#that's what I want to for a job being a cinema critic

[alexjcrowley]

You know what? Fuck it. Four Rooms is fun as hell, yes, even the first two parts that aren't written and directed by two great directors people are afraid to criticise. I don't care what the critics say, I had a lot of fun watching it.

[jadeddangel]

Creepypast & Marble Hornets headcannons:

Jeff the Killer:

100% sneaks into your house/ room just to wake you up randomly to spook you

If he ever took you on a date it would 100% be to the cheapest cinema in town cause my man's is broke

Your the breadwinner, you can make $2 a month and still be the breadwinner

He buys axe body spray and sags his jeans like a middle school boy and you can't convince me otherwise

Opened a nesquick Powdered milk tub with a table saw cause he couldn't get him open

Doesn't know how to undo child proof locks on meds no matter how many times you explain it to him

"No Jeff your not listening. Press down and then turn it," your voice scolded

"I'm trying! Damn you woman!!" Jeff yelled back

Yea, he never opened the jar right

Masky:

It started with you and Tim dating and then when you met masky you trying getting to know him

He ignores you at first, more focused on doing his job then dealing with his other half's lover

He's smart, he'll pick locks open jars and complete puzzles in no time flat

He doesn't make money but Tim does so indirectly he's the breadwinner

He'll start hanging out with you after getting tired of sleeping on the downstairs couch

He's not nice, like at all, he's very blunt and when it comes to any type of criticism, constructive or not, he's pointing out every miniscule flaw

Don't bother lying to him, he can see right through it and it pisses him off

It doesn't matter your gender or your sex. He's turning around when you change any form of your clothes. He's big on privacy

"Masky? C'mon masky, it's just a sweater you don't have to turn. I'm wearing a shirt underneath, " you sighed, pulling your sweater off

Masky shook his head. "I don't care sometimes you don't wear a shirt under them, and i don't wanna see your nipples," masky spoke bluntly

Yeaaaa, if you can't tell your sex life is totally (not) amazing with man

Tim:

As I said before Tim has a job, he Linda needs it to pay for his smoking habits

Speaking of smoking, he hates when you do any kind of drugs, he doesn't want you to end up like he did

He's surprising clingy behind closed doors and really likes being your little spoon

He constantly takes showers and cleans your shared home, even if no one except for you, him and masky will see it.

He has this bad habit of just buying whatever he craves, so when he goes to the store, expect the bill to be rather high

As I said before he's clingy behind closed doors but when it comes to pda the most he'll do is lock your pinkies together

"Tim, pleaseeeee I just wanna hold your hand! Just five minutes, and if you don't like it, you don't have to keep holding my hand. " You tried to bargain

Tim sighed "fine fine but you're giving me your box of cigarettes. Don't think I didn't smell them on you"

He has a sharp nose, so there's no point in trying to hide things from him

Hoodie:

Hoodie was beyond confused when he first met you, he had a whole "who what when where why?" Moment

You and brain both pay for everything so there's not really a breadwinner

Hoodie is rather quiet, it's not because he's awkward or shy, he just has nothing to say

Hoodie Hates coffee, he's more of a tea or energy drink guy

I hate to say this(no I dont), but he's a stoner, he hates all vape or smoking products except for weed

He usually sticks to weed vapes since it's less work and he can be a bit lazy when it comes to that

I mean his hygiene is ok he doesn't really shave or trim any thing but his beard but yknow he do him

Speaking of , he leaves his beard shavings all over the sink and leaves the toilet seat up

"HOODIE! GET YOUR BUTT IN HERE NOW" You shouted to get the man's attention

Hoodie walked in. "What?" He said monotonely

You pointed at the sink and then the toilet "pick up your fucking mess!!"

Hoodie shook his head "Nah I'm good. Thanks for the offer, though. "

You would probably try and beat him up if he couldn't just wollop our ass

Brian:

He's such a sweet boy,it like he's made out of cotton candy

He's mostly did cleaning and cooking on top of his job but after switching back from hoodie, he's out of commission for like a week

He picks up after himself, and does his own laundry and there's never beard trimmings in the sink

He occasionally forgets to put the toilet seat down but it's rather rare

He's not too clingy but he does cuddle up sometimes

HES A FUCKING FURNACE WHEN HE SLEEPS

"Brian pleaseee get off!! It's the middle of summer! It's too hot to be cuddling" you huffed sleepily

"Shhh just let me hold you.." Brian muttered

Ticci Toby:

Your the breadwinner. Period

You think this man has a job? Hah funny

He hates when he tics especially when you are trying to have intimate moments together

You guys have to be silly during sex especially when he has a verbal tic and just yells bird

"Fuck toby right there~" you moaned out holding onto his shoulders tightly

"I'm so c-*whistles* shit sorry~" toby moaned out a bit embarrassed

"Toby it's ok it's normal~.." you muttered a bit trying to keep your voice even

Toby nodded "fuck I lov-Birds!" Toby shouted

You both looked at eachother before bursting out laughing just holding eachother close

Overall aside from Toby's horrible moodswings at times and his "work" you guys have a pretty helpful relationship

Slenderman:

No, Just no

This man is toxic asf when you guys first meet, definitely a manipulator

He tones it down after a bit but still gaslights you into getting what he wants

When he gets angry, please down run from him- he will track you down and may or may not resort to physical violence to get you to learn your lesson

If you ask about the missing children he WILL gaslight you into thinking that's he's told you before and it hurts that you forgot and won't tell you again

Sex? What sex? You think he would let you even get close enought to see that shit happen hah very funny

"Slenderman? Cmon I'm sorry you know I didn't mean to hurt you.." you muttered softly

"No. I already told you, and you forgot.. it is insensitive of you and unwise of me to tell you again, " he responded through your mind. And though he doesn't have eyes, you could only assume he was glaring

He's not healthy for you, but you've got yourself into this for life and there's only 1 way to get out

Eyeless jack:

Just like Jeff he'll sneak into your room

You literally can't get rid of him

He won't talk or anything, just stand and stares

He doesn't cuddle and he barely touches you

He definitely tried to offer you a kidney as a way of telling you he appreciates you

No hygiene whatsoever, he doesn't shave and it takes a month before you even get him to shower

He mostly just grumbles and groans to let you know he understands what your saying

He's really smart, puzzles, locks ,and riddles are no match for him

He's blunt, when he does talk it's rare, bit it's honest and unfiltered

You guys barely have sex and honestly you've probably never seen his face

"Jack, please!! I just wanna see your face, " you whined, laying yourself over his lap

"I said no, and if you keep asking, I'll eat you. Literally, " Jack retorted

Yeaaaa he meant it literally and you could tell

[arcaneconfessions]

I'm ngl, I completely disregarded this show in 2021 when it first came out thinking, "eh I hate league so I'll probably hate this too." But then I actually watched S1 around 5 months ago and, safe too say I was proven very, very wrong. Season 1 is pretty much perfect in my view, I love the animation the characters the setting the world evreything just, works so well. And while I also love Season 2 and think it's peak cinema, I do have to admit that I missed the good pacing of S1. S2 just goes too fast overall and you really aren't given enough time to breathe, which is fine but compared to S1 it's a little jarring you know. Don't get me wrong, S2 is still amazing and does a great job handling it's characters and alot of the criticisms I see are very much overblown when you actually sit down and watch the series again, they aren't as jarring, but flaws are still very noticeable in S2 compared to S1. There are a few arcs in season 2 that I think needed more time in the oven, still good but I just wanted more out of them, an extra conversation or an extra scene just to flesh them out a little bit more. (Also people are complaining about LOL lore but I could not care less honestly). The ending, while it left me satisfied especially with Caitlyn and Vi's ending (my two favorite characters in the show) I do wish there was more of a bow tied. Like the conflict between Piltover and Zaun here feels incomplete, but I also feel like that's more realistic, systems take time to change and Sevika being on the Council will certainly help things. Also I disagree with the idea that civil war between Zaun and Piltover was "necessary" ("In war, whichever side may call itself the victor, there are no winners, but all are losers."- Neville Chamberlin) And I feel like the idea that these two cities, much like Vi and Jinx, need to put their pasts behind them to take down a larger evil is a much better ending than a Civil War, though I do wish there was like a 10 year time skip after the end just to see where things go, but I'm satisfied with what we got. I can't wait for what these guys have planned next. I love this show overall and am happy with how it ended. Yes this is my IMDB review of Arcane, yes I am this shameless.

.

[agentnico]

The Count of Monte-Cristo (2024) review

Je suis Batman!!

Plot: Edmond Dantes becomes the target of a sinister plot and is arrested on his wedding day for a crime he did not commit. After 14 years in the island prison of Château d'If, he manages a daring escape. Now rich beyond his dreams, he assumes the identity of the Count of Monte-Cristo and exacts his revenge on the three men who betrayed him.

