#the pacing & acting+ cinematography + writing was great

[myfanfictiongarden]

WE GOT PUPPET YODA!!!!!!!

No, seriously, this episode was amazing and once again I’m wondering about all those people claiming this show was bad.

Was it perfect? No, no it wasn’t, I could say a few thing here and there.

But did it have this complex simpleness that is so important in Star Wars, interesting characters and epic moments? Yes, absolutely.

[lullabyes22-blog]

hi <3

i am once again asking your thoughts on the latest act of arcane?

Honestly, my feelings on S2 so far are pretty mixed.

:')

On the one hand, visually, it's absolutely heartstopping. The cinematography is incredible, and it's the first time in a while where every episode felt like an experience I had to endure in a good way. Plus the score, the voice-acting, and the sound design is, as usual, top notch.

Buuuut when you have all these stellar spheres working on this show, it makes the areas where they drop the ball stand out.

For me, that's the plot.

Alot of folks have criticized the pacing and how there's too much piled into one season. Personally, at this point I've made peace with the breakneck speed and sort of taken it as a given in a series where 'War' is the overarching theme. I can even let go of the fact that certain plot beats don't feel earned, as there's so much subtlety and foreshadowing that you can easily make the case for them via long-drawn out analyses of every frame.

But the writing, ohhhh boy. The writing. It feels like there's a disconnect between the overall plot and the individual character moments.

It's really hard to articulate, but I'll do my best.

I love that we're getting so much characterization for the main cast. Every episode, it feels like there's a new layer peeled back, and each of our leads has an opportunity to shine.

And that's exactly the problem. They're all shining.

Separately.

When I think about it, the reason why S1 worked so well was because every episode gave us a glimpse into the mind of someone different. We got a taste of what it was like to be in the head of every major player in the cast, and through this, we grew to understand their motivations, their fears, their hopes. I've used the 'gem' analogy in previous reviews, and the way the show handled that concept was amazing. Every character was a facet of the gem that was Arcane, and each shift of PoV allowed us to see them from a new angle.

There was coherence. There was cohesion. And there was a sense of complexity told in a concise and well-planned format.

S2, for me, doesn't quite work the same way.

It's not that I don't understand the characters, or that I don't appreciate the way they're handled. It's just that their individual journeys are so self-contained. I'm not getting a sense of their interpersonal connections. More as if they're crashing into and out of each other's lives, without ever stopping to have a proper conversation.

It's a common complaint with ensemble casts, and I don't mind it for the most part, but the problem here is that Arcane has been very careful about establishing its characters as part of a cohesive whole. They're not just random individuals who happen to share a stage. They're siblings, lovers, colleagues, friends, enemies, etc. And the reason why we can relate to them is because, on some level, they mirror our own relationships. We've seen how they treat each other, and we've come to care about them.

But in this season, I feel like there's been a failure to communicate.

Scenes between characters feel like a series of disconnected vignettes, some of which are great and some of which are not so great. It's as if the writers are trying to force the characters to react to the plot rather than the other way around.

I don't want to be overly critical. So much love and effort has gone into making this show, and I'd never want to disparage the efforts of so many talented artists.

But, yeah. Coherence is a bit of an issue.

I will say, however, that re: the subject of grief, especially in Jinx's journey, this season has delivered some beautiful moments. It's a surprisingly nuanced treatment of a complicated and ugly emotion, and it's something I wish more shows would tackle. The problem with a lot of modern storytelling is that, because it's trying so hard to be edgy, complex and subversive, it doesn't really leave any room for just letting characters exist. And Jinx's arc in particular is a perfect example of this.

I was worried, going into the season, that they'd take the easy route and paint her as a pure monster, utterly deranged from her loss. That's what the fandom seems to want, anyway, and it's what you'd probably expect given the general climate.

But instead, the show has chosen for Jinx to be vulnerable, and to let her arc be honest. Granted, Isha, though she's adorable, still doesn't quite feel like a full-fleshed out person, but Jinx's bond with her has been written with such heartbreaking realism that I'm inclined to forgive the former for the sake of the latter. It's just refreshing to see the series not to take that insulting and reductive 'but Jinx is crazy' route, and instead allow her to grapple with the pain of losing her family and the horror of what she's done, but to also heal old wounds with brand-new connections.

'Crazy' does not mean 'irredeemable.'

And it's about time more mainstream media got this memo.

The series also continues to be stellar at showcasing so much with such restraint. A lot of the scenes don't last longer than a few minutes, and yet you can feel so much conveyed in that brief window. And the framing and composition is consistently masterful.

Overall, though, I'm a bit underwhelmed by this season so far. It feels like an incomplete masterpiece, and the sense that the narrative has lost control is starting to get overwhelming. We've still got Act 3 left, and I'm hoping the final stretch is able to tie things together a little more neatly.

Anyway, thank you for reading this mess! And feel free to share your thoughts as well. I'm curious to hear how other people are finding the series.

