#mixed opinions on that movie but still core parts of my character

[six-seasons-andamovie]

If I had a nickel every time Lana del ray sang a song for a movie both of which being integral parts of my character,

I've had two nickles which isn't alot but it's weird it's happened twice

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

OMG RAVEN YOU’RE INTO EVER AFTER HIGH? I love it but can’t talk about it bc none of my friends have seen it 😭 I wish it was talked about more, especially with how deep their lore runs. I love EAH’s dynamics with the complexities of destiny. If twst followed the same logic as eah’s world it would be so interesting. How would you feel if the worlds were to mesh together and how it would work? You can interpret that in any way you want; the characters meeting or twst being bound to the same rules and societal expectations of eah, or whatnot.

Also who’s your favorite eah character compared to your favorite twst character (Leona)?Jade, right?

And have you read the eah books? I haven’t, but I’m going to try to sometime!

Eah alt account when?

I'm still salty that the Monster High x Ever After High crossover movie never saw the light of day-- Part of the reason why I don't like Disney (I mean the faceless corpo, not all Disney products) is because they have such a strong association with fairy tales that it pushes other interpretations out of the market or it leads to people assuming Disney "owns" those fairy tales. Ever After High's lore and themes run so much deeper than most other fairy tale reimaginings I've seen (and I've seen a lot). It's such a shame it doesn't get the respect and recognition it deserves even though EAH is the one out here challenging the status quo whereas modern Disney is content with mediocrity that appeals to the masses.

I think EAH and TWST, at their cores, share similar ideas so combining them would work well. Friendship, self-identity, defining your own future, questioning what "good" and "evil" truly are... It's all there. I'd imagine that if Twisted Wonderland (or at least NRC) followed the same rules as EAH, then everyone would be descendants of their Disney counterparts. (This is actually a common misperception of what TWST was to new fans; people mistakenly believe the TWST characters are children of the classic Disney villains. This has never been canon.) Unfortunately, I'd have to take away the Disney villains being twisted to be "good" guys in Twisted Wonderland's world in order for this to work by EAH rules, so... There's that to consider. This, in turn, can result in the student body splitting into Royals (pro-following one's destiny) and Rebels (anti-following one's destiny). Perhaps RSA and NRC could be one school in this AU...? Just so we have a mix of "good" and "evil" descended children in the same vicinity as one another. A must-have are the constantly bickering Narrators!! It's only really when Yuu shows up that the majority opinion starts to shift. Maybe then Crowley becomes concerned with students rising up and fighting back against the system that relies on them being complacent to keep the cycle of stories going. I've seen some readings of EAH which theorize that Royals guaranteed a happy ending is a stand-in for privilege, and that interpretation leads into very interesting conflicts when we also consider that magic in Twisted Wonderland is a privilege afforded to few.

To cover just the dorm leaders (because covering all the TWST characters would make this post way longer), I definitely see Riddle, Kalim, Idia, and Malleus as Royals and Leona, Azul, and Vil as Rebels. Here's my thought process:

Riddle is pretty self-explanatory. He comes from a background where he's used to being told what to do by his mother and so he also heavily relies on her strict, unyielding teachings to play by the book when he goes out there in the real world. Riddle is inflexible and hesitant to go against the grain--and, more importantly, he fully believes that following the rules will lead to his happiness... that doing as his fairy tale ordains will lead to a happy ending. What happens to the Queen of Hearts is dubious in the end since it's framed as Alice's dream, so I think that vagueness gives Riddle hope that by behaving himself, he'll earn the happiness he desires.

Leona is a Rebel, and not just because that's the aesthetic of his dorm. Being that he is highly intelligent and demonstrates a lot of foresight, he'd be aware of what future is in store for him and aggressively fighting against that. It would make him more desperate than ever to prove his worth, because not only does everyone see his powers as terrifying, but they also see him as a future brother murderer and dictator that will bleed the land dry of resources. It'd make the situation with his family even more strained than it already is, not to mention the extra jealousy he must feel toward Cheka, who is still too young to understand what's going to happen later.

Azul is someone who acts like a Royal but is actually a Rebel. He acts polite and like he plays by the rules, but clearly he doesn't behind the scenes. I see Azul as the kind of Rebel akin to Duchess Swan... as in, he believes he can steal away someone else's destiny for himself. Azul would constantly be looking for loopholes to save himself. He's put way too much stock into becoming a better, stronger person and he'd want to defend this new life he has made for himself. His obsession with protecting his contracts could translate well here.

Kalim is a Royal because he's mega rich and has been sheltered from the concept of bad things that happen to normal people; he has nothing to worry about. It also helps that Kalim is twisted from a character that doesn't meet a bad ending. I think he'd be aware of Jami's doomed destiny, but Kalim is so ignorant that he thinks it'll just be fine and it'll work itself out. Part of his growth could be being forced to reckon with the reality that Jamil is suffering under the legacy assigned to him and accepting the role that he plays in that by not acting.

Idia is a Royal--or at least pre-book 6 Idia is. He's a very pessimistic guy and repeatedly expresses hopelessness about the future, bemoaning the curse he and his family have to bear. Idia doesn't want to try to fight his fate, he's already accepted that it will happen and so closes himself off from others to save himself that heartbreak. Post-book 6 Idia will have swapped over to the Rebel side thanks to Ortho reviving the hope in him.

Vil is a Rebel simply for the fact that he fights social conventions. He's already out here shattering gender roles, but finds it much harder to breach that expectation that villains are just villains and nothing more. Vil keeps getting rejected at every turn, told that it's impossible to rewrite his story, that his frustrations are the natural result of jealousy and an ugly heart that festers in side of him. He steels himself to prove that notion wrong, working himself to the bone to get up on that stage and stay on it, waiting to be lavished with praise that he truly is the fairest one of all. I feel this would be so fascinating for Vil's own arc about self acceptance; maybe he wears himself down emotionally because he HAS to basically be perfect due to his job but also denies himself normal feelings like anger and jealousy because confessing that you have such "ugly" feelings only validates that you're shallow just like the stories say you will be.

Malleus is a tough one, but I settled for Royal in the end. Maleficent is doomed to be slain by a sword, right? So am I saying that THE Malleus Draconia, who is infamously arrogant about his magical abilities, would lie down and take a stab like that? Of course not! However, I do think that Malleus is initially someone who values tradition and living up to noblesse oblige. As the future ruler of a nation, people's stories are relying on him to play his expected role out, which he'd be fully cognizant of. I also think Malleus would be afforded the luxury of not having to face his destiny as soon as his peers are due to his long life span. This is in part because the person destined to slay him doesn't come into his life for literally hundreds of years. Then when book 7 arrives, Malleus has to deal with his loved ones leaving and/or betraying him as well as the realization that this is his destiny: dying alone and unloved. That'd just break him.

ahdbiqwdbqwli I COULD TALK ABOUT THIS AU FOR FOREVER BUT I'LL CUT IT SHORT OR ELSE I'LL NEVER SHUT UP 😭

EAH has so many good characters and interesting storylines, it's hard for me to pick a favorite! I of course love Apple and Raven's dilemmas, but I feel like it's cheating to pick one of them as my favorite. The whole Wonderland gang is also fantastic... I'm a sucker for their aesthetic, but they're so fun and silly in general. Kitty, Lizzie, and especially Madeline are 👌

Mmm, when I think long and hard about it, I think my favorite EAH character has to be Briar Beauty, daughter of Sleeping Beauty. Firstly, I love all the pink, roses, and bramble in her design. Secondly, I love the layers to why she is the way she is. Briar's a party girl not because "lmao, wouldn't that be a funny haha subversion of Sleeping Beauty" but because she wants to live life up before she falls asleep for 100 years and literally loses all her friends and family to the natural passage of time. That's seriously so smart and such an inventive way to think about the trauma a descendant of Sleeping Beauty might have. Seeing Briar transition from one of Apple's besties and biggest supporters to an outright rebel is satisfying as heck. (Gotta take a moment to shout out this classic moment :3)

I don't know if I would compare Briar to Jade since they're entirely different characters. However, looking at the source material, I'm actually surprised I like Briar as much as I do since I have never cared for the story of Sleeping Beauty. A part of me finds this ironic since Malleus harbors a similar fear as Briar (losing loved ones) yet I see Malleus's desire as way more selfish and self-serving than Briar's. I believe that's because Briar doesn't have the same arrogance as Malleus, so I'm more forgiving with her. EAH's actual equivalent to Malleus is Faybelle, daughter of the Dark Fairy, but I don't like her as much as I do Briar (hence why I'm comparing Malleus and Briar, not Malleus and Faybelle).

I haven't read the EAH books but I want to one day! I'd prefer to borrow them since I don't have enough space in my room for more physical books, so as soon as I find copies at a library or something...

This blog has kind of become a place where I occasionally talk about my other interests, generally as it relates to TWST, my main interest. I'd like to keep it like this since managing multiple blogs can be so draining. It already takes quite a bit of time to regularly write responses to asks just on one blog!

[bridgeraltieri]

My Controversial(?) Scream Opinions

• Scream 5 is the weakest Scream movie because of the characterizations of the new characters. Most of them were either mean for no reason or literally just boring to watch

• Speaking of Scream 5, it makes no sense for Sam to be Billy's kid. She should've been Roman's because he 1) was a whole ass adult before his death 2) had the time before becoming Ghostface to have a kid which Billy really didn't timeline wise 3) also has a close connection to Sidney and was the catalyst for the original Woodsboro massacre

• Past Ghostfaces should stay dead, bringing one back this late into the franchise just feels like lazy fanservice

• Scream 4 has very little impact on the Scream franchise BECAUSE it released so late after the original trilogy and had no real follow up since Scream 5 shifted to a new main character

• Scream 3 doesn't diminish Stu and Billy's actions, yes Roman convinced Billy to kill Maureen but Billy is still the one who chose to go through with it and went a step further with the Woodsboro Massacre (I genuinely don't understand why people call Roman's existence/motive a retcon to Scream 1996)

• Mrs. Loomis is a solid Ghostface. It's a fun reference to Friday the 13th part 1 and the number of kills shouldn't determine how good a Ghostface is. Plus she looked good doing it, her act 3 outfit is incredible

• Tara is the worst member of the Core 4, not going to explain this one because it'd take too

• I have mixed feelings about Richie's siblings avenging him in Scream 6. Mostly because I don't think most people like their sibling enough to justify them murdering people and grooming someone. But I also get that just having Richie's dad would be too similar to Scream 2

That's all I can think of right now, but feel free to share your own ‼️

[ironladders]

have you seen the mk cage match movie and if so, what are your thoughts on it

funny you ask this because i JUST watched that movie today, so my thoughts on it are very fresh

overall, cage match is a fun movie and entertaining enough if you have a spare 80ish minutes to watch something. i enjoyed the animation style, plot-wise it's easy to follow, the fight scenes were well-choreographed, the soundtrack was reflective of the 80s vibes they had going on, and all of the voice-acting is great (in my non-professional opinion).

i also really like the designs, they're super nice!

at the same time, because i'm so deep into mortal kombat lore, it's like... really easy for me to nitpick a bunch of stuff about this movie and how it handled some characters + plot elements.

johnny was fine; he's the same as always, so there's not really much new to say about him. i enjoyed how they kept his personality of being a cocky guy but also having a strong sense of good and justice within him, and the backstory they gave him in this film really elevates that. chuck was also a pleasant surprise. i went into this only having seen clips of him that made me assume he was just going to be a wimp the entire time, but watching his development throughout was really fun.

where my main conflict with this film lies is how it handles ashrah and sareena. the latter got the worst of it, imo—the character assassination this film did to sareena is crazy. i get that in 80 minutes you can only cover so much, and that the focus is meant to be on johnny, but i think there's aspects of these characters that could have been dealt with better than they were. i ended cage match unsure of how to feel about its ashrah, and extremely disappointed in its sareena.