I’ve been really enjoying this recent wave of French blockbuster cinema creating these lavish big-budget adaptions of their nation’s classic literature, with the recent highly enjoyable duology romp of The Three Musketeers (D’Artagnan and Milady respectively) and now taking on The Count of Monte-Cristo. I was a major admirer of Alexander Dumas’ novels when I was a kid, and by admirer I mean my father used to force me to read those books which at the time I hated him for, as I much rather would have spent hours on end on my GameCube, but now am forever grateful that I have the knowledge of storytelling which I gained from reading those pieces of literature. So I’m eagerly hoping that now with these expensive modern movie takes we will also get some of Dumas’ other great works get the contemporary cinematic treatment, such as La Dame de Monsoreau and The Black Tulip (though the latter may be difficult as there is already an older film version starring Alain Delon, and would be hard to recast Delon, let’s not kid ourselves!). As for Monte-Cristo, I’m not even going to sugar-coat it - this is a fantastic modern adaptation of a classic!

The sets are great and really invoke the post-Napoleon era of France; the costumes are gorgeous; the music score is grandiose and epic, really engrossing you in this decade spanning saga of revenge; the classic story is reinterpreted so well with the themes and the emotion, and the acting across the board is superb. Oh and the cinematography is to die for - wonderful long shot landscape sequences, great use of lighting, gorgeous shots of interior palaces - you can tell this film has been given all the money in the world, only unlike Amazon’s Rings of Power TV series that looks expensive but lacks any narrative depth, this film is both great to look at but also has a great story with awesome performance. Look, I really really liked this movie, let me rave about it!! Of course if you’re not French, you have to deal with subtitles, however don’t let that sway you, as this move manages to tell so much using its visuals and powerful music score that at times you don’t even need to read the subtitles to understand the emotion the characters on screen are going through.

Pierre Niney is honestly superb as the titular Count. From how he showcases him in his younger years as the excited young sailor wanting to prove himself to years later being this highly intelligent and driven yet calm presence, as well as taking on the various alter-ego’s of the Count using his different masks (very reminiscent of Fantomas) such as the dastardly Lord Halifax - Niney does such a stellar job here. What I also loved is how this adaptation takes the “superhero origin” approach to Dumas’ classic, with the Count being showcased as this cool dark vigilante like Batman/Bruce Wayne or Zorro, and even his dark menacing suit (which is dapper as f*** by the way!!) emphasising that. All the props to Niney, he adds so many layers and nuance to his performance, that even when he is super reserved as the Count, you can tell in his eyes the disdain and pure hatred he has for the ones that wronged him, but at the same time being able to showcase his guard dropping slightly when he is in the presence of his beloved lost love Mercédès (played gracefully by Anaïs Demoustier).

As for negatives, as even though I absolutely adored this movie, the inner critic within me still can’t help himself. This is a 3-hour long movie, and granted that is a result of the weight of the original book, however you do feel the length of this thing, but at the same time certain parts feel a tad rushed (due to the writers attempting to cram so much story and character development into the 3-hour frame) that certain side-plots and narrative build ups aren’t given their proper space to breath. One does wonder if this would have worked better as a mini-series, however on the other hand they probably would not have had the budget to make this thing look as good as it does. Secondly, certain details/plot-holes frustrated me which I won’t spoil, but one example is when Edmond and Abbé Faria are digging the escape hole from their prison chambers all those years, where the hell did they keep getting all those candles from to light their workspace?? I highly doubt in mid-1800s France prisons had little kiosk shops to offer inmates various groceries and household items. Happy to be corrected here, but honestly seeing those candles reminded me of Deadpool proclaiming “that’s just lazy writing”. And final complaint (before we can get back to raving about how awesome this movie is) is the ageing, or lack of it more. The tale of Monte-Cristo spans from 1815 and ends in 1844, yet the movie makes zero effort in making the actors look older the further down the timeline we go. The Count does look aged but that is due to the mask he wears, so when that’s off he looks like his younger 20-something self again. One of the main baddies Prosecutor de Villefort (played in true dick-fashion by Laurent Lafitte) looks exactly the same at the beginning of the movie and then right to the end. You’re telling me the make-up artists and hairstylists couldn’t give him a single grey hair or a wrinkle?

Again though, that was me with my critical thinking hat on. With that off, I want to reiterate how I truly enjoyed this new version of a classic tale that has been done so many times before, however this one may be one of my favourites. Truly engaging and epic in scale, with a ridiculously cool Pierre Niney in the titular role. He is… the French Batman!

Overall score: 8/10

[stregajulia]

Why I don't have friends?

pile 1 - pile 2 - pile 3

DISCLAIMER.These general free readings are made in good faith for entertainment purposes.

How to pick a pile. When you have different cards to choose from in pile 1,2,3… look at each of those cards. Wait until someone reminds you of a memory. Perhaps a character’s outfit resembles one of your own. It is this pile that has its message. What if they all remind me of something? Go for the one with the strongest memory, one might look like her earring but another might be the favorite candy you got from your grandma when you vacationed at her house. But what if none reminds me of something? Take a deep breath and wait a little longer, without charging yourself or creating worries. Relax, some will awaken some memory in you, I promise!

Pile 1

Hello, little Cherub! When we start reading, we already have a clear answer: the reason why you have few friends is related to judgements, prejudices and realities that you believe to be absolute. For you, the world can be cruel, with petty, prejudiced and manipulative people. That's how you've seen the world until today, with these types of people always ready to take you down at any moment.

It is important to remember that, although there are reasons, this does not mean that the result will always be negative. If you have a closed mind and are very judgmental of others, this may be a reflection of past experiences, such as being bullied. Right? No. In the end you are also being like the people you judge so much. You always feel overwatched… overwatching others. The insights indicate that these perceptions may have been with you since childhood, creating a reality that you believe to be immutable, "all my friendships were like this, so all friendships ARE like this" and because of this, you close yourself off.

You also drink too much of the social media water, so you see gratuitous hate everywhere. You see that no matter what you are, it seems like the world hates you, too fat, too thin, you are a man, you are a woman, you have criticism and more criticism of who you are from strangers on the internet and you conclude again "the world is a trash". Do you want to make new friends? Absolutely! But you're soo scared of these"trash", right?

But the message is clear: this situation is not permanent. Just because you have few friends now doesn't mean it will be that way forever. The advice here is to be more authentic, open yourself to new experiences,. Start opening up to things you like! Cinema, food, dancing, things that you refuse to do because you think they are not for you. HOWEVER, don't feel like you're going to run amok like an addict going to all the bars and places that YOU KNOW are wrong! It's not about doing a 180º and saying that now you're going to be a "rebel", because you're going to MAKE A MISTAKE! Go to places that you can tell everyone and not being asshamed of.

Now, avoid the despair of accepting anyone just to avoid being alone. You will, unfortunately, first attract treacherous people and if you accept them on your path, you will return to the cycle of "the world sucks, people are mean and blahblahblah"…. You will meet them, but remember our good and old "nope". Use your judgment and avoid extreme changes in behavior without adequate planning. You're smart girl, stop acting stupid.

Pile 2

Hello little Cherub! Let's start by understanding why you have few friends. It's possible that this is due to significant changes you've recently faced, such as changing jobs, schools, cities, or even countries. These changes will naturally affected your social circle, right? In some cases, it's just a matter of appearance, major weight loss, an afro hairstyle, or even incurable diseases that change anyone's routine.

You may be finding it difficult to integrate into new social circles. It seems like every time you approach a new group, there's a big bubble that needs to be burst… you all speak the same language but why so diffent??? It's common to feel like your experiences and interests are different, which can make interacting and creating new friendships difficult.

Additionally, there may be personal resistance to making an effort to fit into new groups. You may question whether it is worth the effort to integrate and what the benefit would be. This lack of motivation can result in a more reserved or distant attitude, which can alienate potential new friendships. You want to go back to what you had before, your old friendships…

To overcome this, it's important to recognize that it's not necessary to form large social circles right away. Start small by establishing one-on-one connections, like a friend at work, school, college, or the gym. This can help build trust and facilitate deeper interactions in the future. Being social is healthy and necessary.

Now I need to give you an earful because you are behaving childishly on your behalf too. You know that child shouting "I don't want it" in the supermarket……….. it's you. Also, you're showing yourself like "I know that it's different but it's okay" or "fuck, I hate this"? You close yourself off so much in your reality that it's difficult to enter and understand the reality of others, so they throw a spaghetti party, they don't invite you because every day you say that you hate pasta, and then you find out that there was this spaghetti party and now you're super upset that you wasn't invited…

Avoid behaviors that can alienate people, such as being overly reserved or showing a lack of interest in social activities. Stay open to new experiences and encounters, even if they may initially seem uncomfortable. Openness can open doors to new friendships and a more diverse and enriching social circle.

Pile 3

Hello, little Cherub. Let's start reading by exploring the central question: why do you have few friends these days? It seems like you believe it is due to studies. You've dedicated a lot of time to this, whether on your own or because you're in college. This is your initial perception.

However, as we read deeper, we see that the true reason may be different. It appears that your romantic relationship has played a significant role in limiting your friendships. In this pile I'm not talking about marriage, but a long-term relationship. This relationship has taken up a large part of your time and energy, which ends up restricting your socialization opportunities.

Maybe you and your partner spend so much time together that there's no room for other friendships. As if you had to save all the energy you had left that week to spend time with them. And there may be issues of jealousy, both on your part and his, that make it difficult to get close to other people.

Do you want to have new friendships? Of course. You've always valued having friends around, and you've never been a lonely person. You always had several friends, someone to talk to and share moments with. However, now it seems like your partner is the only person you spend your time with, and that's something you've never done before.

