#the cast of characters is great and Monica is wonderful

[mikereads]

My life is murder is such a good and funny show. It’s enough to have Lucy play a private investigator but it’s gets better by each episode. I mean she makes her own bread, has a cat that adopted her and is a genius and overall badass. She’s the badass bisexual PI we all need in our lives.

[new-sandrafilter]

What makes Timothée’s performance work in your eyes? What did he crack open?

I think what’s so wonderful about what Timmy is doing is that, while not answering questions about Bob, at the same time I think he does in a very poetic way, which is to suggest really empathically through his performance how one might want to make music, but one might not want to have people in your face all the time. And I think in a way, Bob answers that… Timmy, who I’m used to calling Bob sometimes, answers that question. I think he walks a really beautiful line of allowing an audience to see what a joy it is for this character to make music and what pure joy he experiences in his camaraderie with other musicians and his exploration of ideas and words and music, both making it and listening to others. Where Timmy also does something really quite profound is to show you his almost genetically predisposed discomfort with what his own great achievements then bring upon him and that, in terms of people wanting things, transactional relationships, or relationships that are tainted by the immense power and talent. 

And I think he does an incredible job of growing the character up, because one of the things I think that will be startling is, most Dylan fans don’t focus on the boy in the newsboy cap who’s arriving in town. And Timmy really carries this character from a 19-year-old boy telling tales of working on the carnival into this person that we recognize as an icon. Timmy finds the path to carry us there. It’s going to be impossible for people in trailers or teasers or photos to see, but the way he grows this character is a real act of acting brilliance in my opinion.

That’s also high-stakes. How did you get to a place where that was comfortable?

Every one of these things comes with the fact that you can always fix it. You want everyone putting everything on the line every moment. But it’s not [like] if one of our actors hit a bad note, I don’t have an alternative take or the ability to replace that one beat. If Timmy’s brave enough to stand out there and make himself vulnerable, throwing himself at this, I should be brave enough to stand behind the camera and shoot. And Timmy was a partner in this. He very much wanted to. And the multiple years of preparation that we had on this movie because of false starts with Covid and stuff meant that Timmy really had a kind of incubation as a musician that was years in happening. And Monica Barbaro as well. She was cast when we were gonna make the movie before Indy. So a lot of these people have been in place for an incredible amount of time, and used that time incredibly successfully in their own musical journey.

[justforbooks]

Matthew Perry was a Friend to all, known the world over as Chandler Bing, always seconds away from a great wisecrack and a show-stopping grin. But he was also an addict. That was the “big, terrible thing” Perry referenced in the title of his memoir last year, giving it equal weighting with the TV series that made him an indelible celebrity, long after he had largely retreated from screens.

I read Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing last year and found it a jarring, often uncomfortable experience. It was one part juicy celebrity memoir, enlivened by the flashes of humour and winning self-deprecation that Perry (by his own admission) shared with his defining character; and one part harrowing account of a man intent on his own destruction.

Perry characterised himself as a ready-made, just-add-water addict: an alcoholic with his first drink at the age of 14, and hooked on painkillers with his first pill, prescribed after a jetski accident. High, he drove a red Mustang convertible across the desert, feeling “complete and utter euphoria”: “I remember thinking, ��If this doesn’t kill me, I’m doing this again.’” It didn’t then.

Nearly a year to the day after Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing was published, Perry was found dead at his Los Angeles home in an apparent drowning. He was 54. Tributes from his friends and fans have rightly focused on Perry’s character and talent, with actors Morgan Fairchild (who played Perry’s on-screen mother) mourning “the loss of such a brilliant young actor” and Mira Sorvino of his “singular wit”. Even the Canadian prime minister, Justin Trudeau, (who knew Perry as a boy, and whom Perry claimed in his memoir to have beaten up) paid tribute to the “schoolyard games we used to play … Thanks for all the laughs, Matthew”.

Indeed, though Perry’s career never took off beyond Friends, he was arguably the standout performer in a talented cast of six. Any good-looking guy can be the smart-aleck, cracking jokes in the corner, but Perry imbued Chandler with energy and emotional depth.

Though defined by his deadpan delivery – Perry is right, when he wrote “that Chandler Bing transformed the way that America spoke” – he also had exceptional comic timing, and was a great physical performer. No one else has so effectively communicated combined dating anxiety and needing to pee. The fact that Perry managed to more or less keep it together over 10 seasons and 236 episodes, often while juggling ferocious substance abuse, is only further testament to his talent.

The success of Friends – not to mention the support from his castmates, his real-life friends – was what helped him to survive, Perry wrote. “There was no way I could have been a journeyman actor. I wouldn’t have stayed sober for that; it was not worth not doing heroin for that … When you’re earning $1m a week, you can’t afford to have the 17th drink.”

Perry also had a tricky part to play within the ensemble, in taking a platonic friendship between two cynics into a heartfelt romance. Chandler and Monica was Friend’s central love story, with none of the cushioning contrivances and strategic “breaks” of the series’ other pairings. In TV, as well as life, it’s harder to make yourself vulnerable and offer love steadily than it is to give in to doubt and run hot-and-cool: Perry showed that the smart guy, even the mean guy, could also be the nice guy you’d do well to marry.

In a series that has otherwise aged fairly poorly, Chandler and Monica are still an aspirational model for an equal partnership. As a teenager, I found it sweet when Chandler told Monica: “They can say that you’re high maintenance, but it’s OK, because I like … maintaining you.” As a far-from-easygoing, thirtysomething single woman, it is perhaps the most desirable declaration of love I’ve ever seen.

It is no wonder Perry was so beloved for his character. “For the longest time,” he wrote, he experienced it as a burden, though he had lately reached some kind of peace with Friends as his legacy. “If you’re going to be typecast, that’s the way to do it.” But at the widespread shock at his death, as the world woke up to the news on Sunday morning, you can picture Perry raising one quizzical eyebrow. As he wrote himself: “I didn’t stand a fucking chance.”

Perry might not have risked 17 drinks on set – but he would certainly try for 16. Especially during the later seasons of Friends, he was routinely drunk, high or hungover on set, prompting concern from Jennifer Aniston. (“‘We can smell it,’ she said, in a kind of weird but loving way.”) Even a “sober companion” to shadow him at work proved insufficient safeguard: when a read-through was cut short by Perry’s incoherence, the entire cast staged an intervention. When The One With Monica and Chandler’s Wedding aired, in May 2001, Perry was living in rehab.

For all Perry’s amusing celebrity anecdotes and determined good cheer, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing reads primarily as an addiction memoir without an ending. Indeed, it read as though it had almost been written in real time: Perry’s colon had exploded in July 2019, only three years before its publication, and in January 2022 he underwent his 14th surgery relating to his drug addiction. “I finally have rock-hard abs, but they aren’t from sit-ups,” he wrote, perkily.

Perry described, often, the reward he drew from supporting other addicts: “The best thing about me, bar none, is that … I can help a desperate man get sober.” Nonetheless, I was struck while reading it that the more recent timeline of Perry’s using and abusing was somewhat opaque. It felt somewhat strategic: an attempt to obscure his current reality and lend heft to the suggestion that the worst of his troubles were behind him. But even Perry himself – no doubt encouraged to come to a positive conclusion – could not find a more upbeat note with which to end on than the fact that he was alive at all.

For all its gestures to sobriety, “looking forward” and moving into the future, the final chapter reads like Perry speaking from beyond the grave, reflecting on the faces of his loved ones as if he has already passed on.

The world might be shocked at his untimely death, but Perry knew that his addiction was going to kill him; he told us in print a year ago, in a book that reached six figures in sales. Indeed, he wrote, his most surprising takeaway was that it hadn’t already.

“There are two kinds of drug addicts,” Perry wrote of his preference for opiates over cocaine. “The ones who want to go up, and the ones who want to go down … I wanted to melt into my couch and feel wonderful.” You can only hope that, now, he is as close to happiness as he felt that morning in the red Mustang.

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[pinkiepiebones]

whats up with dwight frye? /gen

i've looked him up b4 but didnt see anything upsetting and just wonder if im missin smth

His is just a sad story. The Fangoria I bought for the Renfield article (April 2023 issue) had a writeup of Frye right after the Renfield section, and it just made my heart hurt.

Basically, he was born in 1899 and grew up in a household that considered acting something sinful, but he had a great talent so at age 23 he jaunts off to New York and starts doing plays on Broadway, he marries and he and his wife move to Hollywood and in 1930 he's cast in Dracula. He was kind of what we'd call a "method" actor today- in one Broadway play where his character gets in a fight, he kept a box of sand backstage so he could appear dirtied up instead of just changing into a dirty version of his costume- so like in between takes on Dracula, when Lugosi would strike poses in a mirror and proclaim "I AM Dracula," Frye would allegedly lurk in the shadows and watch everyone with wide, wild eyes.

The movie opened in February 1931 and I guess people just didn't "get" Frye, you know? He was then cast as Fritz in Universal's Frankenstein (again, method shit; Mae Clarke said Frye would "scuttle like a spider" in the shadows, never breaking character bwtween takes. "He scared the Hell out of everyone!"). Frankenstein opened in December 1931 and sealed Frye's typecast fate.

The quote isn't dated but Fangoria has Frye's feelings on this movie called The Vampire Bat: "If God is good, I will be able to play comedy, in which I was featured on Broadway for eight seasons, and in which no producers of motion pictures will give me a chance! And please, God, may it be before I go screwy, playing idiots, half-wits, and lunatics on the talking screen!" :(

He went back to Broadway but the plays he was in flopped. Director James Whale cast him as "Karl" in 1935's Bride of Frankenstein, and in the 40s was in a stage production of Dracula as well as stuff that sounds like shit like Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man.

Then WWII was swinging in to high gear so Frye started working nights at an aircraft facility in Santa Monica, had heart problems he refused to see a doctor for (Christian Science faith). Things were just starting to look good- he had landed a big role in an upcoming movie called Wilson which I guess was to be about Woodrow Wilson when in 1943 he had a heart attack and died. He was 44.