(major spoilers under the cut, if you haven't seen cage match yet and want to watch it maybe come back to this after doing that. & obviously don’t let my personal griefs discourage you from watching or sour your opinion on the movie lmao)

kia and jataaka were not bad, to be honest. they've never really had a major role in previous mortal kombat games, and the only times they really showed up before is to do quan chi's bidding and then be defeated. there's not much to them as characters outside of that. if anything, i like that quan chi was not in this movie at all, letting them shine on their own. it sucks that they both die, and in an ideal world they'd get more depth, but them even existing & having cool scenes is a nice contrast to how they got off-screened by ashrah in mk1.

my only real complaint about those two is that they both basically got taken out the same way. kia was run over by a bus (which... seriously? she's a literal demon with all these powers and dies likethat?), and then later on chuck drives his truck into jataaka, sending her flying into the NoHo sign. i dunno, maybe it's meant to be a gag, but i was more annoyed by it than anything.

again, though: my biggest hang-ups are on ashrah and sareena.

cage match's ashrah is a mixed bag, in my opinion. the core of her character is still there: she's a demon that was formerly part of the brotherhood of shadow but left to seek redemption and become human. i also like that it's shown she's working with the white lotus society/forces of light, similar to how she always has in the games. them also having her use her classic spin move was nice to see, and i've already mentioned that i like her design.

my issue is that she doesn't get datusha until the very end of the movie. and when she finally does, the whole thing with datusha purifying her soul is not mentioned At All. datusha's just a random ass sword that glows, and as far as i can tell there's no indication that its lore even exists in this movie.

before she gets datusha, ashrah was just fighting hand-to-hand against everyone, but her absolution has always extremely tied to datusha, which begs the question: if she was working on becoming human, HOW was she supposedly doing that without datusha? in both deception and mk1, ashrah is being led to believe that her kriss is what is helping her cleanse herself of being a demon. that's her entire story. you cannot have ashrah chasing her absolution without datusha, and if you are going to separate them then there needs to be an explanation for how ashrah is purifying herself.

but... there isn't. when it's revealed in the third act that ashrah is a demon, chuck is a little wary and asks her if that's true. ashrah tells him that yes, she is a demon, but she's working on becoming human.

EXPLAIN, ASHRAH. HOW ARE YOU DOING THAT???? TELL US!!

i feel like this is... easily fixable too? ashrah's main involvement in this plot is that she's trying to stop a ritual that'll bring shinnok to earthrealm from happening, and datusha is one of the three key things needed for that ritual. instead of just having her chase after whoever has the scroll with the summoning spell, ashrah could have also had datusha on her and been a target for the brotherhood of shadow. this would give her reason to be working under raiden (like... maybe after escaping she could've sought protection from the white lotus society), made her even more important to the plot, AND kept her lore intact. they don't even need to dive deep into datusha's lore if they wanted to keep this friendly to viewers unfamiliar with mortal kombat, just have her mention that datusha's magic is helping make her more human. that's it.

i dunno, it's just... ashrah in cage match is super fun, she does some cool stuff, but that whole aspect could've been handled better. like she has way less screentime in mortal kombat 1's story mode, and yet at least there they didn't leave out anything important to who ashrah is.

anyways, onto sareena. or, should i say: the oc they gave sareena's name and appearance to.

i don't... understand why she is characterized the way she is in cage match. but it sucks. sareena has existed since 1997, and in all the years she's been around her character has always been good demon. not bad, Good. so that's why i'm really annoyed with how sareena has handled in cage match. you know how i mentioned with ashrah, the core of her character is still there, even if i have my hangups with how cage match executed some things like the lack of datusha?? well, sareena's even worse. she's egregiously out of character and it makes me so mad. i get that these movies all exist in their own universe and things are bound to change, but i don't have to like said changes if it completely messes up the entirety of a character's lore.

in all previous iterations of her, sareena has been a demon that unwillingly served quan chi + shinnok, and was eager to escape them and the netherrealm the first chance she got. any time she has been working for evil, it's when she is being forced into it. never willing. so why the fuck was she actually a bad person in this film??? quan chi is out of the picture, and shinnok only appears after being successfully summoned. in addition, they're in earthrealm the entire time, so nothing from the netherrealm could be influencing sareena's actions. cage match, for some reason, took a look at how she has always been a good person that just struggles with being a demon, and went nah. let's make her evil with no redeeming qualities.

like... her role should have either been kia/jataaka, quan chi, or a random ass oc. all of the complexity and tragedy that makes up sareena's character is nonexistent in cage match, instead being replaced with a one-dimensional villain. her motivations are entirely centered around shinnok and the netherrealm, completely contradicting all of her previous lore. and i know that they can keep the main aspects of these characters intact, as seen with johnny and ashrah.

i'm also annoyed because this movie is the first actual time we see ashrah and sareena interact, and it's when sareena is her worst iteration yet. so their interactions in this film aren't even worth referencing when discussing their relationship because they did a completely overhaul with sareena's lore, in a bad way.

if sareena was actually adapted properly, she would not be willingly doing everything she does in cage match. the real sareena would've jumped in joy at the chance to be stuck in earthrealm, away from shinnok and the netherrealm, and if anything she'd be helping our heroes stop the ritual to bring him to earthrealm. if the film seriously needed her to be leading this cult and be behind everything that happens, that would still suck but the least that could've been done is made it clear that she's somehow being influenced by shinnok/the netherrealm.

ugh it makes me so sad because LOOK AT HER!!!! SHE'S GORGEOUS, THE FLUFFY HAIR IS EVERYTHING!!! BUT PERSONALITY WISE THIS IS THE MOST AWFUL DIRECTION THEY COULD'VE GONE WITH HER!!!!!!

i personally believe what happened is that whoever wrote cage match needed another villain so they looked up netherrealm inhabitants, saw a picture of sareena, and went "done!" while not bothering to actually look into sareena as a character. or maybe not, who knows. either way, this is the bad place for sareena fans lmao.

anyways i think i've aired out all my grievences with this movie. i think if i wasn't a mortal kombat fan and/or didn't know much about these characters, i wouldn't care about this stuff at all and just gone "it was a nice movie!! :)" because objectively it is! and again, i had fun with most of it! however unfortunately i care about these characters very much so when they're done dirty it's just. eugh.

also i feel like there should've been more gore than there was #idk

[maxwell-grant]

thoughts on the Penguin trailer ?

Still have a hard time believing this is happening and that Penguin is somehow gonna be the first comic book villain to get essentially TWO tv shows with him as the protagonist. Not bad, Ozzie, not bad at all.

Very glad to see his limp is more pronounced this time around, that's one of my favorite modern additions to the character. I like the gold teeth as well, they compliment his wretched grin quite nicely.

I have some hesitations regarding this teaser though mainly because Gangster Penguin is in general a concept I have some very mixed opinions of. This is very clearly aiming for that serious Prestige TV Gangster Show vibe, and that can be a bit hit or miss.

I think a lot of what's gonna make or break this show for me is how they paint the world around Penguin and how he contrasts from it. Because part of what works about this Penguin is that, besides the Tony Soprano and Fredo-becomes-Scarface of it all, they made his personality citing the likes of Bob Hoskins and Sydney Greenstreet to make him "a throwback Warner Bros gangster", which means he's quite a few steps removed from being anything like a "real" gangster. He is as much of a gangster as the old version of Penguin was a gentleman thief and swashbuckling nobleman, which is to say, he very much wants to be and can even pull it off in spades, but he's Oswald Cobblepot, awkward farcical counterpart to the actual main character of this world, so he's not quite there the way he would like to be.

The movie plays this that contrast a bit by setting Oz as the loudmouth movie gangster sidekick to Falcone, played to a far, far more chilling and real menace by John Turturro, and the show seems to be following suit with Sofia Falcone playing a "normal" crimelord opposite Oswald. The Falcones are generally incurably boring characters but I think this is a smart choice, making it so that the show's setting and supporting cast make Oswald stand out as uniquely bizarre (compared to the movie, where he was never going to top Batman and Riddler in that regard).

Sofia Falcone is not the hottest Batman woman of all time a giant who strangles cops as a kinder alternative to crushing their skulls like soda cans between her forearms, and therefore there's really no point whatsoever to adapting her. But unfortunately I'm gonna have to declare myself a Tumblr heretic and point out that the giant murdery lady might have not been the best choice here at this moment in time, if this show is gonna play on the idea of Penguin as a unique aberration among the regular mobsters trying to stop him.

Worst case scenario, assuming The Batman somehow was just a fluke, is that this is gonna be a fairly boring nothing of a spin-off focused on uninteresting gangsters warring it out and largely held together by Colin Farrell being a hoot. The more optimistic case scenario is that this is gonna be more of The Batman and The Batman's Penguin, which means this is gonna obviously rule, and best case scenario it might be, against the odds, a really, really good Penguin show, because so far, this is a really, really good version of The Penguin.

What they seem to be doing is zeroing in on Oswald's core as a hedonistic social climber with an almost perfect oily charm punctured with insecurities and self-loathing so strong they warp all the way around to an almost-maniacal overconfidence, spitefully driven to prove himself and take what he wants before a world that repeteadly puts him down as unworthy and lesser ("Da world aint built fer guys like us") and who almost succeeds enough to stop living in almost-weres for good. A Penguin who is both this laughably over-the-top waddling freak who gets into pissing contests with the Batmobile and this miserably human figure whose anger and bitterness comes from a deeply understandable place as a lifetime victim of ableism and violence.

They're taking this ridiculous loud parody of a person and infusing that with unexpected complexity, tragedy and grandiosity so the disconnect and contrast makes the character as intriguing to follow as he is fun to watch, a posturing and even pitiful jolly man who gives you a jolly shank between the ribs with unrelenting menace the second you start getting cozy to his charm and forget how dangerous and clever he is. Of course they have to give this guy a show, because that's The Penguin and The Penguin rules.

“He could have that mix of being incredibly, incredibly scary and volatile, and then all of a sudden, you’d see this vulnerable side that really made you feel for that guy". “So I really wanted him to play the character." The idea of getting to do the series and really sort of dive into the depths of who this character is and look at that moment where it’s kind of his Scarface moment. The moment where everyone’s underestimated him, he’s gonna reach for power in Gotham - Matt Reeves

You see that face and it's got, so much history, so much pain, so much violence in it [Matt Reeves] mentioned Fredo to me, because Fredo's crippled by the insignificance that he lives with. There is a kind of fracture at the core of Oz, which fuels his desire and his ambition to rise within this criminal cabal. Where that rise goes … - Colin Farrell

@davidmann95 brought up an idea they might be touching on, which is that in this setting, the Gotham mafia spent 20 years running the city with GTA cheat codes for Infinite Wayne Money, and Oswald happens to be stepping up to take power right at a time when they've been downgraded to a normal mob vying for power in a broken city where that's no longer gonna be the dominant power structure moving forward, because Batman defeated crime by cutting off the crime allowance and that's how we're getting super-crime times two with Clayface and/or Mr Freeze in Part 2.

They also have an Arkham show in development that further cements that changing structure of the rogues and freaks taking over, and so it's possible that this show is gonna be about what happens opposite that, the Gotham mobs trying to ride the tide with Surfing Jokers closing in and the two Falcone Juniors left in town racing to see who gets to be captain of the Titanic.

And this is getting even more into wishful thinking territory, but given how they intend to characterize Penguin in the ways he very much doesn't fit in seamlessly where he wants to and so has to claw and scrape and struggle his way there, and given that he's obviously gonna stick around where as Sofia Falcone and Sal Maroni and etc are all pretty much sealed,

And given how this universe is eever so slightly working it's way into more closer-to-comics elements such as Clayface and Mr Freeze, Arkham Asylum as a gathering hotbed of rogues, and Robin (which both Reeves and Pattison expressed a desire in adapting), it's possible then that the show is gonna be about Penguin becoming a [BIG SHOT] by adapting with the times and thus surviving them, unlike the other mobsters, and so becoming ever so slightly more like his comics self. They did say that Oswald is greatly ambitious and with big plans for the city, that he's capable of taking over power, and that the show is about him moving up from flunky to kingpin, so who's to say he's not gonna have to get creative?

And so what should have been routine business for Sofia and Maroni thrown off the rails by the intrusion of our laughing snorting Simpsons crimelord protagonist, just some weird oily nightclub manager that held Falcone's umbrella up until the city turned upside down and now he's somehow kicking their asses amidst his personal journey of figuring out that being a Godfather / Sopranos extra isn't gonna cut it anymore with all these Bat and Riddle Freaks blowing things up, and so Dah Nu Kengpeen of Gotdam becomes the rocket-powered umbrella genius stealing the seats of power from the kingpins-that-would-be while shouting PENGUIIIN!!! I GOTTA WIIIIIINNNN!!!

Well okay probably not the last part, but I think we're gonna be in for a good time with Mr.Boniface regardless.

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Michael in the Mainstream: Top 100 Movies #75 - #51

Here is part 2, a follow up to the previous part! Let's not waste any time here, no need for a big ass intro for the second quarter:

75. Blue Velvet

This is weirdly one of David Lynch’s most straightforward works and yet is still one of his best ever. It’s a dark, seedy thriller that has the single best Dennis Hopper performance of all time—and this is a man with no shortage of great performances.

74. Wet Hot American Summer

I love comedies that are just a random collection of the funniest possible people you can think of doing gags, and that's exactly what this cult classic is. It’s hard for me to decide what’s funnier between Paul Rudd tossing children out of moving vehicles or H. Jon Benjamin portraying a talking can of mixed vegetables.

