#that's why we have the 3rd act conflict like you are not fun or edgy if the 3rd act conflict

[capinejghafa]

I KNOW WHAT ROAD TRIP BY BETH O'LEARY IS GOING FOR... AND YET. Listen, you are not 500 days of summer, babe.

[battlestar-royco]

here is part 2 of my sci fi recs masterlist! again, i could’ve gone on with even more recs but i decided to draw the line here. this set for the most part errs on the darker side, thematically, visually, conceptually etc. i personally find it super thought-provoking and intriguing but that’s just me. i highly recommend reading the tw under the cut if you’re thinking of watching, especially the matrix and space gothic slides. please view at your discretion <3

part 1/2

If you like WLW (um idk why I only made this slide based on identity; it just kinda happened lmao but I think it works):

Siren: (tw: parent loss, grief, thalassophobia) a mermaid surfaces in a cove town looking for her lost sister. Polyamorous relationship between a man, a black/indigenous woman, and the mermaid!!!! Environmentalism! As a person who has thalassophobia, I didn’t find this too hard to watch. There aren’t that many underwater scenes, thankfully.

Black Mirror: San Junipero: (tw: grief, but otherwise none that I recall; it’s pretty lighthearted) two women meet in a beach resort in the 80s and fall in love. Interracial wlw!

Orphan Black: (tw: suicide, infertility, rape implication, VB, language, drug use) a woman realizes she is one of several clones and uncovers an elaborate corporate conspiracy. This is one of my personal favorites with great rep of complex women of all ages and bodily autonomy. Several central queer characters and a black male secondary character!

Starfish: (tw: grief, a few jump scares and brief monstrous imagery, blood) after the death of her best friend, a young woman breaks into the deceased’s apartment and discovers a chain of music tapes that could save the world. Weird, subtle, and experimental. Not to sound like a surfer but you kinda have to allow yourself to be in the vibe. The main character and her friend were definitely a thing imo.

Annihilation: (tw: body horror, VB, disturbing imagery) a team of women scientists explore an anomaly that rapidly mutates genes. There are canonical and coded wlw and multiple (light-skinned) POC in this but the rep is short-lived. I put it on because although it should’ve been more ambitious with the casting, I think it breaks *some* ground for Hollywood sci fi with the all-woman team and more than one WOC. Wack ending though.

Mad Max: Fury Road: (tw: rape implication, violence) I think everyone knows about this one but: in the apocalypse, a woman breaks 4 younger women out of a harem. A badass car chase across the desert ensues. A bit light on plot/worldbuilding, but sooooo cool-looking and very thematic!!!!

If you liked STRANGER THINGS:

It: (tw: VB) don’t actually watch this lmao I’m serious. It’s really stupid, and not in a funny way. But I do think Stranger Things was inspired by this story overall. The modern It films are better but they’re also really kjslsklskls stupid? Stephen King in general is obsolete imo.

The Thing: (tw: VB) an alien that can take the form of others wreaks havoc on a scientific facility in Antarctica. It’s dark and vibey, but I feel like it’s just Alien in Antarctica with truly terrible special effects tbh?? Others feel differently. It’s also classified as sci fi/horror, so stay away if you’re easily scared! Not too good on representation.

Super 8: (tw: some language) a group of preteens witnesses an alien-caused train crash as they’re filming a home movie. Not diverse but I definitely think it inspired a lot of sci fi for the 2010s, ESPECIALLY Stranger Things. Not too scary either!

ET: (tw: it’s been a really long time since I watched so I don’t remember but it’s rated PG) I think everyone knows what this is about!

Alien: (tw: VB) truckers in space discover a deadly evolving alien. One of my favorite movies of all time! I love the aesthetic and the mood and worldbuilding so much. Ellen Ripley is one of the first Final Girls in the horror genre. I personally found this more of a sci fi than a horror movie but I’d say stay away if you’re nervous!!

Terminator: (tw: VB) a deadly android is sent to kill a woman who’s destined to birth the man who saves the world. Terminator 2 is way better imo because it centers on Sarah rather than the dudes saving her and trying to kill her. But it’s still worth a watch, you know, for the culture.

