda on the album, and how he’s so happy they finally figured out how to co-exist.

Ancient History: Oh hi, Astoria. You mind if I take elements of Burning Up & Yesterday and blend them into something new? And how about the past arguments in his and Amanda’s relationship don’t matter, and how it was nice to meet back up with her. It shows how time can heal relationships. Also, SAXOPHONE. That is all.

Stand and Fight: The actual Porcelain of the record. People thought they were gonna go in a This Meets War for this song, when instead it’s a slow burn that truly stays with you.

Turn & Run: Here’s how you do a sequel song and then make it stand out from its older brother. Much like the combos of Celebrity Status/Perfect & B-Team/Toy Soldiers, both sides of the coin make me giddy inside. And holy cow… welcome to the edge indeed. That hint of Fix Me screaming… I need more of it Josh. Please? I’ll be a good girl. There’s also a lot of Masterpiece Theatre II on this one. Easily my favourite of the short songs.

Worlds Collide: I go back and forth on this one in my head. There’s parts of me that love it, there’s parts of me that feels it’s too similar to the two tracks before it…. And then we have the end. And that just… made me smile. Also, I love Josh SCREAMING “Nobody’s Safe” and the fact they left in the vocal crack. That’s how you can tell his emotions are in full display here. So yeah.

Nights Like These: The comforting palette cleanser after three songs hit you with whiplash back to back to back. It’s very reminiscent of tavern songs, sea shanty’s & is just a warm hug of a track. Also, breaking down the fact that sometimes it’s nice to have just a cozy, relaxing night with friends. Feels like the Who Do You Love of the record too.

Remember Me By: Um, Micheal? Did you just possess Josh again? This feels so 80’s R&B I can’t help but love it. Also, Ian! Nice to hear you sing, bud. We’ve heard the other three all throughout this record and now we get your voice on top of the amazing percussion. Kudos.

Haven: So, here we are. The closing track. And, it’s good. It feels like they took The Killing Kind , Masterpiece Theatre III & End of An Era Abd threw them in a blender… and the result came out great, but… it does lack something to me? And if anything, it brings out the fact this album fits into the Relationship Theory too: It is about starting anew like I said ages ago but also about how their relationship (Josh & Amanda) isn’t perfect but he loves the imperfection now that they’ve figured out how to make it work. She might’ve broke his heart once but he reconciled & became stronger because of it. And now he can show that all across these 13 tracks.

So yeah. Haven’s likely my album of the year, and I do like it. But I do think that while it has some of the highest highs the band had ever reached, I do think they didn’t fully nail the Hero’s Journey theming & that it’s not as cohesive as some of their other work. It’s a sturdy S-, easily #2 or #3 in my overall rankings, even #1 depending on the day.

[winguontheweb]

I'm having quite the mental experience tonight.

I have relived a childhood formative experience in the 2010 Nickelodeon TV movie, "The Boy Who Cried Werewolf." Hooooooo boy this movie. Not gonna say it's a cinematic masterpiece, it's pretty standard kids' channel TV movie, but like. This movie had a massive effect on my life and why I'm a furry.

Seeing a trailer for it aired on TV when I was 9, by random chance, I was completely entranced by its concept and effects. Then finally finding out about the release date and behind the scenes online, watching it when it first aired and recording it, followed by rewatching it... many times. I was not normal about it for so long yet it really only consisted of me wanting to rewatch it over and over. That was the only way I knew how to react.

After a time, my interest in it died down, the recording got overwritten, and I forgot about it.

And then I had a dream in like, 2013? Around then, about "Thunder Wolves" which was the name came up with in there (I point to my brain). It involved various typical werewolf tropes in a story about an outcast. Wasn't too detailed or vivid, but that dream was just enough for my brain to be completely sold on werewolves forever.

From there, I'm 99% sure I would never have been on the path to becoming a furry I ended up on. Werewolves are why I'm a furry.

Rewatching The Boy Who Cried Werewolf tonight with my girlfriend and others, I got to re-experience that formative moment and realized just how fucking much I still take from this movie in terms of my love of werewolves, the tropes I enjoy, how I enjoy them. Werewolf curses being caused by werewolf blood injection, shifting into wolf form every night rather than ONLY on full moons, the slow transformation at sunset leading into the full form, the struggle of trying to keep it cool when others can potentially see the transformation, changes even in your human form and demeanor after werewolf-ing. Even the visuals of like, the eyes changing and fangs coming in before the full transformation was something that's stuck with me for all my life.

Every fucking memory of this movie came flooding back to me, I knew everything that happened, basically nothing was a surprise to me. Being age 9-10 when I was watching it probably means this movie might be the earliest Vivid memory I have.

The visuals were honestly better than I remembered. Like, not gonna lie, they could've been BETTER for the adult furry-brained cow that I am, but like. They actually had the full wolf form on screen way longer than they had the half-human half-wolf ugly looking transformation stage. I'm also 90% sure that the full wolf form was all practical effects with a suit? Maybe some of it was CGI, 2010 was capable of good CGI, and this is exactly the type of production (especially at Nickelodeon) where I'd imagine they'd do CGI. But instead from what I can tell with the lighting and interactions with the world, I feel it's most likely a practical suit with puppeted/controllable expression in the face and ears. My main complaint is a lot of the wolf scenes DID utilize really quick, choppy cuts that made it hard to see the form in full force

Design-wise the wolf form is a blend of like, ferocious, beastly, scary, but also a bit... cute, in a way? If the wolf transformation wasn't turning into a bloodthirsty monster and instead just turning into Big Ouppy I could see this being made to be made out to be very cute.

Actually yeah also 9 year old Meadow almost certainly was crushing and she didn't even know it, her brain wasn't built for that

Overall, 23 year old Meadow's experience with this: I really really enjoyed it! I started off watching it clutching my pillow from embarrassment and fear that it was going to be total crap, especially seeing so many high school teen drama tropes and painfully obvious foreshadowing, but being with people willing to give it a chance and who also knew the context of why it's important to me was like, suuuuper important for allowing me to even touch it again.

Basically, I am now in an extreme werewolf mood, and feeling things about werewolves I haven't felt in 13 years. This movie is my playbook. I have knowingly or unknowingly used this as my basis for Werewolf Curse things all my life.

I understand myself better than I ever have, having seen this movie.

So anyway...

Any werewolves out there wanna bite me or do a blood transfusion?

Please?