The following is verbatim from the article because this is what hurt me so: "Dwight David Frye, who died in 2003, remembered that his father received virtually no fan fame in his lifetime. On the rare occasion that a Dracula fan did recognise him and asked for an autograph, Dwight Frye, amazed that anyone recalled his pitiful Renfield, invariably sighed with a grateful sentiment. Considering his macabre professional downfall, his inscription was heartbreaking:

'Thanks for remembering, Dwight Frye.' "

... so yeah that's why I'm all like WE REMEMBER YOU DWIGHT. 😢

[beelzeebub]

Hi! I'm still not over Goncharov and have two questions: who is your casting for Sofia and where does she come from (out of universe)? She's not on your original poster. I keep wondering what I've missed here. Great work on the poster and congrats for bringing a meme into the world. :)

Hi! My casting for Sofia is Monica Bellucci (who was 9 years old in 1973, but I'm not pretending the movie is real, Goncharov characters are simply my OCs so I can cast pretty much anyone I like lol). And she's not my original character from the poster, she was created later on by other people. I included her in my OCs bc she fits in my story :)

Here's a link with more info about my characters for anyone interested.

And thank you! :))

[childofaura]

I’m just geniunely curious tho and I don’t want to sound insensitive or bring up bad memories by accident but…

What did Alejandro Saab do that make you dislike him?

No no no, it's not insensitive or anything at all; I've honestly always been vague about it so I really don't blame anyone for wondering why I'm not a fan of him anymore. The sad thing is that I lean more towards being disappointed in him rather than loathing him like Monica Rial or Chris Sabat. So I'll break everything down, but strap into your seats because there's a LOT of context and stuff I have to explain.

But also let me clarify first: I honestly hope people don't feel like they need to stop liking an actor just based on someone else's opinions. I have a very close friend who usually watches English dubs and loves Chris's work as All Might, and if I ever had an opportunity I'd honestly swallow my pride and get in line to get something of hers autographed. So I want other people to know I hold nothing against them liking an actor or their performance, regardless of how I feel.

So to get to the beginning of it, a few years ago there was the whole drama with actors stepping down from roles (or being demanded to step down from roles in some cases) like Cleveland from Family Guy, or Apu from The Simpsons, etc, for not matching the race of the characters they've played. I know it'll stir up some discourse, but I personally believe ANYONE should play ANYONE based on the merits of their voice fitting the character. This is regardless of age, gender, and (the big one) race. Because voice acting was revolutionary in the sense that it does NOT matter what you look like, it matters what you SOUND like. So I honestly don't care about the race or gender or WHATEVER of an actor. Just as long as they sound GOOD.

During this drama, people were using examples of actors playing outside their physical appearance and one of them was Phil Lamarr. And unfortunately, Phil Lamarr went on a mini-tirade on Twitter telling people not to use him as an example of him playing white characters because it wasn't the same (while being not-so-oddly quiet about the fact that he played a Japanese man (Samurai Jack) and a man strongly based in South American culture (Kotal Kahn)), and to "get my fucking name out of your mouth". At which to this tweet, I saw Alejandro Saab tweet in response, "Preach!" Nothing super scandalous or even dickish. That was all he said.

But it was SUPER hypocritical. Because barely even a month earlier, Alejandro Saab released a video on how he was cast to play Leon in the Pokemon anime and how excited he was, which I think was great and I was happy for him! But then here he was, coming in and trying to pretend like he agreed that white actors shouldn't be playing characters of other races.

So I kind of confronted him on that (And sorry, I censored my Twitter because honestly I don't like having a lot of followers on Twitter, I just have it to see my friend's artwork):

My intention wasn't to pull some kind of "gotcha" on him or gain some kind of clout, but I really wanted him to understand why agreeing with that mentality would just come back to bite him, and a bunch of other actors in the same boat, in the asses.

And unfortunately I only have my tweets, not his, because maybe thirty minutes after I posted that to him, he deleted his tweet. And I didn't want that, either, but after that whole thing happened, I was just incredibly disappointed with him. Again, since he deleted his tweet, I absolutely understand people taking this whole thing with a grain of salt because all I have are MY tweets. But again, it wasn't like he said some horrible thing, it was just hypocritical of him to be cheering for an opinion that should have also applied to him.

So yeah, I kind of ended up losing a lot of respect for him. I still think he's a great and talented actor, but I take that opinion of voice acting (Play whoever you fit as) VERY seriously. I apologize for the big wall of text and I understand it's an issue a lot of people will probably disagree with me for.

[medea10]

My Review of Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out! Season 2

Season One Review

Time for double the fun! Does that also mean we get double controversy this time as well?

I think that raging piss-pad known as Twitter has been quiet since last season and learned to accept Uzaki-chan for what she is. There might be some issues later on since Miss Nagatoro is currently airing as of the date of this posting. But we’ll cross that bridge when the time comes. Time to watch a busty lass and her loner senpai.

HISTORY: Hana Uzaki was a college freshman. One day she casually met a former high school acquaintance named Shinichi Sakurai. That meeting only lasted a few seconds. After that meeting, Uzaki observed her senpai for a straight-up year as he does absolutely nothing. She thought that something had to be done. So, in her second year of college, she decided to hang out with Sakurai. Uzaki drags Sakurai everywhere and they do so much together. She says it’s to prevent him from becoming more of a loner. But is there something more there? Uzaki doesn’t think so, neither does Sakurai, but their friends Asai and Sakaki think so. Okay, let’s see what happens this season!

DOUBLE: We do get a flash of Uzaki and Sakurai last season as well as a future flash, but we jump right into Uzaki’s dilemma of the day. Yeah, we do get a bit of the same thing this season. Uzaki wants to hang out with Sakurai. Sakurai gets annoyed easily. They occasionally go to work. They occasionally hang out with other friends. And every time that happens, their friends try to ditch Uzaki and Sakurai so they can spend “alone time” together. Same shit, right?

Well, this season we do get introduced to new characters. This includes the rest of Uzaki’s family, including his girl-crazy brother and over-protective father. And we finally meet Sakurai’s family. As for the subject of Sakurai and Uzaki hooking up. The non-spoiler part of it is that there were a lot of fake-outs, baits-and-switches, and gotchas.

LICENSING: After the incident between Crunchyroll and several voice actors in a certain anime, I’m starting to grow concerned about returning castmates. This merger has not been pleasant in many areas. The good news here is that the original cast to Uzaki-chan has returned. Thank God, because I would boycott Crunchyroll if they replaced Monica Rial. She was made for the role of Uzaki-chan and don’t fight me on it. The only thing I’m questioning about is this “voice matching”. I’m guessing that there are some sessions Ricco Fajardo (voice of Sakurai) where he can’t be there and so they have David Matranga to voice match. Or something along those lines! I wonder if recording sessions have become more stressful or rushy after the FUNimation/Crunchyroll merger.

MEET THE PARENTS: Last season, we only met Uzaki’s mother. We’re quite familiar with this woman. She constantly thinks Sakurai wants to fondle her and do other unspeakable things to her and her daughter. Far from reality. Well, it’s time to meet the entire Uzaki family. And for shits and giggles, I’ll add Sakurai’s family here too.

Tsuki and Fujio are Uzaki’s parents. I think I’ve said all I can about Tsuki. She still thinks the wrong thing about Sakurai yet doesn’t say anything. Fujio on the other hand was in the dark about who this senpai of Uzaki’s was. However, Fujio and Sakurai already know each other because they work out at the same gym. They got along great! You just have to remember that Fujio is a father first and will wreck anyone who even looks at his daughters or wife.

Kiri and Yanagi are Uzaki’s younger brother and sister. Kiri met Sakurai once. It’s just that he doesn’t know that he’s the senpai of his sister nor does Sakurai catch onto his existence. Kiri is quite stubborn about literally everything. This was showcased greatly when Kiri goes to the gym and sees Sakurai out-doing Kiri at every turn. Sakurai’s dick was even bigger than his.

I can’t even believe I’m writing this in any review of mine. What the fuck do I care about some guy’s dick?! It was a funny moment. Kiri just staring at that big chungus.

As for Yanagi, she actually went up to her sister’s job to meet Sakurai. She’s a bit of a nosy person, but like Ami and Sakaki, she tries in her own way to get her sister and Sakurai together. However, her methods are a bit over the top.

Shirou and Haruko are Sakurai’s parents. It seems like Sakurai’s on good terms with his mother. His dad on the other hand is another story. Shirou tried to put distance between his son and the family so he could get freaky with his wife. He even lies to his wife saying he told Sakurai that he was going to be a big brother. Some father, am I right? On a plus-note, this is Tomokazu Sugita. It’s funny when I can point out his voice within five seconds. Here’s the cast list.