If you liked CONTAGION:

War of the Worlds: (tw: blood) pretty straightforward aliens come to Earth to take over. Sorry to rec another T*m Cruise movie but I really like the alien design and the apocalypsey feel of this one. Baby Dakota Fanning is in it too!

Falling Skies: (tw: VB, body horror, rape) alien invasion yada yada but the alien lore gets more interesting as it goes on. It’s kind of cheesy and yeah maybe I did discover it by looking up the iCarly boyfriend (and what about it??) but it’s nice to have on in the downtime. An Asian woman co-stars.

Knowing: (tw: blood) school students unearth a time capsule that contains a sheet from a girl who predicted all the tragic world events between 1959-2009. This is NOT a good movie but it’s SO hilarious to me because of the acting and contrivances. Fun to group-watch!!!!

10 Cloverfield Lane: (tw: VB, emotional abuse) a woman wakes up in a bunker to a captor who tells her that the world has fallen to alien apocalypse. I think this movie elevates the original Cloverfield in pretty much every way. Again, super tense and moody. The conflict revolves around whether or not the captor is being truthful.

Train to Busan: (tw: extreme VB and disturbing imagery) a man and his daughter are on a train when a zombie hops on at the last minute. It’s Korean with an all-Asian cast; Choi Woo-shik co-stars. I definitely wouldn’t watch if you’re scared of blood and gore. It’s very gross and violent.

12 Monkeys: (tw: ableism, violence) a man from the 2030s is sent back to the 1990s to prevent the plague that will end the world. I think the aesthetics of this are really cool but otherwise it’s not a favorite. But I think it appeals to people who like apocalypse and time travel stuff!

If you liked THE MATRIX:

Strange Days: (tw: rape, sex, nudity, VB, racism, police brutality) memories can be saved to hard-drives and sold on the black market for exorbitant prices. Very problematic and triggering presentation of rape, but young Angela Basset stars and there’s a condemnation of police brutality that’s still relevant 20+ years after its release.

Upgrade: (tw: ableism, VB, fridging) a disabled man installs an AI in his spine to help him move and investigate the murder of his wife. The premise is glaringly ableist and I feel weird even recommending it tbh but it’s got great visuals and a few good twists.

Altered Carbon: (tw: VB, weird interracial body switching, uhhh I haven’t finished this one IDK) in a society where human bodies are interchangeable, a man wakes up in a new body after 300 years of his mind being dormant. A Latina woman co-stars, two Asian characters in a subplot, a few other POC here and there as well. I think season 2 stars a black man.

eXistenZ: (tw: VB, anti-Asian racism, general weirdness? IDK it’s hard to describe. There are guns made out of bones and weirdly sexual visuals.) after someone tries to assassinate her, a video game designer and her bodyguard must play through her virtual reality game in order to save the only copy of the game.

Minority Report: (tw: VB, eye removal/insertion) all crimes are predicted and criminals reported before they are committed. The main character is preemptively accused of murder. This one is really white but it was one of the first movies that got me into sci fi. Early 2000s Colin Farrell <3.

If you liked WESTWORLD:

Humans: (tw: uncanny valley, objectification) androids are household helpers and public assistants throughout Britain until one day they start developing consciences. It hits a lot of the themes of Westworld without all the unnecessary pretentiousness, “edginess,” and “grittiness,” and it stars Gemma Chan and Colin Morgan!!

Blade Runner 2049: (^) an android is ordered to find and kill a human/android hybrid. It’s not without its issues but it’s one of my favorite movies of all time, right up there with Alien. So beautiful, so thematic, so thought-provoking (to me, anyway. I know a lot of people thought it was way too slow).

Ex Machina: (^) a man is invited to a private estate to help test the intelligence of an android. It’s kind of predictable imo but you know Oscar Isaac and Sonoya Mizuno are in it so we have to stan, and so is Domhnall Gleeson, for the SW fans! I like how isolated and quiet it feels.

I Am Mother: (tw: blood, gaslighting) after an extinction event, a young woman is raised by a lone android in a human repopulation facility until one day a woman knocks. It starts off slow and a bit generic, but I’m obsessed with the 2nd and 3rd acts of this movie---good acting, dialogue, and fantastic visuals. It has that same isolated feel as Ex Machina with only three characters, all of which are women/woman-coded!!!