The reading suggests that you have an upright and idealistic personality. Even when you saw wrong things, you did not allow yourself to be influenced by them. But you may now be falling into the trap of not realizing that you are also doing something wrong, like isolating yourself socially because of your relationship, or some really toxic shit, you know what I am talking about. Furthermore, you have this need to show yourself as someone "clean", without mistakes, always with the best and you know, even if unconsciously, that you are "dirty" and feel incapable of getting involved with people other than your boyfriend

The advice here is for you to have a clearer view of your current situation. Reflect on your relationship. Is it stopping you from living fully? Are fights and jealousy taking a heavy toll? Ask yourself where this insecurity comes from. Is it just a matter of jealousy or is there something deeper going on?

It's important to look at what's hidden, the things you might be pretending not to see. If you feel like you always need to appear perfect in the eyes of others, this may be stopping you from opening up to new friendships. No one is judging your character, but if you feel like you need to maintain a facade, this can be a significant barrier.

The final piece of advice is to examine your relationship honestly. Is it working for you? Does it need to be tweaked or maybe even finished? This is an answer you must find on your own. After this reflection, you will be in a better position to decide how to proceed.

That was the reading for you. Good luck and stay well.

(CC) Stupid Cupid Tarot Some Rights Reserved

[lassify]

Psychological & Psycho-Educational Concepts in 'Inside-Out 2'

(I know, this is basically coming out of nowhere. I do humbly apologise 😂)

I am such a huge fan of the Inside-Out movies, and I was so excited to go and see the sequel in cinemas – and I have to say, it did not disappoint. The writers and the creators REALLY did their research, which showed up so clearly in so many exciting ways.

If you will indulge me, I would love a moment of your time to bring attention to each of the psychological and psychoeducational concepts alluded to, referred to, and discussed in Inside Out 2:

Emotional messages 

Something that the first film did perfectly, was introducing the idea that every emotion exists to communicate a message. Emotions are quite literally messages from the brain, giving us information about the environment and situations around us: 

The above are some of the more important emotions when it comes to survival, but I suspect that Ennui was added for comedy (they were a great addition, in fairness!), and Envy was added to remind the viewer of a key part of the teenage experience; the importance of fitting in, and belonging to a ‘tribe’. 

From an evolutionary perspective, it is extremely important for all humans to be part of a ‘tribe’. Banding together led to the best chances of survival; from protecting each other from predatory tigers (and other tribes), to sharing resources and food with each other. 

Therefore, we have developed emotions like Shame/Embarrassment and Envy to help motivate us to remain part of the tribe. At the core, all our brain wants is for us to survive.

Fear vs Anxiety 

When the second film was announced, along with the character Anxiety, I admit that I initially offered criticism of this, based on the fact that anxiety is very much a subset of fear.  

But Anxiety perfectly explained that Fear appears based on the things that can be seen, whereas Anxiety is the fear of things that can’t be seen. 

Anxiety was very convincing in her justification that she “plans for the future”, convincing both the characters and the audience that she really did know better for Riley, when actually, we have to remind ourselves that while our brains can be good at coming up with potential scenarios to prepare for, our thoughts are not facts.  

Let me say that again: thoughts are not facts. 

This was brilliant to see on screen, because anxiety can almost make us feel like we are predicting the future, when in fact, our brains may be ‘catastrophising’. Inside Out did a great job of showing us catastrophising in action, when it showed Anxiety putting a lot of mind-workers to the task of thinking up dozens of worst case scenarios. She justified it by saying that she wanted Riley to be ‘prepared’ and ‘happy’, but Joy herself knew that it was harmful because it stopped Riley from getting any sleep!  

Window of Tolerance 

This is concept is very widely used in Emotional Literacy 101, so I won’t give a full explanation of this, because it can get long and confusing, but you can watch a brilliant video explanation here.

In short, the “Window of Tolerance” is a psychoeducation term to describe the internal ‘window’ in which we can tolerate uncomfortable emotions and sensations. This window is sometimes also known as the ‘Green zone’, where we can think rationally, react calmly, and make decisions. (Note: It does not necessarily mean that being in the Green Zone makes us happy or calm, just that we can tolerate our more unpleasant emotions.) 

If a situation is too uncomfortable or distressing, this can take us outside of our Window of Tolerance, and we will automatically either be in ‘Fight or Flight’ (what psychologists would call the ‘Red Zone’) or ‘Freeze’ mode (otherwise known as ‘Blue Zone’). 

When the builders moved into Riley’s mind and updated the console, this very much narrowed Riley’s Window of Tolerance, which meant that it was harder for her to tolerate her emotions: A button pressed by Anger turned into instant rage. Sadness accidentally activated a state of despair. And Disgust turned into actual loathing.  

Although not explicitly named in the film, I loved the allusion to the Window of Tolerance, illustrating just how uncomfortable emotions can become when we reach puberty, and highlighting that every teenager is learning to adjust their Window of Tolerance.  

Helpful vs Unhelpful emotions 

This was such a small mention in the film, but I loved it anyway. Joy tried to reassure the basic emotions about Anxiety’s presence by saying “I know sometimes they can feel unhelpful...”, before noting that she managed to improve her understanding of Sadness.  

When giving psychoeducation about emotion management, we always try to move away from viewing emotions as positive/negative, and more towards helpful/unhelpful, because the truth is that emotions can be more or less helpful depending on the situation and what the message of the emotion is telling us.  

Imagine we are in a dark forest at night – this is when fear would be really helpful! By keeping us alert and on our toes, we can be better prepared for any potential danger. The same can be said for waiting for an interview – a little dose of anxiety can actually help us perform better in stressful situations (look up the Yerkes-Dodson curve).  

An emotion stops being helpful when it starts to cause harm to us, or when it doesn’t match the situation that we are in. For example, going food shopping in the supermarket, when we are suddenly struck with overwhelming anxiety, that stops us from being able to get food. In this situation, it is wholly unhelpful, because it stops us from functioning in a normal way.  

In Inside Out 2, Anxiety became an unhelpful emotion, because she stopped Riley from sleeping, from enjoying her favourite hobby, and created a panic attack.

Beliefs 

This concept is popularly used in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: Whether they are aware of it or not, everybody has subjective beliefs about themselves, the world, and other people around them, and these beliefs would have been entirely formed by experience and development. 

For example, a child who grows up in an environment that is healthy and safe, with parents who are loving and nurturing, will have formed generally positive beliefs about themselves, others, and the world around them: 

I am good. I am strong. I am worthy. I am loveable. 

Others are good natured. Others can help me. Others are trustworthy. 

The world is a good and fair place.  

These form part of our core beliefs. 

In contrast, when a child grows up in an unstable environment, doesn't often get their needs met, and their parents are inconsistent and unreliable, their core belief system will adapt to integrate these beliefs into their understanding of the world. This is also the case for children who grow up in abusive environments, whose parents may even be overtly harmful or destructive, and this will creative adaptive beliefs: 

I am bad. I am weak. I am unworthy. I am unlovable. 

Others can’t be trusted or relied on. Others can hurt me.  

The world is unjust and unfair, and isn’t a safe place. 

(Image is from Beck's Cognitive Triad)

Joy took Sadness and the viewers on a journey to the Core Belief system, and even showed a few examples of Riley’s positive self-concept (“I am a good person”).  

However, when Anxiety flooded the Core Belief system with hand-picked memories from Riley’s more anxious moments, Riley’s core belief system adapted, and created a new core belief: “I’m not good enough.”  

In Riley’s case, she does have strong attachments with her parents, and with her friends, but in that time frame where her strong attachment to her friends was threatened, even Riley was susceptible to developing negative self-beliefs.  

I personally loved this touch, because it really just goes to show how complex and multi-faceted human beings are. There are no people who are just ‘positive’ or just ‘negative’, but instead we all have a mix of core beliefs working together to create our sense of self.  

Attachment 

I touched on this briefly when talking about Core Beliefs, but attachment theory is an important framework to understand child development and human interpersonal relationships. Overall it’s a huge topic and I won’t go into too much detail on it (you can read more here), but in both Inside Out films, it is very clear that Riley has a strong and secure attachment to her parents - as evidenced by her resilient and positive self-concept.

I enjoyed that even though Riley demonstrates a secure attachment style (you can read about the different styles here), she is still susceptible to negative core beliefs: this is reflective of how humans are, that nobody is perfect, no parenting style is immune to outside influence, and it is still possible to carry both positive and negative self-concepts no matter what style of attachment we may have. 

However, I will emphasise that secure attachment by itself is also a protective factor for developing a healthy self-concept.

Psychology jokes 

Just for fun, because I like it and/or they made me laugh:

Emotional baggage: Anxiety arrived to headquarters carrying mountains of suitcases.

Bottling up emotions: When Anxiety literally puts Joy, Anger, Sadness, Disgust and Fear into a bottle to repress them. 

Brain Storm: self-explanatory, and oh so fun.

Sar-chasm: self-explanatory, and comedic genius. 

Overall I really enjoyed both the Inside Out films, but Inside Out 2 is a masterpiece of bringing psychological concepts to the everyday audience. It’s so clear how much love and work they put into the film. It made me cry -  and to me, that’s equivalent to a 10/10 rating.

Anyway, that's all from me. Go and watch Inside Out 2. 🥰💖 You won't regret it!