JAPANESE CAST: *Tsuki is played by Saori Hayami (known for Tsuruko on Anohana, Yor on Spy x Family, Shinobu on Demon Slayer, Anju on 86, Saki on Eden of the East, Yumeko on Kakegurui, Ononoki on Monogatari, and Kagura on Fairy Tail)

*Fujio is played by Hideo Ishikawa (known for Itachi on Naruto, Ukitake on Bleach, Polpo on Jojo’s Pt. 5, and Tatsuha on Gravitation)

*Kiri is played by Yuuko Sanpei (known for Selim/Pride on FMA:Brotherhood, Renton on Eureka Seven, Seita on Gintama, Gil on Ascendance of a Bookworm, Hart on YGO Zexal, and Boruto)

*Yanagi is played by Seina Katou

*Shirou is played by Tomokazu Sugita (known for Gin on Gintama, Kyon on Haruhi Suzumiya, Joseph on Jojo’s Pt. 2, Rudeus on Mushoku Tensei, Hideki on Chobits, Karasuma on Assassination Classroom, and Marlo on Attack on Titan)

*Haruko is played by Miki Itou (known for 18 on DBZ, Miyo on Higurashi, Touko on Natsume’s Book of Friends, Eva on Umineko, Taiga on Fate/Stay Night, Gyokuen on Magi, and Lind on Ah My Goddess)

ENGLISH CAST: *Tsuki is played by Terri Doty (known for Virgo on Fairy Tail, Young Ayato on Tokyo Ghoul, and Kirara on Assassination Classroom)

*Fujio is played by Matthew David Rudd

*Kiri is played by Hayden Daviau (known for Shinkan on Goblin Slayer and Rina on Love Live Nijigasaki)

*Yanagi is played by Brittany Lauda (known for Riko on Made in Abyss, F.F. on Jojo’s Pt. 6, Mai on Nichijou, Satoko on Higurashi Gou, Saki on Girlfriend Girlfriend, and Young Law on One Piece)

*Shirou is played by Cris George (known for Flegel on Attack on Titan, Sugarman on My Hero Academia, Zanac on Overlord, and Bepo on One Piece)

*Haruko is played by Morgan Garrett (known for Riko on Attack on Titan, Rei on My Hero Academia, Yuuko on Nichijou, Dia on Love Live Sunshine, Akane on Danganronpa, Henrietta on 86, and Sabo on One Piece)

SHIPPING DOUBLE!!: More people are on team Uzaki x Sakurai compared to last season. Now, we’ve got some close friends of Uzaki’s encouraging them to get together. I think Sakurai and Uzaki falling asleep next to each other out in public got some unwanted attention. But a tarot reading at the school festival kinda messed with Uzaki’s brain. And then there was this added pressure from her family.

Yes, we meet more members of the Uzaki family besides the mother. Unfortunately, Uzaki’s mother still has every wrong idea in her head when it comes to Sakurai. She still thinks he wants her and her juicy bits. In reality, he just wants to pet Uzaki’s kitties. No lie! It’s just as bad as it was last season. But it’s the entire family that has the wrong idea about Sakurai. Uzaki’s brother thought Sakurai was a hot girl senpai at first, Uzaki’s sister thinks something kinky is happening between them, and the father is wondering what the hell is going on with his daughter. Add to that, her father knows Sakurai from the gym but hasn’t caught on that he’s the infamous senpai that Uzaki has been hanging with. Not yet anyways!

The one thing that always seems to ruin the chances of this ship setting sail is the fact that Sakurai never says Uzaki’s first name. He always calls her ‘Uzaki’ (her last name). Yet he’s on first name basis with Uzaki’s mother and sister.

ENDING: I think it’s been teased several times this season that we’re getting something revolving around Uzaki and Sakurai during Christmas. It was teased in the first episode and the ending theme. Both characters have had such big changes when it comes to their feelings for the other. They both…I guess they both like each other. But of course, have never said anything to each other to prove that point. They’re just annoying friends. Uzaki’s father got on her case because she’s stayed overnight at his place several times and they’re not really boyfriend/girlfriend. Meanwhile, Sakurai came back home and got a bit of a beat-down from his old man about this very subject. Sakurai’s father is a scumbag, but he does make a good point.

After visiting the folks, Sakurai comes back to finally do something with Uzaki. That was until Uzaki annoyed him and earned herself a banishment from Sakurai’s apartment. Like everything else in this series, this never lasts more than half an episode. This whole snafu was cleared up when Uzaki and Yanagi decide to have Sakurai over for dinner before Christmas.

Things…um, they did not go well. Fujio went into overprotective papa beast mode when it was learned that the nice boy at the gym was the same guy that his daughter hangs out with and might have a thing for. Suddenly, Fujio is reminded of a gym conversation he had about his daughter with Sakurai. Fujio and Sakurai’s mood changed severely as they were both struck with fear and uncertainty. What are they to do?

Sakurai gets stinkin’ drunk as to forget what happened this night.

Yeah, but he still blabbed some things in his drunk haze. It only got worse from here.

Nudged by her sister Yanagi, Uzaki starts stripping Sakurai. Uzaki was drunk too. When Uzaki sobered up, she took Sakurai home. And at home, Sakurai pins her down on the bed. Make what you will with that scene. They were both sobering up in that scene. Thankfully, nothing transpired with this moment and Sakurai just passed out. The following day, he didn’t remember a thing that happened. Uzaki came forward and showed Sakurai the dirty evidence of what happened after he passed out. He took it a lot better than I thought he would.

However, he does recall pinning Uzaki down on his futon.

Now it’s time for Sakurai to try to come to grips with what his relationship with Uzaki is. He had another one-on-one with his scumbag father. And then had a small conversation with Sakaki and his boss, Akihiko. He asks if Uzaki really likes Sakurai. They said yes, and the fact that you couldn’t see it until now is astounding. Everyone knows. Even the customers! So, will Sakurai make a move? Will Uzaki say something? But if someone confesses, that means no season three. Sakurai holds her hand and then we got a bait and switch. Let’s hang out some more next year. It’s New Years. I forgot to mention it’s the new year.

Okay, I guess there’s more of this same old crap where neither character admits they like the other and we’re strung along for another season or two. I think since the events of Kaguya-sama’s third season went down; I’ve become more antsy with having to wait on these wishy-washy characters. Even Senpai and Nagatoro have a better relationship and Nagatoro made this kid cry in the first episode. Okay, I swear this is the last time I’ll bring up Miss Nagatoro in this review. It just doesn’t help that both series are similar in the premise, aired close to each other and their mangas came out around the same time.

I’m glad that there was some realizations for both Uzaki and Sakurai this season. I guess that’s some progress compared to the first season. Recommendation for this series as a whole might be a little tricky as a character like Uzaki can either be loved or hated depending on how you view her character. Uzaki is one of those characters that can make or break the show for certain people no matter how big her titties are. Yeah, I said it. Watch an episode or two and make your own judgement. And if you watched season one, you already know what to expect here.

If you want to check out Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out, Crunchyroll has both seasons available for streaming.

[influencermagazineuk]

Timothée Chalamet has wowed critics with his interpretation of Bob Dylan in this much-anticipated biopic from James Mangold. The movie, which comes to theaters on Christmas Day in the States, details the life and legacy of the legendary singer-songwriter. Early screenings have sparked a wave of praise, with many calling it transformative and deeply compelling. Chalamet immersed himself in the world of Dylan in preparation for this role. The actor went through the most rigorous training to portray the very essence of the artist. Critics said that the preparation was so intense that reportedly had the actor crying on set. Critics have called his performance a "tour-de-force," saying that he disappears in this role and brings the authenticity and nuance of Bob Dylan back to life. Martin Kraft, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Film critic Scott Menzel announced, "Timothée Chalamet delivers the performance of the year in A Complete Unknown. A true tour-de-force where Chalamet is never seen. Chalamet's performance isn't about voice and look but all those little nuances and mannerisms that he so perfectly brings to his life in his portrayal of Bob Dylan. Great supporting performances too from Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez and Edward Norton as Pete Seeger. Clayton Davis from Variety actually just credited the whole, saying: "Timothée Chalamet glides into Bob Dylan with easy-yet-manicured desperation. Daring in some mesmerizing scenes. For me, it's Monica Barbaro and Elle Fanning that make the story of an elusive enigmatic man stay within that orbit. James Mangold shows all the confidence needed in gorgeous production and costumes design. A lot of respect to one of the best to do that. The supporting cast has not been overlooked; instead, they earned recognition in bringing the story to life. Monica Barbaro is stunning as Joan Baez, and Edward Norton has an outstanding representation of Pete Seeger. Critics have highlighted the liveliness with which their performances add depth and richness to the underlying narrative complementing the role of Chalamet as Dylan. Awards Buzz editor Abe Friedtanzer said, "A Complete Unknown looks and sounds great, a standard biopic that truly comes alive when its iconic characters make passionate music together. Timothée Chalamet is well-cast, but Monica Barbaro and Edward Norton steal the show as Joan Baez and Pete Seeger. Jazz Tangcay of Variety focused on the technological aspects of the film, writing, "Wow, #ACompleteUnknown. Timothée Chalamet's performance here is top-of-the-line. James Mangold and his whole ensemble deliver a technical wonder from sound to edit to costuming, cinematography to production design, and even to subtle makeup and hair. Loved it. Tessa Smith echoed the same, continuing the praise with enthusiasm: "I mean, I am not exaggerating when I say that Timothée Chalamet delivers the performance of the year. He's coming for all the awards." Chalamet's ability to capture Dylan's voice, body language, and mystical aura has truly enthralled many with its sensibility and matured the film beyond what one might expect of a biopic. James Mangold's direction, coupled with the care put into the details of the period in which it was shot, offers an excellent playfield for the actors. With the premiere date drawing nearer, buzz around A Complete Unknown continues to gain momentum. With stellar performances, evocative storytelling, and technical brilliance combining, this film is already to be batted at the top of the list of major awards contenders. Timothée Chalamet's master performance as Bob Dylan constitutes an encapsulating cinematic moment, sure to leave a mark forever. Read the full article

[biographygen]

Tobey Maguire Biography, Net Worth, Early Life, Career, Girlfriend

Full NameTobias Vincent MaguireNet Worth$75 MillionDate Of Birth27 June 1975Age49 YearsGenderMaleHeight5 feet 8 inches Tobey Maguire Biography, Net Worth, Early Life, Career, Girlfriend has been marked by his iconic role as Spider-Man and a diverse array of film roles. Despite personal and professional challenges, he remains a respected figure in Hollywood with a significant net worth and a legacy of memorable performances.