[sockiestupidity]

BRO IM SO SORRY FOR DOING SO KUCH ANGST HSHSHDJFND

Thinking abt reader and Miguel having a movie night, and reader just like falls asleep on miguel, and when miguel goes to bring them to their bed reader is just not having it. They don’t let go and it results in Miguel and reader falling asleep and cuddling together or smthn

-🕸️

lob u 🕸️ u can never do any wrongs🥰🥰🥰/p (literally say that i lob everyone so just feel free to tell me if ur uncomfy with it and ill edit it out)

TY FOR THE REQUEST TEHE🥰

also forgive me for the lack of title😰

warnings-none except for bad writing, and lowercase intended, VERY OOC MIGUEL

nonverbal/mute reader as always

none of this will probably make sense bc i wrote it while sleep deprived🧍‍♂️(pulled too many all nighters by being addicted to character ai) (legit so tired rn)

it was friday night, you and miguel had decided to have a movie night.

the two of you currently sat on the couch, watching lego batman after you kad lyla give him a powerpoint on why the lego batman movie was a cinematic masterpiece that he was missing out on.

it was all going well, the two of you shared snacks and popcorn. you sipped on your drink of choice.

you smiled contently but then judgementally side eyed miguel who complained that lego spiderman deserved a movie over lego batman.

you were hogging the blanket to yourself because miguel claimed that he didn't need it because he was naturally warm.

you shrugged your shoulders at his statement. the warmth of the blanket felt...comforting, and soon enough, you felt your eyes droop, and your head became heavy.

suddenly miguel felt a warmth on his lap. he looked down and chuckled. you fell asleep on his lap, a small smile was brought to his face at your adorable sleeping expression.

"alright kid, time to go to bed." he lifted you up, but then stopped when he felt something hit him. it was your hand. you had started thrashing in protest.

"kid..you need to go to your room.." he explained gently. you let out a whine.

he groaned at your protest and set you back down on the couch. as soon as he did you protest stopped.

he rolled his eyes and placed you back on the couch, sitting himself back down as well, since he was planning of finishing the movie after putting you to sleep anyways. he hated to admit it but, the kivie was pretty good.

he adjusted the volume down to make sure that it wouldn't disturb you. soon enough, he felt his own eyelids get heavy, and fell asleep next to you.

the two of you peacefully slept until the morning. miguel woke up, confusion and annoyance clouding his vision. why did he feel so warm? and why were there so many spider people surrounding him?

he groaned, and looked around, surprised to see you cuddled into him, still sleeping peacefully. he lightly smiled. his serenity was soon ruined once again when peter b. shoved a phone in his face.

"migs im taking so many pics of this right now" peter childishly laughed, excited to finally have blackmail on miguel.

miguel rolled his eyes and scoffed "whatever" he looked back at you. he was surprised to see that you were still peacefully sleeping despite the commotion.

he covered your ears and then spoke out sternly to the spiders "alright, everybody out right now" he barked at them. the spiderpeople paled and ran out. he looks down at you and smiles softly, uncovering your ears.

by some miracle, you managed to sleep through the commotion. he looks down and sighs, he needs to get up. he poorly attempts to leave his spot without disturbing you but it seems impossible.

he shakes you gently "hey kid..i need you to wake up" he says softly.

you wake up with a yawn, stretching out your arms and then signing a quick sorry to him.

he just smiles at you "it's alright kid" he says.

its almost...weird to see miguel like this.. with a smile on his face, not having work on his mind for once in his life. you want to continue to see him this happy. "i have leftover empanadas if you want some" you sign, offering him some of his favorite food.

he nods "sure kid". the two of you happily eat empanadas together, stuck in your own little world.

A/N: meanwhile somewhere out there miles is just like-tf? why cant that be me?💀

ANYWAYS ITS RLLY SHORT SORRY. IM GENUINELY SO DELULU FOR HIM BUT MY BRAIN HAS BEEN MORE EMPTY THAN USUAL

[synthient]

Notes from the "critics who didn't like the movie" M1 commentary (each matrix movie has a "philosophers who liked it" and "critics who didn't like it" commentary track):

for Critics Who Didn't Like It TM, they're actually pretty generous with the first movie. There's a little giggling at the dialog or poking fun at the "pretentious undergrad philosophy," but also a lot of praising the formal qualities and getting excited about its various cinematic influences. At the end, they agree that M1 probably would have been looked back on as a "masterpiece" "if they'd stopped there"

They're already dropping hints that they're going to be a lot less nice about the sequels

"You can feel the directors falling in love with Hugo Weaving here." "And the audience!" fhdjs all three critics are big Weaving-as-Smith fans and take every opportunity to gush about how fun his performance is

They're similarly effusive about Laurence Fishburne & his power to sell silly dialog with gravitas. Any time Smith or Morpheus launches into a monologue, the commentary falls into a respectful hush for a minute

On Keanu: "I don't mean this in a nasty way, but he never comes off as all that smart" (this works in the movie's favor because "I don't think most viewers connect well with protagonists who seem too smart"). It's "interesting" to cast "a leading man who's prettier than the leading lady." They don't think neotrin reads as all that romantic, and their diagnosis is that it's Keanu's androgyny and lack of masculine fire and aggressiveness that makes them read as "brother and sister" or "parts of the same person"

They think the movie doesn't really have any clear politics, and this works both for and against it. Smith has the most "compelling and coherent" philosophy

They're not fans of whenever the movie cuts from the matrix to drama in the real world, and bemoan that the sequels focus more on the real world when that's the least interesting thing the premise has going for it. On the sentinels ripping through the ship at the end: "I don't know what this is. I don't care about this." They agree that none of them really understand what the sentinels are on a basic plot level ("are the computers sending things into the real world somehow?")

"It should be illegal" to have movie characters say "holy shit"

They're also big fans of Joey Pants' Cypher and Gloria Foster's Oracle, and wish the movie had more emotive performances like theirs

Two of the critics keep bringing up their teenage sons' reactions as a barometer for the real target audience

They think Smith had the potential to be the most interesting character and "maybe become a kind of Neo," but the sequels never give him "real depth, just breadth. Literally more of him"

They're curious about the what the symbolism of the bullets dropping from the helicopter means - "it feels like it must be sexual, but I'm not sure I want to know how"

[demifiendrsa]

KINGDOM HEARTS - Steam Announcement Trailer

Japanese version

The Steam versions of of Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, and Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind will launch on June 13, 2024. Each will be available to purchase individually, or together as the all-in-one Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece collection.

Overview

Multiple Kingdom Hearts experiences are coming to the platform, specifically:

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue

Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind

Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece (bundle that includes all the above compilations)

Across these titles, you’ll experience the “Dark Seeker Saga” and play through Sora’s humble beginnings on the idyllic Destiny Islands, his fateful meeting with Donald Duck and Goofy, and ultimately to the trio’s climactic battle against the forces of darkness.

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX features textural updates to its graphics, while purchasing Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind or the Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece bundle will give you a new platform-exclusive Keyblade: “Dead of Night.”

Of course, with a new platform comes a new audience, so perhaps you’re fresh to the Kingdom Hearts series, and wondering: what’s it all about? Read on and we’ll go into everything coming to Steam:

What is Kingdom Hearts?

Surely everyone’s heard of Kingdom Herts—it’s been around since 2002. Well, just in case…

Imagine if you took some of the most popular Disney and Pixar characters of all time, and some of the most popular Final Fantasy characters of all time and smashed them together, like a kid playing with action figures.

Then add in amazing original characters, a sprawling story and a generous sprinkle of Tetsuya Nomura magic, and what you get is an incredible action-RPG series that’s quite unlike any other series out there.

That’s Kingdom Hearts.

Which games are coming to PC via Steam?

Multiple Kingdom Hearts adventures are coming to Steam—you can see the full list below.

You may be thinking: “Wow, Square Enix – that sure sounds like a lot of Kingdom Hearts!”