[adittyofdittos]

The party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command. And if all others accepted the lie, if all records told the same tale, then the lie passed into history and became truth.

- George Orwell, 1984

Musk responded to criticism of his salute:

And supporters chimed in with things such as Musk is autistic and just got over excited. Or that he was actually doing the Roman salute, imitating Mussolini (who Hitler stole the gesture from) and not actually Hitler or early cinema’s depiction of Imperial Rome (who Mussolini stole the gesture from because everyone thinks it’s real and not made up for the movies). Or even, like Musk, that it’s just not a big deal.

But, I’ll give Musk and his defenders this, in spite of the visual similarities:

I don’t actually think Musk’s intent was to say he’s really Hitler and to just sneak that by us.

Sure, I think would love to have the dictatorial power and authority that would come from being the leader of the 4th Reich but I still don’t think that was the purpose of this gesture in this moment.

I think what Musk really, strongly wanted to communicate to those who would understand it is that he is one of them.

It’s not, “I’m Hitler,” it’s “I, like you, am a White (Christian) Power Fascist.” Hitler merely happens to be the old and internationally recognized face of that belief. He could take or leave Hitler. Hitler isn’t the important part. The important part is being one of them.

The important part is the belief system.

The important part is for “YOU” to see and understand and be inspired to put on that shirt and those jackboots. Raise the flag. Salute AND love the ideal nation made of (and ONLY of) the ideal people. March out into the streets. And do what must be done.

At which point, yeah, “He’s Hitler,” is tired. It is boring. Because it’s meaningless. A debate about who he is emulating or what he was thinking or how he meant it IS a distraction.

The evidence of your eyes is right fucking there.

The meaning of what you saw is crystal fucking clear.

And the “YOU” he was talking to aren’t giving one single fuck trying to interpret it or parse it. They know what they saw just fine and are going to act accordingly.

He’s Musk. He’s one of them. What he hates they will hate. He will point. He will denounce. They will suit up. They will march out. And they will commit his violence for him. He is a commander. His job is to point out the targets. Their job is to destroy the targets. His job is to justify. Their job is to love the show.

Arguing semantics. Getting caught up in logic. Debating the real meanings and motives. That’s doing his job for him. It’s helping him put on the show. It’s giving him a platform for all the justifications. And it’s devoting energy to a useless mess instead of devoting that energy to actually doing something about his commands and the violence that WILL inevitably follow. Regardless of how stupid, ridiculous, and/or academic it may all seem at first.

[lafiametta]

If I see one more teen of Twitter say Anora is 'male gaze', I'm gonna scream. It's such a lazy critique and the term has lost all meaning thanks to being online. I have to say when I first saw the film I was surprised at how un-malegaze it was. Like the scenes of Ani doing her job are shot in a very neutral way imo. Yes breasts are visible, but they're not the focus. Male gaze would have the camera panning up and down the body, the breasts and ass, but that doesn't happen here. Like the scene of Ani doing the dance for Vanya isnt very sexy (imo) partly because of the setting in the living room, but also even when Ani's doing the sexy dance moves, the majority of the focus is on her face.

Plus, the sex scene are untitilating by design, mostly because of how shitty a 'lover' Vanya is lol. But even when there's nudity its either shown for just a second or it's obscured by the lighting or camera angle, that would NOT be the case if it was 'male gaze'. (Plus Vanya is as, if not more naked as Ani but no one brings that up).

I think the opening shot is the most 'male gaze' moment of the feel but even then it's a subversion. First of all it's set to a Take That song (got a big chuckle when I saw it in cinemas in Ireland), making the silliness of the job visible. But also when the camera reaches Ani and the title comes up, it stays on her face, not panning down as a 'male gaze' director would. It's almost like they're saying 'Hey pervs I know what you wanna see, but these bodies have real people behind them and this story is about one of them'.

I know opinions vary, I just think people are misusing the term (shocking). I think Baker did a good job or not demonising sex work, but not glamourising it either; its just another shitty job with no health insurance. Sorry for rambling lol.

No worries, I love a ramble — and, yeah, I think you're totally right. I mean, I'm not as privy to what the teens of Twitter are saying, but I think a lot of these media criticism terms get thrown around by people who don't really know what they're talking about (and probably just want to sound smart and sophisticated). Female nudity on camera does not automatically equate to the "male gaze" (just as male nudity on camera does not automatically equate to the "female gaze") and the only scenes where we see nudity in the film — at the club and the sex scenes with Ivan — are shot in a way that's not meant to be objectifying or titillating.

The opening shot, I would argue, is glamorizing, like the creation of a fantasy, with its slow pan and blue and violet lighting — but we're meant to recognize it as a fantasy because it immediately cuts (with a corresponding sharp musical cut) to Ani's rather unglamorous hustling for clients in the club (i.e. the reality).

The sex scenes with Ivan are definitely not titillating — the goal is not to make you desire Ani's body (even though it's a very nice body), but to make you feel bad for her and embarrassed for him. The scene where she dances for him in the mansion's living room could be interpreted (or misinterpreted) as "male gaze," I suppose, if you were only looking at Ani and had no other context. But it's almost too cringey to ignore: she's dancing to music out of a portable Bluetooth speaker that she puts next to a bag of Cheetos, and the person she's dancing for (the theoretical audience our vicarious "male gaze" shares) is a gawky kid in athletic socks, wearing big silver chains like he's some kind of gangster. Ani's clearly trying to create a fantasy for him, with her sexy dance moves and tiny pleated skirt, but it's almost so crass, so in-your-face that (at least in my opinion) it becomes fairly unsexy.

Ivan's too young and stupid not to get wrapped up in the immediate-gratification-based fantasy of it all, but as the audience, Baker is cluing us in to the reality of the fact that this is a performance. She's being paid by the hour. And she still doesn't have health insurance.

[l00rem]

Sammy Lawrence character analysis

I had a small epiphany recently about Sammy’s character which just recontextualized his entire character for me and I really wanted to write it down so here’s a mini essay about our beloved musician and prophet :)

I think one of the biggest questions people often have about Sammy as a character is why he never left JDS despite the fact he seemed quite aware of how horrible it was for his mental health and that he had the talent to get a better job. My answer to this is also the main basis of this entire analysis: Sammy is a person who would rather be treated horribly then be useless.

There are many examples of this throughout the entire series. To make things easier, I’ll be going through his character in a mostly chronological order.

Before being hired

To repeat what I said earlier, people find it quite strange that Sammy didn’t leave considering his level of talent and artistic genius. But I think it’s important that we flip this around. If Sammy has so much talent, how come before being hired by Joey he was taking on jobs that he clearly didn’t really want to be doing? To quote one of his scenes at the party:

‘ The man at the piano shook his head. He seemed annoyed.(…) Sammy was not a fan of attention and definitely didn’t like putting on a show like this’

So it’s obvious that performing to audiences isn’t how Sammy wanted to be using his talent. But judging by the amount of praise Joey heaps onto him, he could’ve gotten any job he wanted right?

This is where I’m going to start heading into headcannon territory, because we don’t really know much about Sammy before working with Jack apart from the fact he once worked for the cinema.

I think it’s highly possible that Sammy suffers from the case of being really gifted , but still not good enough. He’s definitely talented, he knows this himself. But for whatever reason he was never good enough to be hired to compose for movies or anything else he seemed he’d rather be doing. Perhaps this was because of his personality putting people off? He’s quite a straightforward guy, I wouldn’t be surprised if his employers didn’t appreciate his unsolicited criticism of their works ( in other words, they can’t handle his autistic swag lmao). In fact, going off of how suspicious and distrusting he is of Joey, Its possible that he’d been tricked or scammed by his past employers. Whatever the reason, it lead to him having to settle for less and not pursue his passion the way he truly wanted to.

This is why I think he’s surprisingly so easily hired by Joey. Sammy continuously acts like he’s disinterested in Joeys offer, even though we know he’s going to be working at this place for the next 16 years of his life. I believe this is because Sammy knows JDS needs him, he is too talented for this place which makes him important. Which means he’s useful and won’t be thrown away. This makes sense when you consider the state the music department is in when Sammy demands to see it.

‘ I opened the door to the small music room. An upright piano and music stand were tightly packed inside, barley able to fit in the space. (…) This definitely did not look impressive.’

The fact that Sammy immediately begins demanding things after seeing it says a lot too. It’s as if he’s immediately pushing to see what Joey will allow, to see how badly he needs him. The more desperate Joey is to hire him, the more safe and secure this job will be for him.

And so he takes as much control as possible, demanding complete creative control over his area. The more he’s responsible for, the more he’s proving himself useful. Even if this will lead to him having waaaay too much work for one person to handle.

Working at JDS

Sammy’s 1935 tape shows us just how much he’s willing to put up with as long as it means he’s useful. He’s completely aware of how overworked he is, but ignores this in favour of ‘ keeping the little devil happy’ which most likely refers to Joey. Despite how much he complains, I think he prides himself on being able to get so much work done in such little time. Perhaps he even sees being overworked as proof that the studio just needs him that much? That he’s that significant to the success of the cartoons? Joey probably also used this tactic to manipulate Sammy, to convince him that he’s only giving him so much work because he trusts and believes in him so much.

I think Joey also figured this out from the way he talks about Sammy in Tiol. In fact it’s as if he’s actively mocking him.