73. The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Easily one of the darkest films in Disney’s entire filmography, something that helps it stand out and shine. Yes, it isn’t a perfect film—the gargoyles can be extremely grating as I’m sure you know, though I’m a lot more forgiving than most because I just love hearing Jason Alexander’s voice—but I think the rest of the movie is so exceptional it makes the bad bits easier to swallow. Tony Jay’s performance as Frollo helps solidify him as one of the greatest and most depraved Disney villains ever. The dude is both horny and genocidal, a feat only matched by Thanos.

72. Jaws

The original summer blockbuster, and one of my favorite thrill rides since I was a teen. The sparing use of the shark really helps build the suspense like nothing else, and that opening is still utterly terrifying due to how chillingly plausible such a thing could be. This is an adaptation that is leagues better than what it’s adapting; muchlike the shark at the end, the movie blows Benchley’s novel out of the water.

71. Glass Onion

I think I may be a lunatic, because I genuinely prefer Glass Onion to Knives Out. Yes, the mystery is far less clever here mainly because the murders are caused by an egotistical idiot with no common sense. And yes, the comedy is amped up in this one. But these are all things that make me love it more. You’ve got Edward Norton playing a self-righteous pastiche of Elon Musk, which makes it so satisfying to see him flounder, and then you have the rest of the core cast portrayed by heavy hitters like Kathryn Hahn and Dave Bautista as well as a shockingly impressive turn as the co-lead alongside Daniel Craig from singer Jenelle Monae. In a world where obnoxious billionaires and other rich assholes are constantly getting away with crimes they’re flagrantly flaunting, it’s nice to see a character who resembles the worst of that group get what’s coming to him.

70. Holes

It is genuinely astonishing just how faithful to the book this movie is. Stanley being skinny is the most notable change, with everything else being just as it was in the novel. The Kissing Kate Barlow backstory segments are easily the best part, but the whole movie is a fun hunt movie with a delicious villain performance courtesy of Sigourney Weaver. This movie is as sweet as a peach and as savory as an onion.

69. Unbreakable

Forget The Sixth Sense (or don’t because that’s still a classic), this is M. Night’s magnum opus. The man completely deconstructed the superhero movie genre before it was even a thing, and he got Bruce Willis to give a performance second only to his role as John McClane in my humble opinion. Plus that final twist… Hoo boy. It’s honestly impressive that it hasn’t been as spoiled to Hell and back as The Sixth Sense’s twist, but that’s just a sign that this movie needs to be experienced for yourself.

68. Candyman

An epic meditation on the nature of urban myth with amazing atmosphere and a haunting score, all from the mind of horror master Clive Barker. Tony Todd plays horror’s sexiest supernatural slasher, which is all the more impressive when he is covered with thousands of live bees and yet still somehow oozes seductiveness.

67. The Goonies

80s kid adventure movies never got better than this one. There’s such a sweet, cheesy earnestness to the proceedings here; this is such an unbelievably goofy premise, but it’s played so straight that I can’t help but love it. All of the child actors here feel fun and natural, with Jeff Cohen’s Chunk easily stealing the show with his antics, but I’d also like to highlight Anne Ramsey as Ma Fratelli. She’s such a delightfully nasty villain, and she plays it with such conviction.

66. The Truman Show

Jim Carrey is a fantastic comedic actor. Everyone knew that back in the day. What many didn’t realize was that the man could deliver one of the most heartfelt and powerful dramatic performances you’ll ever see, all with a light comedic touch to pull it all together. I will say that if he deserved an Oscar for anything, it would be Eternal Sunshine, but this movie is far more enjoyable in my opinion. The movie was also scarily prescient in its vision of a future where every moment of a person’s life is recorded for the entertainment of others, to the point where this can almost be considered a horror film.

65. The Crow

A Gothic supernatural superhero story about revenge, a film that is sadly trapped in the shadow of the tragic on-set accident that claimed the life of its star Brandon Lee. It really is sad watching this, imagining the career his immense talent and charisma would have so easily given him, but it’s also awesome because this film kicks so much ass that it’s unreal. Considering I’m literally writing an urban Gothic horror fantasy series as we speak, it should come as no surprise that this movie is one of my favorites (as well as a minor inspiration).

64. The Lego Movie

When you put actual effort into your toy commercial, people will actually forget it’s supposed to be a toy commercial. And boy, did they go the extra mile with this one! This is animated so brilliantly it really emulates stop-motion, just with more polish. And where the sudden transition to he real world in the third act could have easily derailed the movie, it leads to a really powerful, heartfelt emotional reconciliation that ties the whole film together. The plot may be your standard family film adventure, but it just goes to show with enough skill (and Batman) you can do any plot really well.

63. Whiplash

I’ve called this one of the scariest horror movies in recent memory, and I stand by it. This is a movie where an abusive man in a position of power slowly erodes the willpower and self-esteem of a young man and drives him more and more insane in his never-ending chase of perfection. It’s far more chilling than any masked lunatic butchering girls for sick thrills.

62. Halloween

Ok, well, almost more chilling. John Carpenter is just that damn good at it… Though, to be fair, this movie basically invented the tropes the genre would later run into the ground. As far as slashers go, this is still one of the few that genuinely feels like more than just a showcase of gore and sex, and it’s also the last time for several decades that Michael Meyers truly felt like the unknowable, evil Shape.

61. Deadpool

You can say whatever you want about Ryan Reynolds, but you can never convince me he is not passionate to the character of Deadpool to a degree most superstars aren’t these days. Think about how Craig hated being Bond (I do not blame him); it’s just nice there’s a guy who not only adores the role he plays to the point he practically lives the role, but also worked tirelessly to ensure the character was brought to life properly on the big screen. As far as a straight Deadpool film goes, this is easily my favorite.

60. Spider-Man

Sam Raimi came out the gate swinging with his first shot at Spidey. Equal parts heart and cheese, just like a classic comic, this is as good of a Spidey origin as we could see on the big screen. As much as I love Spidey though, it’s Dafoe’s Green Goblin and J.K. Simmons’ JJJ who really steal the show here.

59. Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Forget Endgame. Forget Super Smash Bros. This right here is the single most ambitious crossover of all time. Bugs goddamn Bunny and Mickey motherfucking Mouse share a screen together; we are never gonna see something of this magnitude ever again. But let’s not pretend like the crossover part is the only reason I love this film; being a perfect blend of film noir and classic cartoon silliness is what really makes this the stone-cold classic that it is.

58. Army of Darkness

Ditching horror for comedic fantasy seems like a bad move for anyone else, but no one else is Sam Raimi. This is the movie that codified Ash Williams as one of my favorite heroes ever, solidifying his status as a snarky, quip-spouting badass who wields a boomstick and chainsaw with equal finesse.

57. The Shining

This is proof that sometimes being pragmatic when it comes to adapting novels. Maybe it isn’t the most faithful to King’s vision, but when you get one of the most atmospheric horror films ever made complete with an amazing soundtrack and career-defining performances from Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall, it’s hard to be too mad that they left King at the wayside so Kubrick could do his thing.

56. Spider-Man 2

This movie has a reputation as one of the greatest action films ever made. And, well, have you seen that fucking train fight? I love Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy a lot, but it is undeniable that this is where everything came together. Peter’s struggles in this film are more relatable than ever, Molina’s Doc Ock is sinister and tragic in equal measure… As far as Spider-Man in live action goes, this is as amazing as it gets. Guess when Doc Ock and Spidey collide it always results in a superior Spider-Man, eh? Eh?

55. Avengers: Infinity War

I think the reason Endgame gets a lot of flak for feeling more like an event than an actual movie is because it is following up an actual movie that is also an event. This is The Empire Strikes Back of superhero films, an epic step forward for the story that ends in a crushing defeat. Thanos picks up the pace after almost a decade of slack and effortlessly cements himself as one of the superhero movie genre’s greatest villains, in no small part to Josh Brolin’s compelling performance. It’s fun, funny, exciting, sad… It was always gonna be an uphill battle for Endgame to live up to this one.

54. A Nightmare on Elm Street

I always go back and forth over which between the first and third one is my favorite, because both are excellent slashers in their own right. It really depends on what day you ask me, really. Still, if we’re talking about which of the movies is actually genuinely chilling, the one where Freddy’s at his scariest, it is hands down this one. This is before he became more of a quipster, so he’s just a nasty fucking freak with a dark sense of humor here. What really gives this movie an edge, though, is you get to see Johnny Depp brutally murdered in a giant geyser of blood.

53. House

Surreal, trippy, dream-like horror films are totally my jam, and this is one that stuck with me ever since I saw it. It’s so strange and inventive, so batshit insane, so fucking cool! It also has the scariest piano this side of Super Mario 64 (that thing has to be an homage to this film).

52. Freddy Got Fingered

This movie is not simply “so bad, it’s good;” no, this movie is so bad, it’s art. Only an absolute genius troll of the highest order could create something that defies every bit of logic and crosses every single boundary to such a degree as this film. Tom Green absolutely knew what he was doing, and by god did he succeed beyond his wildest dreams! I didn’t get this film the first time I saw it, but boy do I get it now.

51. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

The middle film in a trilogy is always the hardest one to stick the landing on I feel. You make one misstep and no one’s coming back for the third one, you know? This movie does not have that problem at all. It starts with the full Gandalf vs. Balrog fight, it has Legolas deliver his world-famous line about where they’re taking the hobbits, it has Viggo Mortensen kicking that helmet (DID YOU KNOW HE BROKE HIS TOE FOR REAL? BET YOU NEVER HEARD THAT ONE), it has Treebeard, it has the epic battle of Helm’s Deep, it has dwarf tossing, it has it all! But most importantly, it has one of the best characters ever: Gollum. Andy Serkis as Middle Earth’s resident split personality crackhead is one of the most compelling characters in a movie that is genuinely stuffed with compelling characters. How he didn’t get an Oscar for this I’ll never know.

[highfunctioningflailgirl]

Enjoyed reading your thoughts on the new musketeers movie. I cannot wait to see this one myself. I did wonder if you think they will continue with the novel's plot and have Constance die or if you think this will be another adaptation where it is changed so she lives? I have read a few mixed opinions on how faithful this adaptation is so I'm interested to see how this plays out.

I’ve given your question some thought, and my guess is that Constance will die in the film as well.

They’ve made some changes and added storylines and characters, but so far the core of the story, and particularly d’Artagnan’s part in it, has remained intact. AND the second film will be called “Milady”, which makes me think the focus will shift to her story of revenge - like the book does in the second half. And letting Constance live would truly lessen the intensity of the story that is about to unfold.

Constance’s death will drive d’Artagnan to really go after Milady. Her murder is what will define Milady as a true villain rather than just a woman who was a victim of unfair societal circumstances when she was branded a criminal when she was still a girl. It’s a pivotal moment, and a decision Milady cannot reverse or justify. To change that would weaken the whole story.

We’ll see what happens, but this is my guess. And yours?

[shizuostrans]

Hey there~

Do you have a HC about Shizuos favourite pieces of media, be it a movie a series or a book (or all three) ?

YESYESYES!! I have a bunch of hcs about his favorite kinds of media, but my awareness of Japanese media is limited so I’m just gonna be a little... vague on exact titles outside anime.

I hc Shizuo being aggravatingly picky about movies and shows. Words have meaning and movies and shows are frequently filled with redundant dialogue to him mixed with too much other bullshit to keep track of. Except for Kasuka’s movies which it then becomes a feature. <3

He likes movies and series where the settings are more fantastical, more romantic, with characters he can relate to. I agree with @kasururigoth about him liking Ghibli films, particularly Princess Mononoke and Howl’s Moving Castle. He sees a lot of himself in San, and while he initially is annoyed by Howl, he comes to understand him the more he watches and was absolutely suckered in by Sophie kissing him at his most monstrous (rip shizuo i know you would’ve loved the shape of water). He's drawn to Miyazaki films in general because peace is a core message in nearly every Ghibli film and he appreciates that.

For similar reasons, I think Rurouni Kenshin is his favorite anime and he looked up to Kenshin as a role model as a kid. Before Traugott I guess. I doubt Shizuo had many role models that weren’t scared of him growing up lol

I actually think he’s less picky about books. They’re much cheaper to replace if he gets carried away, and he can avoid getting carried away by picking up and pausing where he’s reading more easily than with movies or shows. They’re also easier to process all at once, he doesn’t have to analyze the score or cinematography or the actor’s performance because the information is all laid-out for him. He usually doesn’t seek them out, but if his friends or Kasuka recommend something he’s much more willing to check them out.