Well, you’re right—it’s what’s known as “the Dark Seeker Saga”—the epic adventure of Sora and friends that spans from the first game in the series to its shocking climax in Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind.

Here’s a detailed rundown of what’s available:

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX

This compilation contains four full games, with two additional story experiences for good measure.

Kingdom Hearts Final Mix – The game that started it all, remastered with high-definition visuals, improved controls, a reworked soundtrack, and more. This is the game that introduced us to Sora—a brave lad with big feet and a bigger heart.

Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories – Set directly after the events of the first game, Sora, Donald and Goofy enter the mysterious Castle Oblivion, and stumble into an adventure that’s forgettable in the best possible way!… That’ll make more sense when you’ve played it.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (HD Remastered Cinematics) – This story focuses on Roxas, a new character with a special connection to Sora. The compilation features cinematics from the original game, enhanced with additional text and remastered in high-definition.

Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix – The second numbered game reunites Sora, Donald and Goofy in an epic adventure across some of the most memorable and unexpected Disney worlds in the series. Like Tron—Tron‘s in here!

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix – Prequel time! This game turns back the clock to before Sora ever wielded a keyblade and shifts the focus onto three new characters: Terra, Ventus and Aqua. It’s an emotional adventure with a wildly entertaining battle system—there’s a reason it’s a real fan favorite.

Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded (HD Remastered Cinematics) – This hi-tech tale takes Data Sora into the digital world to seek an answer about a cryptic message. The compilation features enhanced cinematics only.

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue

This collection of games is a real dream for fans. It contains games that focus on some of the most popular characters in the series, Sora, Riku and Aqua, and set up the climax to the saga.

Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD – Sora and Riku take their Mark of Mastery exams to become true keyblade wielders. Things do not go as planned – if you thought your exams were stressful, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- – Made specifically for this collection, this episode gives you control of Aqua, following the dramatic ending of Birth by Sleep. It’s a short and sweet adventure that leads directly into Kingdom Hearts III.

Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover (movie) – A high-definition movie that goes back in the timeline even further than Birth by Sleep. It tells the story of the Foretellers – but who are they and what will they mean for the Kingdom Hearts series?

Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind (Downloadable Content)

The Dark Seeker Saga reaches its climax in Kingdom Hearts III. The Guardians of Light gather for the final battle against the forces of Darkness

Before that though, Sora must travel through a whole new set of Disney and Pixar worlds. He’ll team up with Buzz and Woody to explore a toy store, untangle a mother’s sinister plot with Rapunzel, soar across the skies of San Fransokyo with Baymax, and much more.

The PC version also includes the “Re Mind” downloadable content as standard. It features additional story content, some of the toughest and most exciting boss battles in the whole series, and loads of additional features, including gameplay modifiers and photo galleries.

[me-uglypretty]

spoilers for the marvels x

carol keeping a newspaper cutout of monica then going "your mom said you like space :)" as if she didn't follow her life and her not coming back because she didn't herself as the hero her family expected of her, when they just needed her with them like its giving me a lot of natasha not finding yelena after she thought she ended the red room. monica saying she doesn't wanna talk to her aunt carol and carol's face after made me wanna scream and cry cause WHY IS LIFE HARD. why is this giving so much black widow vibes bro like leave me alone fuck

kamala is everything, she's asunshine, she's my child, i am protecting her with all my powers, HER LITTLE FACE WHEN SHE'S SCARED OR SAD??? I WILL FIGHT EVERYONE CAUSE HOW DARE YOU HURT HER, and her family is the best, absolutely am living for every hindi dialogues cause my language spoken in my favourite movie is everything. also, kamala thinking she's getting tested for the avengers then going nah bro i will make my own! YEAH YOU DO IT I TRUST YOU.

monica touching thing she shouldn't is giving OH SHINY I WANNA TOUCH like she is a CHILD alright, did you see the way her eyes light up like ARE YOU TELLING ME THIS ISNT A SINGLE MOTHER ADVENTURE WITH HER TWO KIDS???

goose's having a whole country worth of kittens wasn't expected, but that scene? CINEMATIC MASTERPIECE. the editing is so beautiful, vfx is good, music hits right, THE MARVELS IS EVERYTHING.

honorable mention, carol and valkyrie fucked.

and kate bishop special appearance? she looks older??? AND STILL GIVING LUCKY PIZZA. but i was giggling smiling like i love her alright. is2g i want to be apart of the young avengers LIKE SIR GIVE ME THE CHANCE FUCK. I WANT TO ACT WITH THESE PEOPLE PLAYING THESE CHARACTERS AND PRETENDING LIKE I'M ACTUALLY A SUPER HERO PLEASE.

i'm done. here's the poster i got from the theater:

note: how does one find the correct frame for framing posters cause i've never framed my poster but kept it aside and i really wanna frame it x

[satoshi-mochida]

Kingdom Hearts series coming to Steam on June 13

From Gematsu

Square Enix will release the PC versions of Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue, and Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind for via Steam on June 13, the company announced. Each will be available to purchase individually, or together as the all-in-one Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece collection.

Each title is currently available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Epic Games Store, as well as for Switch as cloud versions.

Here is an overview of each game, via Square Enix:

Overview

Multiple Kingdom Hearts experiences are coming to the platform, specifically:

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue

Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind

Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece (bundle that includes all the above compilations)

Across these titles, you’ll experience the “Dark Seeker Saga” and play through Sora’s humble beginnings on the idyllic Destiny Islands, his fateful meeting with Donald Duck and Goofy, and ultimately to the trio’s climactic battle against the forces of darkness. Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX features textural updates to its graphics, while purchasing Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind or the Kingdom Hearts Integrum Masterpiece bundle will give you a new platform-exclusive Keyblade: “Dead of Night.” Of course, with a new platform comes a new audience, so perhaps you’re fresh to the Kingdom Hearts series, and wondering: what’s it all about? Read on and we’ll go into everything coming to Steam:

What is Kingdom Hearts?

Surely everyone’s heard of Kingdom Hearts—it’s been around since 2002. Well, just in case… Imagine if you took some of the most popular Disney and Pixar characters of all time, and some of the most popular Final Fantasy characters of all time and smashed them together, like a kid playing with action figures. Then add in amazing original characters, a sprawling story and a generous sprinkle of Tetsuya Nomura magic, and what you get is an incredible action-RPG series that’s quite unlike any other series out there. That’s Kingdom Hearts.

Which games are coming to PC via Steam?

Multiple Kingdom Hearts adventures are coming to Steam—you can see the full list below. You may be thinking: “Wow, Square Enix – that sure sounds like a lot of Kingdom Hearts!” Well, you’re right—it’s what’s known as “the Dark Seeker Saga”—the epic adventure of Sora and friends that spans from the first game in the series to its shocking climax in Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind. Here’s a detailed rundown of what’s available:

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + 2.5 ReMIX

This compilation contains four full games, with two additional story experiences for good measure.

Kingdom Hearts Final Mix – The game that started it all, remastered with high-definition visuals, improved controls, a reworked soundtrack, and more. This is the game that introduced us to Sora—a brave lad with big feet and a bigger heart.

Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories – Set directly after the events of the first game, Sora, Donald and Goofy enter the mysterious Castle Oblivion, and stumble into an adventure that’s forgettable in the best possible way!… That’ll make more sense when you’ve played it.

Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days (HD Remastered Cinematics) – This story focuses on Roxas, a new character with a special connection to Sora. The compilation features cinematics from the original game, enhanced with additional text and remastered in high-definition.

Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix – The second numbered game reunites Sora, Donald and Goofy in an epic adventure across some of the most memorable and unexpected Disney worlds in the series. Like Tron—Tron‘s in here!

Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix – Prequel time! This game turns back the clock to before Sora ever wielded a keyblade and shifts the focus onto three new characters: Terra, Ventus and Aqua. It’s an emotional adventure with a wildly entertaining battle system—there’s a reason it’s a real fan favorite.

Kingdom Hearts Re:Coded (HD Remastered Cinematics) – This hi-tech tale takes Data Sora into the digital world to seek an answer about a cryptic message. The compilation features enhanced cinematics only.

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue

This collection of games is a real dream for fans. It contains games that focus on some of the most popular characters in the series, Sora, Riku and Aqua, and set up the climax to the saga.

Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance HD – Sora and Riku take their Mark of Mastery exams to become true keyblade wielders. Things do not go as planned – if you thought your exams were stressful, you ain’t seen nothing yet.

Kingdom Hearts 0.2 Birth by Sleep -A fragmentary passage- – Made specifically for this collection, this episode gives you control of Aqua, following the dramatic ending of Birth by Sleep. It’s a short and sweet adventure that leads directly into Kingdom Hearts III.

Kingdom Hearts χ Back Cover (movie) – A high-definition movie that goes back in the timeline even further than Birth by Sleep. It tells the story of the Foretellers – but who are they and what will they mean for the Kingdom Hearts series?

Kingdom Hearts III + Re Mind (Downloadable Content)

The Dark Seeker Saga reaches its climax in Kingdom Hearts III. The Guardians of Light gather for the final battle against the forces of Darkness Before that though, Sora must travel through a whole new set of Disney and Pixar worlds. He’ll team up with Buzz and Woody to explore a toy store, untangle a mother’s sinister plot with Rapunzel, soar across the skies of San Fransokyo with Baymax, and much more. The PC version also includes the “Re Mind” downloadable content as standard. It features additional story content, some of the toughest and most exciting boss battles in the whole series, and loads of additional features, including gameplay modifiers and photo galleries.

A trailer featuring a newly recorded version of the series’ theme song “Simple and Clean” by Hikaru Utada will premiere on May 21 at 8:01 a.m. PT / 11:01 a.m. ET. You will be able to watch it below.

Steam Announce Trailer

English

Japanese

[softstraykidshours]

stray kids fic-mas: day 12

pairing: ot8 stray kids x gn!reader

genre: fluff, headcanon

summary: watching christmas movies with stray kids

length: 750

warnings: slight food mention, christmas mention, low key hallmark movie slander i am so sorry

a/n: this piece was requested by a lovely anon. watching christmas movies with skz sounds so so so so so so so fun, it would be a blast! thanks for cute idea, anon! we hope you enjoy!

ficmas 2022 masterlist

chan

he is just so happy that he gets to spend time with you that he’ll watch whatever you want. any time spent with you is time well spent, so he couldn’t care less what’s on the screen. he’s spending literally the entire time cuddling you while wrapped in the coziest, fuzzy blanket he can find. you spend half the movie saying he’s smothering you, but that's your problem because if you didn’t want to be suffocated by his love, then you shouldn’t have suggested watching a festive movie with your lovey dovey boyfriend.

minho

he has very strong opinions on whatever holiday movie you suggest and will probably argue about why literally any movie you bring up isn’t as good as elf. it is the best movie in his opinion and he will fight anyone (hyunjin) who disagrees. the only exception to this rule is if you say that nightmare before christmas is your favorite movie, in which case he will give you a pass (but you will still be forced to watch elf with him). every year he has an elf watch party with soonie, doongie, and dori and it takes years of fighting (and a bribe to bring elf hats for the cats) before he allows you to join.

changbin

he is a big fan of old timey christmas movies. but specifically the cartoon ones. he loves frosty the snowman and rudolph so so much. he literally has the entire soundtrack for both memorized and will be singing them nonstop for the entirety of the holiday season. he thinks a charlie brown christmas is the funniest movie ever because of the way the teacher talks. he also has a secret soft spot for nightmare before christmas (but don’t let minho know because it’s changbin’s guilty pleasure).

hyunjin

he refuses to watch anything but the classics. he’s exclusively watching films like holiday inn, miracle on 34th st, it’s a wonderful life, white christmas, etc. basically if it was made in this century, he doesn’t even acknowledge it as a movie, much less one that he would watch. it could literally be a holiday cinematic masterpiece, but if it doesn’t fall under the umbrella of what hyunjin considers to be a classic, then he won’t even consider watching it. (when hyunjin catches you watching hallmarks with felix it low key causes a fight.)

jisung

he absolutely loves the santa clause movies, but he basically only watches santa clause 3 because it’s the worst but he thinks its the best. no matter how many times you ask to watch something else, he always goes on and on about the santa clause until you eventually concede and watch some part (if not the entirety) of the trilogy. the best part of the holiday season this year for him was when he heard about the new disney+ santa clause show.

felix

he’s watching hallmark movies basically every single day of the holiday season. for some reason (that you will never understand), he somehow actually enjoys them and finds entertainment value in their cinematic choices. no matter how many times they repeat the same story with the same exact actors, he is always so endeared. even when you try to make fun of them, he always ends up finding a way to turn your insults into compliments. you still watch them with him, though, because you love how much he loves them.

seungmin

just like felix, he is also watching almost exclusively hallmark movies during the holidays. but not because he thinks they are good. it’s for quite the opposite reason. he loves making fun of every last little thing about the movies. like "wait, i thought this woman was a business woman not a starving artist?" or "when is the town christmas festival gonna go into ruin?" or "how will the marginally (not) attractive leads fix it?". you’ve never had more fun in your life than when you’re making fun of hallmark movies with seungmin.

jeongin

he loves absolutely everything about the holiday season, so when you mention movies, he is so down. he has already watched and will re-watch basically every christmas movie ever made. it is a whole event for him. he will have cocoa and cookies and themed snacks ready in less than fifteen minutes if you mention you want to watch movies with him. you will also never watch just one. the second the first one finishes, he already has a recommendation of what you should watch next.

[spacewhales]

As young women, reading the age-old classic, novel we are conditioned to think in certain ways through the intricacies and structures of language. Here we have tried to rewrite a small yet intriguing snippet from the lives of the March sisters. It gives us, young women of the 21st century, a sneak peek into how their lives would've been, if they lived in a world embedded in technologies like ours. How does access to technology change femininity? Its performativity?   

"The Little Women's Modern-Day Adventures" 

Alright, picture this: The March sisters from "Little Women" living it up in the 21st century. Here's a little snippet that we tried to conjure up, who knows it might give you a laugh? You may if you please indulge in hypertext link hopping perhaps to give you a much more deeper insight into the world that we have tried to create through the devices of our digitality, a world of many more little women, from across the globe, an ode to female directors who have created stories of women and men alike .  