‘ I wouldn’t say I was lucky to get him as part of my team, nor that I’m lucky he’s stayed with me all these years.’

‘I can’t make anyone do anything, even as a boss.’

‘ I’d never trade Sammy Lawrence for anything.’

= ‘ oh yeah he’s really talented and could totally have another job if he wanted but I actually need him and would never throw him away! He totally has the will to leave if he wants to but he stays because he knows he’s wanted here :)’

Jack’s 1943 tape does seem to confirm that the studio needs Sammy. By 1943, bendy wasn’t very relevant. Most people hadn’t really heard about the cartoons. And yet Sammy and Jack were still winning awards for their songs. In Sammy’s mind this probably solidified that the studio needs him. He doesn’t care that Joey took the credit because that’s not what matters to him. Better to know your doing good at your job then to risk upsetting your employer.

It seems he prides himself on being able to take on so much work too. In the employee handbook there’s a newspaper article on how Joey mistreats his employees and here’s what Sammy has to say about it:

‘Some people can’t take it and that’s fine’- he’s highlighting the fact that he is someone who can take it and therefore is useful to the studio. He even seems to be projecting, calling those who drop out ‘ useless’.

I think ‘ love requires sacrifice’ isn’t actually something Sammy made up to appease bendy, it’s something he lived by for most of his life. He’ll sacrifice his entire mental health if it means he’ll be loved in return. Of course, this would later take on a more darker and literal meaning.

In fact, I think there’s another factor that contributed to Sammy not being able to leave. @threadedsafteypin wrote this analysis on how Sammy may have struggled with imposter syndrome:

https://www.tumblr.com/threadedsafetypin/668068661627600896/sammy-lawrence-having-imposter-syndrome-its-more

So this gives him another reason as to why he can’t leave. If he’s working at JDs because it enables him to feel wanted and useful, then quitting because he’s struggling would be literally admitting that there’s an area in music he struggles with. In his mind he’d be proving his insecurities right, that he’s not as amazing and talented as the world thinks he is.

But Sammy had people who cared about him that would’ve been able to prove to him he’s worth more then what he can do for others right? Probably, but I think he failed to see that because of how important it is for him to feel wanted.

Let’s look at his partnership with Jack. I do believe that they truly trusted each other and remained friends during their time at JDS. However, it wouldn’t surprise me if Sammy deliberately distanced himself from Jack. Sure, Jack is one of the few people Sammy seems to actually like, but would he leave Sammy for someone better if he realised how much Sammy was faking it? I doubt it. But Sammy’s fatal flaw is his lack of trust in other people, he’s so paranoid of being worthless in the eyes of other people that he’d rather isolate himself then risk losing them. Especially someone like Jack who is directly linked to him through his talent in music.

Tragically, I think his fallout with Susie would have confirmed this paranoia for him. From his perspective, Susie doesn’t like him anymore because she no longer works for him. He isn’t her boss, isn’t there to direct her anymore and is therefore useless to her. Of course, we know this isn’t the full story. Joey intentionally orchestrated Susie’s firing so that she’d think it was Sammy’s fault. It isn’t that she stopped caring about him because she didn’t need him anymore, it’s because she thought he’d abandoned her. This outcome is very beneficial for Joey, it’ll make Sammy more desperate to seek validation from working for Joey rather then his relationships with other people. So he’ll be more reliant on Joey, no matter how much work is shoved onto him. The moment someone doesn’t need him they’ll cut ties with him, so it’s best to stay with someone who obviously needs him.

Serving the ink demon

Sammy’s devotion to bendy is the best example of how far he’s willing to go to be useful to someone. I think when Sammy accidentally drinks ink for the first time he was actually in a very desperate position. In his letter to Joey at the start of Batdr he seems uncharacteristically worried.

Considering what we’ve established, it makes sense that he’d try to help the studio not shut down. If it does, not only will he lose the place he feels secure in, but it will also show that he wasn’t good enough to keep bendy successful ( this isn’t actually the case, we know it’s all Joeys fault for his spending habits, but I think this is how Sammy would see things).

Furthermore, by the time he gets infected Susie would have been fired for a while and Jack seems very absent in DCTL ( probably because he was murdered by Joey off screen) so Sammy would be lacking what little support system he actually had. Suffice to say, he would not have been doing mentally well.

Sammy knows this company is going down hill, it’s inevitable that it’ll go bankrupt at this point. He’s losing his purpose. Enter the ink demon. A terrifying and powerful being who promises to give him a new use. Sammy says it himself in Dctl:

‘It wanted me. He wanted me.’

‘The more I felt him. Heard him. I need to please him.’

He was so desperate to not be cast aside that he was literally willing to sacrifice his coworkers in order to be of use to someone.

And then he gets sent into the ink realm at some point and the ink demon presumably stops talking to him. He’s lost his purpose but doesn’t even have the option to leave anymore. So no wonder he deludes himself Into thinking bendy will set him free. He basically has no choice, if he faces the reality of his hopeless situation will he even be able to keep going?

He convinces himself that it’s all just a test, he hasn’t been abandoned, bendy does everything for a reason. He just needs to get him to notice him again through sacrifice to remind bendy of how useful he can be.

Bendy killing Sammy was a massive reality check for him. It sends him into a complete spiral as he’s forced to confront the truth that he’s been thrown away yet again. But he still can’t fathom why he’d been ‘ left to rot’. After all, he’d kept on sacrificing people like bendy originally wanted hadn’t he? He’d remained faithful even after being ignored for years, spent years praising bendy’s name despite all possible logic pointing against it!

He has nothing. He’s worth nothing. All the suffering he endured was for nothing. We can clearly see that Sammy despises being useless more then anything else. If bendy had kept on talking to him, even if it was all lies, he would have probably have been happier then facing the truth.

Having no purpose

He may have a stupidly small amount of screen time in batdr, but I think his jail scene still tells us a lot.

I’d go as far to argue that the Sammy we see in prison is probably his lowest point in the series that we’ve ever seen.

I mean just look at him. He doesn’t even turn to look at Audrey when she enters. He’s been told that his lord is dead, that he’s a false prophet, that nothing he’s done has mattered because no one is coming to free him. If this is how Sammy acts when he feels worthless it’s no wonder that he lied to himself about bendy being his lord. He’s completely dejected of all hope.

To add to this feeling of uselessness, it doesn’t even seem like he knows how to play anymore. It sounds like he’s trying to play hellfire follis but miserably failing. Not only does he fail as a prophet, but he can’t even be a musician- the last part of his identity he could even latch onto at this point.

And honestly, as happy as an ending as Batdr seems for most of the cast, I don’t think this’ll be the same for Sammy. After all, his lord has completely left the ink realm. He has no one to serve anymore. He’ll lose all his purpose, and everyone around him tells him this is supposed to be for the better? He’s supposed to be content with remaining an ink man for the foreseeable future just because there’s no other option?

I think Sammy actually has the potential to be a villain in the next game ( assuming we get one judging from that scene at the end). Maybe someone from gent, like Alan Grey, will somehow get in contact with him and promise to give him a use again. All he has to do is go against the residents of the ink realm in order to serve him. And if Sammy’s desperate enough, I wouldn’t be surprised if he accepted.

I really do hope we see more of Sammy. I don’t think the meatly is a particularly good writer so I’m not expecting some amazing character ark but tbh I’ll take any crumbs at this point. As long as they don’t make him forgive Joeys bs ‘redemption’ ark I don’t think they can mess up his character too badly. But I’ll guess we’ll have to see when the next bendy game comes out in five years.

[nuctoria]

Super Mermaid Bros (Part 2)

The brothers walked all the way to the underground pipe system of Brooklyn and kept watch for one another as they packed up their overalls, socks and boots before jumping in the water, letting their tails reconnect before swimming back home. The brothers were a pretty bumped at how their first day on the job went but Mario was quick to cheer himself and Luigi up, claiming it was just one time and that he was certain that things would get better from here on out.

Once they made it home, they hang their caps and took off their gloves. Their family paused their chatter when they heard the front door open and close and turned to them, all greeting the twins with a synchronized "Heyo!", the brothers responding in the same way as they sat in their respective seats at the dinner table, Mario next to his dad and Luigi next to his uncle, Tony. The family all together consisted of 9 merfolks; the brothers, their parents, Mia and Pio, their two uncles, Arthur and Tony, their aunt Marie, Arthur's wife, their grandfather and Marilyn, their cousin (I can't see her as the niece, she literally has Arthur's hair and she's sitting next to them like she's their daughter. Sorry folks).

"It's the 'Super Mario Brother'! From the TV!" uncle Tony exclaimed teasingly, laughing along with the grandfather across the table as the twins' mom gave him an annoyed side-glance. "They gave an Oscar for worse actors?" their other, Arthur, joined in the teasing only for his wife, Marie, to set him straight with a slap at the back of his head, confusing him.

The brothers didn't take them seriously or minded the teasing, Mario being happy that they all saw their commercial and asking for feedback, which only gave their uncles the opportunity for another round of teasing and laughing. Their mom however claimed it was amazing and should be in the cinema like Luigi had said back at the pizzeria. The brothers really appreciated the comment and gave their mom soft, grateful smiles.