His favorite genre of fiction is honkaku mystery and he has SO MANY opinions on it. He’s usually more of a I-like-what-I-like kind of guy, but since I hc detective novels being the only books he actively sought out from childhood, he’s developed a sense for the common themes within the genre. Avid hater of Sherlock Holmes and with good reason, his deductions don’t make any logical sense (they really don’t) and it pisses him off when he always magically pulls them out of his ass at the end. His favorite writer is Ranpo Edogawa and his titular character Kogoro Akechi was his inspiration to want to become a detective. He also has a complex that Izaya is his Endo Heikichi, but he doesn’t verbalize it.

His fave mystery anime/manga is Monster, and he has a weird admiration/crush on Tenma. Another one he loves and continues to catch up on Ghost Hunt, but he’s incredibly secretive about it and asks Celty to transport the volumes for him because it’s a shoujo series he used to read back when his mom was still buying him shoujo magazines.

Bonus Shizaya (kinda) hc:

I hc that Shinra, Shizuo, and Izaya are all attracted to the mystery genre because they like unraveling them. Shinra is very outspoken about the books he likes and will bring them up to Shizuo and Izaya both with an impromptu infodump. If he’s talking to Izaya (listening, asking questions about the content of the book) and it sounds interesting enough, Izaya will give it a shot. If he’s talking to Shizuo (half-listening, asking if it’s available at the bookstore on his way home from work/school) and it’s under 600 yen, Shizuo will give it a shot. Occasionally they’ll both be reading the same book and when Shinra asks about their thoughts afterwards, one of them will talk about about how they figured it out from a certain part of the book and Shinra lets them know that “hey, Shizuo/Izaya came up with the same deduction!” and kills the conversation in its tracks.

[ultrahpfan5blog]

Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore - First Thoughts

I have a mixed opinion on the FB films. The first one was decent in my opinion. I think because there was a good amount of focus on the titular beasts and the quest to find them, and the core quartet were very likable, the film had an enchanting whimsy about it which overcome the really dull plot about Credence and his abusive adopted mother and the pointless newspaper subplot with Jon Voigt and his kids. It was almost as if two movies were at war with itself, with a pretty enjoyable movie about a group of people trying to capture a bunch of creatures let loose in 1920's NY, and a dark and disturbing movie about an abused young man with out of control and destructive powers who is being manipulated by an evil man, and the two movies did not connect well together at all. FB2 was just a big misstep. Not only did it loose almost all the whimsy of the first film and the HP movies, it was grim and dark and boring. The film literally is just a bunch of people blundering around Paris, half of whom are new and we don't care about at all. Nagini, Kama, Grimmson, and even Leta have such half baked stories that really could have been removed. After all the build up of Leta in the first movie, the film half asses a story which could have been really interesting and uses it as a red herring for Credence. Then there was the butchering of Queenie for reasons passing understanding. It truly felt like a plotless movie and also an utterly morose one. Even the darker HP movies had an air of optimism to it. So I was not all that hyped about FB3, even though it looked good and I love the Wizarding World. I came out of FB3 with some mixed feelings, but leaning positive. It definitely is a step up from the previous film. I think the first film might still be better overall, but there is definitely at least some expansion of the world and some more whimsy and magic in this movie than in the previous film.

The film has some of the same issues the the previous film had. The narrative focus is very much divided. There are too many characters doing too many different things and not all of it is interesting. Some of it definitely drags and scenes last for too long and some of it just doesn't make sense or the film just doesn't provide the information to make sense. And the film gives some answers of Credence, but they end up being very underwhelming given the 2 film build up. What the film does have is a more interesting story backdrop compared to the previous movies. The film definitely is making a commentary on modern day politics and leaders dividing people through speeches about hatred. The parallels are fairly easy to see. The film almost feels like a slow burn political thriller for a good chunk of it. But the film also has a bit more optimistic feel to it and a bit more of that whimsy from the first film. Definitely there are more of the titular beasts in this movie and that contributes to the enjoyment. And the new characters in this film are likable. Kama is still somewhat pointless, and as delightful as Jacob is, from a story perspective, he really doesn't serve a purpose. But Newt is a more active part of the story here, as is Dumbledore. This does feel like Dumbledore's movie, even though the cast all gets to shine.

The cast is very good here. Jude Law definitely was the highlight for me. There is undercurrent of sadness to the character, as we know through his history, which is revealed in this film, and he plays that very well while still keeping his wise and witty demeanor. Mads Mikkelson is excellent as Grindelwald. While I didn't dislike Depp's portrayal of the character, his version was so openly and obviously villainous that I have a tough time imagining him in the role in this movie. Mads just brings a more human quality to him and a sense of charisma which at least makes it more understandable that a younger Dumbledore could have fallen for him. I just didn't buy it with Depp in the previous movie. Eddie Redmayne has settled into the character pretty well by this point. I know some find his performance a bit too mannered but I think he's pretty good. Dan Fogler continues to be a scene stealer, even though the character's purpose is a bit of a mystery. Jessica Williams as Lally is a delight and standout. Victoria Yeates as Bunty is fun while Allison Sudol as Queenie is pretty wasted. The whole Queenie storyline is one more thing that turned out to be a big anticlimax. William Nadylam as Kama is basically there to just stare. Callum Turner as Theseus is pretty good. Ezra Miller feels pretty underused here, which might be for the best given his current legal issues. Tina Goldstein and Newtina fans should be aware that Tina is not in this film beyond a scene and a half. Newt and Tina have one cute scene but that's about it. I am actually pretty curious about what is the future of Newt, Tina, Jacob, Queenie, Theseus etc... because I can see their involvement in this series having ended, or at least scaled down, after this movie, but I'm not sure.

All in all, its still a very middle of the road movie. I lean positive but I have a natural affinity for this world through HP. I can imagine non Wizarding World fans getting restless in this movie because there are pacing issues in this film and a number of obvious flaws. There is just enough intrigue and performance quality for me to recommend it. I give it a 6.5/10 right now.

[tyrantisterror]

The ATOM Create a Kaiju Contest 3-D: Entry Roundup

You’ve been patiently waiting for the results of the ATOM Create a Kaiju Contest 3-D, and now... you have to wait a bit longer, but at least you’ve got an entry roundup with lots of sketches and a good bit of feedback for all the entrants!  My goal is to get the finalists illustrated in a week or two, and after that, the grand prize winner will be announced.  But, for now, the official entry roundup!  After the cut:

I should note that while I sketched these in the order they were submitted, my scanner saved the documents with random names, so they’re a bit jumbled.  You know, just in case you’re like me and would get confused noticing that it’s almost in chronological order but with some entries jumbled around.

@bugcthulhu’s Obsideban was designed as a counterpart to Rohobaron - the Black King to Rohobaron’s Red King, if you will.  Or, well, Black Queen in this case, as Obsideban also takes her personality from the “delinquent girl” archetype in Japanese media.  Bug’s designs always ooze personality, and I had a lot of fun translating this big, gnarly retrosaur into my own style.

@toothlessloveshiccup‘s Argonox is the first - but far from the last - monster in this breakdown that brings in a bit of fantasy influence to ATOM’s roster.  A golden-fleeced ram with a vicious streak, this sheep is both treasure and dragon at once.  And while it wasn’t written in the monster’s profile, given the Yamaneon-rich nature of its wool, Argonox might be able to replicate the healing power of the golden fleece too!  A very fun mammalian kaiju and excellent entry.

@highly-radioactive-nerd submitted Gunmetal Jeeves, a robot butler who can gigantomax temporarily create a holographic/hard light version of himself to fight kaiju.  That detail was a late revision added to the entry before the contest’s deadline, made after the creator realized that ATOM allows for some truly ludicrous bullshit, which is something everyone should exploit when making entries for this in my opinion.  Also, this is a robot butler who can size shift.  Revel in its awesome absurdity!

Ultranerd submitted Rajasaurus, a dimetrodon-like synapsid kaiju with electric powers.  His origin specifies that the electric powers are a result of the volatile nature of the Yamaneon deposits he mutated under, which is an interesting idea.  That’s another theme that cropped up a lot in this contest’s entries, actually - people really wanted to play with what Yamaneon can do.

Case in point, @polygonfighter’s Yamaneolith takes the Monolith Monsters homage at the heart of Yamaneon even more apparent.  I like the implication that there is a second mineral-based lifeform at the root of this Yamaneon cluster’s anomalous behavior - a parasite, perhaps?  It brings up some interesting possibilities.

@ariccio50 submitted Kukulkuzana, and damn is this a cool spin on the body plan of my martians.  I made a few changes here and there (splitting its tail into two is probably the biggest one), but tried to keep true to the original design, because holy hell is it gorgeous.  The idea that this is a mountain-dwelling creature is really intriguing to me, as it looks like a sea creature, but at the same time, that flexible and low-slung build WOULD work pretty well in mountains, and it’s just the right mix of plausible weirdness that makes for a fun alien design.

@akitymh submitted Aramzados, a Venusian monster that’s basically an organic hot rod car.  I like the idea of organic machinery being the gimmick for Venusian kaiju, and Aramzado’s does it subtly enough to not feel like that gimmick is the sole thing going for it.  I especially love this monster’s stange, apparently mouth-less blade-beaked face.

@virovac submitted Rurzar and Zar Rider, a Beyonder kaiju and mecha (respecitvely) that were both modified and repurposed by humans reverse engineering Beyonder technology to make, like, a motorcycle-saurus essentially.  It is a delightfully absurd concept, and a very, very detailed one (13 pages of description).  There’s a dark undercurrent beneath the sillyness, though, as this pair show that humanity might still be following the same path as the Beyonders before them.

@dinosaurana brings us Krangor, a humanoid monstrosity of living kelp!  The goal here was to create a Jack Kirby-esque monster dude, complete with the gibberish name and all.  He’s also made out of kelp, which feels very classic 1950′s monster-y despite me not being able to think of any monsters that were explicitly made of kelp.  I love him.

@kiryuthechimera submitted Genkakurah, a psychic retrosaur with some draconic features.  Though his substantial powerset is probably the biggest distinguishing feature of this kaiju (given that most ATOM kaiju pretty much have the same standard powers), what really draws me to him is that reptilian pseudo-beard.  It’s just a fun detail!

@glarnboudin submits Tiratola, and see, there’s that fantasy influence again!  Even more explicitly dragon-y than Kraydi, Tiratola still manages to toe the line between sci-fi and fantasy enough to fit ATOM as is while still cementing its ties to my own slice of fantasy fiction.  Man it’s good I’m doing a Midgaheim book next, huh?

@dragonzzilla submitted Scuttlebutt/Argonautilus, a hermit crab kaiju who lives in/with a hollowed out mecha.  That’s a twist I can’t recall ever hearing before, and the idea of a kaiju and a mecha having an equal partnership that doesn’t involve one being grafted to the other is really intriguing to me.  A very unique concept!

@evolutionsvoid submitted Fleagor, an enormous flea who has no idea what to do with itself now that there’s no creature large enough for it to parasitize.  I love that concept - it takes the core idea of the giant bug kaiju archetype (i.e. unsettling the audience by showing how terrifying small, “insignificant” creatures would be if our sizes were reversed) and really turns it on its head.  The name also plays on the Universal Monsters, who were a huge part of 1950′s pop culture thanks to their movies being re-released in that era, so all and all this one is very on brand for ATOM!

@skarmorysilver submitted Lilacorn, another entry that plays up that Midgaheim/ATOM connection.  Reinterpreting the mythological unicorn as an Cenozoic wooly rhinoceros-inspired monster gives it a very unique look, both in ATOM and in the general world of unicorns, and she has a bad-girl with a heart of gold personality to boot!

dracosaurus-rex submitted Florasaura, a two-headed plant/retrosaur hybrid monster.  I love me some plant monsters, I love me some retrosaurs, and I love me some rhyming the word “flora” with other words that contain similar vowell sounds, so this one has me written all over it!

@downtofragglerock submitted Sauroguana, a delightfully odd flying retrosaur.  There’s a great deal of charm to the original illustration that this sketch doesn’t quite capture - it’s a deceptively simple design with a lot of personality in it, and with those unique leg-wings it really doesn’t need a whole lot of frills to stand out.

Draxi submitted Brakan, an unimpressive burrowing retrosaur kaiju whose mastery of illusions allows it to convince other kaiju it’s actually a big, super-powerful badass that’s the ultimate fighter in the universe.  It’s a delightful parody of the concept of a fan self-insert god-mode character, with a really fun story built into it to boot!