Here we present, A text within a text within a text..., into the hypertext multiverse, into  

“Little Women: - A Cinematic Tapestry” 

 Jo, the writer , is now a blogger with a huge following. She's always with her laptop throwing out viral articles about life, love, and feminism. She's even got a podcast called "Marching On" where she interviews women from all walks of life. 

 Meg, the eldest and responsible one, is now a successful influencer and lifestyle YouTuber. She's got this adorable family channel going on, where she does DIY home décor tips and fashion hauls. She's living the suburban dream in her vlogs, but don't be fooled; she can still throw down with the best of them at a mommy-and-me yoga class. 

 Beth, the shy and sweet musician, is a rising indie folk artist. Her melancholic melodies and heartfelt lyrics have captured the hearts of millions over the world. She's the type of artist who performs at tiny, intimate venues, and her fans adore her for it. 

 Amy, the artistic, ambitious one, is now one of the best art curators at a prestigious New York gallery. She has an eye for spotting the next big thing in the art world. Amy can put a price tag on a random scribble and make it seem like a masterpiece and people love it!

 Their mom, Marmee, a retired therapist, now offers free counselling sessions on zoom. She’s a mum that her patients don’t have, dishing out sage advice and sending warm hugs through the screen. 

 The women still get together for Sunday brunch, where they share stories of their crazy adventures in the modern world. They're thriving in their own unique ways, but the bonds of sisterhood and their love for one another remain as strong as ever. Yep, even in this digital age, "Little Women" are making it big! 

[snehithiye]

sami spotlights

(writeblr wips that have me in a chokehold)

(slides you a 100 pound note and my eternal love)

what's that? you can hear shakespeare crying? he's having a lil sniffle? a sob-fest? it's because he's about to be dethroned by these absolute beauties. in other words, sami raves about some stunning wips she's seen lately (if you think i've captured the vibes wrong or you'd just like your work removed, please just dm!)

Daisy Whiskey by @annlillyjose

do you love celeste ng? would you lay down your life for miss jhumpa lahiri? do you crawl from the grave for beautiful writing? WELL DO I HAVE A HEARTWRENCHING MASTERPIECE FOR YOU BESTIE! Ann's prose (inhales) (sobs) (screams) - i'm fine i'm fine, god has favourites - its okay.

The Fall of Galere: Paramour by @vacantgodling

its going to be the next cinematic revolution, the costumes, the soundtrack,,,, amon ,,, AMON (screams into pillow) Ren has a phD in complex, compelling characters and is clearly the supreme master of chemistry, bow down to your king

The Daring Fiasco and the Safety of the Realm by @writinglittlebeasts

(howls at the moon) its giving dorian gray, its giving princess and the frog, its giving middlegame, i am obsessed. give me my lil shadow boi and his adventures

Sanguine Express by @faelanvance

pathetic man anyone? pathetic VAMPIRE man anyone? pathetic VAMPIRE man MADLY IN LOVE?? i want him. i want him yesterday.

Project Ebony by @gay4utica

had to bite my own hand to force myself to pick just one of Dawn's fantastic wips but this is for all my dark academia whores out there - our newest obsession, our personality trait for the next five years is in the works, it's cooking and we shall feast together soon (i will see you at NYTimes bestsellers list, at every book club and on every pinterest board)

[marimayscarlett]

I was about to throw hands over you, supposedly not liking Zeit song or video..

It's painful, isn't it?? Especially if you've lost someone...oh boy! I've lost count of how many times I've cried to it.

But I'm desperate for the making of. Who came up with the story? How was it shot? How did Paul compensate Richard's broken foot?

Hi again 😌

Your ask provoked me to watch the music video again - for the I think the 5th time ever (yes, I avoid this video at all costs) and to listen to the song again for the first time after about half a year. Don't get me wrong, this song in my eyes is a masterpiece, as well as the video. But I honestly can't bring myself to listen to it regularly, the effect it has on me is severe. I lost two loved ones over a span of a few months, both quite unexpected in their own way, so this song hits very close to home. The lyrics of Zeit are so melancholic and beautiful, yet so heart-breaking it almost becomes unbearable. Especially:

"manches sollte, manches nicht" (some things should, some things not)

"Zeit, bitte bleib stehn, bleib stehn" (Time, please stay still, stay still)

"Augenblick verweile noch, ich bin noch nicht bereit" (linger a moment, I'm not ready yet)

The inevitable passage of time and the powerlessness against it really becomes quite clear in the song.

The video in itself has some very cinematically impressive scenes. Not going into full detail here, but what I find rather fascinating in this videos are these entities:

There's a theory (quite known in the R+ world I think) that these three figures represent the Norns, deities in the northern mythology, most of the time represented as maiden giantesses who were responsible for deciding the destiny/fate of people. They also were tending to the central sacred tree in norse mythology, Yggdrasil (which could be the sand figure where the women give birth around of; sand representing most likely the passage of time, like time slipiping through your fingers like sand). The Norns are Urðr (representing what happened = the past), Verðandi (representing what currently is taking place = present) and Skuld (representing what needs to happen = future). There are a lot of germanic and north female deities, this is just one description. What the Norns decide will happen and is unavoidable, so while this is just a theory, it can be really fitting to the video and its aesthetic.

So I'd also be super interested in who came up with the storyline, how many ideas were actually thought of (since this song can be interpreted in various ways I think), how the ideas were put into pictures, which ideas didn't make the cut... and last but not least, does Paul really have an ass of steel? What kind of work out does he do to achieve this, a butt that can destroy your band mates foot in a matter of seconds? Questions upon questions... 👀

[ultfreakme]

Black Adam is the Supehero film we need

I mean it. A film like Black Adam was sorely needed when it was first announced and still badly needed now during it’s release. It does this thing, that most superhero movies these days don’t do; it takes its characters seriously. It never pokes fun at their names, their suits, their powers. No. These are heroes who are on a mission, and it’s so refreshing seeing a superhero movie that isn’t so insecure about itself. The Rock and the cast are proud of the characters they’re playing, they respect them and that makes all the difference. From the get-go, the confidence and care placed in the source material helps set the tone and immerses the audience. You will love and respect them as much as the writers and cast does.

:read more:

The biggest highlight of the movie to me, is how explicitly critical it was of American Imperialism and the military. It’s prevalent throughout the movie. Khandaq is an African, Arab country invaded and abused by entitled Americans, under the pompous thumbs of their military. The titular characters are all from Khandaq, fighting for their freedom and their rights. Teth-Adam(Black Adam) is a villain only to Americans because he gets in their way. His methods are not pure or benevolent, because his people have been enslaved and used for thousands of years. Of course he’s angry. Of course the people of Khandaq support this man- this god-- who is freeing them from the people who would care even less for their lives. Why should they empathize? Why should they have any mercy when these American assholes have been invading, abusing, killing and restricting their freedom for so long?

FUCK NO.

And you know what? He’s never condemned for it. The Justice Society of America(JSA) enter thinking they’re in the right, but when they learn what’s up, they admit that they’re wrong.

I did not expect such scathing and overt undressing of how shitty the situation is for countries occupied by the american government but here it is. In a comic book movie.