That smile was gone from Mario's face when his dad placed a big scoop of spaghetti on Mario's plate with plenty of mushrooms in it. He always hated mushrooms, being the only one in the family that did. He took his fork and picked out all mushroom pieces from his plate, dropping them in Luigi's plate, as Tony started another conversation with him.

"Mario, seriously, what were you thinking with that commercial?" Tony asked a bit more seriously. "What? It's supposed to be funny" Mario responded, not even looking up from his plate while Luigi asked for the bread, getting ignored. "Yeah, but what's with the outfits? Plumbers wearing white gloves?" Tony asked again, getting a chuckle from Arthur. "That's right, we gotta have a trademark. Gotta stand out." Mario defended. "Don't listen to them, boys. The world laughed at Da Vinci too back then" their mom encouraged her sons as she passed a bowl of soup to Luigi.

Then Mario asked for his dad's opinion since he hadn't said a word this whole time and hoped he had a different opinion than his uncles. However, their dad admitted that he thought Mario was nuts to leave a steady job and blow their life savings on a commercial for a silly dream business. He didn't mean to wound Mario, he only wanted to give honest criticism since he's very experienced in the world-field, but the discussion was immediately over when he brought how Mario was dragging Luigi down with him.

Mario frowned, drained and hurt by what his dad said, and left the dinner table, swimming to his and Luigi's room. Everyone was shocked at what he had said and gave him looks of disbelief. Mia was the first to speak up about what Pio had just said, scolding him for being so harsh. Pio didn't think he didn't anything wrong, however, which prompted his own brothers to join in and said that he shouldn't have brought Luigi in the conversation since he knew how close the two were.

Luigi didn't engage in this argument, taking Mario's plate and working through it to take out all the remaining mushrooms from it. He put himself a plate as well after being done with Mario's and took both plates to his and Mario's shared room, where he found his brother staring at the screen of their TV with a solemn face.

"Hey." Luigi greeted his brother softly, swimming over to sit next to Mario, the NEWS channel on the TV barely audible. "You're not brining me down, big bro. You know what? What do they know!" Luigi tried to cheer up Mario but the older twin shook his head, rejecting the plate Luigi brought him. "It's not just them, Lu. Everyone has been telling us that we can't do this or that since we were fries. I'm just so tired of feeling like such a small fish..." Mario sighed.

But that changed when he finally paid attention at the TV to see that there was water main break that was flooding Brooklyn. At this, Mario's face lit up and he hurried up from his bed. "Luigi, this is our chance! Destiny is calling!" "Destiny Delvachio from school?" Luigi asked, thinking his brother was talking about their old classmate. "No that one! This is our chance to prove that we can still be plumbers! Come on!" Mario took ahold on Luigi's hand and dragged him out of their room and out of the house.

The two mermen swam all the water to the underground water system of Brooklyn, where the water break was taking place. Since they came here daily, they knew it like the back of their hands. Luckily for them, the place had flooded enough for the break to be underwater and they could work on it much easier since they wouldn't have to be extra cautious to keep their tails split.

Luigi decided to keep hold of their tools and let Mario do the plumbing for now, looking around with an nervous look on his face. He didn't really like how much darker it was here at night. The pipe Mario was working on started shaking violently as he tried to hold it still. Luigi swam over and tried to help keep it steady but it ended up bursting and swinging the brother to a break wall with such force that it broke on impact and sent the mermen to the room on the other side.

After the two had sat up, they looked around them and were shocked to see what they ended up finding by accident. The place was like a whole different pipe system, one that they had never seen before. Judging by the looks of it, no one had known of this place for ages. The water was pouring in from the broken wall but judging from how far down this new place went, it'd take ages for it to even fill up a quarter of a way. This allowed the brothers to split their tails and explore the new area while walking around.

Down and down the went, walking down staircase after staircase, ladder after ladder, it's like it never ended. Luigi tried to keep track of what directions they took and the details around them, fearing they'd up getting lost with how far down they went. By the time they got to the bottom, the water that had rushed in had filled about 12 feet of this place. Based on how dirty it was, it must have gathered up over the years and the break helped fill it up more. It was no problem for them.

They dived in the water to have a look around. "Eww. This water is so gross! M-maybe it's best if we head back, this doesn't seem safe." Luigi suggested, cringing uncomfortably at how dirty the water felt, looked and even tasted. "Just a quick look, Lu. We'll be out soon." Mario promised, not taking his eyes off of his surroundings. He only turned around when he heard the clanging sound of a pipe bring hit.

He saw one of his and Luigi's wrenches laying inside a large green pipe but Luigi was nowhere to be found.

Worry started creeping in Mario when he couldn't see Luigi all of a sudden, even more so when he wouldn't answer his calls to his name. Mario swam over and picked up the wrench from the floor, slowly inching deeper into the pipe to see if he could spot Luigi.

The wrench was suddenly ripped out of his hand by a strong current that soon not even he could fight against as he was sucked into the pipe.

----------

Hope you guys enjoy! @istadris @itsavee4117 @vulpixfairy1985 @billinshoes @fruitytiff @keakruiser

[dalesramblingsblog]

Not gonna lie, maybe this is supremely petty of me (it is), but as someone who is the very embodiment of a casual gamer and can name vastly more video games than he has ever actually played, the backlash to the Minecraft movie trailer is perversely satisfying to me, because... yeah no shit, of course this was what Hollywood was always going to turn out.

Like did you really think that a video game movie languished in development hell for a decade because they were just sitting on an absolute gold mine of an idea, and not that they had consistently and singularly failed to get any idea off the ground? Then again, the Mario movie was supposedly going to be the absolute worst thing in history because Chris Pratt, only to have the discourse completely shift to how wrong the evil/woke critics were to think the Italian plumber kids' movie wasn't the single defining moment of twenty-first century cinema.

So y'know, capital G gamers are both fickle and whiny. Shocking information. See you all in a few months when a clip referencing the Yogscast or some shit goes viral and everyone decides that you're not allowed to bad-mouth it without being shot in the back of the head and dumped on the I-405.

sidebar to get ahead of this before some smart-arse points it out: "oh you're just mad 'cause they called out critics"

uh yeah actually i do kinda take issue with hordes of people spouting borderline anti-intellectual rhetoric about how the thing i do for a pseudo-living is empty and meaningless. it's just like the widespread "haha what if the author just wanted to make le curtains le blue" snickering. like yeah am i expecting everyone to deep dive into the relationship between auteurism and profit under the capitalist studio system in order to analyse a random book trilogy? no of course not, i fully understand that i'm just very mentally ill and probably have an outsized grasp of my own writing abilities.

but looking down your nose at people who choose to think about media in that way is indicative of nothing more than your own staggering lack of curiosity, and it's a pretty good answer for how you get to a declaration that the people of the uk have had enough of experts, or a world in which there's a real possibility that americans are somehow going to look at the events of 2017 to 2021 and say "more of that please" come november.

so no, don't expect me to coddle your desire to retreat from the world back into your fond childhood memories just for the sake of it. that's not a critic's job.

[leih-dupont]

After seeing so much on here and Twitter about #SaveTheAcolyte and all the nonsense going on within. I felt that, as a lifelong fan of Star Wars, enough was enough. To all publications that pander to the loud minority in this fan base, I present my short counterargument.

Attack my opinion all you want. I know where I stand. And that is with those in this fanbase who are tired of being ignored and disregarded. Cast aside and overlooked. We were here first. Our voices matter, too. #CancelTheAcolyte #fireKathleenKennedy #saveStarWars

I want to make something absolutely unequivocally clear. The Acolyte failed (and yes, it did fail) because of a very definitive, very decisive reason.

Disney, after purchasing Lucas Films and Star Wars, chose to spit in the face and no longer regard the older/”legends” fan base as a viable audience, or take into consideration their ideas, opinions, or viewership in favor of a new untapped market-because they know that the previous fan base was not going to agree with the changes that they were going to make. And, by pandering to a new, oblivious audience-they could get away with more destruction.

After the purchase, Disney and Kathleen Kennedy chose to “erase” decades of extended universe content that was deeply loved and cherished by the older fan base. Yet, not long after, the bad reception of some of their early projects was met with harsh criticism. Criticism that was met with asinine claims that there was nothing to work with and that Star Wars was creatively difficult to expand upon. It is thanks to the older fan base that this beloved franchise has survived as long as it did. And it is that very same fan base that Disney offensively chooses to ignore in favor of a new audience that has very little knowledge or understanding of the franchise as a whole, which they can now pandering towards with little push back.

To Disney, “our version” Star Wars no longer exists. It was killed and made obscure. Obsolete. Completely irrelevant as only their version of Star Wars is allowed to exist now. A version that they can control, twist, manipulate, and market to a generation of fans that will never know about the magnificent, beautiful, and masterfully crafted world that has been our escape for 40+ years. Stories that have given life to the Galaxy we wanted to be a part of.

I will admit that Disney; while in control of Star Wars, has done an acceptable job at creating wonderful new content and shows like the Bad Batch, Rebels, Rogue One, Season 7 of The Clone Wars, the Mandalorian (S1+2), and Andor. However, that does not mean we can overlook, nor does it justify the existence of other projects that have been routinely seen as critical failures amongst a majority of the fan base. Projects that have attempted to return ideas, concepts, and storylines from past extended universe properties and instead twist them into a crude and shameful attempt at pandering towards the older audience. Attempts that has left members of the older extended universe fan base enraged as beloved storylines, characters, concepts, plot points and themes we all have cherished for decades have become bastardized and pathetically interpreted in a lazy attempt to make us feel heard. THAT is why the Acolyte failed.