@quinnred submitted O.N.I.A.C., a mysterious cocooned kaiju whose chrysalis has been turned into an organic computer of sorts by the people studying it, and seems to possess a fairly advanced intelligence for a kaiju.  It’s a really bizarre and ominous idea, with built in intrigue given how vague its nature is.  Is it just a kaijufied butterfly/moth who got stuck mid transformation?  A relative of the Mothmanuds?  Something else, perhaps equally alien?  Good story potential here.

shadyserpent submitted Vespilitor, a bat/retrosaur hybrid made by the nefarious Spooks Organization.  A mercurial prankster whose tendency to stir up trouble never crosses the line into maliciousness, he’s the kind of monster who would make a great foil to a lot of ATOM’s cast.  I’d especially like to see him in a prank off with Ahuul - it’d be like Bugs Bunny fighting Daffy Duck, but on a kaiju scale.

@multiversefan submitted the Yamaneon King, a nomadic kaiju whose refusal to settle down causes problems as he stirs up trouble at kaiju sanctuaries all over the globe by showing up unannounced and stirring up the locals.  He was basically designed to be a monster that the kaiju sanctuary initiative would struggle to deal with, which is a good idea for a post-ATOM Volume 2 story conflict.

Sir K submitted Jadeera, a kirin kaiju that can actually forcibly convert most of its body to Yamaneon to enter a dormant, statue-like state in a loose homage to King Shisa.  Though the fantasy elements are far more present than I usually prefer for ATOM kaiju, I think it should be noted they’re pushed that far for a purpose - a theme in Jadeera’s entry, which continues where its creator left off with their submission to the previous ATOM create a kaiju contest (Yokaigon), is that the world of kaiju is more complicated and challenging than many are willing to accept, which is a theme in ATOM itself.  Yokaigon’s more supernatural/occult powers are based on the ghost parascience of my setting, which ATOM has delved into a bit (Pathogen being the big example), so it’s not as out of left field as some might think.

@cerothenull​ brings us our final entry (unless some got lost thanks to tumblr’s shitty tagging system), the flying spider Naeranti.  She’s a kaiju spider who uses silk to make complicate hot-air balloons, more or less, and that’s just delightful.  ATOM could always use more spider-monsters, and with a really unique gimmick backing up a wonderfully distinct look, Naeranti is sure to stand out among her fellow giant arachnids.

Well, that’s the roundup!  In a week (or two, depending on how much my hand cramps) we’ll have the five finalists, and sometime after that, the grand prize winner!

[dateamonster]

ive thought abt it ive meditated on it and i do like x significantly more than i thought i would

my first impressions led me to believe it was going to be an """elevated horror""" take on a bog standard slasher, with the adult film angle mainly being used as a gimmick to shock and tantalize while paying some lip service to the (s)exploitation history of the subgenre. from the trailer alone you could see it was heavily referencing slashers past (mainly texas chainsaw) but it was hard to get a sense of the movies identity outside of that. with how obsessed the genre (and all genres really) currently is with stealing the moves and iconography of more recognizable and nostalgic IPs, paired with the fucking lightning quick release of a prequel, i kinda wrote x off as a sales strategy dressed up like a movie. and idk i still stand by like parts of that. ive heard that pearl is the wildly superior movie (planning to watch that next) so it makes me wonder if x was just like a means to drum up interest in a movie that otherwise wouldnt have been as marketable. if that is at all the case, i have to give it up to the creators because that is such a bold and honestly kind of hilarious strat and funniest of all it seems to have totally worked. this is all still speculation of course.

but x on its own is a pretty strong movie. idk if its an especially good horror movie, but it is a good movie, and i feel like that sorta takes precedent. the characters were all well-defined and interesting. there was a good mix of likable folks that made you want to see them survive and assholes with satisfying deaths- the two prime forms of slasher victim imo. most importantly in my opinion, the story engaged honestly and meaningfully the subjects of sex and sex work. the way the genre typically treats sexuality has historically been... less than progressive, and though its still ultimately a story about sex workers being killed by repressed octogenarians, which is gonna be what it is no matter what, i felt pleasantly surprised by the treatment of the characters and the subject matter.

it doesnt feel like an arbitrary gimmick either. more i think the conflict between the elderly antagonists and their lodgers represents the conflict between the free love and sex positive movements of the 60s and 70s and the rise of christian conservative moralism in response to it, ominously foreshadowing its crest only a few short years after the events of the movie during the hiv/aids crisis.

i interpreted the movies thesis as this idea that hostility towards sexuality particularly between generations stems from this repression and agonized frustration at the loss of sex, beauty, youth. the movie draws all these interesting visual and narrative parallels between the two conflicting parties, particularly between maxine and pearl, which is obviously heightened by the fact that mia goth plays both characters in either movie respectively, which seem to suggest that pearl is a version of maxine who never got to live her superstar dreams, who is deeply burdened by regret and the passage of time and takes it out on those she sees as flaunting their privileges. its a phenomenon we still see in real time today: "why does this sheltered, soft younger generation get to have it so easy, when i had it so hard." clumsy as the execution felt in some places, the core premise is strong.

the places where x doesnt work for me or mostly in its desperation to make moments feel scarier than they are with ominous sound design and erratic editing. it doesnt not work, i guess, but the result feels undeserved. the actual horror part of this horror movie is its weakness. its the first time i can remember where i was engaged up until the middle of the latter half where the killing actually takes off. it just didnt do it for me, and the way the elderly couples bodies and sexuality were exploited to try and provoke horror and disgust felt especially like it was just trying too hard. i cant deny those scenes were uncomfortable, but not for the reasons the filmmakers seemed to think, and never to the point of fear or dread.

my favorite parts of x were the moments that explored the relationships between the young movie makers. i honestly feel like that in and of itself couldve been the whole movie and i wouldve been just as happy. bobby-lynne i think was a delightful, undersold character, with her marilyn monroe looks and quiet, profound emotional intelligence, as well as the unflinching pride in her career of choice. jackson i wish couldve been a focus more, if only because i feel like media is so afraid to talk about male sex workers and especially the way that role intersects with race. the film their making itself is predicated on a really loaded racialized dynamic and i know focusing more on that would probably totally take focus off the main story but its still really interesting and it feels strange just sort of letting that hang in the air.

the subplot regarding rj and lorraine is incredibly interesting and frustrating to me. x just fucking nails it with this one. lorraines sudden desire to join the movie felt a little forced to me but im overlooking that because it gives way to this sharp, incisive character moment, revealing that rj, for all he likes to talk about porn being art, looks down on its participants. his supposed sex positivity only holds out as long as he can retain a clear mental distinction between the good girls (chaste, but not too prudish, of course) and the dirty sluts. its just such a succinct and accurate roast of the divide between person who benefits/profits from sex work vs the actual worker, and how thats informed by sexism, racism, classism. rj and wayne die horribly again challenge <3

anyway thats all i have to say for now i think. there were hits, there were misses, but i do think i absolutely get the hype now, even if i dont necessarily agree with it in absolutely every aspect. mia goth put in an amazing performance, obviously, as did the rest of the cast imho, and im very excited for pearl.

[hypnoticcastiel]

Flashback (2020, with Dylan O'Brien & Maika Monroe) spoiler-free review:

I make a very linear list... you will get the joke later...:

1. If you want to see Dylan in less cgi-fantasy stuff, but with all his skills and feels that overwhelm you, then watch this. on the surface it’s about a young man struggling or getting bored with his totally average life and relationship (heteronormative) AND then also his mother gets health problems AND THEN one creepy man in a back alley and a long lost puzzle piece of a memory send him down the rabbit hole.

2. The movie will bombard your senses with a lot of info, theories, choices and all the new age blahblah, but it does it with excellent cinematography and grounded character performances. You might get lost, the movie plays with that sweet power of magic and imagination. But ultimately it’s probably about the core things in life, love and trust. None of us would be even alive and educated and what not, if we wouldn’t love and trust at least a few people. By mixing a coming of age story with social and mystic-alien stuff AND the critical view on party drugs, everybody can interpret parts of the film differently. the magic in my opinion is to understand the variety of thoughts and explanations but somehow settling or rotating towards that core, love and trust is what creates us and what we have to keep up and make it functioning for society to survive in this world. I hope this is still spoiler-free!!! 

3. I loved the visual look, it’s dark and moody when it has to be, it’s charming and normal/average when it brings us back to reality and the things that matter most. the soundtrack is trippy but not like some 3 hour long new age band performance. the acting is as good as it gets with the cast and the budget. Dylan is one of the leading drama actors of this generation. Monroe has much less dialogue but she delivers one central scene like a total pro. Her character will move you deeply bc some of us might know or knew such a person in school.

4. Rating: While not the first of its kind or not “Donnie Darko 2″, i would recommend it to all NEW fans of psychological drama/thriller stuff. At least it’s better than many recent productions. 4 of 5 stars.

5. SPOILER ALERT: You find discussions, explanations and theories about the plot on this website.

[howlingday]

About Jaune ships...

I have opinions. You may not agree, but they are mine. They may change in time, but not now.

LANCASTER ( RUBY X JAUNE )

The old tried and true. I mean, what's not to like? Cute girl falls for first guy she meets at Beacon? Classic romance trope, and after reading how much Ruby loves romance stories (I consider certain parts in the manga canon), it makes sense. In fact, after Arkos sank (A moment of silence, please . . . Thank you), many moved to Lancaster, which isn't bad. Happens all the time in fandoms. Sad thing, though, is far I think she'll last. If we're talking Volume 5 or earlier, then maybe. However, I feel if Ruby were to have an endgame in romance, it would be RoseGarden (I have opinions on that as well, but today isn't the day to discuss that), mostly because Oscar bumped Jaune's role from male lead to male side. Not to mention that while Jaune is becoming a beast in his own right, Ruby is a different creature altogether and evolving her character more rapidly and chaotically than anyone else (Must be all that screentime).

TLDR: I want it to be canon, but I might just be hoping.

WHITE KNIGHT ( WEISS X JAUNE)

Doofus in tin foil meets princess who hates daddy (Am I in the romance section of the library? You know, the corner for adults only?) No, but I do like this ship. I'm always a sucker for the fantasy genre, and using a zero to hero male makes it relatable. I also kind of ship it because the same reason I ship NaruSaku in the Naruto fandom: he likes her and he's willing to go the distance. But enough about that; instead let's talk about canon. Will they hook up? It's a soft maybe for me, for two reasons. 1. Rosegarden is most likely to be endgame, and after Ruby and Pyrrha, I'd say Weiss is Jaune's next to be his love interest. 2. Weiss has warmed up to Jaune. Sure, not lover or crush level (Yet), but she's definitely changed her opinion on him. In Volume 1, Jaune was bugging her, like all the time, which I could see as him getting mixed signals on (Exhibit A: Tall, blonde, and scraggly). When Volume 5 came around, everyone jumped onboard because he saved her life (Don't lie, because I'll admit that I did it, too). Not the best reason, but still reason enough, I'd say. Then in Volume 7, she hangs out with him and Oscar to the movies (It was either that or awkward Bumbleby all night. I feel ya, sister). Nothing romantic happens, but it does show how much their relationship has developed. If Weiss is Jaune's endgame, then they have set the pieces up perfectly to do so.

TLDR: High likelihood to be canon and I'm a sucker for Knight/Princess ships.

KNIGHTSHADE ( BLAKE X JAUNE)

This is the part where I say definitely not. Not in a million years, but I'll explain why I like the ship, though. As for why it won't work, the answer is Bumbleby. They haven't kissed yet, but you know they're going to eventually (Because if they don't, the fans will attack like a swarm of hornets). But here's the question you might be asking now: why do I ship this? Well, it's part of the allure of "opposites attract" ('Cause I'm dressed like a cat!). Blake is an intelligent, outspoken, and agile ninja with a criminal history of terrorism who spends her free time reading novels. Jaune is a B at best on his tests, soft-hearted, and ground-based knight who's worst crime is fraud (Still a crime, but peanuts compared to literal terrorism) and spends his free time hanging out with his team. Day and night. But they also tried that with Sun for a season and a half and it didn't last (BECAUSE BEES).

TLDR: Not even a snowball's chance in the summer sun, but so much story potential if you do (Which I do)!

DRAGONSLAYER ( YANG X JAUNE )

This, I would say, is the opposite of Knightshade, where Jaune is the day and Blake is night, here Yang is the Sun and Jaune is the Moon (Like their crests! Remember those? Y'know, when they were relevant?) Will it work? Even less so than Knightshade. However, it does open up some interesting paths considering how... provocative Yang can be, and Jaune, compared to the other guys, is the nerdiest, geekiest dude at Beacon. It's like the cheerleader/nerd romance, except the cheerleader is the captain of every sports team... and rides a motorcycle. The Volume 8 preview introduced us to Yang and Jaune riding motorcycles and we went nuts over it. Yang was back in her element, roaring down the street, riding on walls, popping off tricks with Oscar riding- Back to what I was saying, people were asking, "How did he know how to ride a motorcycle?" and the elementary answer is "He didn't." He almost fell off his bike from a small box in the road. True, anyone would, but look at how he reacts: he stiffens, he refocuses on the road. This kid literally started riding at breakfast, and I DARE you to prove me wrong. But hey, great fic material right there, though, eh?