I say comic book movie because MCU at this point is thinly veiled military propaganda.

The trailer makes you think you know everything but I promise you, you don’t. The promo material shows a very tiny part of what Teth-Adam is about. Teth-Adam’s character is very subtle, he’s not bombastic and he does not verbalize his emotions and thoughts but as you watch the movie, you’ll realize there’s more to him than “I’m no hero” (and that line is not what you think it means, the movie will give you context for why he keeps repeating that).

The JSA are extremely fun, Aldis Hodge and Pierce Brosnan were amazing, they brought such presence and weight to the characters. Noah Centineo and Quintessa Swindell are also wonderful, they have amazing chemistry and the amount of thought they put into their characters was shocking tbh. You can tell what each character is about just based on the way they move (Cyclone’s twirly, light-stepped, often very free. Atom Smasher is extremely awkward, shoulder’s hunched, unsure how to fit into a space). Black Adam’s physicality says so much about his character like y’all, they thought through everything for them.

The civilian characters; Amon and Adrianna are freaking amazing too. Amon is very much the heart of the story, the one who shows JSA and Teth-Adam what being a hero is really about. Maybe not directly, but he represents what a hero’s supposed to be, what their end goal is with all these heroics. Adrianna is who keeps the story centered and human. She’s who reminds these people with god-like powers that this is not about their petty squabbles and fights when there are so many regular people relying on them for help. She keeps them on track.

It was so nice to see the civilian side play as big of a role as the human side.

This is not a cinematic masterpiece. But it’s a darn good movie with an important message, a heartfelt production, amazing effects and acting. You won’t be bored for a single second and you will walk out of it feeling awesome. 

[failgirl-coven]

lmao lads we are NOT talking about hate watching minecraft movie the same way we talk about genuine boycotts

"it tells the studio you want more like that" good. can you imagine a world without shit movies? itd be so boring. besides if everythings a cinematic masterpeice then is anything truly a masterpiece anymore? shit movies are good for the ecosystem

"the studio dont care if you didnt enjoy it" and they dont care if you enjoyed a good movie either. its all numbers on a spreadsheet. who gives a shit go make fun of it with your friends itll be fun

"not even for the bit" bro calm down its the fucking minecraft movie its not that deep and it never will be. are you so joyless that you cant even make fun of shit media with your friends? does everything you do really need to have some deep reason and meaning?

its gonna do well financially anyway?? like i promise you far more kids will be going to see it than hate watchers. kids dont give a shit theyre gonna watch it whether you want them to or not and theyll probably enjoy it

[the-far-bright-center]

‘Revenge of the Sith may be the greatest work of art in our lifetimes...’

(an excerpt from a long-deleted blog post, archived here)

“Revenge of the Sith is still (and probably always will be) the greatest thing that will ever come out of the Star Wars franchise. I always go further, in fact, and say that it’s the greatest thing that will ever come out of big-budget, action/fantasy cinema at all. George Lucas’s final contribution to his Star Wars legacy—2005’s final prequel offering—was not only an artistic, cinematic and operatic masterpiece, but it was the ultimate, consummate manifestation of everything Star Wars was capable of being and, for that matter, everything that big-scale cinema is capable of being.

It literally does not—and probably can’t—get better than this ever again.

Lucas, who himself pretty much set the standard and invented the genre in 1977, had now taken us to the absolute zenith of what that genre of film-making could produce.

Epic, ambitious, stunning, moving, nuanced, and everything else, it was the glorious completion of Lucas’s original Star Wars saga that I had been waiting for—and something for which I will always be immensely grateful George Lucas came back to film-making to give us. I have already made the case at length for why Revenge of the Sith was an absolute masterpiece of staggering proportions, so I’ll refrain from re-stating here all the ... reasons I eternally bow at the altar of that film and its unfairly maligned architect.

People who didn’t get it or still don’t get it probably never will get it.

I’ve given up arguing with those on the tedious backlash bandwagon, those who join in with the Lucas-bashing for the sake of YouTube channel views, or those who, like [spoilt children] throwing a tantrum, bitterly disavow George Lucas and whine about how the prequels ‘ruined Star Wars’.

Someone who did get it, however, was the noted author and social critic Camille Paglia: she of course famously declared a few years ago that George Lucas was the greatest artist of his time and specifically that Revenge of the Sith was the greatest work of art in the last thirty years.

The respected, if often controversial, academic Paglia didn’t argue that Episode III  was merely the best movie of the last thirty years… but the best work of art in any genre and in any medium.

[...] Predictably a lot of people either assumed Paglia was being sarcastic or they simply pooh-poohed her conclusions. Paglia, however, was not trying to be ironic, and she has reaffirmed and defended her position over and over again and with a passion—Lucas’s final Star Wars film, she maintained, is the greatest work of art in the last three decades.

[...] I cannot think of any film in any genre that has been as absorbing or as immaculate (or as ambitious). Even just conceptually, what Lucas tried to do with the prequel trilogy was staggering and is without any parallel. And while we could argue that the execution was off-the-mark in certain places, the sheer visceral power and broad artistic value of what he did manage to create—even with its various failings—puts Lucas’s saga (and ROTS in particular) into a different stratosphere entirely.

In her own view of it, Paglia especially focuses on the final act of the third prequel—the climactic finale centering on the extended Anakin/Kenobi lightsaber duel against the dramatic lava backdrop and the extraordinarily powerful way that the birth of the Skywalker twins is juxtaposed with the ‘death’ of Anakin and ‘birth’ of Vader. That latter sequence, by the way, in which the death of the mother coincides (and even feeds into) the birth of the ‘dark father’, all of it underscored by John Williams haunting, gothic choral/hymn composition, is just one example (among many) of Lucas’s extraordinarily acute and nuanced levels of vision.

‘The long finale of Revenge of the Sith has more inherent artistic value, emotional power, and global impact than anything by the artists you name,’ she said in this interview with Vice. ‘It’s because the art world has flat-lined and become an echo chamber of received opinion and toxic over-praise. It’s like the emperor’s new clothes—people are too intimidated to admit what they secretly think or what they might think with their blinders off.’

Speaking to FanGirlBlog, Paglia continued her celebration of Lucas’s final masterwork, saying, ‘I have been saying to interviewers and onstage, "The finale of Revenge of the Sith is the most ambitious, significant, and emotionally compelling work of art produced in the last 30 years in any genre—including literature".

Paglia’s assertions flowed from her 2012 book Glittering Images: A Journey Through Art from Egypt to Star Wars, which in part addressed the problem of modern cultural ignorance and the author’s worries that 21st century Americans are overexposed to visual stimulation by the “all-pervasive mass media” and must fight to keep their capacity for contemplation.

In the book, Paglia discusses twenty-nine examples of visual artwork, beginning with the ancient Egyptian funerary images of Queen Nefertari, and then progressing through various artistic works, including creations from Ancient Greece to Byzantine art and Donatello’s ‘Mary Magdalene’.