I worry that if Disney continues down this path of negligence and ignorance towards the older members of this fan base-it will only lead to further and further critical failures that will even further tarnish the reputation of Star Wars in the pop-culture zeitgeist. We are not some “loud minority” that kicks and screams when we see a “strong powerful LGBTQ+ woman of color” on screen. We ARE the VERY foundation of this franchise. And we are exhausted from seeing what is becoming of our childhood under the umbrella of a multi-billion dollar corporation’s need to further satiate its unquenchable greed. We are scared that Star Wars will no longer become this incredibly important and innovative piece of cinema history, but that it will soon become a shell of a once great franchise that brought millions of people together in a galaxy far, far away…

[kylesvariouslistsandstuff]

SHREK 2, approaching its 20th anniversary, took in around $1.3 million this past weekend... In its first theatrical run since its original release.

I have a movie theater job, and I worked this past Friday. Spring break for many schools was this past week, and this week too. Those screenings on Friday at my cinema were often packed, and a lot of them were packed with kids. As in, kids who were born well after this movie originally hit theaters. And *after* SHREK FOREVER AFTER was released, at that.

Yeah, there's some multi-generational appeal there with SHREK and SHREK 2.

Some animation fans jeered at the SHREK movies back in the day, feeling that their early 2000s attitude and pop culture references-aplenty scripts would date them, ditto their art direction and design... But no, nostalgia is very strong, especially when it's passed down. These movies appeal to little kids today. The second PUSS IN BOOTS movie being more recent also helps.

It goes to show that at the end of the day, the characters and what the movie does with them can make something a long-lasting flavor.

And I'm saying this, as someone who is not the biggest fan of those movies myself. As a kid, I did *love* SHREK and SHREK 2. I was the perfect age for them, you could argue - I was 8 1/2 when SHREK came out, 11 1/2 when SHREK 2 hit. I could probably quote whole sections of them verbatim. I know it's sacrilege to say these things, but to me, the SHREK movies are basically the animated equivalent of late '90s/early '00s live-action comedies that were usually made for adults, but in PG-rated form. Set in a fractured fairy tale world with ogres and talking donkeys and dragons and such. If not for those fantastical elements, these movies could've been some '00s live-action comedies with hot stars. They just have that vibe to them, right down to their contemporary soundtracks.

I don't see the first two SHREK movies as the high-water marks of the animation medium that they were sometimes made out to be by critics who didn't see animation as anything other than babysitter fluff. In addition to feeling that MONSTERS, INC. deserved the inaugural Best Animated Feature Oscar over this film, I also never bought that the first two SHREKs were these "revolutionary" "adult" alternatives to whatever Disney had out at the time. There's a roughly 2-second scene in Ralph Bakshi's X-rated FRITZ THE CAT - from 1972 - that's a way better satire of Disney than this movie is said to be, haha. I know at least one person who doesn't really like animation, but they will admit that they liked SHREK. That tells me a lot... SHREK was an animated movie that managed to appeal to just about everybody, including folks who would otherwise not bother with cartoons. It just has that zazz to it... Their core appeal, well specifically, SHREK 1 & 2, is undeniable. How many other relatively chill, less formal comedies like this did you see in mainstream feature animation at the time? It's not zany like, say, Disney's similarly irreverent buddy comedy THE EMPEROR'S NEW GROOVE from five months earlier, nor is it like Pixar's clever, tightly-plotted movies.

The first SHREK movie hit a sweet spot with a lot of American audiences at the right time. Adult audiences who were burnt out on Disney's Renaissance formula being repeated for each movie after THE LION KING, and especially all the movies made at other studios following their lead. Like ANASTASIA and QUEST FOR CAMELOT. Even DreamWorks' own THE PRINCE OF EGYPT, for that matter. These big, grandiose musical pictures... Certain young film fans nowadays will say "those movies went SO HARD", but back in the late '90s/early '00s, the attitude towards them was "Okay, enough of that already." They were often called things like "politically correct", that era's version of "woke". Audiences wanted an animated film that they could just laugh and have a fun time with, without the moral messaged in a specific way.

Adults had also avoided the slew of edgy action-adventure animated movies aimed at a demographic that would never be there, films like DreamWorks' THE ROAD TO EL DORADO, along with Disney's ATLANTIS: THE LOST EMPIRE and Fox's TITAN A.E.

So you have this particular landscape of animated features, circa early 2001... Big grandiose family-friendly musicals that have become rather traditional, and these action-adventures for preteen boys that few were interested in seeing in theaters. Few exceptions are in-between, like THE IRON GIANT, but those were ignored because of other circumstances. IRON GIANT by all means should've been a small respectable success back in 1999 at the very least, if not a sleeper hit/blockbuster, but distributor Warner Bros. didn't believe in it. That's the animated movie landscape of early 2001... and then this chill comedy with dick jokes and a gross-out factor to it comes along... Right place, right time, planets aligned... One person put it this way: SHREK was an animated movie that "you could have a beer with."

And to think that SHREK was at one point shaping up to be a cursed, troubled production. Something that animators were punished with. An impending bomberoo, a film that was stopped and restarted, that lurched through a tumultuous 5-year journey...

Then the sequel went on to break records in the spring/summer of 2004, a high that the later films in the franchise couldn't rekindle.

SHREK THE THIRD certainly made a lot of money back in 2007, it was the highest-grossing animated movie of that calendar year, beating out the likes of THE SIMPSONS MOVIE and RATATOUILLE... but I don't remember it landing the way SHREK 2 did. I remember seeing it opening weekend with my dad, my good friend, and his family... and... largely forgetting about it afterwards! I was in high school at the time, and had mentioned one day that a fourth one was coming. This was around late 2007, by the time SHREK 3 was out of theaters and close to DVD release. (And HD-DVD as well, remember that?) One of my classmates responded, "Ugh, they're making another one?" A new SHREK movie wasn't as novel and fresh by then, and when SHREK FOREVER AFTER came out in the spring of 2010, I remember everyone being hyped about TOY STORY 3 - opening less than a month later... Not a word on the fourth green ogre movie. SHREK 4 still made plenty of dough though, it was bigger worldwide than here. Then DreamWorks pumped the breaks on the green ogre, as FOREVER AFTER was billed as "The Final Chapter".

It's interesting to note that DreamWorks' original plan was to make five SHREK movies, and PUSS IN BOOTS would be a direct-to-video movie with the subtitle THE STORY OF AN OGRE KILLER. The fifth SHREK movie would've been a prequel, interestingly enough. But over time, as PUSS IN BOOTS graduated to theatrical feature film and was given to SHREK 3 director Chris Miller, the plans slightly changed...

PUSS IN BOOTS had a rather blah opening in fall 2011, no doubt fueled by franchise fatigue and arriving just a little over a year after SHREK 4... but the cat legged it up something fierce. Because it was pretty good, and for some, a return to form after two lackluster SHREK sequels. It was right for the time, too. An old-school swashbuckling adventure for the family, featuring a fan favorite character from the SHREK sequels. I'm not sure a Donkey or Gingy spin-off would've landed the same way, lol. I remember the early 2010s being a time of more sincere animated movies, a country mile from the ironic early 2000s attitude of the first SHREK movie and all of its imitators. PUSS IN BOOTS Uno was more in line with those kinds of movies, and some of the classic-style adventure movies that DreamWorks had out at the time, like HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON and the first two KUNG FU PANDA films. Their then-recent comedies, like MONSTERS VS. ALIENS and THE CROODS, leaned in a more cartoony and wacky direction. The early 2010s, to reiterate, were way different from the early 2000s in terms of animated movie output. What goes on in the world moves the needle as much as the pop culture does, indeed.

So then, some 11 years and at least one period in limbo later, PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH comes out. An exciting reinvention of the whole franchise, and arriving after a decade-long void where SHREK became something of a meme. Add in nostalgia, word-of-mouth, THE LAST WISH was a gradual trip back into the world of SHREK for many audiences. A big hit in the end, and a beloved movie. It's certainly my favorite movie in this series, for sure. I still find it neat how they didn't just do the safe thing and simply make a SHREK 5 after Comcast acquired them, no. They stuck to that long-gestating PUSS IN BOOTS sequel and saw it through first, as a sort-of lead in to new SHREK movies... And still did something amazing with it, when it could've just been another typical-style SHREK universe movie. It could've also been the movie that it was initially planned to be.

I have no doubt that SHREK PLEADS THE FIFTH, when it hits in a few years, probably makes a good run at highest-grossing animated movie of all-time. SHREK 2 was just that for six years. $919m back in 2004 - without 3D, IMAX, and other such premium formats - was **massive**. TOY STORY 3 took the crown thereafter, and held onto that for three years. SHREK 5's target to beat is the 2019 CG remake of THE LION KING, $1.6 billion. If you don't count that, FROZEN II with $1.4 billion.