If you liked ALIEN (space gothic):

Battlestar Galactica (2004-2008 reboot): (tw: genocide, war, colonization, VB, uncanny valley, rape, infidelity) space opera that follows humanity as it fights the ever-evolving and powerful enemy of their own creation: androids named Cylons. Um? I  L O V E  THIS SHOW SO MUCH and I truly do think it’s everything sci fi should be. There is a really unfortunate Miss Saigon-esque romance plot in season 1 and a lazily-written love triangle involving a black woman in season 3, but otherwise it’s one of my all-time favorites and I highly recommend. It’ll spin your mind and tug your heartstrings for years.

Black Mirror: Men Against Fire: (tw: genocide, war, nudity) soldiers in the near future protect citizens from mutant zombies, but one soldier starts experiencing strange hallucinations in the field. This is such an underrated Black Mirror episode starring a black man. There’s brief objectification of a black woman but it’s very anti-military and it has an interesting sterile aesthetic that reminds me of Alien.

High Life: (tw: rape, black holes/space anxiety, very disturbing) prisoners are given the option to join a space expedition and serve as experimental subjects en route to a black hole. Please please stay away if you are triggered by sexual violence of any kind. There’s almost no physical violence in this movie but it’s psychologically haunting imo.

The Faculty: (tw; VB, drug use) high schoolers discover their teachers are being possessed by an invading alien race. I LOVE THIS MOVIE LMFAOOOO. The cast is SO wild---Elijah Wood, John Oliver, Usher, Salma Hayek, Josh Hartnett??? And I’m probably forgetting more. The combination of the cast, the terrible dialogue, and shitty special effects is PEAK comedy imo. But bear in mind it’s bloody!!

Prometheus: (tw: body horror, VB, uncanny valley) a crew of scientists heads on a deep space mission to find the aliens who created the human race. A prequel to Alien, but I kind of view it as its own thing. Despite the plot holes, I love this movie too! It was one of my sci fi gateways and the visuals are stunning. It’s pretty gory though so if that’s not your thing stay away.

Life: (tw: extreme VB) a lesser Alien, but it provides all the space gothic tropes (jokey crew, shots of space, really pretty spaceship, everyone dies, creepy alien) with a well-known cast---Gyllenhaal, Reynolds, etc.

The X Files: (tw: a few episodes contain 90s racism, sexism, queerphobia etc but you can skip them) a lot of people have watched this so I barely have to explain, but it’s one of my favorites. Two FBI agents investigate multiple aliens and get involved in government conspiracies along the way. A good gateway!

A Quiet Place: (tw: child loss, VB, tension) I think most people know what this is about too. Alien apocalypse with aliens that hunt by sound. The daughter in the family is deaf, and so is the actress who portrays her. The representation of deafness was critically acclaimed.

[asntmc5recap]

EPISODE 5: The Girl Who Make ‘It’ Happened

Well, what do you know, this is actually my favourite episode so far.

We start the episode with Tu mourning Layla’s elimination. Despite having her first FCO (and the very first for Vietnamese contestant), she still feels empty and unhappy, claiming that Layla is the only girl in the house that understand her, despite the language barrier.

Meanwhile, the girls in the ‘Bad Girls’ room celebrated the first week they don’t have any of the members of their group eliminated.

THE CHALLENGE

For their challenge, they met Cindercella, a Youtube star/makeup artist, and they were required to create a fun photo story showcasing Maybelline girl’s personality.

They were assigned into three groups - Group 1: Shikin, Tu & Valerie; Group 2: Alicia, Nametha & Veronika; and Group 3: Dorothy, Cindy, Clara & Maureen.

Each girl was given an edgy phrase that has something to do with Maybelline makeup product and they need to take a photo that embodies the phrase, which the combined, will tell a story. The winning group will get $10000 worth of Maybelline product.

While Group 2′s completed the task smoothly, Valerie and Shikin from Group 2 had some disagreements because they’re both ‘bossy,’ as Valerie put it. Honestly, I just think Valerie was letting this whole “I know a lot about social media” gets to her head. Shikin knew what she wanted and stuck to that decision. And gurl clearly knows her thang considering she got the highest challenge score.