TLDR: Never gonna happen, but I don't care. All I care about is writing that they love each other. And they also fu-!

ARKOS ( PYRRHA X JAUNE )

I'm sorry, I need a moment. . . . Alright. Do it for her. This ship... was perfect. Probably the best ship out them all. I legit almost cry every time I think about Volume 3. Pyrrha was everyone's favorite. Her background, her interactions, her choreography, everything! But, of course, like everything in our lives, she was too good to be true. But let's honor her memory by talking about her ship, Arkos. Pyrrha was the champion of the world, the Brothers' and Oums' gift to Remnant. She could do no wrong and she HATED it. Her plight was with how she was seen. Everybody knew her! Everybody, except Jaune. And he only figured out she was "a big deal" was because Weiss had to spell it out for him! As time went on, they became the best of friends, two peas in a pod, the perfect odd couple! They worked together and trusted each other, they cared for and supported each other, they lo- No. No, I can't say it. It's been years, and it still hurts. So, I'll explain something else: the reason why Jaune SHOULD NOT be shipped right now. That reason is Pyrrha. Jaune was helpless to save her. He's suffering from survivor's guilt and he's still grieving. In Volume 4, he would sneak away and train until late at night to scroll recording of her. In Volume 5, he confronted Cinder and got Weiss almost killed because he let his grief for Pyrrha take control of him and let his emotions run wild. In Volume 6, he finds the Pyrrha statue and he... I don't know how to say this, but he let's go. He accepts that Pyrrha is gone and he's starting the healing process. He's finally ready to move forward.

TLDR: T.T I never felt that it was wise to wish too much~

MARTIAL ARCS ( REN X JAUNE)

I'll be honest, I don't really ship it. Yeah, it's cute, and it falls perfectly into the "if I had to pick a guy" part of me, but to be honest, I don't ship it. 10% because Renora and 90% it just doesn't click with me. They both just seem too soft, too quiet, too introverted. Best friends? Yes, definitely! But lovers? Eeeeeh, not really.

TLDR: I will only ship as neccessary.

NORA'S ARC ( NORA X JAUNE )

I've only just got in this deep with the fandom only recently, so I don't know if a lot of you know me. Heck, I'm probably just some RWBY fan you happen to spot as you move through your dash. However, old or new, I want to be made absolutely positively clear on this. Of all the ships here, this has got to be my-

O T FUDGIN' P

Wow! Never thought I'd feel so strongly about a crack ship like this. And yes, as sad it is to say, this is a crack ship. Renora was planned from day one, so it can't be helped. At least it didn't blast me in the face all of the sudden (OH NO, NOT THE BEES! AAAAARGH! THEY'RE IN MY EYES!). But why this ship? Well, for one thing, it's that whole opposites attract thing with Nora as the bubbly, outspoken, airhead powerhouse and Jaune as the soft spoken, introverted, nerd tactician. But wait, there's more to this trope, because it can go deeper: Order VS Chaos! Who makes all the messes? Who cleans up those messes? Who follows all the rules? Who makes their own doors? It's just. So. Damn! GOOD! One sad thing about this ship though is that it's not only not canon because of Renora, it's anti-canon because Renora. Every fan fic of Nora's Arc requires an explanation for Ren and Nora to not be together-together, like you have to write a formal apology to the FNDM for liking something that's different from what is canon or commonly accepted. If that's the case, then I'll be the anarchist here!

TLDR: I LOVE IT! What's that? Not canon? Who gives a damn?! I just explained why Jaune won't be shipped anyways! Now, if you'll excuse, I have some fan fics to find.

ARCFALL ( CINDER X JAUNE )

Oh, here it goes! Now, if we're talking ships that'll never happen, this is where we find better reasons than "it's not canon" and "character development". No, this... This is a declaration of war. Allow me to explain. Cinder Fall is evil. Like, down to her core. She wants power and she'll cut through anyone to get to it. Including Pyrrha. This woman sank Arkos by means other than "X and Y kissed, so..." She killed X, leaving Y alone. And her interactions with Jaune tell me she wouldn't even be worth a hate-bang. But, as Momma always, there's a thin line between love and hate. This is where the appeal comes in. Cinder is evil with no past, which leaves the previous chapter's of her life story blank to be filled in. Jaune is good with a troublesome, albeit easy past, but untapped potential for more. It's another opposites attract, but different from INTRO VS EXTRO and CHAOS VS ORDER; this is GOOD VS EVIL. Who will win this battle of wills; will our hero purify the tainted heart, or will he slip deeper into darkness, never to return to the light?

TLDR: Should be a NOTP, and yet the allure pulls me in.

What do y'all think? Do you agree? Let me know!

[lordymaru]

I NEED TO RANT

Let me start by saying this is all my personal opinion and inner monologue being poured into this text. The point of this “little” essay of sorts is to voice out my thoughts on why I think Sesshomaru’s character is being portrayed into something that was never meant to be. Sorry if I make typos and ortography makes your eyes bleed. 

Little disclaimer: I don’t remember much about the manga so I will stick to the anime and bring out something from the third movie. 

Sesshomaru is first introduced to us as this beautiful Daiyokai with an air of superiority, he is sardonic, he’s in every sense of the word the biggest asshole of a Lord who thinks everyone on their mother is beneath him. He hates his half brother (Inuyasha) because their father died protecting him and his human wife (Izayoi) and to add salt to the wound, the old man also inherited Inuyasha with Tessaiga.

Now, he had it in his head that just because he’s the eldest he should have gotten the better sword but Toga decided Tenseiga would be the one for Sesshomaru while the youngest would get Tessaiga. You can say, nah it’s because he hates Inuyasha for being a hanyo but, honestly, he was entitled to believe he deserved the best of the best just because he was a brat. That’s the truth. In the end, Sesshomaru ends up losing his arm because he was such a spoiled little shit with no respect for anyone. If that isn’t enough, his dumb ass kept trying to steal a sword that didn’t belong to him by attaching arm after arm and still, he wouldn’t get the sword. Why? Because it was not meant to be his!

During one final attempt to steal the sword Inuyasha sends his ass flying across the sky and he would have died if Tenseiga hadn’t bothered to protect him from the blow. You know what happens next, don’t you? Yes, he meets our baby girl Rin. 

This sweet child who felt curiosity and empathy towards this wounded demon. As little as she was, she tried her best to tend to him, to keep him comfortable even though Sesshomaru would reject her constant efforts. The thing is he hated humans, he thought of them as roaches, dirt beneath his shoes and yet he wouldn’t even try to hurt this tiny human because she posed no threat to him. Rin had it bad before meeting him, she lost her family, she was traumatized by the whole experience and that trauma resulted in her loosing her ability to speak. The people from the village treated her like scum and this demon, this spoiled Daiyokai felt curiosity for her- going as far as to ask her what had happened to her after noticing the bruises on her face. The guy tried to drown Jaken at the beginning of the series, this was a huge thing for him. Feeling interest and empathy for another creature- for a human. 

Once he’s feeling strong enough to get up and leave, he picks up the scent of Rin’s blood, he goes, sees she’s dead and the first thing that comes to his mind is her smiling face. I don’t know if her smile moved him somehow or he just wanted to test the sword or if he was grateful or feeling merciful to bring her back to life with Tenseiga, the point is he does and she tags along. Sesshomaru shows little to no interest to her being there at first and Jaken ends up turning into her nanny while A-Un becomes her main method of transportation. Naraku eventually kidnaps her, uses her as a way to force his hand and so on, I won’t get into much detail about that part. After the incident, Sesshomaru starts hunting Naraku and occasionally would stumble upon Inugang. Sesshomaru’s sidequests often include helping them and keeping Rin out of harm’s way because she is his one and only weakness and everyone in the darn series knows it. He is careful with how he speaks around her, he avoids fights that may endanger his little travel companion and most importantly he does not kill around her unless there’s no other option. I’ve mentioned before how most of his side quests come from having to save her. 

As the series progresses, we notice a huge change in him, we see he no longer picks up fights just for the kicks and overall he does his own thing but it isn’t until he breaks Tokijin we see the biggest change in his heart. Yes, I am talking about Kagura’s death. There’s a huge difference between the manga and anime in this part, if I remember correctly, in the manga he picks up her scent when his flying around (if not by all means, let me know) and goes to see her. In the anime, he is fighting Moryomaru, who has the nerve to insult her which enrages Sesshomaru and results in Tokijin being broken. In the manga Moryomaru insults her memory, she’s already gone by now. In the anime she’s near death, which is why he rushes to see her. Say what you will but he rushed to see her and you can’t change my mind, he was in a freaking hurry to find her because he smelled her blood and Naraku’s miasma mixed together. When he arrived to meet her his expression was so sad, it was one of those moments that really made me actually feel for him. The fact that he wanted to save her without anyone begging him to do so, the fact that he had no excuse for her and simply say “I knew it was you” was a huge thing for him. 

And he says, you know what? I will be the one to decide if she died in vain or not. That was such a breath stopper, if you ask me. After that Totosai tells him Tenseiga has picked up on the rage he was feeling, therefore it was time for it to become a real weapon. In my opinion, Sesshomaru wasn’t just angry- he was feeling impotence at not being able to save Kagura, his sword had failed him and so he had failed to carry on his own wishes. He wanted to help, he wanted to save her, he wanted to do something for someone else outside of his little bubble.

The second time we see him angry is when Rin dies (again). His little travel companion, who had served as a compass on this journey to find himself had died because he was after a power even greater than him. His sword had failed him once more and the grief he was feeling was so strong he admitted to himself such a sacrifice wasn’t worth it. 

Possessing a greater power doesn’t justify putting those he loves at risk, nothing is worth the lives of those he cares about the most. He had to “lose her” in order to learn compassion. His sword was more powerful now but, at what cost? When he learned he couldn’t revive her a second time, he was shocked and I even dare to say he was scared. If it hadn’t been because his mommy had the stone to revive Rin, I believe Sesshomaru would have gone berserk. 

Now... this is where I wil really start going off: 

You mean to tell me, this God Tier anti-hero with such a fantastic character development fathered two kids and Sunrise is portraying him as a lolicon? You mean to tell me, he is being paired with the little girl he saved over and over? You REALLY mean to tell me there’s people out there who think he would actually make Rin his wife and Sunrise is using that to get the money bag?

I can’t stress enough how ridiculous this whole sequel is for depicting him in such a way. The fact that they would even DARE to spit on his character in such a way angers me to the core. Look at how far he’s come! By portraying him into a darn lolicon they’re making him hit rock bottom, character development completely trashed, they’ve poured gasoline on him and let him burn in the corner. I know nothing is confirmed and is probably just a strategy to make people watch it, but this- this thing they’re doing is just messed up. In my opinion, he wasn’t meant to be a father. I find it incredibly weird for him to be a father. In no way did his character was headed into that direction, not at all. The only romantic interest that would have been fit to father his children in the future and in a far superior sequel would have been Kagura. 

All I can say now is, I am hoping the theories come in clutch and drag Sesshomaru out of this grave Sunrise has thrown him in. 

[arsenicpanda]

Bughead Appreciation Day 1 Except It’s Day 2

So I spent yesterday nice and cozy in bed and put this off (good choice, tbh, I was very snug as a bug), but now, now comes the time for me to gush about some people in the fandom!  This is definitely not a comprehensive list, I have absolutely left some people out because I am very forgetful, but, in no particular order and under a cut because I’m a wordy bitch:

@tory-b: A delight and a dear, leading writer of monsterfucker!Betty, co-runner of @riverdaleprideandjoyzine, a legend and a friend, we have no choice but to stan.  Her stuff is so good and varied and just *chef’s kiss* a delight, two favorites of mine are Fangs/com/Match (Betty/dragon!Jughead meet via monsterfucker Tinder, has some great friendship moments with Kevin and Veronica and is v sexy and funny, features the horniest Betty) and Sticky Sweet Serenade ((past)-friends-to-enemies-to-lovers bughead, mixes up some statuses in Riverdale, excellent mystery, I remember reading it and going, “holy shit, a believable take on Northside!Jughead”).  I’ve also gotta mention Whats in a Name? (Betty and Jughead meet on tumblr, Betty writes poetry and Jughead is a shitposter, they slowly connect, it’s great) and To Balance the Scales (scientist!Betty/mermaid!Jughead, currently a slow build, I cannot wait for you guys to see the excellent worldbuilding she’s done).  I could keep going, or you could binge all her fics today, an excellent use of your Saturday, I assure you, because I’ve left a lot out.