Tobey Maguire Biography

Tobey Maguire Biography made his screen debut in The Wizard (1989) speaking no lines. Tobey Maguire Life history he made with rising star Leonardo DiCaprio during multiple auditions. The two even disclosed an unofficial agreement to assist one another in getting roles in films and other projects. Maguire developed a hard partying lifestyle during the height of his career, which frequently led to issues after drinking. He recovered quickly, though, and went on to land more leading roles in movies like Pleasantville and Wonder Boys. Full NameTobias Vincent MaguireNicknameTugboat Maguire, Ff tobet, Spider-ManProfessionActor, Film ProducerPhysical Height Eye Color Hair Color 5 feet 8 inches Grey BlackWeight71 KGDate Of Birth27 June 1975Age49 YearsNet Worth$75 MillionNationalityAmericanHometownSanta Monica, California. U.SBirthplaceSanta Monica, California. U.SReligionNon-religiousZodiac SignCancerFamous forPortraying Spider-Man in Sam Raimi’s trilogy of the same name and appearing in other films, such as Ride with the Devil and The Great Gatsby.HobbiesPickle ball, Skiing, Jigsaw PuzzlesFavorite FoodDairy and eggs, Cherry PieFavorite ColorRedFriends Name Leonardo DiCaprio, Lukas HaasMarital StatusDivorcedParents Name: Father Mother Vincent Maguire Wendy BrownBrother SisterWeston Epp & Jopaul Van Epp Sara MaguireGirlfriend’s NameChristina Aguilera Demi Moore Jennifer Meyer Kirsten Dunst

Tobey Maguire Net Worth

Tobey Maguire Net Worth With a $75 million Assets, Tobey Maguire is an American actor and film producer. The three successful films in which Tobey Maguire portrayed Spider-Man are likely his most well-known roles. The three Sam Raimi-directed "Spider-Man" movies served as a model for the current craze for superhero comic book character-based blockbuster movies. Tobey Maguire total assets the first "Spider-Man" movie brought in $820 million, followed by "Spider-Man 2" with $784 million and "Spider-Man 3" with $890 million, the highest gross of the series.

Tobey Maguire Early Life

Tobey Maguire Early Life on June 27, 1975, Tobey Maguire was born in Santa Monica, California. Maybe because his mother Wendy was a screenwriter and producer, he was exposed to the business at a young age. According to Maguire, his first dream as a childhood was to become a professional chef because his father, Vincent, was a cook. But when Tobey wanted to take a home economics class in sixth grade, his mother paid him $100 to take a drama class instead, hoping he would follow in her footsteps. To put it mildly, the $100 was well spent because Maguire continued to pursue acting even after dropping out of high school, leading to his well-known achievements in the industry.

Tobey Maguire Career

Tobey Maguire Career was just 14 years old in 1989, he profession started his acting career. His boyish appearance caused him to specialize in much younger roles for the next few years, appearing in a number of television commercials and shows like "Walker, Texas Ranger," "Roseanne," and the brief FOX TV series "Great Scott!" In the initial stages of his profession, Maguire bonded with a budding actor by the name of Leonardo DiCaprio, and the two established a sort of business alliance to facilitate each other's employment. Maguire benefited greatly from this agreement, first receiving a guest appearance on the 1990 television series "Parenthood," which starred DiCaprio. The 1993 movie "This Boy's Life" featured a similar casting dynamic.

Tobey Maguire Girlfriend

Christina Aguilera

Christina Aguilera the well-known pop icon Christina Aguilera was born in Staten Island, New York, on December 18, 1980. Her remarkable vocal ability was evident from a young age, and at the age of nine, she made her television debut on Star Search. Her big break came in 1993 when she joined The Mickey Mouse Club on the Disney Channel, a platform that would propel her career to new heights. Aguilera's self-titled debut album, released in 1999 by RCA Records, went on to sell over 17 million copies globally and earned her the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. Demi Moore

Demi Moore American actress and film producer was born on November 11, 1962, as Demi Gene Guynes. She is well-known for her adaptability and passionate performances, and she has been a major player in the business for more than thirty years. Moore was born in Roswell, New Mexico, and experienced a turbulent upbringing characterized by multiple moves and complicated family dynamics. Notwithstanding these obstacles, they unintentionally helped her develop her fortitude and tenacity—qualities that would ultimately characterize her acting career.

Jennifer Meyer

Jennifer Meyer was born in Los Angeles, California, into a Jewish family. She is the daughter of Ronald Meyer, who was the president and CEO of Universal Studios before serving as vice-chairman of NBC Universal until August 18, 2020. Ellen, Ronald Meyer's first wife, is her mother. Kelly Chapman Meyer is her stepmother, and Rabbi David Baron, the leader of Temple Shalom for the Arts, is her stepfather. When Jennifer was six years old, her grandmother Edith Meyer started teaching her how to make enamel jewelry, which is how she got her start in jewelry making. Kirsten Dunst

Kirsten Dunst was discovered by casting agents shortly after her early relocation to Los Angeles. She was born on April 30, 1982, in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. At the age of six, Dunst landed her first major role in the short film Oedipus Wrecks, which was included in Woody Allen's New York Stories anthology. This led to a meteoric rise in her career in the entertainment industry. Dunst became well-known very fast after delivering a heartbreaking performance as young vampire Claudia alongside Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise in the horror-drama Interview with the Vampire: Read the full article

[camsmusings]

( jeon jungkook, twenty-seven, they/he ) — * ☆ do you have a second for an interview, CAMERON ‘CAM’ KIM ? you’ve made quite a splash in hollywood, already gaining a reputation for being IMPULSIVE. even if that’s true, i think you’re just a SCORPIO. between us though, your character is my favorite on DAY ZERO. no wonder you’ve been apart of saturne for THREE MONTHS, they’re lucky to have you. i’d love to see you in a ROMANTIC COMEDY project next, i think you’d be a great fit. i won’t keep you for much longer, but i was hoping that you could address YOU HAVING AN AFFAIR WITH A COSTAR. wait, where are you going ?

˚ 　　pinterest. 　 .　　 . ⊹ 

basics:

name: cameron ‘cam’ kim / kim seojun

birthday: november 3, 1996

age: twenty-seven

birthplace: austin, texas

pronouns: they/he (but don’t mind any tbh, gendered terms are perfectly fine!)

personality:

pos. traits: charming, loyal, punctual, caring, patient

neg. traits: impulsive, stubborn, jealous, unserious

sometimes it takes them a while to open up and can be a little shy at first, but once they get more comfortable with people it’s hard to shut them up. they have a lot of love in their heart, and are the type of person to listen and provide a shoulder to cry on. they like to flirt, but 99.9% of the time it’s just banter. they find it hard to trust others and really let them in, but they’re extremely trustworthy and kind and caring :D

biography:

cam started acting when they were only ten years old. their first job ever was a commercial (they don’t like to talk about it..) and they’ve been obsessed with it ever since. their parents have always been extremely supportive of their passion for acting. when they saw the potential in cam, they packed up their things and moved to LA when cam was fourteen. their parents always worked hard to get them to acting classes and auditions, and their sacrifices finally paid off when cam was casted in a disney channel movie. they only had minor parts in disney shows after thar, but they continued to work hard throughout their teenage years. unfortunately, their former management wasn’t the best. they kept them under strict clauses snd cam barely received any money for their work under them. they were able to leave said management after ten long years, and they just recently signed to saturne and they’re hopeful things can only get better :3

extra information:

cam has two pets, a dog named dal and a bearded dragon named luna. they like to cook and bake. their love languages are acts of service and quality time. they like to color and draw. they go on walks often, especially late at night. they like to go to the beach and just watch the waves, people watch, and watch dogs running around on the sand.

wanted connections:

anything in my wanted plots tag.

ex. could’ve ended on good or bad terms.

fwb. pre relationship and post relationship (a rebound?)

roommate. they have an extra bedroom in their apartment near Santa Monica beach. they’re a good roomie who loves to cook and whose love language is acts of service 🙂‍↕️

costar affair. their rumor is that he had an affair with their costar, so.. 👀

any familial connections! i see them as an only child, but am open to siblings as well.

sibling: yerin kim

cousin: elian do

roommate: minsoo

[thesffcorner]

The Marvels

The Marvels

The Marvels is the sequel to Captain Marvel, directed by Nia DaCosta. It follows Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), who due to Kree shenanigans caused by their new Supreme Dar-Benn (Zawe Ashton) ends up entangling her powers with Captain Monica Rambeau aka Photon (Teyona Parris), her ‘niece’ as well as Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel (Imani Vellani), her greatest fan. The three must work together to stop Dar-Benn creating new, unstable jump points into the universal teleportation network, which would overload and potentially destroy it, threatening everyone. 

Oh, and Nick Fury is there. 

This movie was a mess. It was a lovely, entertaining, funny mess, but a mess nonetheless. There are so many structural problems with its plot that I almost wonder if this film was shot without a script. It is still, and I cannot stress this enough, fun. I had a good time. There are 2 excellent action scenes, the power-entanglement was a very cool concept that the filmmakers used to its full potential, the dance scene was very fun, as was the subplot with Goose’s kittens. All the actors are great, especially Imani Vellani as Kamala, and while I had many problems with this movie I still think you should see it. You will have a good time. 

If you have seen it, or you don’t mind SPOILERS, let’s talk about it. 

The TV Shows

The first thing, right off the bat, is that Marvel set this movie up to fail. Yes, it did come out at the tail-end of the SAG-AFTRA and WAG strikes, meaning that none of the cast or crew could promote it. Yes, it came out after a historically bad summer blockbuster season, in which every large superhero film underperformed. It also didn’t help that Marvel themselves did next to no promotion for this film, releasing only 2 trailers, the second of which barely contains any footage of this film. 

That’s not what buried this movie, and at the risk of sounding naive, I also don’t think it’s the small but vocal minority of sexist and racist pundits who are now rejoicing at this film’s lowest opening weekend numbers. No, what buried this movie is the same thing that’s buried every single Marvel project in Phase 4: terrible scripts, unfocused plots, inconsistent worldbuilding and most importantly - HOMEWORK. 