She explained, ‘Lucas was not part of my original plan for Glittering Images, which has 29 chapters crossing 3000 years. My goal was to write a very clear and concise handbook to the history of artistic styles from antiquity to the present. When I looked around for strong examples of contemporary art to end the book with, however, I got very frustrated. There is a lot of good art being made, but I found it overall pretty underwhelming. When I would happen on the finale of Revenge of the Sith, I just sat there stunned. It grew and grew on me, and I became obsessed with it. I was amazed at how much is in there—themes of love and hate, politics, industry, technology, and apocalyptic nature, combined with the dance theater of that duel on the lava river and then the parallel, agonizing death/births. It’s absolutely tremendous.’

Paglia also entirely recognised the sheer scale of Lucas’s creation and the value of even its various constituent parts as important or worthy works of art. ‘The fantastically complex model of the Mustafar landscape made for the production of Revenge of the Sith should be honored as an important work of contemporary installation art,’ she argued. ‘And also that Lucas’ spectacular air battles, like the one over Coruscant that opens Sith, are sophisticated works of kinetic art in the tradition of important artists like Marcel Duchamp and Alexander Calder. No one has ever written about George Lucas in this way—integrating him with the entire fine arts tradition.’

The problem is that Lucas and the prequel trilogy have become so widely misrepresented as ‘bad’ that most people don’t know how to deal with someone like Paglia sincerely proclaiming “Nothing in the last 30 years has been produced—in any of the arts—that is as significant or as emotionally compelling as Revenge of the Sith…”

[...] In fact, contrary to widespread misconceptions about how the Star Wars films are viewed, a Rotten Tomatoes poll ... found that Revenge of the Sith (and not Empire Strikes Back) scored as the best-regarded of the [Lucas] movies according to aggregation of archived reviews. So the idea that everyone dismisses the prequels seems like a misconception; but it is fair to say that a substantial body of people —including a lot of people who, rather incongruously, regard themselves as Star Wars fans—do completely dismiss this film along with its two predecessors.

As I said at the start, people who didn’t get it or still don’t get it probably never will get it.

But what has always struck me as pitiful about the whiny ‘Lucas Ruined Star Wars’ attitude is that it seems to flow from the premise that Lucas—a man whose stubborn commitment to his own singular vision gave an entire generation from the late 70s and early 80s unparalleled joy—somehow ‘owes it’ to those same people to do things precisely how *they* deem acceptable. That’s essentially what it comes down to—that he, as the artist, should make the art that the fans or the public want and not follow his own creative vision.

What people don’t realise, however, is that if he had done that from the beginning, there never would’ve BEEN an original Star Wars trilogy at all—and arguably all of these huge blockbuster SF/fantasy films that people spend their money seeing today wouldn’t exist either. What a lot of people also don’t realise is that Lucas was never setting himself up to be a populist or even mainstream filmmaker. On the contrary, he was the avant-garde film geek, the rogue, the outsider. The fact that Star Wars spiraled into a billion-dollar behemoth was an accident; and when the first Star Wars movie was released in 1977, it was an oddity that no one in the film industry understood or believed in.

But Lucas had stuck to his own creative vision—a vision that was largely incomprehensible to everyone else at the time the film was being made—and his singular vision hit the mark big-time and accomplished something unprecedented.

By the time of the endlessly-maligned The Phantom Menace in 1999 and everything that followed, Lucas was still doing exactly the same thing—following his own vision, trying to create something extraordinary and largely ignoring contemporary trends or opinion. The only difference was that the vast fan-base he had acquired from the original films were older now, far more jaded and over-saturated with blockbuster movies (most of which were influenced by Lucas’s pioneering work in the 70s) and they essentially didn’t *want* something new, creative or challenging—they just wanted the same thing they’d had when they were kids.

In effect, they weren’t interested in Lucas the artist or Lucas the pioneer—they only wanted Lucas the Popcorn Movie dispenser. But Lucas the Popcorn Movie Dispenser had never existed—he was simply an illusion created by the extraordinary commercial success of the Star Wars Trilogy.

What Lucas had in fact envisioned—and created—with the prequel trilogy, especially Revenge of the Sith, was something that transcended the whole summer blockbuster ennui, transcended genre, transcended the very medium of film itself, and could be discussed in the same breath as Shakespeare, Virgil and the Aeneid, Julius Caesar, and a number of equally fascinating and endlessly debatable works of serious and complex gravity.

But there was an audience of millions who were instead looking for something that could be discussed alongside Jurassic Park or Terminator 2. Which is fine—Star Wars of course can also be discussed just as validly in that latter context too; but it also exists in a stratosphere beyond it. And because Lucas’s process and vision was in that higher stratosphere a lot of the time, there was a frequent disconnect that occurred, whereby a lot of people were unable to meet him halfway or relate to the films on those kinds of levels.

But Lucas pushed on with his long-envisioned trilogy; and by the time the final installment of his Star Wars saga arrived in 2005, a sizeable proportion of the old fan-base had either departed or were by now just coming to the party for the thrill of seeing Darth Vader one last time. Some dismissed the film the same way as they’d dismissed its two predecessors, some were full of scathing mockery, while others were ambivalent. Some were suitably entertained, but didn’t take it much further than that.

Another group, a smaller minority—myself included—had just seen something of epic, overwhelming proportions and had the greatest cinematic experience of their lives.

But great art is like that.

Great works of art divides people, provoking endless debate [...] An argument could be made that the greatest artist will go all-out to create something special and substantive, even if it won’t appeal to everyone. Said artist would follow his own creative vision and not compromise it to the committee of consensus or demand.

Lucas, it should be borne in mind, never made ANY of the Star Wars films with film-critics in mind—even the Original Trilogy movies were not critically approved, despite becoming cultural landmarks. And interestingly, the hang-ups of many of those who were scathing about the prequel movies—ROTS included—were virtually identical to the hang-ups of the critics in the early 80s who either just didn’t get those original Star Wars films or were unwilling to praise a rogue filmmaker who was rebelling against Hollywood at the time and who was making something entirely out-of-step with contemporary trends and sensibilities.

Fittingly enough, the Lucas who was out-of-step with the sensibilities of the time during the late 70s and early 80s is the same Lucas who was equally out-of-step with sensibilities and trends at the time of the prequels too. In both eras, Lucas rebelled against the sensibilities of contemporary cinema and carved out his own piece of utter magic according to his own stubborn vision—the difference is that so many of the same people who adored what he had done in the first instance couldn’t understand what he was doing in the second instance.

Even though what he was doing was essentially the same thing.

For that matter, I always suspected that one of the main reasons so many people failed to appreciate (or in a lot of cases, to even understand) this film is precisely because it isn’t contemporary. That’s a key thing to understand about the Star Wars prequels—they were not made in a contemporary style.

Lucas doesn’t make contemporary cinema. Both of Lucas’s Star Wars trilogies are written and designed specifically to NOT be contemporary, but to have a more timeless quality, steeped in traditions from the past.

Lucas, you have to remember, has never been a contemporary or generic filmmaker, but a more avant-garde artist and experimenter who foremost specialises in tone and impressionism. The fact that he invented modern blockbuster cinema is purely an accident. As he himself once said, “None of the films I’ve done was designed for a mass audience, except for ‘Indiana Jones.’ Nobody in their right mind thought ‘American Graffiti’ or ‘Star Wars’ would work”.