@stillhidden: Always good for some great thoughts on the show, one of the best reasons for my your thoughts on Riverdale please show them to me tag, I get psyched every time I see a Riverdale text post or ask answer because I know I’m in for a good time.  Thoughtful and funny and nice, what a combo!

@satelliteinasupernova: So talented!  Author, artist, co-runner of @riverdaleprideandjoyzine, funny, haver of good thoughts on Riverdale is there anything she can’t do?  No, there is not.  Every time I see her art I’m like !!!, the colors! how well-drawn the hands are! the accuracy of their hair! the backgrounds! the way I can see the love in their eyes! I cannot even, there are no words.  Also!  Her fics!  So original!  One of my earliest memories in the fandom is reading The town called Riverdale (a sort of mystery about the meta fuckery going down in Riverdale, explores time loops, stories that control lives, the roles the Archie characters are “supposed” to have, a mash-up with concepts in Princess Tutu that requires zero knowledge of Princess Tutu) and going !!! is this a Princess Tutu mash-up?  Have I been #blessed enough to see a mash up between Riverdale, a story that fucks with archetypes, and Princess Tutu, one of the shows about fucking with archetypes and the way stories ontrol lives?  I was and I am and I raved to my non-fandom but Princess Tutu liker friend about it.  Has also wonderfully tackled eldritch horror in return to Eldervair and gothic horror/romance in The Lady of the Manor, does fluff, does angst, does it all, so go check her out!

@go-ldy: An angst and time skip queen, tbh, and always has some great thoughts on Riverdale, another reason I’m glad I have that tag.  Every time she answers an ask, I’m like, “Yesss, incoming Good Thoughts, I am HERE for this”.  But do not sleep on her as an author!  Into the Deep is some delightful dark!bughead, and I’ll walk with you in the shadows is such good time skip angst and a mystery and there’s a certain surprise I love but is a spoiler but you simply must read this, you must.  The Time after Time series is giving us that good angst bughead content that season 5 is not going to, and I’m so glad it exists and just thrilled that she trusted me to beta it.  I’m leaving a lot of stuff out though, so you should go check her out!

@milajovovich: One of the best gif makers in the fandom, I will fight you on this.  Makes absolute miracles with footage, the way she makes season 4 webrips look like they’re actual blurayrips is godly, they’re so crisp and so smooth and the coloring is always great.  And like, jesus, the way the bluray footage looks?  Fucking outstanding, the talent is off the charts.  Go marvel at their gifs, go, go.

@imreallyloveleee: A prolific, talented author and funny to boot!  loveleee is one of the people who has been here since the beginning, a mainstay in the fandom, and we are so, so lucky she hasn’t left.  How do I even begin to rec you some of her stuff?  She can write smut with fics like burn, baby (a 3x16 missing moment of bughead fucking in the car as the trailer burns, what a gift to the fandom, I can’t even), is queen of pining with fics like boy problems (season 1 post 1x05 canon divergence, a bughead get together but with that quality pining) and her i’m just a shot away series (two fics, one from Jughead’s POV and one from Betty’s, that are fully of pining and sexual tension and miscommunication and major teenage vibes, you gotta read them), and writer of one of the funniest fics in the fandom and one of my favorite, like spirits in the night (the core four + Kevin perform a seance to contact Jason Blossom and yes, it is just as funny as it sounds, perhaps even funnier).  And there are countless others, so settle in and go check her out because she does it all, fluff and angst too, I just don’t have time to rec them all.

@meditationonbaaal: Absolutely one of my all-time favorite fic authors, like across fandoms, the talent, I cannot even properly describe it, like the quality of the prose, amazing, iconic.  the devil’s daughter (a season 2 rewrite with some differences in season 1, jumps back and forth through time in the best way, has the best and creepiest dark!Jughead, has some great smut that includes dom!Betty and dom!Jughead can you believe we are so blessed, such a good rewrite of season 2, and you know how I love season 2, so that is some high praise, let me tell you) is easily in my top 10 all-time favorite fics across the many, many fandoms I’ve read many, many fics of, and you simply must check it out, you will not be disappointed.  develop, stop, fix just blew me away as a kink week fic of bughead playing with bdsm in a dark room, the layers, the smut, the trust, the feelings, I cannot even.  And doll parts!  doll parts is so good, just such an amazing take on drop dead gorgeous, a fabulous Jughead and Betty as per usual, dare I say even better than an already fantastic movie.  I am behind on loose lips sink ships, but I can already tell it’s going to be a great exploration of the Stonies and a great take on season 4.  Keep an eye on her stuff here and here, do not miss out!

@dieqohargreeves:  An icon and legend in gif making, just makes the most beautiful and intricate and creative gifs.  The coloring is amazing, the techniques are amazing, that shit is Art, I will fight you on this.  You gotta check ‘em out, you just gotta, I can’t do their work justice.

@sullypants:  The wit!  The humor!  The observational skills!  The talent, my god!  Sully is the genius behind @bettycooperoutfitwatch and @riverdalearthistory as well as a fabulous writer of both meta and fic, yet another excellent reason for me to keep up with others’ thoughts on Riverdale.  Her a comic miniverse series is so funny and sweet and such a great take on the Archie Comics version of bughead, and the after-party series (Betty and Jughead attend a, well, prom after party, and the events that happen, and I am not doing it justice, but it is v good, I promise) has such a great vibe and such great characterization.  And young adult friction (librarian!Jughead is in a kind of competition with librarian!Betty, it’s so funny and so great) is such a delight, and we do not have time to get into everything great she’s written, but go check it out here.

@lilibug--xx: The queen of bughead smut, can you believe she has graced us with her stuff?  It is steamy and it is in character and it is amazing.  Dark Cherry Chutney is still a fandom favorite of mine, just some great dark!bughead who are unaware of each other’s darkness (but oh, they find out!) as well as some excellent smut.  And Pressed for Time (Betty teasing Jughead with her skirts in an effort to get him to fuck her and he is barely holding on until he isn’t, alternating POVs in the best way) is sexy af but makes you work for it, it’s a delight.  And give you mine (Betty and Jughead fuck at work and it is so hot, I can’t even) is so goddamn good, just some of the best dom!Jughead out there.  Has also written monsterfucker!Betty, which you know I’m a fan of, in once upon a midnight (werewolf-hunter!Betty/werewolf!Jughead with sex pollen where she does not shy away from some wolfy-ness and it is hot af) and has written monsterfucker!Jughead, a rarity but always a delight, with reap what you sow (witch!Jughead/undine!Betty and Betty is so delightfully otherworldly and it is so sexy but also sweet), and there are countless other smut fics, we would be here all day if I went through them all, so you gotta check her out here.  One more thing though: she can also write fluff with Lemon Drops and Chocolate Chips, a sweet fic of Betty and Jughead as neighbors that you should definitely check out.

@thatiranianphantom:  Funny and thoughtful and talented and has correct opinions on musicals!  Writes such good explorations of post-4x17 (and post-4x17 adjacent) scenarios.  Like, the we are a masterpiece series is v good and so interesting, and no one else is singing my song is such great angst as a post-4x17 fic and a great use of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend songs.  I am forgetting a lot of stuff, I know I am, and I think I might be behind like a fool, so let’s go check out all her stuff together here, yes?  Yes.  Also?  Great for Riverdale speculation, especially about the season 5 musical episode.

@heartunsettledsoul:  So talented, queen of canon missing moments, and funny to boot!  I love reading her liveblogging of the episodes, and I cannot recommend her stuff enough.  Her Forgotten Moments series of canon missing moments is iconic, you must go read all of it, especially there’s witchcraft in your hips, a post-2x13 fic of Betty and Jughead being such teenagers and Jughead being a dweeb about his cheerleader girlfriend and I am not doing it justice but you gotta go read it, man, you gotta.  But the series is full of gems from the beginning with Midnight Silence (Betty and Jughead talk post-1x04 about the Grundy debacle and it’s such a delight) and going all the way through to the most recent it might’ve been a nightmare (a 4x12 through 4x16 fic that gives me a wide range of emotions and is fantastic) and your eyes look like coming home (Betty’s diary entries throughout season 1, simply inspired).  But she’s also so good at AUs!  a dark world aches (for a splash of the sun) is already looking so good as a bughead mystery with some varchie fun on the side, just some quality core four content, and won’t be the same (if you’re not here with me) is a favorite of fake dating, Christmas, and there was only one bed, just the best tropefest.  And there are so, so many more, so you must check her out here.

@lovedinapastlife: She writes such a variety of AUs, I am just in awe of them all!  The talent, I am amazed.  The dark!bughead in The Society is peak dark!bughead with a simply iconic yandere!Betty, and you are seriously missing out if you have not read it yet.  Oh, and there’s some more dark!Jughead with a side of dark!Betty in the key to harm(ony) that you must check out because it’s such a great ride and is sexy, what more could you want?  Every movie AU she does really takes the source material and makes it her own from works You Drive Me Crazy (but I'm gonna keep on loving you), based on Drive Me Crazy and definitely better than the movie, to the most recent to all the boys (but especially you), based on To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before and just so sweet.  But also can write otherworldly fics like Heart’s Desire with genie!Betty and The Second Coming with fae!Jughead, as well as regular aus like Detention (Betty and Jughead in detention and it gets a little sexy but also quite cute), and pure porn like Eye of the Beholder (Betty and Jughead as sorcerers who hook up over sorcerer Tinder and it is sexy but also sweet), as well as some of the best ABO in fandom with her A/B/O Mine series (alpha!Jughead/omega!Betty in high school and holy shit is it hot as hell).  I am only just skimming the surface here, so definitely go check her out!

@kyloren aka @jughead-jones:  Mila is so talented at making gifs, like goddamn, and also so funny, but I bet you didn’t know that she also has written some damn good fic!  She hides it, but it is out there and it is very good, my favorite being let me hang my hook on your splendor, a fandom fave of a Scooby-Doo au that is so much more thoughtful and clever with its casting, and also very amusing, you must check out the rest of her stuff here.

@elizabethbettscooper: A delightful person and a delightful writer who is largely retired from the bughead fandom but still such a talent, like seriously.  Her Twin Peaks Riverdale AU The Past Dictates the Future is so good, you simply must check it out, like you must.  And yours was the first face i saw is such a fun AU of “what if Betty’s crush on Archie was a front for her crush on Jughead”, you must go read it.  And holy shit, her i may be bad (but i’m perfectly good at it) series is peak dom!Jughead/sub!Betty taking place when they’re in college and fucking in so many varied ways, like if you are into that, you must go read these fics, you must, you will have a great and sexy, sexy time.  And there’s so much more good stuff, you gotta go read it all here.

@bettycreeper: She does so much for the fandom and she makes such gorgeous gifs!  Like, the coordination she does on the @bugheadfamily server and @bugheadfanfictionawards and @riverdale-events and probably elsewhere cannot be understated, she is such a valuable presence in the fandom.  And have you seen her gifs?  Gorgeous quality, just gorgeous, and her movie poster gifs for fics are simply inspired.  Also?  She’s an amazing beta, just outstanding.

@stillscape: A very thoughtful person and excellent writer who I can’t seem to tag.  Dianthus Caryophyllus is still one of my favorite fics in the fandom, a high school bughead fic with some amazing pining from Jughead with an oblivious Betty, I can feel it, it’s so good.  And of course there’s Ninia, an amazing take on the soulmates trope, just so good, I cannot do it justice, you must check it out.  The for the life of me series is also such a good AU for Betty and Jughead getting together pre-Riverdale at a summer internship, I have such fond memories of it.  And la peste (the plague)!  So good, I cannot even.  We don’t have time for everything, except you should make time and go check all of it out here.

@theheavycrown:  God, where would we be without Sarah?  She does so much work for the @bugheadfamily and @bugheadfanfictionawards and @riverdale-events and @riverdalecentral and I’m probably forgetting some, tbh.  And so sweet and talented!  Her gifs are fantastic and so are her fics.  Like, Rain Comes Down (Betty and Jughead fucking in the car on the side of the road while cars drive by)?  Iconic, some amazing exhibitionism.  you had me howling(Betty in heat in the woods and then Jughead finds her and fucking ensues)? Fantastic ABO, so horny, so desperate.  Beneath the Silver Moon Rising?  Excellent dom!Jughead, excellent sexy times.  You must go check out all of her stuff here, you must.

@50shades-of-bughead:  Just some of the absolute cutest art that you must check out, especially their series of dark!bughead that is just fantastic.

