#rhs movies

[beyondthetemples-ooc]

@monstrousgourmandizingcats tagged me to post my favorite first watches of 2024!

So, full disclosure, I don't watch a lot of movies. Hardly ever, actually. They're not my entertainment medium of choice, and they're expensive to see in theatres even though I can't eat or drink anything they sell. They're also hell on my ADHD if they're not incredibly enrapturing. I basically only watch movies with other people.

All that said, this year I saw some bangers, and these were my favorites:

Tagging (under the condition that you want to do it): @chasm-connected @orionsdestiny @sirenianheart @starsweepers @storybounded @creepycute-kitty-gf @acetraineryaz (I'd also tag Pix and Robyn, but I can't get tumblr to let me tag you.)

[glitter-stained]

Thinking about the jayroy horse movie AU (which again, as a necessary disclaimer, is about two human people falling in love) and realising it's unintentionally hitting sooo many cliche romance tropes... It's a lot of fun despite the angst!

[impsandstars]

Imagine Blitz and Loona coming home from a long mission one day to their apartment looking like this. Stolas just sitting in the middle of it all like, “Hello, this just sort of…happened.”

[wesleysniperking]

Out of everything that could happen in Elbaf for Usopp. I think the best possible thing would be for him to meet his dad. He’d be killing two birds with one stone. Meeting his dad would give him a bit more character introspection, and his dad could give him some pointers on observation haki. Win-win.

But I'm pretty sure RH pirates aren't on Elbaf anymore!!! Waaaaah! 😭

[lanterns-and-daydreams]

Today I preach about a new ship

I present to you!!!!!

*drum roll*

Geto Suguru x the Grinch

[applebees4prez]

need a movie where different types of dolls like barbies and bratz and monster high and rainbow high all come together for the girls to have a big sleepover where they do each other’s hair and makeup and discuss how feminism impacts them

[chainedspectre]

spotify just called me gay in four languages

[partrin]

i thank god everyday that i have met a man (my fiancé) who is very comfortable listening to me ramble about how insane i am about my blorbos (rin and haru). i am so grateful. because there is NO WAY i am hiding my insanity for a man. i'd much sooner marry my fictional anime men than to do that.

[wainwrightjakobshammerlock]

Jfc sorting the borderlands tag by new rn brings up nothing but shit

[daisybell-on-a-carousel]

Black Mask and Red Hood. to me. Btw

[beyondthetemples-ooc]

So, I just watched Nope, and I can't figure out if it was more about exploitation, the importance of understanding their behavior when working with animals, or the desperate lengths people will go to when strapped for cash (because it seems like that may have been a big motivating factor in Doing All That instead of getting the hell out of dodge).

I think black excellence was also a theme, but I'm gonna be honest, I don't know how to analyze for that.

I'm extremely low energy right now because my chronic phobia-triggering stomach issues have been acting up since Thursday (arguably since Monday), so I don't have the spoons for much in-depth commentary, but I enjoyed it! The plot had a wee bit of a slow start for me, but once it got going, it REALLY got going!

It also had an excellent structure for the climax, hitting a lot of tension-building aspects that made you think "Oh no, they're FUCKED" and then going "Ha! You Thought!!!"

I'm gonna tag @you-can-be-what-you-want-to-be because your posts about it were the reason I chose to watch that movie and you seem to like Analyzing Things.

[floppersblooderakamonsterinamoik]

we want cookie run movie right now..

R.I.P fluttering butterfly set

R.I.P enchanting heirloom set

~*🩷🤍♡♡🤍🩷*~

Devsis, please make us cookie run movie trailer 😭🙏

[pacdevil]

mutuals, i am inviting yall out to a movie night; lets go to the theatre real quick here lemme just-

ah here we are- dont worry i got us all tickets for the movie before hand. here-

take one, you'll need it. now lets get some snacks-

im feeling like popcorn- but i'll buy yall whatever you want my treat! (i also wont tell anyone if ya brought your own snacks >:3)

ah nice! we're all snacked up! lets get to our theatre before the movie starts-

oooo these seats look comfy! im glad i got us all in the same row: the perks of buying tickets early! yay! also dont forget to turn yalls phones off before- oh shit! the movies starting-

hell yeah, lets go. i hope yall enjoy the movie!