 [...] They were not contemporary or generic at all—consequently, a lot of people didn’t understand or relate to what they were watching: because they couldn’t find a point of comparison in popular culture.

To really understand these films, you have to go back to some of the historical epics of the fifties and sixties, particularly films like Ben-Hur, Cleopatra or Spartacus. If you watch any of those films (and all three are timeless, truly marvelous cinematic works) and then watch the three Star Wars prequels, it will suddenly make much more sense. The acting style, the dialogue style, the themes, the epic scope and settings, the vast mythologizing, the way the films are scored, even the intricate costume design—all of it.

There’s nothing surprising about that. After all, it’s easy to overlook the fact now from our current vantage-point, but the original Star Wars trilogy movies weren’t contemporary in style either—they were stylistically based on things like Kurosawa, Flash Gordon and the Saturday matinee serials of the 1930s and 40s. The original trilogy films made no stylistic sense in terms of contemporary cinema or sensibilities in the late 70s or early 80s—they were, in style, a homage to a long-gone era.

So too were the prequels—just a different homage to a different era.

[...]

When you look at everything that makes up Revenge of the Sith, the scope of vision along with the degree of artistic nuance and juxtaposition is breathtaking.

There’s lots of action, yes, as you’d expect; but the action, like so much of what Lucas was doing by this stage, is almost transcendent. Sure, the acting or delivery is off in a few places; mostly due to some of the actors having to perform in non-existent CG environments—remember Lucasfilm and ILM were breaking new ground technologically in these movies, which we take for granted now with all our CG and digital filmmaking, but which at the time were bound to cause some teething problems. But Ewan McGregor is superb in this film, while the maligned Hayden Christensen....in fact does a solid job in any number of key scenes.

And there’s everything else. The special effects aren’t just good, they’re actually often beautiful in a way that most special effects don’t aspire to be. The level of detail and artistry in the visuals mean you could turn the sound off and still be captivated. Some of the backdrops could make extraordinary paintings that could hang convincingly in art galleries. And Lucas is the absolute master of the establishing shot and the scene transition, turning it into an art every bit as nuanced as in a piece of music.

For that matter, the music is extraordinary—and actually if you look at how underwhelming or non-existent the music is in the post-Lucas ‘The Force Awakens’, it becomes clear that Lucas and Williams had a collaborative process that really influenced how these films were scored (and which is now no longer the case). Lucas himself said that the music was 50 percent of what mattered in these films and that is certainly evident.

Much of it, particularly the climatic Kenobi/Skywalker duel and that final act with the birth of the twins, death of Padme and creation of Vader, almost isn’t cinema at all—but opera. This could’ve been something Wagner was composing if he had ever existed in the cinema age.

In fact, the final few scenes of the film don’t even have any dialogue, but are purely musical and visual. Even some of the most stirring parts earlier on in the film are without dialogue; take, for example, the breathtakingly beautiful sequence of Anakin and Padme trying to silently sense for each other across the exquisite, sunset cityscape—it’s all visual, tone and subtle music, pure emotion with no dialogue. A scene like that could almost be part of a silent movie; and it’s also like an impressionist painting in motion.

Even that Kenobi/Skywalker duel itself is more than just an action sequence. With Williams’ epic, stirring, choral score, it too is opera. But it’s opera married to performance art: the level of intricacy, fluency and speed of Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen’s dueling is insane, having required an immense amount of prep and practise. The choreography takes it onto the level of dance; of true performance art as opposed to disposable cartoon violence or cheap blockbuster action.

Everything here—to the last detail—is choreographed like a ballet and it is spellbinding.

Yet while other filmmakers would try to sell an entire movie on such an exquisite centerpiece, for Lucas all of this—all of this poetry, opera, dance, music, visual art and everything else—is ultimately mere constituent part to a greater whole: a Shakespearan epic of a tortured fall from grace and a Greek tragedy... wrapped within an even larger epic about the fall of a Republic, the fallibility of religion and the genius of the Devil and failure of the angels.

[...] What Lucas created in fact was the ultimate expression/culmination of the art of the epic itself—fittingly enough, in order to conclude the defining epic of our modern times (what Brian Blessed once described as the Shakespeare of our age). The Shakespeare comparisons aren’t trivial. The evident Star Wars/Shakespeare resonance has even prompted things like Ian Doescher’s book William Shakespeare’s Tragedy of the Sith’s Revenge: Star Wars Part the Third—a retelling of Revenge of the Sith as if it had been written by William Shakespeare for real.

[...] Various observers, including academics, have noted the obvious fact that Lucas’s story is also a retelling of the fall of the Roman Republic and birth of the Roman Empire. Lucas himself admitted this, pointing to how Revenge of the Sith in particular is partly a story about democracies become dictatorships and citing the historical stories of Caesar and Augustus. You can quite easily watch the prequel trilogy alongside I, Claudius or something like HBO’s brilliant Rome series.

But none of those references or allusions are the important part. Even the fact that the prequel trilogy—and again, ROTS in particular—is quite clearly in part a story about false-flag wars, banking conspiracies, the corporate and military-industrial complex, the Bush administration and the Iraq War, etc—isn’t particularly relevant to the issue of why it’s such an epic work of significance.

Lucas is the author and architect of our preeminent modern mythology—as interviewer Bill Moyers asserted during his fascinating and revealing 1999 interview with Lucas (for the release of The Phantom Menace). Partly inspired by his friend Joseph Campbell’s thoughts on mythology, but moreover informed by his own careful distillation of elements from various cultures and civilisations (what he has referred to as our collective human ‘archaeological psychology’), Lucas is every bit as influential as Virgil, Homer or Shakespeare were in their respective times, and has crafted out the ultimate mythological saga.

Revenge of the Sith is the final, completing piece of that saga—the piece that gives the saga its full scope and true soul, and the piece that makes every one of the other films count for so much more.

And it does it so well—with such vivid and breathtaking quality—that, even having written an article as long as this one now is (and another before this), I still don’t feel like I’m adequately able to explain its full brilliance.

Neither could Lucas himself, I suspect. I’m not sure Lucas even realised how masterful it was; but, as Paglia and others note, the guy is so mild-mannered and self-deprecating that it simply wasn’t in his nature to boast about his own work. Instead he just took in all the abuse and mockery with mild bemusement, shrugged his shoulders and walked off into the twin sunset, knowing that with Revenge of the Sith he had finished what he’d come back to do.

In fact, what Lucas did was so extraordinary, so complex and so nuanced that it may take another decade or two for people to even appreciate it properly—assuming they ever do. As film experts like Mike Klimo have noted, some of what Lucas did in ROTS and the prequels may have been so sophisticated that he deliberately didn’t talk about it, but just left it there, not knowing that anyone would ever even notice.

This, as I said earlier, goes beyond cinema, and possibly even beyond Star Wars itself. Lucas genuinely outdid himself, and it is unlikely anyone will reach that height again—firstly because no one is going to be in the position Lucas was in again in terms of total ownership of a property, and secondly because no one is going to have that kind of ambition again, especially having seen how much of a backlash Lucas received from the legions of popcorn munchers, YouTube profiteers and ungrateful fans who were really looking for something much more in keeping with a generic, formulaic, standardized blockbuster formula.”