@thepointoftheneedle: The variety of work here is phenomenal, the talent, I cannot.  Took my ridiculous double fake marriage/draft-dodging concept and turned it into an excellent, thoughtful period piece with phenomenal characterization and a great mystery with Never No Locomotive, I cannot recommend it enough.  And Ghosts and Clouds and Nameless Things (ghost!Jughead/grieving-dead-Jughead!Betty with a side of mystery) gave me so many emotions, I think I almost cried, and I am not a crier, I assure you.  Hey Pixie Dream Girl, I’m Coming for Your Man! (Betty in her bookstore saves Jughead from his date with a Manic Pixie Dream Girl) is so delightfully funny, and Sunflowers (Betty and Jughead share a working space and fall in love) is so goddamn cute.  I have actually found myself behind on her work, which is a crime, it all looks so amazing and I know it will be, and you must check all of it out with me here.

@hellodinoflower:  Such an amazing presence in the fandom, such a delight, so clever and funny.  She ran @bugheaddrabblechallenge this past summer and gave us all so much joy in the process, and, while her fics are deleted now (as is her right), I promise you that they were amazing, you all missed out if you slept on her.  She’s such a great follow, you gotta follow her.

@bluevelvetvideo:  A delighful soul, great character insight, great writing.  Like, her smut is fantastic, have you read Arsenal (a double feature of Betty and Jughead fooling around in public and then having some sexytimes back in private with some quality dom!Jughead, let me tell you, v steamy)?  Because you should.  Christmas Lights (Jughead ties Betty up with their Christmas lights, it’s fantastically sexy) is a delight, and you can’t blame gravity (for falling in love) is a very fun take on soulmates and soulmarks, and you simply must go read it.  She is a master of smut, let me tell you, and you must check out all her stuff here.  Also?  An excellent beta, 10/10, I’m so lucky to have her.

@a-true-janian-reply:  Very funny, has excellent thoughts on Riverdale!  Like, truly, every time I see an original text post or a reblog from her, I am PSYCHED because it’s always going to be SO GOOD.

@writeradamanteve:  Such great talent across genres, really impressive.  Drive (illegal drag racing Betty and college student but former-ish Serpent Jughead, just fantastic) is one of my earliest fandom favorites, I remember excitedly telling my non-fandom friend about it because I thought it was so clever, and we all know how good Daemon Bound is, yes?  Yes, I’m sure we do.  Let’s go make sure we’ve read all her stuff here.

@thugheadjones:  Has some great insights, some great responses to dumb anons, and some fantastic art, like holy shit, I cannot even.

@bugggghead:  A delightful soul, so nice, so talented.  Writes some amazing smut, like, have you read intimately acquainted (alpha!Jughead/omega!Betty, meeting up on an app to help Betty with her heat in a heat retreat, four chapters of excellent smut)?  Because you should if you’re even kind of interested in ABO.  And en pointe is the bughead knifeplay fic of dreams, you gotta check it out.  And there are so many other ones, we do not have time to cover them all.  She also does cute fics, btw, and Message Me (fanfic-author-who-is-actually-the -real-author!Jughead/gif-maker-and-fangirl!Betty meet on tumblr and fall in love and it’s great) is such a delight, definitely go check it out.  In fact, go check out all her stuff here.  Also a fantastic beta, I really owe her for that.

@heavy-lies-the-crown:  A talented soul who has written so much high quality fic, from the hilarious red ribbon winner (a Christmas fic comedy that I cannot describe well but I assure you is both hilarious and sweet) to the emotional and moving road to me (Betty and Jughead break up, find themselves, and come back together and it’s perfection) to the heart-ripping angst of apizza (a semi post-4x17-speculation fic of bughead together but apart at Yale and the way they will come back together and it is so good and so angsty) to many, many more.  You gotta go check it all out here.

@lurker-no-more:  Yet another funny person, we as a fandom are so blessed, you must check them out, you just must.

@iconic-ponytail:  Another excellent writer!  a revelation in the light of day is SUCH a great slowburn and  SUCH a great take on both FBI!Betty and Sheriff!Jughead and the two of them falling in love as adults.  Also, the side varchie is fantastic, and the mystery is amazing.  I have not yet checked out the nighthawks, but I already know it’s going to be good, I can tell, you can trust this author to be quality, so go check all of her stuff out here.

@soyforramen:  Funny!  Very funny!  Also?  Writes some great ficlets that are, I think, exclusive to tumblr, which is a tragedy, tbh, but as is their right.  But I do have the link to this genius fic about bughead and a platypus in honor of the platypus anon that was going around this summer.  Definitely go check them out!

And now I am very tired, I have used up my energy, and I am so sorry if I forgot anyone!

[heavencollins]

Top 10 Films of 2020: Part One

2020 was a rough year for a lot of reasons, but even more rough due to the lack of an existent film industry for over half of the year.  Sure, there are small productions happening and movies being released on VOD, as well as some in theatres, but so many great films were pushed back this year—movies I was excited to possibly have on my top ten.  Minari, Promising Young Woman, Zola, The Green Knight, Saint Maud.  Okay most of those are A24 releases but A24 literally released next to none of their slate for this year and it’s one of the most disappointing things to happen in the entertainment industry in my opinion.  

Alas, I still found cinema through streaming, paying $20 for a VOD rental, and those amazing $1.80 rentals from Redbox (remember when they were only a dollar?  because I do).  And honestly?  It was probably the hardest time curating a top ten that I’ve had in a long time; with so much just available through the internet and owning every single popular streaming service, it was both impossible to watch everything I wanted but also since I watched a lot of what i wanted, I ended up loving most of it.  For a year that was so dismal in every other way possible, the films that were released ended up being a shining light more often than not.  Of course, like every other year, a lot of hot garbage came out too, but that isn’t the focus of this—the great, amazing, can’t believe these are real films.  

So let’s start from number ten.  This was my first and only $20 rental this year, starring a man who I personally admire: Pete Davidson.  

10. The King Of Staten Island, directed by Judd Apatow and written by Judd Apatow, Pete Davidson, and Dave Sirus.  

Judd Apatow is one of the first directors who I watched religiously, and hearing that he was doing a film with Pete Davidson that was essentially based on Davidson’s life meant that I knew I’d have to watch it.  Scott, played by Davidson, is a twenty-something with no direct path in life; he lives with his mother, his sister is going off to college—something he never attempted—and he has no real career.  His father died in a large building structure fire, much like Davidson’s actual father, a firefighter who passed away while responding to the twin towers during 9/11.  Scott is emotionally a wreck, plagued with depression and anxiety, a chronic weed smoker, and dreams of being a tattoo artist that he practices by tattooing his group of rag-tag friends, but none of the tattoos are very great.  

The thing about an Apatow film is they border the line between comedy and drama very well, kind of a complicated little dance.  But, King of Staten Island is very much a drama more than a comedy.  Bill Burr plays Ray, the father of a kid that Scott tattoos earlier on in the film.  Ray comes stomping up to Scott’s mother’s house, and Margie, played by Marissa Tomei, opens the door.  It’s essentially love at first sight.  She hasn’t dated since Scott’s father passed, and to make matters worse, Ray is also a firefighter.  This complicates emotions for Scott, as he loves his mother but also doesn’t know how to deal with the feeling that his mother is finally moving on and may face heartbreak again.  

Davidson puts it all on the table in this film.  It’s poignant and realistic; at the start, Scott is driving down the highway and closes his eyes, way longer than you should.  It sets the tone from the start that this man isn’t okay, but also he’s scared of dying because as soon as he opens his eyes again and sees he may be about to crash, he quickly panics and readjusts his wheel.  This struck a chord with me as most people know that Davidson has struggled with suicidal thoughts in the past.  It’s a beautiful film that memorializes both how much Davidson’s father meant to him, but also the cycles of grief and trauma that last throughout your life.  

9: Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), directed by Cathy Yan and written by Christina Hodson.

Suicide Squad is one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen period, fact.  Birds of Prey is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen period, fact.  I never, ever, ever thought I’d see a day where a DC movie was in my top ten, but this year anything is possible.  Birds of Prey is a display of feminism, badassery, and all around perfection.  You jump right into the story, hearing Margot Robbie’s classic Harley Quinn voice laid over an animation showing what we missed in her life so far, which means you don’t have to have any previous knowledge of the other films.  Birds of Prey is meant to stand alone from any other movie preceding this one, and that’s just part of why it’s so great.

This film knows not to take itself too seriously.  Margot Robbie is a dream as Harley Quinn, using just the right amount of playfulness to put a little edge on her, while also maintaining the manic-panic-pixie-dream-girl effect.  Perhaps the best scene is when Harley goes and purchases the perfect egg breakfast sandwich, and then she drops it, causing a dramatic slow motion effect that proves she really does love that sandwich more than anything in the world.  Or her realistic apartment, nothing truly fancy, just a little hole in the wall above a rundown Chinese restaurant.  But then she has an amazing ensemble of other women actors around her, which are what really uplift her performance. 

The funhouse fight scene at the end may be the best in superhero movie history.  I mean, I guess, is Harley Quinn really a superhero?  She’s kind of the anti-hero, which is what makes her so great.  She’s somebody who isn’t even close to perfect but she still succeeds and tries to help and uplift the other women on her team.  There’s just something special about this movie that made me smile and laugh the entire time.  It’s a reminder that it’s okay to have fun every once in a while.  

8: The Assistant, directed and written by Kitty Green.

For those who don’t know, I work as an assistant during the day for a small business here in Vermont.  The work is mundane but it’s a job that’s giving me experience for the future.  In The Assistant, Jane, played by Julia Garner, is an assistant to a “powerful entertainment mogul.”  She gets lunch, answers phones, is the first one into the office, the last one out of the office, finds herself overshadowed by her male counterparts and getting the majority of the “grunt” work, and becomes more and more aware of what’s really going on at this office throughout a day in her life.  

What’s interesting about this film is nothing is ever seen; everything Jane starts to feel is just based on intuition.  Her boss is tricky, finding ways to keep his abuse of women out of the public eye, out of the eye of any female employees.  This is obviously in response to #MeToo, Times Up, and the Harvey Weinstein news from the last few years, and it works surprisingly well as a film that just unnerves you and gets under your skin.  

The reality of assault in the film industry is that until it’s widely public and known, nobody is going to know about it.  You can report it to your company, to other women, to other men, to anybody, and nobody will take you seriously until they either experience it themselves or know somebody else who has.  The Assistant hits the ball out of the park with the ending, even if it doesn’t give a vindictive satisfaction to viewers, because it’s simply the truth of the matter.  

7: Tenet, directed and written by Christopher Nolan.

I really don’t know what to say about this one.  It’s really controversial to like it but I absolutely LOVED this movie, it’s pure fucking vibes.  A lot of people are cinema purists, which I am not, and will never claim to be, which was a huge deal with this film.  Personally, this works way better at home than it ever would in a theater.  It’s slightly long, the sound mixing makes it so it can be hard to hear dialogue over loud noises and the score, and it’s the type of movie you may have to rewind  a few times.  

My partner and I watched this in 4K Ultra HD with subtitles on, and let me tell you, it was amazing.  Everything about the acting, the diversity in the film, the fact that Nolan literally has a character say “Don’t try to understand it, just experience it”???? VIBES.  That’s all I can say about it.  Plus, Elizabeth Debicki plays an actual badass who stands against her abuser and that enough is five stars.  A tall queen standing up against her short joker—absolute feminism.  

Sure, no character gets any development, but is that seriously necessary for every film?  It’s an action flick about time and space and none of it makes sense and you can’t force it to.  Why does everything need to make sense in a time where we are literally living through a pandemic?  Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the experience of Tenet.  It’s more fun when you don’t take it seriously.  

6: The Devil All The Time, directed by Antonio Campos and written by Antonio Campos, Donald Ray Pollock, and Paulo Campos.

I never read the book this was based on, but this film made me want to.  I love a film where multiple plot lines converge into one central story and this one did it so well, all with the same theme surrounding every single character: the guilt of sin and how no matter how much you think you can save yourself, you can’t truly save yourself.  I’m not a huge fan of Tom Holland, but he shines as Arvin from beginning to end.  Pattinson brings a creepy southern preacher to life with an accent that he will never be able to match again.  Keough gives a performance you can only sympathize with as you know she’s being manipulated the entire time.  Every character in this is corrupt in their own way but some in worse ways than others.

I don’t know how much to say about this one without spoiling it, either, because the core of this film is on the characters and what leads to their untimely ends, because pretty much everybody ends up dead.  It’s grim and dark but it’s so beautiful and tells the story in a way that keeps you interested throughout the entire run time.  It surprised me but there’s never truly been a Robert Pattinson starring movie that I’ve hated, so am I really surprised?  I’m a TwiHard at heart even at age 22.