I have said this time and time again; I even talked about it here as a separate issue. Marvel’s insistence on connecting their film universe to their TV universe is a rake they inevitably keep stepping on. 

I know people are countering this by saying that you don’t need to watch the shows to understand the movie. First, as I’ll demonstrate here, that’s not ALWAYS true. Second, the lone fact that one MIGHT have to have watched hours of TV to be able to enjoy a movie is enough to deter most people from going. 

Marvel simply can’t decide how their shows fit into this universe. They can’t tell audiences which projects stand alone and which don’t, because then no one would watch the shows unless they are fans of that specific character. And seeing as these shows have budgets upwards of $212 million dollars, they NEED everyone to watch them. But how is it fair to expect a regular person to devote 21 hours of watchtime between 3 separate shows just to be able to follow the plot of this film? 

Everything about the marketing of this film highlighted that this isn’t Captain Marvel’s movie: from the title, to the first trailer which heavily involved Photon and Miss Marvel, to the Secret Invasion show heavily involving both Nick Fury and the Skrulls. 

There is nothing wrong with introducing new characters in a franchise. There is nothing wrong with introducing really popular characters into a franchise, without doing their origin story either - one of the best decisions the MCU did was to introduce Spiderman in Civil War as an already established character. 

The problem is that the Marvels isn’t introducing the AUDIENCE to Ms. Marvel and Photon; it’s introducing Carol Danvers to them. This isn’t the same thing. Not only is Carol not this movie’s PoV character, but she already has a complicated history with Monica, history that the audience isn’t privy to unless they watched Wanda Vision.

The Problem of Monica 

Captain Monica Rambeau is the daughter of Captain Maria Rambeau, Carol Danvers’ best friend and pilot partner. She was introduced in Captain Marvel as a child, but we meet her as an adult for the first time in the Wanda Vision TV series. 

In the show we learn that Maria was suffering from cancer, and died while Monica was blipped. When Monica came back, she got involved in Wanda’s scheme in Fairview which is how she got her powers. 

If you hadn’t seen Wanda Vision, the last time you saw Monica she was a kid. She didn’t have any superpowers, and she certainly wasn’t working with Nick Fury. It takes the movie over 40 minutes to get around to EVEN telling us that Monica was blipped. It doesn’t help that the scene we learn this in, is a very contrived bit where she, Carol, and Kamala have to share their memories in order to track down Dar-Benn. 

This should be the emotional core of the conflict between Monica and Carol. Her mother was sick, and Monica missed 5 years of life during which her mother died. Carol, her aunt, the closest person to her and Maria, wasn’t there for any of it: Maria getting ill, Monica disappearing, Maria dying, or Monica reappearing and putting her life together. 

That’s the real reason why Monica is mad at Carol. It isn’t as the movie implies, because Carol made a promise to her when she was 10, and a fully adult Monica is simply choosing to hold on to it out of spite. It’s because after everything, after knowing Maria was sick and Monica came back from the dead, she still wasn’t there for her. But because to know any of this, we would’ve had to have seen Wanda Vision, Monica’s character comes off as incredibly immature and juvenile for the full first act of the film.

Her and Carol have a clear animosity that we have no context for, and the movie expects us to have it, but how could we, when in order to know any of this, we needed to have watched a separate show where she wasn’t even the MAIN CHARACTER. 

As for Ms. Marvel, her introduction isn’t the issue; it’s that after she’s introduced, she has nothing to do for the remainder of the film. Let me explain. 

Kamala gets an animated stinger (which unintentionally comes off as a cheap ripoff of Miles’ introduction in Into the Spiderverse, especially because it’s never once used for the rest of the film), which introduces her and her family. However, because none of the other characters know who she is, nothing that happens in her show is at all mentioned or relevant to the events of this film. All that we learn is that Kamala has inherited a golden bangle from her grandmother, which is part of an ancient set of Kree bangles that Dar-Benn is after. 

How Kamala’s grandmother got to be in possession of one is never explained, which sucks in a movie that revolves entirely around these stupid bangles. If it’s explained in Ms. Marvel, it’s never mentioned here, and if it isn’t, then that makes the only interesting aspect to them nonexistent. 

It’s not that watching Ms. Marvel would materially change my understanding of Kamala’s character or her powers; it’s that I, as a viewer, have to gamble with my time because of Marvel’s inconsistency with its own properties, and that hurts my experience of this film. I shouldn’t have to be a superfan to be able to watch the sequel to a film I’ve already seen, just so I can understand the character relationships. It’s a bad way to go about stories, and it’s what made many people not want to see this film. 

Kamala Has Nothing to Do

Multiple times during the film, I turned to my friend and said ‘it sure would’ve been nice if we saw that!’

For the majority of the film, I felt like I was watching the sequel to a movie that doesn’t exist, but I’d rather be watching. Somewhere between Captain Marvel and now, Carol flew back to the Kree homeworld of Hala, and SINGLE HANDEDLY destroyed the Supreme Intelligence, the AI which rules and controls the Kree Empire. This plunged the Kree into a devastating civil war which depleted their resources into ruin; their sun is dying, the water has evaporated from Hala and the air is no longer breathable. 

Doesn’t that sound like a super interesting direction to take the character? Isn’t that something that would give Carol some much needed moral complexity? Maybe even examine the way in which superpowers interfere in the politics and structure of cultures they don’t understand or are a part of, leading into a cycle of violence and turmoil that is then blamed on said culture? I sure would like to see that!

Instead, this movie takes place after all the interesting things happened. Our villain isn’t Yon-Rogg, Ronan, or even Carol, but a new character who has no connection to Carol outside of just being Kree. Dar-Benn is after the bangles, because she wants to use them to open portals into other worlds and siphon their resources back to Hala. 

How is this the plan she came up with? Wouldn’t opening literal jump points into Hala’s atmosphere allow immediate access to any army that wants to attack the Kree? Not to mention there is no guarantee that the same way the resources are siphoned to Hala can’t be siphoned back to the original planet. 

But it becomes even stupider when we talk about the bangles. Dar-Benn’s meddling in the teleportation network is bad because the more jump points she creates, the more unstable the network becomes until it collapses entirely. I am completely unsure how finding both bangles would in any way prevent this from happening, or why Dar-Benn would need both bangles when she succeeds in what she sets out to do with just the one. 

I am not joking. Using just one bangle, Dar-Benn manages to get both water and air, and even starts stealing the Milky Way’s sun. Once she gets both bangles and uses them, all she does with them is open a hole in space and time which kills her, and allows a different reality to seep into ours. WHY DOES SHE WANT TO DO THIS? 

Dar-Benn’s only stated motivation for this entire film is saving Hala. Even her desire for revenge against Carol is secondary. So then why on God’s Green Earth would Dar-Benn want to a) destroy the universe in which Hala is located or b) want to kill herself and leave her people without a Supreme, and therefore once again leaderless? 

Moreover, why does she need both bangles? Even the film forgets she’s supposed to want them until about ⅔ of the way through at which point Dar-Benn learns that Kamala, the girl she’s fought with, who was on her ship, actually has the second bangle. By this point, she has already siphoned the air and the water from the other two colonies, and is able to do the same to the Earth’s sun!

Dar-Benn doesn’t need the bangles; hell, Kamala doesn’t either! It’s made pretty clear that Kamala’s powers don’t come from the bangle; she could’ve easily left it on Earth. The film tries to explain that it’s because the trio needs both to close the jump points Dar-Benn is opening, but if that’s the case, why not just leave the one Kamala has behind, and come back for it once they have the second one? Dar-Benn has no idea Kamala has it, it’s not stated or implied that the bangles can find each other, and by this point Dar-Benn has already sucked the air from the Skrulls; it's not like things can get worse!

Poor Zawe Ashton; she is having a blast with this role, but she has NOTHING to work with. Everything we know about her character is her acting the shit out of this blank slate; what’s in the script actually makes her worse. Did she know Carol before Carol destroyed Hala? Did she know Ronan? How did she learn about the bangles? Why does she think this is the best way to go about saving Hala? WHY DOES SHE ATTACK CAROL AFTER CAROL PROMISES TO RESTORE HALA’S SUN?

This terrible plot bleeds into Kamala’s character as well. It makes no sense that Kamala’s powers become entangled with Monica and Carol’s; she wasn’t touching the light energy they were. She was nowhere near either of them. Moreover, because Kamala’s only utility to the plot is her bangle, until the bangle becomes relevant, she has nothing to do. Carol and Monica don’t treat her as an equal, she is always sidelined in fights and action scenes, she isn’t involved in the personal drama between them, and she isn’t even there to provide any emotional conflict for either. 

That’s not to say that there aren’t attempts to give her a conflict; it’s just that this film is allergic to it. 

No Conflict Allowed

There’s this growing mindset in fandom that I really don’t like; I call it the Coffee Shop AU syndrome. It’s this idea that any conflict, especially between characters that are ostensibly on the same side is ALWAYS bad. That people aren’t allowed to disagree or have different ideas on how things are supposed to be run. And this movie falls for this hard. 

Kamala is the most obvious victim to this, but Carol suffers for it too. 

Kamala is Carol’s biggest fan; Carol is her idol. After they meet, Carol insists that Kamala leave behind Skrull refugees because the ship is full and they need to take off, an objectively horrible and callous thing to do, especially for someone who can fly, is super-strong, and can BREATHE IN SPACE. Kamala is hurt by this; it’s clear this act of Carol’s is shattering the image she had of her, and Carol isn’t what Kamal imagined her to be. 

It’s a very simple set up. Kamala is young and earnest, and she is there to remind Carol that Carol isn’t fighting for the vague concept of peace, but real people. Carol is there to teach Kamala that even heroes are flawed humans who make mistakes and get overwhelmed. 