[vampfucker666]

big day tomorrow of washing doll clothes and rearranging my shelves.... AGAIN. playing a dangerous game of 'well i can fit a couple more dolls on here i think'

[beyondthetemples-ooc]

Agreed, actually! And Defying Gravity is my favorite part. (I've never seen the musical live, but I have the Broadway cast recording, and the song alone moves me to tears.)

Adding parts to the song can keep its momentum going for Longer and build more tension in that Tension and Resolution formula that makes music so magical; this happens in musical arrangements all the time! You throw in an extra key change here, a coda there, more buildup in the introduction with more instruments added in consecutive layers, etc.

I'd point to the original DIVISIONS version of TRIALS by Starset versus the "Reimagine" version, for example. The original version is a rather formulaic structure, A-B-C-B-D-B rock song. The "Reimagine" version, however, is much more orchestral, with a string set and choir forming most of the soundscape. The original gets going with only a bar or two of musical introduction, and the instrumentation remains the same through the whole song, but the Reimagine version starts with a low and slow piano pieces. As the song progresses, it adds strings in one verse, and a choir on the refrain, and with each addition, the sound becomes richer, more layered, and harmonies come into play more strongly with each verse.

Notably, there's a pause in Reimagine where it's just Dead Silent for a minute... before strings and choir sweep in with a key change. It feels like pausing in a moment of reflection, and a revelation hitting you hard.

And in the original, all the refrains have the same verbiage, but in Reimagine, the first refrain has a line that just repeats the previous line with a key change and lower tempo. "We take our places in the dark. (We take our places in the dark....)" Builds tension that way. And then on the next refrain, it actually adds the Finishing Line to the refrain! "We take our places in the dark. And turn our hearts to the stars!" They changed ONE LINE, with different diction and a new note progression, there's a new line to finish the rhyme, and suddenly the refrain feels more Complete.

And then you get to the bridge, and in the original, of course there's a key change and Starset's signature effective repetition of a few words to build Little Tensions and catchy phrases. ("Calling, calling, we've come out to play. Show me, show me, a new way.") But the Reimagine version adds another set of bars before the bridge, for the strings to shine and Set the New Mood of the key change, and the choir starts in softly and gradually crescendos into the epic climax refrain of the song, with its full-force strings and choir harmonies and everything feels so SATISFYING! I get chills every time!

Adding movements to a song can ABSOLUTELY make it more intense! If it's done right, it can extend the experience so you have more time to luxuriate in its beauty, and the pauses and tension can be Built Upon. When you do it Right, adding to a musical arrangement can build tension and let it sink in for a more triumphant Release when it kicks back into high gear.

But then there's Wicked (2024). When you cut all music entirely for 30+ seconds, giving nothing but silence and visuals, it doesn't regain that momentum very easily. Instead of being a hill to climb and a descent into cathartic release, suddenly it's a steep staircase with a sharp drop-off and it falls back to Absolute 0 mph. The song has to regather all its momentum and start from zero.

My least favorite change they made in the movie is actually the way they split the last verse of the song. They even split up the RHYME SCHEME! They split up the VERY LAST MOMENTS!

Also I appreciate them wanting to Add Material to make it more dramatic and tense, but I think for a climax it was drawn out too long and it had Too Many Beats. Some of which just felt.. the same as other beats? That's not really escalation at that point, it's just repetitive.

I did like the bit with her falling and having flashbacks and grabbing the broom, really neat character detail there! That was a Good Pause! She didn't Suddenly Fly Totally Perfectly! And it made SENSE, because she's never done this before, and this moment is when the tides of her entire life turn. It deserved some Contemplation. It's like there were doubts, and she was overcoming them, which is a BEAUTIFUL emotional moment for that song! I Liked That!

But half the pauses in that scene felt unnecessary. Maybe even borderline repetitive with Similar things Happening Before the Song so it wasn't really "rising" action, and it kinda... plateaued?

It's 2:30am and I have no idea if this is coherent or not, but while I don't know much about cinematography, I certainly know about music!

As an aside, I very much enjoyed the pacing of most of the movie! I think they just got a little too ambitious with the changes to Defying Gravity. But not so much that I didn't still cry at this version... ;P

ok my honest wicked review is that it was really, actually, SHOCKINGLY good, except there truly was far too much space held for Defying Gravity

[sparkspropaganda]

I mean the more I think about it z-man could be transfemme too depending on how you read the script. Which is not me saying yay rep it's me thinking maybe they tried to cram in so many transphobic and homophobic narratives into one character that z-man transcends other caricatures of the time period (transcending but not improving upon if that makes sense)