But what they went through was nothing compared to the conflicts going on between Clara, Maureen and Dorothy in Group 3. First, Maureen took too long to finish her makeup. Dorothy was annoyed (and it showed) but it was Clara that just couldn’t shut up about it, much to Maureen’s annoyance.

And then, of course, Maureen “failed” to take beautiful picture of Cindy and Clara called her stupid. 

You know, Clara got A LOT of hate on social media for her antics, but seriously, am I the only one who LOL-ed the entire time. It’s Clara being Clara. Not an ounce of hate or anger coming from her when she called Maureen stupid. Of course, I’d like to see her act more matured, but let’s just enjoy this while we can, no? It was fucking hilarious. Why all the hate?

Anyway, they put it all behind them when they won the group challenge. I mean, nothing brings women together than beauty products, am I right?

They got back to the house and Shikin was surprised she got the highest score, considering that her group didn’t win the challenge, and she thanked Valerie for taking an amazing picture of her.

And thank her she should. This is amazing. I agree with Cindercella. The highlighter really stood out in this photo. Told you gurl knows her thang.

But my favourite has to go to Dorothy’s. This is amazing. I love the creativity behind this. I mean, if this was Maureen’s idea, then she should really put all her animosity towards her behind and go give that woman a hug.

Nametha got the lowest score. She and Veronika suspected that it was because she refused to use heavy eye makeup for her photo. I think it is more because she failed to show any makeup in her photo. It was a challenge to sell makeups anyway.

Overall, I think this challenge makes more sense than last week’s challenge, which I think is extremely stupid. I get that to sell a brand on social media, you more or less have to be social media famous in the first place, but last cycle what they did was go through the contestants’ Instagram and tell them how they can improve it, instead of asking them to take part in some dumb internet challenge.

THE PHOTOSHOOT

For the photoshoot we have the delightful slice of sweet, fluffy rainbow cake, Nigel Stanisalaus, who’s the creative director of Maybelline New York.

In this shoot, the girls embodied the NYC “It” girl, running around the city while the paparazzi take pictures of them. The girl with the best photo will stand the chance to be featured in a Maybelline campaign.

The girls were assigned into groups and each group will get a distinctive look that Nigel himself had come up with.

Clara, Cindy and Valerie got the ‘Uptown Princess’ look, with simple makeup, dewy skin and matted lipstick. 

Dorothy, Nametha and Shikin got the ‘Downtown Edge’ look. They’ll be using strong colours, smoky eyes and bold lipstick to make them look like rockstars.

Last but not least, Maureen, Tu, Veronika and Alicia got the “Midtown Girl” look. They would have to embody a woman who are confident, chic and fashion forward, with their bold makeups and smoky eyes.

JUDGING PANEL

What a delightful panel of judges. I hope Nigel make constant appearance in this show. His insights were interesting and his remarks were HILARIOUS. Heck I think he even brought out a little bit of cray in Cindy (but she claimed it was the leather).

Shikin slayed, yet again. Boy, put this girl in a potato sack and she’ll make it werk. I kinda wish she had Nametha’s outfit though. Alicia, again, had the worse. I’m starting to suspect even the wardrobe department don’t know how to dress her body shape. That top is just atrocious.

Now moving on with the pictures!

MY BEST

1) Dorothy, 4th place, 40.3 points

SHE. FUCKING. KILLED. IT

Now I’ve seen her Colgate commercial (can’t seem to find it on the internet) and it was terrible. But it isn’t her fault. She’s a girl with attitude and in that commercial they just dress her up very beauty-pageant style and ask her to smile and sell her product (as it should be). It’s not her and I stick with my opinion that the job should be given to the prettiest, sweetest contestant - Maureen.

This is not my favourite photo this week, but I try to look at it from the perspective of a Maybelline director, who hire Gigi Hadid to sell their product. This picture embodies “It” because being an “It” girl is not just about looking pretty in front of the camera, but it’s also about having attitude. And like May from last cycle getting the best photo for showing attitude, I think this one deserves an FCO too.