The arc of this film, if you can call it that, is that Carol, can’t, shouldn’t, mustn't make decisions alone. Her insistence on solving the Kree problem by herself is what leads to the Kree’s civil war and their subsequent targeting of the Skrulls. Her insistence that she can see through the Kree’s intentions during the peace conference, and her meddling is what gives Dar-Benn the excuse to attack the Skrulls. Her repeated favoring of grand ideas instead of the actual people who have to live with these ideas are the reason she’s willing to leave refugees behind. 

Instead of the film doing anything with this,  immediately after the Skrulls are shipped off to New Asgard, Carol apologizes to Kamala for yelling and all is forgiven! The issue wasn’t that Carol yelled at Kamala, it was that she LEFT PEOPLE BEHIND TO DIE. 

You’d think that in a movie that clearly sets Kamala and Dar-Benn as ideological opposites, as two extremes to Carol’s personality, that Kamala would have a much clearer conflict with Dar-Benn. Dar-Benn loathes Captain Marvel, the Annihilator; Kamala adores Captain Marvel, the Avenger. Both see Carol as an idea instead of a person, and both represent ideas: Dar-Benn is militaristic, vengeful and selfish. Kamala is earnest, idealistic, and naive. Through their conflict, Carol is supposed to change.

Instead, Dar-Benn has no idea who Kamala is for 90% of the movie, their only interactions revolve around a fucking gold bangle, and their conflict boils down to ‘good guy punches bad guy’. 

Where in the World is Carol Danvers?

Marvel doesn’t know what to do with Carol Danvers. They can’t agree on anything about her character, which is why she’s so inconsistent over the 3 films she’s appeared in. The best version of her is still Captain Marvel; there Carol is confident, funny, and determined. She knows her abilities and her powers. Her struggle is internal; the Kree have stripped her of her memories and are trying to control her by constantly undermining her worth in a parallel to the U.S. military undermining the female pilots. Carol coming to terms with the fact that she has been lied to and used, but that she has a real home and people who love her is what allows her to come into her powers fully. 

In this sequel we learn that Carol has apparently taken all the wrong lesions from the first film. She has once again rejected her family, she is still hunting after old memories instead of building new ones with the people she loves, and she still is fighting first and thinking second. 

Like I said, this is an interesting direction for the character. Carol getting worse isn’t the issue; it’s that the film refuses to commit or develop any of these ideas.

Is Carol a flawed character who needs to grow? Or is she perfect as is, and it’s the rest of the world that needs to see her be vindicated? Objectively, deciding by yourself with no input from the people who will be the most affected by your decision, to destroy the Supreme Intelligence is a bad thing. Meddling in peace talks between the Kree and the Skrulls when neither side wants you there is a bad thing. On a personal level, running away from the people who love you and rely on you because you know they won’t approve of your actions is also a bad thing. 

Instead of dealing with this, the film contorts itself in pretzels to justify Carol at every step. Sure, Carol fucked up by killing the Supreme Intelligence, but she did what she had to! The Kree themselves are just genetically predisposed to war and destruction so much that they destroyed their own planet! Yes, Dar-Benn is objectively right to want to save her planet, but we have to make her so cartoonishly, stupidly evil, that she’s willing to make insane decisions just so she can hurt Carol. Yes, Carol did abandon Maria and Monica, but she felt bad you guys! It’s ok! 

No one is allowed to confront Carol on her bad decisions; hell outside of one single scene no one is allowed to acknowledge that Carol made bad decisions at all! Everytime the film seems like it’s going to introduce an actual conflict it undercuts itself. Kamala and Carol fight? Carol immediately apologizes. Carol puts Kamala and the rest of the universe in danger by wanting to prove that she’s a better pilot than Dar-Benn? She just felt so guilty for failing the Skrulls, she had no choice! She abandoned Monica because she was afraid Monica would hate her for being a war criminal? Guess, she was wrong, because Monica immediately forgives her! 

Because the film can’t decide what kind of character Carols is supposed to be, she’s the worst kind of character: confused, unfocused, empty. She stands for nothing and she cares about nothing. If this is how she’s being treated in her own franchise, we can’t blame the Russos for ‘running’ her in Avengers. 

Conclusion 

Yes, the film isn’t good. But that’s not the real problem. It’s that it’s a distillation of everything Marvel has been doing wrong for years, even before Endgame. It’s a movie about nothing, told through characters who serve only to dump exposition and move the plot along. It’s at moments really pretty to look at, but that just makes it worse. Seeing this many talented people working so hard to produce such a soulless, empty project, genuinely pains me. I hate that this is the bar that’s deemed acceptable to release, and I worry what it means for the future. 

Oh, and Nick Fury was there. 

[joshjacksons]

Joshua Jackson interview with "Mr Porter" (2021)

Minutes before Mr Joshua Jackson joins me in a booth for a Friday afternoon drink at a vibey hotel bar in Santa Monica, he’s confronted by his past. Or rather, a woman in her early twenties who is binge-watching Dawson’s Creek, the teen show about a close-knit group of high-school friends coming of age in a sleepy American town, which made Jackson incredibly famous between 1998 and 2003. The series, which also made household names of Ms Michelle Williams and Ms Katie Holmes, went off air 18 years ago, but is now streaming on Netflix, to the bemusement of Jackson, who played lovable rogue Pacey Witter. “This girl was like, ‘Are you...?’ And I’m like, ‘Yes, I am. He got old. I’m sorry to break it to you,’” he says, before ordering an iced tea and a charcuterie board to tide him over until dinner time. “It always surprises me when young people say they’ve just got into Dawson’s Creek. I’m like, ‘Is it a costume drama to you? Do you feel like you’re watching a historical documentary?’”

The idea of a Friends-style reunion episode or a Sex And The City revival feels equally far-fetched to Canadian-born Jackson, now 43 and wearing it well in a pale green linen shirt and tailored linen trousers by Oliver Spencer that complement his fading brown hair and Cali-tanned skin.

“I don’t know why you’d want to [bring it back],” he says. “Nobody needs to know what those characters are doing in middle age. We left them in a nice place. Nobody needs to see that Pacey’s back hurts. I don’t think we need that update.”

And Jackson doesn’t need Dawson’s Creek. From Mr JJ Abrams’ sci-fi series Fringe (2008-2013) to the Golden Globe award-winning The Affair (2014-2019), from Ms Ava DuVernay’s ground-breaking true-crime drama When They See Us (2019) to the recent Ms Reese Witherspoon and Ms Kerry Washington-produced Little Fires Everywhere (2020), he has commanded the small screen – with a collection of dynamic and diverse work – ever since.

His latest role as Mr Christopher Duntsch, the Texas surgeon convicted of gross malpractice when 33 of his patients were left seriously injured after he operated on them and two of them died, in chilling Peacock crime drama Dr Death, is only stepping his career up another gear.

“I’ve never played anyone irredeemable before,” says Jackson, who is joined in the eight-part series (based on the 2018 Wondery podcast of the same name) by Messrs Christian Slater and Alec Baldwin. “He is charming, gregarious and has a high-level intellect, but he’s also a misogynist, probably a sociopath, certainly a narcissist and a complete incompetent who is incapable of seeing himself.”

If Duntsch is terrifying, then Jackson’s portrayal is even more so. The artist formerly known as Pacey is virtually unrecognisable (thanks to prosthetics) in the opening scene, but the real challenge for Jackson was allowing himself to view someone who is so “spectacularly evil” as a human being in order to walk in his shoes. “It’s a more damning portrayal of the man to make him into a human being, rather than just make him the bad guy,” he says. “He really believes he’s the hero, he’s the genius and that he’s the victim, so once I got past my own judgment, all the other things fell into place.”

Jackson might have his pick of stellar roles – and challenges – now, but it has not happened by accident. Take it from someone who has been in the business since landing his first job aged 14 in Disney’s live-action movie series The Mighty Ducks, opposite Brat Pack alumnus Mr Emilio Estevez.

“You try to make it look like it happens accidentally,” he says, “but there is no way to do this and not be ambitious. I’d say I’m extremely ambitious because I’ve been doing this cutthroat job for nearly 30 years. I’m in the pay-off phase of my career now. One of the benefits of surviving for as long as I have is you get to learn from your own mistakes.”

Such as? “I wouldn’t say, ‘I wish I hadn’t done that,’ because it all becomes bricks in a path, but [after Dawson’s Creek] I was not choosy enough about the things I was doing. You get stuck. You start trying to perform the performance you think people are hoping to see you do. I was so used to working all the time that I just worked all the time. There was definitely a conscious moment in my mid-twenties when I realised I wasn’t really enjoying the work that I was doing. My manager at the time just said, ‘Take a breath. You’re burnt out.’”

The turning point came in 2005, when Jackson was offered a role in the two-hander Mr David Mamet play A Life In The Theatre, opposite Sir Patrick Stewart. “God bless him, Patrick could have made my life miserable because I had no idea what I was doing, ” he says. “I hadn’t been on stage since I was a kid and now I was in the West End in over my head. But it reminded me that I actually enjoyed being an actor, that it’s not about the red carpet or travelling around the world. What I really enjoy is working on good material with good people.”

It’s no surprise Jackson’s time on Dawson’s Creek led to a career crisis. From the ages of 19 to 24, he lived with his fellow cast mates in Wilmington, North Carolina, filming day in, day out, in an arrangement he likens to college. “You get to the end and they’re like, ‘Here’s your degree. Go live now. You’re an adult. Go out into the world,’” he says.

But most graduates don’t have to deal with global fame. “It’s transitory. You’re only ever cool for a moment and then you become much less cool. I was always pretty dubious about flatterers,” he says, recalling a time he was stung in London in the mid-2000s. “I went on a date in Hyde Park with a woman whose name I will not use – she was socialite-famous – and she was acting completely bizarre, looking over her shoulder the whole time. I came to find out that she had hired a photographer to follow us through the park and gave a whole story to the tabloids about how I was going to meet her family.”