I wonder if this re-release of SHREK 2 sparks Universal and DreamWorks to re-release other older films of theirs. Maybe even one that didn't do so hot back in the day? This year also happens to be SHARK TALE's 20th, and MONSTERS VS. ALIENS' 15th. 2014 saw the release of three movies: MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2, and PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR. 2019 saw the arrival of HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: THE HIDDEN WORLD and ABOMINABLE.

Who knows...

I think they should re-release animated movies more often, no matter the studio. The SHREK 2 re-release opened wider than the three recent Pixar first-time ever theatrical runs of movies that went straight to Disney+, and people turned out for it. It also helps that the movie is that old, whereas those three Pixars aren't that old. SOUL, the oldest of that trio, came out Christmas 2020. Not even four years ago.

Now, if Disney re-released a Pixar film wide like - say - THE INCREDIBLES this year, I'd imagine it'd get *some* traction like this SHREK 2 re-release did. Or if Disney did the same to an animated feature like LILO & STITCH. Remember those 3D re-releases of various Disney Animation and Pixar films? THE LION KING did quite well in 2011, while everything else barely made half of that... But still quite a bit nonetheless. $40m+ for, say, FINDING NEMO in 2012 is something a new animated feature would fight for today.

Every year, my cinema does the Studio Ghibli fest. Most of the beloved movies... Ya know, little tiny unheard-of movies like SPIRITED AWAY and PRINCESS MONONOKE? Always sold out to the front row.

The original KUNG FU PANDA ran for a few weeks earlier this year in the lead-up to KUNG FU PANDA 4, and a few people showed up for those screenings.

Yeah... More re-release of animated movies, please. Plus, they're great to experience on the big screen again.

[kiwiana-writes]

Which of your favourite books got bad adaptations? Do you feel Rwrb was a decent adaptation? How do you feel about the casting? What about a sequel? Hope it’s still honesty hour!

It's always honesty hour! A follow-up to this ask.

Answering the middle question first because I'm filled with chaos: I do think the RWRB film was overall a good adaption! There were parts of the book I missed desperately (June obviously, but also Liam and Raf my beloveds) and things about it that I would have preferred to be different, but I have criticisms of the book too which don't stop me loving it, and overall I really enjoyed the film. I thought the casting was fantastic, very impressed with TZP's ability to bring 'chaotic little shit' energy without actually being the short king of the book 🤣 and Nick did an excellent job with Henry. There's a lot going on in the book, and I do think streamlining it for a film was a smart move, even if it meant we lost some amazing stuff.

Regarding a sequel... I'd rather no sequel than a bad sequel, and while I trust Casey with their characters, approaching something film-first does wind up with a different structure to a novel that's turned into a film, the third-act misunderstandings that I hate, etc. I'd rather they wrote another book that could then get adapted, but I'm aware that's the most unlikely approach to be taken lol. Also, based on some of the reactions to Henry's bonus chapter, people get very attached to their post-canon headcanons and I feel like a sequel runs the risk of being divisive. Like, I want a sequel because I want more of Alex and Henry, but I would not enjoy all the Discourse™️ it would inspire.

Favourite books with bad adaptions! I'm still bitter over The Lovely Bones a decade and a half later, though not as much as My Sister's Keeper lol. The Dark Tower can get in the fucking bin. Sometimes I think about how desperately teenage MJ wanted an Artemis Fowl adaption and then we got... that. 11.22.63 was actually a decent miniseries but I hated it as an adaption of one of my favourite Stephen King books. I wanted to like Death on the Nile but holy FUCK. Fucking... Justice League I almost walked out of the cinema. There are probably more that are fully blocked from my memory lmao.

[Honesty hour, ask me anything!]

*I realise opinions on the film and on the bonus chapter differ from mine. I respect those opinions, I will defend to the death your right to hold them, but I also, in the most respectful possible way, don't care and have no interest in debating them. I say this with all the love in the world, but also a desire to protect my peace.

[frida-kahl-of-the-rocky-horror]

I am very pro-Palestine (as someone who grew up in the Middle East) and while I think there are valid criticisms of how large movie studios are treating actors like Jenna Ortega who speak out in solidarity with Palestine, what is not cool or valid are people saying this is proof that “Jews run Hollywood”

Now let me be clear, this is mostly white Leftists who have no direct connection to this conflict saying this

But let me explain why Jewish Americans have such a prevalence in Hollywood

1. During the late 1800s and early 1900s, prior to the rise of the Nazis, antisemitism was still prevalent, particularly in France, Germany, and the Austro Hungarian empire. Jewish people in many places were barred from traditional jobs, with one job they were allowed to do being banking (since in the Bible, it says Christians couldn’t loan money to other Christians but it didn’t say anything about Jews loaning money and hey people need to borrow money. A similar thing happened in majority muslim countries with Christians). Because when filmmaking when to Europe after being pioneered in USA it was an unregulated market, many Jewish Austro Hungarians or Jewish Germans worked in this industry because hey, being an accountant FUCKING SUCKS AND NOT EVERYONE WANTS TO DO IT

2. As restrictions both on cinema as well as antisemitic laws became more prevalent in Europe, many of these Jewish filmmakers immigrated to the nation of immigrants USA, and, due to how immigration flows from Europe transpired, they landed in the Northeast of the USA, where the American filmmaking market was headquartered and thus were able to quickly continue their craft, especially as filmmaking was still seen as a underclass job

3. Funny Gene

4. If you aren’t a WASP in the USA, that is to say, you aren’t privileged, you’re more likely to have a drive do better and actually create talent. This extends to all minorities including Jews. And because Hollywood was still racist, minorities who were white passing enough — like Jews, the Irish, and Italians (think about how many Italian directors and actors you know of) — inevitably rose to the top

I think this scene from South Park says it all:

Kyle: My message is, we can't control what people say, so we have to be smart about what we choose to believe. If one idiot says that a certain group "runs Hollywood", look into it. With very minimal effort, you will find that "Hollywood" is a multi-tiered industry run by tens of thousands of people from all over the world. In the past, Jews were shut out of most professions, so they came to dominate vaudeville, which back then was considered too low-brow for good Christians. Those Jews eventually moved West and started the first movie studios when movies were also considered work for the underclass, and their descendents are now a decent percentage of the thousands of people of all races that make Hollywood run.

Fuck Antisemitism. Free Palestine

[mx-piggy]

Okay I've finally watched the new Futurama... almost a week after it came out. In my defence, I had a pretty busy week, if you can class 'binge-watching several movies ready to go see stuff at the cinema and trying and failing to get some sleep before job interviews' as being busy. I digress. So, here's my review of The Temp. Spoilers ahead!!

This season has been consistently strong so far.

The Temp is an example of an episode that is all-around good; I'd rank it pretty highly amongst these revival episodes. The story is interesting, most of the jokes land, there's a lot of fun cameos and references for simpletons like myself to point at excitedly. After the devastating end of Quids Game, it was fun to see Futurama showing how great of a sci-fi comedy it is, with a fun, sci-fi, Twilight Zone-esque premise that is packed with strong comedy.

This episode definitely could have turned out more meanspirited than it did, but the crew constantly forgetting who Frank was never, for me anyway, veered into the cruelty of some of the Comedy Central episodes. I'd say that it stayed in the territory of funny, as opposed to doing a disservice to the characters like the Comedy Central era did.

The Temp actually reminded me a bit of Homer's Enemy, not just because Frank shares a name with Frank Grimes, and both episodes are named after each Frank. But, this episode feels a lot lighter than Homer's Enemy.

My only real issue with the episode is that the pacing feels a bit off at the end. I do appreciate its attempt at using a unique structure, and I would love to see further attempts from the revival to use a more a unique story structure without it being reserved for more emotionally-driven episodes like Quids Game. That said, I guess that it feels like, by the time Frank takes over Fry's identity in the main bit of the episode, it only lasts for a few minutes before they find the real Fry again. So, in total, there's only around seven or eight minutes where, as the episode synopsis describes, 'a mysterious temp worker takes over Fry's job, as well as his entire life', and we get around five minutes of that at the beginning, then three minutes in the middle of the episode. That and the six week timeskip leaves the episode feeling a bit rushed at the end, so it made it feel a bit underdeveloped. Again, it's just a minor criticism, and I liked the episode as it was; the structuring did make for an interesting story overall.

Part of me is tempted to write a Homer's Enemy-esque character study of Frank to satisfy my love of exploring characters whose lives kinda fucking suck lmao.

Something I really enjoyed about this episode is all the cameos and references it has. There's the Omicronians, Calculon, the Robot Mafia, Zoidberg's Uncle. And, I loved the incorporation of Amazonian Women in the Mood into this episode's story. It was such a fun, clever choice, and (unlike with Children of a Lesser Bog) it wasn't delivered in a clunky way. I also loved the Professor's 'I'm already in my pyjamas' (and how they subvert it).

And, this episode was so funny that I couldn't possibly list everything that made me laugh. Probably the biggest laugh was Bender's 'who the hell is he?'.

Overall, I probably liked The Temp a bit more than Quids Game and a lot more than The One Amigo, because I really enjoyed having an episode where we got to see the Planet Express crew together. Right now, I'd give this one a 7.5/10. I've used the word 'fun' far too much in this review (my apologies) but I really do want more fun episodes like this with interesting sci-fi premises and a mystery element to them, all the while being comedically strong.

As always, let me know what you thought about this episode!