And wtf was Yu Tsai rambling about her nose and shit? Taking ‘modelling H2T’ way too far there buddy.

2) Shikin, 2nd place, 41.8 points

THIS. Just, THIS. From the moment she stepped out of the building to the set, right until the end, everything about the shoot, and her photo are PERFECTION. She was rightfully sad about not getting the FCO despite all the positive feedbacks and getting the highest score for the challenge, but I get why Maybelline might not want someone “too edgy” to represent their product. (What, you think the judges are the only ones making all these decisions? Hey, they sponsored it, so... You know.)

3) Nametha, 6th place, 35.3 points

A lot of people don’t like this picture but I have to side with Nigel on this one. That is a million-dollar slouch right there. Based on her performance this past few weeks, I think she produced the best photo when she has this “I’m tired of your shit” kinda attitude. Girl needs a cheerleader on the set, but instead of lifting her spirit, she’d be there to say things that piss her off.

4) Valerie, 3rd place, 41.3 points

None of the judges talk about how posey this looks. I know it’s not easy to model while getting out of the car, but her left hand could’ve looked more natural. And she was doing the jaw thing too, although maybe not as obvious as her twin. Other than that, I agree with the judges - this looks expensive as fuck.

5) Maureen, 1st place, 45.3 points

I don’t know why the judges seem to be pushing her to adopt this “badass, don’t care” attitude. It’s not working with her. I don’t like this picture. It’s not a bad picture, but it doesn’t look like her at all. The makeup was terrible (sorry, Nigel) and everytime she tries to give attitude, she ends up looking bored. She tried Christy Turlington (sexy) at the field, it didn’t work out. Now she’s doing Naomi Campbell (fierce, badass) and it still doesn’t feel right. I hope she’ll try to embody the spirit of Linda Evangelista (fearless, free-spirited) in the next photoshoot. I mean, if THE HOLY TRINITY can’t help you, nothing else can, darling.

MY WORST

5) Veronika, 8th place, 34.0 points

Yeah, the jaw was quite bothering, but the rest of it I find pretty non-offensive. Loving the cheekbones, btw.

4) Cindy, 7th place, 34.3 points

What I find amazing about this picture is how she can look like she’s trying too hard and not trying at all at the same time. The first thing that comes to my mind when I saw this was “lazy.” But the more I look at it the more it seems... forced. From her finger to her facial expression. 

3) Alicia, Eliminated, 32.0 points

Alicia’s another one that seem to try too hard during her photoshoot this week. Kinda cringed a bit looking at how hard she tried to look all sexy and alluring in her photos. I think she’d do better had she got the “Downtown Edge” look. This high-society, art-of-the-seduction thing is just not for her.

And for the love of humanity, I wish she had just throw away that stupid handbag. Because it’s fucking stupid.

2) Tu, 5th place, 38.9 points

This is just bad. I don’t see whatever it is that Nigel saw. (Bar owner? Really?) The angle is bad, her mouth looks awkward and her pose isn’t doing her gorgeous body any favour. And give her her big hair back, for god’s sake!

And my worst, of course, you already know it, goes to...

1) Clara, Bottom Two, 32.4 points

Funny how Clara protested having to work the “Uptown Princess” look when she’s basically “The Princess” in this cycle. As for the photo, well, she was just standing there. I agree with Yu Tsai. This looks “too real.” This doesn’t belong in Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar, it belongs in a tabloid magazine.

“An heiress to a wealthy oil tycoon seen leaving her hotel with a cheap-looking handbag! Our 10-page cover story inside!”

Goodbye, Alicia.

So adios, Alicia, you beautiful, beautiful thing, you. They didn’t do right by you, hun, I swear to God.

While it’s hard for me to see her go, I totally understand why the judges decide to eliminate her. Her performance had been lackluster these past few weeks, and despite showing promises in the third week, her photos continue to be at best, forgettable.

But damn gurl had the most graceful exit in the show history. That’s some #attitudegoal right there. I can’t recall such amount of wisdom, maturity, professionalism and poise coming from any contestants from earlier cycle. And for that I say, brava Alicia. I genuinely hope that your attitude will carry you very very far in the modelling world.