It was his growing fortune, rather than fame, that caused Jackson the most anxiety. “Suddenly, at 19 years old, I was making more in a week than most of my friends’ parents would make in a year,” he says. “It was lovely to have the money, but it was that feeling of nobody is worth that kind of money. You feel like a fraud and it took me a long time to forgive myself for not being the thing that I was perceived as.”

Born in Vancouver, but raised in Topanga, California, until he was eight (before moving back to Vancouver following his parents’ divorce), Jackson bought his childhood home in 2001 and lives in it today with his wife, British Queen & Slim actor Ms Jodie Turner-Smith, and their 15-month-old daughter.

“My father unfortunately was not a good father or a husband and exited the scene, but that house in Topanga was where everything felt simple, so it was a very healing thing for me to do,” he says. Fast-forward to 2021 and his baby daughter now sleeps in her father’s childhood bedroom. “There was a mural of a dragon on the wall in that room that I couldn’t believe was still there, years later. The owner [who sold him the house] said, ‘I knew it meant a lot to somebody and that they were going to come back for it some day.’”

Becoming a first-time parent during a pandemic sounds stressful, but it afforded Jackson months at home with his wife and child that his normal work schedule wouldn’t have allowed.

“I now recognise how perverse the way that we have set up our society is,” he says. “There is not a father I know who works a regular job who didn’t go back to the office a week later. It’s robbing that man of the opportunity to bond with his child and spend time with his partner.”

Despite his obvious career ambitions, fatherhood has changed Jackson’s priorities in “every possible way”, he says. “It’s 100 per cent changed how I approach my work and my life. That has been made so clear to me in this past year. For me to feel good about what I’m doing day to day, my family has to be the central focus.

“There are plenty of things left for me to do, but now the thing that gets me excited is experiencing the world through my daughter’s eyes. I can’t wait to take her scuba diving. I can’t wait to take her skiing. I can’t wait to read a great book with her. I’m not worried at all she’ll be a wallflower. She’s been a character from the word go.”

Jackson met Turner-Smith, 34, two days after his 40th birthday. He had been single since his 10-year relationship with German actress Ms Diane Kruger ended in 2016. “I was not looking to fall in love again or meet the mother of my child, but life has other plans for you,” he says.

The couple met at a party. Turner-Smith was wearing the same The Future Is Female Ejaculation T-shirt Ms Tessa Thompson’s character, Detroit, wears in the 2018 film Sorry To Bother You. “That’s what I used to break the ice. I shouted, ‘Detroit!’ across the room. Not the smoothest thing I’ve ever done, but it worked. We were pretty much inseparable from the word go. It was a whirlwind romance and I can tell my daughter I literally saw her mother across a room and thought, ‘I have to be next to this woman.’”

A self-confessed “useless” shopper, Jackson gives his wife full credit for his current wardrobe. He is jewellery-free, apart from a wedding band and a gold signet “JJ” ring on his little finger (a present from his wife), and discovered tailored sweatsuits (by Stampd and Reigning Champ) in the pandemic.

“Jodie has influence in the way that a wonderful wife encourages you, through love, to dress well. She was like, ‘We’re going to throw away all the sweatpants from your past and I’m going to get you some that actually make you look like an adult male and you will still feel comfortable around the house,’ and I’m like, ‘What an amazing idea!’ Who knew you could get sweatsuits that actually look good on your body?”

Jackson’s style has evolved, he says, “from slovenly teen to it’s-nice-when-your-clothes-actually-fit-you”. The penny dropped after he auditioned for his former co-star Estevez, who was directing the 2006 Mr Robert Kennedy biopic Bobby. He said to me, ‘You only got this job because I know you. You came in here to play a very well-put together 1960s political operative and you’re wearing jeans and a hoodie.’

“I had to grow up a little bit. We are very much raised in Canada to never, ever show off, so it took me a while to recognise it’s OK to look good when you go out.”

Still, when you’ve grown up in front of the camera, “every pimple literally documented”, and lived (very successfully) to tell the tale, you can probably be forgiven for the odd fashion faux pas.

“I wore a silk Ascot to an event once in Paris and I still have nightmares about it,” he says. “I looked like Fred from Scooby Doo, but you live and learn.”

[y0itsbri]

HERE’S A NEW ONE: cast your mutuals as shameless characters (with explanations) ✍🏼😉

yoooo this idea is so sick!! and also challenging! okay please nobody get offended bc most of these are just random associations and i swear i'm just thinking of the positive aspects lmao -- i think y'all are great 💛

@gardenerian as ian bc like... tomato friend. love shaped. 🍅❤️

@halcyonlauren as lip but specifically cottagecore lip bc i'm still thinking about that headcanon 🌱

@tamiettitami as tami bc username (ofc) and all the wonderful mickey x tami fics and hcs 💖

@grumpymickmilk as mickey bc fantastic art and the iconic 'mickmilk' and pfp of puffy coat mickey 🧡

@mrsinistertype as iggy <3 (check out his iggy x fiona fic!) + cool af friend ⛓️

@messedwithmandy as fiona bc elder sibling energy?? 😅💛

@arrowflier as sheila bc i feel like sheila enjoys knitting as well (re: her making baby liam a sweater) also i bet sheila would totally be down to join a reading or writing group like your daily quick writes ✍️

@southside-forever as liam bc so kind and cherished. brings the fam/fandom together 🖤

@grossmickey as carl bc funny. your textposts kill me every time :')

@ma-milkovich as v bc caring and you both give off like purple energy to me 💜

@thisaintmacys-bitch as mandy bc totally badass and also teenage dirtbag main character energy 💛

@mishervellous as frank, okay hear me out, bc i feel like he has a lot of hidden skills. everything i find out about you i'm like 😮 woah cool how did you do that

@gallavich-x as debbie bc i hc that debbie pierced mickey's nose and i think you really kicked off the piercing content this week that i'm still not over <3

@grabmyboner as kev bc i love his comments on the social media AUs. 😎 energy

@fan-gurly-gurl as sandy bc of the lovely fanart of sandy x debbie x franny 💕

@ianandmickeygallavich as monica bc you create all these wonderful prompt lists and monica created all the gallagher children? i'm reaching with this one. i'm running out of characters but i appreciate you <33

@you-show-me-love as karen bc karen did well in school and i love your character deep dives... that's kinda like school right? 🥰

@bazgallaghermilkovich as baz 😌 self explanatory

@unbridgeabledistances as franny solely bc i would love to see franny and her favorite uncles have a collage day like your wonderful piece for gallacrafts <3

[babygirlizz]

izzie’s favorite movies and tv shows of 2020 (aka the worst year ever)

another year, another movie and tv show review. this year has, to put it simply, sucked. 2020 has been so terribly awful that sometimes the only light you can see are the absolute bangers of movies and tv shows that came out this year. with that being said, some of the movies and tv shows didn't come out in 2020. if the are mentioned in this post it is because they either: had a season come out this year, i found them this year, or they became popular this year.

SPOILERS: it may not come as a surprise but just in case you didn't realize, there will be many spoilers ahead, read at your own risk.

tw // death, suicide, drug use, mild adult language. if any of these things might trigger you, i strongly urge you not to read this post.

there is no specific order of these shows and movies, i'm just writing as they come to mind. if you enjoy any of these movies or tv shows, or if you have any suggestions for me, please let me know!

TV SHOWS

1) Santa Clarita Diet

Okay, so I know this show doesn't have anything to do with 2020. But, I found this show in 2020. I put it off for a while, thinking it wasn't my style of a show, but boy was I wrong. I loved this show. Sheila Hammond (Drew Barrymore) is a normal suburban wife and mom. She is a real estate agent with her husband Joel (Timothy Olyphant). She struggles with the fact that she isn't very adventurous. This all changes when she throws up an insane amount at a house showing. She then finds herself craving adventure, and craving human flesh. Yeah, she's a zombie. Not only is this show super hilarious, but it also shows the growth that they have with their characters and their family. I'm also team Abby (Liv Hewson) and Eric (Skyler Gisondo).

2) Outer Banks

So, I'm from NC. And, watching this show at first bothered me because I can very obviously tell this show isn't actually filmed in the obx, and the geography isn't exact, but once I got past that, I loved it. John B (Chase Stokes) is a teenager that lives in the poor side of the outer banks. He has a friend group called the Pogues which consists of JJ (Rudy Pankow), Pope (Jonathan Daviss), and Kie (Madison Bailey). They absolutely hate the Kooks, which are the rich kids. A while after John B's dad gets lost at sea, presumed dead, the group finds some evidence that may solve the mystery, and make them rich. In the process, John B falls in love with a Kook names Sarah (Madelyn Cline) whose father Ward (Charles Esten) may have a little more to do with the mystery than he let on. Through friendship, murder, and secrets, the gang may just figure out what happened to John B's dad.

3) Love, Victor

Alright. I loved loved loved Love, Simon. I also really loved the book "Simon vs. the Homosapien Agenda." So, when I heard about this show, I was so excited. Victor (Michael Cimino) is a teenage boy that moved to Creekwood with his family. He meets Felix (Anthony Turpel) who lives in his building. He also meets Mia (Rachel Hilson) and they begin dating. But, he also meets Benji (George Sear). While trying to get used to a new school, new friends, and a new relationship, Victor finds himself questioning his sexuality. With the help of Simon (Nick Robinson) and his friends, Victor finds it in himself to finally come out, and he admits his feelings, for Benji. This is such a good show, but I was so upset when season 1 ended on a cliff-hanger.

4) The Haunting of Bly Manor

The sequel to The Haunting of Hill House. Now listen, haunting of hill house was an absolute banger. When I saw that Bly came out I nearly died. I was so excited. But, I was alone in my apartment and also a lil bitch. So, I had to wait a week until I was home with my family to watch it. Now, I was so excited to be scared, and there were a few jump scares and ominous moments, but this season was more centered around the story line of Dani Clayton (Victoria Pedretti) and her new life in a foreign country. When seeing an ad for a live in job as an au pair. When she gets there, she meets the two young children she’ll be looking out for and the other workers of the house, including the gardener, Jamie (Amelia Eve). Throughout her stay at Bly she begins to notice weird behaviors from both children and by the end of the series she sacrifices herself for the children. Sadly, this story is being told by Jamie who Dani had fallen in love with during her stay at Bly. Now I was somewhat upset about the lack of horror, but was still very intrigued and drawn in by this series.

5) Julie and the Phantoms

Alright, at first I was not gonna watch this show. I thought it looked a little too young and childish for me, but everyone was talking about it on twitter so I had to. I. Love. This. Show. This show centers around Julie (Madison Reyes). Julie is a teenage girl who, sadly, lost her mother. The one major thing she shared with her mom, was their love for music. Since her mothers passing, she gave up music. This is until, dead musicians from the 90′s show up in her garage. Luke (Charlie Gillespie), Alex (Owen Joyner), and Reggie (Jeremy Shada) all tragically passed away in the 90′s after eating bad street hotdogs. When Julie finds their CD in her garage, she decides to play it and they come back in ghost form. But, only she can see them. With their help, she finds her confidence to play music again. Also, she has to find away for them to stay because they’re slowly disappearing. 

6) Derry Girls

Bitch. I love this show. And yeah it didn’t come out in 2020. Shut up. I found this show recently after watching the cast on the holiday special of the Great British Baking Show. I loved the actors so I had to watch the show. This show focuses on Erin (Saoirse-Monica Jackson) a 16 year old girl that lives in Derry, Northern Ireland in the 90′s. Alongside her is her cousin Orla (Louisa Harland), her two friends Clare (Nicola Coughlan) and Michelle (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell), and Michelle’s English cousin James (Dylan Llewellyn). During these years, a lot of people in Ireland struggled, especially because it was during wartime. Even thought this show isn’t focused heavily around the war, it’s amazing to see these teens live a fulfilling life while struggling with the state of their country, and the lack of money that their families have. 

7) Elite

HA. This show did have a season in 2020 so leave me alone. But bro, I love this show. At first, I didn’t watch it because I thought I could only watch the dubbed version in English, which I hate. I hate dubbed shows they look so weird. But, once I found out I could watch this show in Spanish, I fell in love. But, sadly, theres too damn much to talk about in one little post. It’s crazy. But basically it just follows the lives of teens in high school that are trying to survive. And no, not in the “I’m surviving high school,” sense. No, people be getting murdered. 

MOVIES (tbh i didn’t find a lot of movies good this year lmk which movies u liked this year and maybe i’ll like them!)

1) All the Bright Places

After the death of her sister, Violet (Elle Fanning) is devastated. She closes herself off, and has her parents get her out of doing school work that involves working with others. But, as time goes on, they realize she may need to start to move on. Violet then meets Finch (Justice Smith) who is enamored by Violet. He suggests they do a project together. While finding and visiting some of the smallest wonders of their state, they begin to fall for each other. While you are focusing on Violet and her mental health, you tend to miss some of the signs that Finch’s mental health isn’t great either, but by the time you do, it could be too late. 

2) Dangerous Lies

Hmm. This was weird for me. I had only ever seen Camila Mendes in Riverdale, and honestly, not a fan. So, Katie (Camila Mendes) and her husband Adam (Jessie T. Usher) are struggling with money. Katie decides to take a job working for an elderly man, and eventually gets her husband hired there as well. Unfortunately, he dies, but for some odd reason, leaves the house and all of his fortune, to Katie. As they get comfortable in the house, they begin to uncover some very weird and dangerous lies. 

3) The Devil All the Time

Ok. Iconic. You got so many hot men in this movie. Bill Skarsgård, Sebastian Stan, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson. C’mon now. That’s crazy. But, this story is so long and in depth that I wouldn’t even know where to begin. This movie is a bit disturbing. It involves murder, sexual assault, killing of animals, and so much more so if that’s an issue for you please do not watch this movie. It was also quite long, but it was still good.

4) After We Collided

Okay just listen. I was that teenager. I read wattpad stories and was, embarrassingly, addicted to After. This was not a great movie per say, but it was After. This is a sequel to the movie After. This movie centers around Tessa (Josephine Langford) and her recovery after her breakup with Hardin (Hero Fiennes Tiffin). Theres sex, alcohol, bad acting. The whole nine-yards. But c’mon, they’re so cute together.

5) To All the Boys p.s. I Still Love You

Okay it was a good movie. I enjoyed it. This movie focuses on Lara Jean (Lana Condor) and her boyfriend Peter (Noah Centineo) and their relationship post the first movie. But of course relationships aren’t super steady, and John Ambrose McClaren (Jordan Fisher) shows up. Yeah, John Ambrose, from her letter. They become closer and Lara Jean has to decide who she wants to be with. Spoiler, it’s Peter. BOOOOOOO justice for John Ambrose McClaren, he deserved better. 

[confessionsofabingefreak]

WandaVision (2021)

⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Disney+

Miniseries

Synopsis: Wanda and Vision are together again! They are living an idyllic life in Westview, NJ. Everything seems perfect, but how can this be? Nothing is what it seems and no one is who you believe…

My Collection: Yes. But more because it ties into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Recommend: Mixed feelings, but if you are a fan of the Marvel Universe, this show is a must. The new Wanda and Monica Rambeau are set to appear in future films… so you need to watch the show. Also, watch the final episode all the way through the credits.

Review: It takes a little time to warm up to this show. But everything does come to make sense. Am left with mixed feelings. It is fun at times, unique, sometimes intriguing, but overall I find that the overall story was poorly told. I struggled over whether to give the show 3 5 or 4 stars, but found that it takes a few episodes before the show really grabs you, that some of the characters were lacklustre, and left you wondering what was the point? The only point I saw was the introduction of the Scarlet Witch, which was not a great way to introduce that side of Wanda’s abilities. And the other is the introduction of Monica Rambeau and how she gets her abilities. She was a favourite character, outside Wanda and Vision, and even her story was poorly told.

Concept: ⭐️⭐️

Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ish

Storytelling: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Casting: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Cinematography: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Production Design: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Entertainment: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Best: There is a lot to love about the show, but at the top is Wanda finding her Scarlet Witch. Monica Rambeau’s origin story for how she gets her powers. Jimmy Woo, and Darcy Lewis, who I wish had a bigger part.

Worst: It takes time to warm up to the show. Had to push myself to keep watching. Also, Agatha Harkness is a poor nemesis for Wanda. Acting director Tyler Hayward was a poor character. There was no point or real characterization, he was just there… to make things complicated?

Final Thoughts: There is much to enjoy in this limited series, just have to deal with getting through the story. With this version of Wanda set to appear in the upcoming film Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. As well as, Monica Rambeau set to appear in the upcoming film The Marvels, you have to watch this show.

[ac-liveblogs]

FE 3 Hopes Demo

So, I’ve cleared these as much as I’m going to, and even routed back to collect some extra supports, and .... surprisingly, I’m feeling pretty positive about this game so far?

The pace is absolutely breakneck - you spend a grand total of 2 weeks at Garegg Mach before moving into the timeskip route splits, but that also means there’s a lot less faffing around in White Clouds. Further, the game absolutely runs on the assumption that you’re already familiar with the plot of 3 Houses, so it doesn’t bother really introducing you to anyone or explaining any concepts - there’s some documentation lying around that explains the Tragedy of Duscar and some nobility trivia, but that’s about it.

However, it would also be tedious to have to rehash those concepts when this game is very clearly marketed at people that have played 3 Houses, so I’ll forgive them for it. For the most part I’m just disappointed there weren’t as many Academy Shenanigans since, uh... I actually like Shez and Arval. Quite a lot. Not being a silent protagonist is a huge boon, but they also have the benefit of being likeable characters with a great dynamic with each other. It’s a lot of fun seeing Shez interact with the cast. 

3 Hopes is a lot more interested in making use of the off-screen politics 3 Houses alluded to (West vs East Lords in the Kingdom, Roundtable Politics/Almyra, the political situation in the Empire), and has a more interesting story set in each region for it. Claude in particular really benefits for it, though there are some very interesting movements in the Empire as well (keeping an extremely close eye on Ferdinand’s storyline). Shez’ convos with the Deer have so far been hilarious, though I still don’t care for most of them.

It’s great seeing Dimitri live up to his potential as a caring, loving King as much as AM implied that he would - there’s a thread in Azure Gleam about the cost of human life and what you should use your strength for that’s very gratifying, and the Lions’ writing is wonderful. Crimson Blaze is transparently a villain route - you’d have to be flying with blinders on to not notice all the red flags being dropped, from the way Edelgard manipulates her allies, to her lies and half-truths, to Shez’ own optional uncertainty and, yeah, Ferdinand’s showing so far. Oh, and of course, her immediately kicking the Agarthans out so no one can pretend they’re forcing her to do anything. (Bonus points to AG immediately shutting down the traditional “why didn’t Dimitri just hand Rhea over in CF-” arguments, good for them.) 

Interesting implications about Shez’ personality changes on each route (they’re unhappiest on CB, it seems), but I’ll have to see where that goes. I hope they commit to CB as a proper villain route, bc Edelgard has been a Magnificently Manipulative Bitch so far and I love that for her. 

Monica is very annoying, though her rivalry with Hubert is kind of funny. She seems to have replaced Ferdinand as the third member of Edel’s main trio, which. Yeah. Curious. 

Uhh... Byleth thread is interesting, though I still can’t take f!Byleth seriously. She’s dressed too stupidly. I’m very curious to see where Arval goes. I’m sure it’s been said, but Shez and Arval have the kind of writing I would’ve liked for Byleth and Sothis. 

I’ve heard some Things that have been datamined, especially regarding recruitment, and I hope they’re true. Anyway, I’ll be picking this game up like an idiot, and hoping I don’t get bitten for it.

i will still absolutely despise a golden route fyi, unless it’s handled veeeeery carefully.