<3

[burst-of-iridescent]

atla live action thoughts: season one review

first things first: anyone who says the Movie That Does Not Exist is better than the live action is straight-up lying. the shymalan film fails on the criteria of even being a decent movie, let alone an adaptation. the netflix series, for all its problems, is at least an enjoyable watch with great effects, music and (mostly) appropriate casting. there's absolutely nothing to compare here - the netflix version clears easily.

now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's delve into the series, starting with the positives.

the good:

visuals and cinematography. they really did a great job of making it feel like a fantasy universe you wanted to be in & i love how vibrant the saturation and colour grading was. it made the world feel so much more dynamic and alive instead of the same flat, boring dullness that so many movies and shows have these days. sometimes i didn't even mind that i was being fed obvious exposition because at least they were giving me something pretty to look at lmao

effects and action. the bending was surprisingly good for the most part, and they did a good job of making the elements feel unique through the stunt choreography and the actors' movements. i'm immensely thankful they didn't try to skimp on budget by merely cutting away from fight scenes or showing us as little as possible. almost all the action sequences were fast-paced and engaging, and i was never bored watching them

acting. the main four were all great, but gordon cormier and dallas liu have to be the standouts for me. gordon brings such an earnest, innocent sweetness to aang that you can't help but like him, and dallas plays all of zuko's facets perfectly: the angst, the explosive anger, the bratty snark, and especially the deep-rooted pain that characterizes so many of zuko's actions in book 1. the range he has, especially when flashing from younger to older zuko, was insane. special shoutout to maria zhang and sebastian amoruso as suki and jet respectively, because they killed it

music. leaves from the vine instrumental had me tearbending and i love how they kept the iconic avatar theme while making it a little darker for this iteration of the story. in general, the soundtrack felt very true to the animation while still being a fresh spin on it

zuko and iroh's relationship and expanding on zuko's crew. i think the fandom universally agrees that lu ten's funeral and zuko's crew being the 41st division were the best changes in the series, so i'm not going to talk about it further other than to say that these scenes show me what the show can be, and that's why i'm not giving up on it

the bad:

characterization. almost all the main characters are missing the little nuances that made them so great in the original, but the greatest casualty is katara. i hate that they took away so much of her rage, and gave many of her traits and struggles to sokka. i don't think this is a problem solely with the writing though, because certain lines do feel like things animated katara would say, but the directing and line delivery don't have the same punch that made her so fierce in the original. this is an easily fixed issue though, so i hope they take the criticism and let my girl be angry and fuck shit up next season

exposition. this was primarily a problem in depicting aang's personality and the relationship between the gaang, because a) why are you TELLING me that aang is mischievous and fun-loving instead of just showing me and b) the gaang do NOT feel like close friends, mostly because they spend so much time apart in every episode that they have little screentime to actually bond and develop intimacy.

lack of focus on the intricacies of bending. for a show whose tagline is "master your element" the characters spend very little time actually... mastering their element. zuko is never shown to struggle with firebending (which is going to have ramifications when it comes to developing his relationship with azula), and neither aang nor katara ever learn waterbending from a master throughout the the entire show. i'm pretty sure aang never willingly waterbends ONCE in the entire eight episodes, discounting the avatar state and koizilla. bending isn't just cool martial arts, it's closely linked to the philosophies and spirituality of each nation, and i wish that had been explored more.

pacing. they really needed to do a better job of conveying that time passed between episodes because an 8-episode season is just going to FEEL shorter than a 20-episode one. the original animation felt as though they'd truly been on a long journey before arriving at the north, but here it feels like the entire show happened in the span of a fortnight or so because each episode seemed to pick up right after the previous. they needed to have more downtime within episodes instead of just rushing from plot beat to plot beat because it made everything feel a lot more rushed. give the characters and story time to breathe.

final rating: 7/10.

overall, i would describe the live action as a better version of the percy jackson movies - not an accurate or perfect adaptation, but a decent story that's very fun to watch. but what really makes me root for this show to get a season 2 is that it has a lot of potential and more importantly, a lot of heart. it's evident that the people who worked on it do genuinely love and respect the original series, and it shows onscreen.

regardless of anything else, this show created opportunities for so many asian and indigenous actors, writers and creators to tell the kinds of stories and play the kinds of roles they don't usually get, and that's something worth supporting. if they take the criticism from this season and improve, i believe they really do have something special on their hands which - although it might not be the original we all know and love - could still be a story to be proud of.

[marlequinncos]

Now that HOTD Season 2 is over, I have a lot of thoughts about what has transpired. Full disclosure: I basically wrote an essay, so long post ahoy! I have read the book, meaning there are a couple book spoilers in here along with show spoilers. Also: there are all my personal opinions, so you may agree or disagree.

The Good

The show is beautifully shot and the cinematography is excellent. We've gotten some really gorgeous shots this season.

The dragons look great, they're animated well, and I like how we can really see their different personalities and their relationships with their riders.

The acting is solid pretty much across the board. Folks like Emma D'Arcy, Matt Smith, and Olivia Cooke are excellent as usual. The standout for me this season, though, is Tom Glynn-Carney as Aegon. He's thoroughly fleshed out his character and given him some really interesting shading and depth and I really enjoy watching him on-screen.

Some excellent new additions to the cast! Ser Simon Strong is a national treasure, Gwayne Hightower is a mood, Alys Rivers is who I aspire to be in life, and the Hull brothers are both interesting (especially their dichotomy) and they better show more with them as per the book.

Rook's Rest gave us our first real dragon battle of the show, and I thought it was really well done. I was concerned that it would be the kind of fight that's hard to follow visually, but it was clean and worked nicely. I also love that they made Aemond torching Aegon a conscious choice.

The costumes are, once again, beautiful.

The embroidery title sequence kicks a lot of ass, and I like how they're adding to it with major events.

I do really like how they've made Helaena a dreamer (which they started in season 1) and how she's a tragic Cassandra figure. However, I do have some issues with her that I'll talk about later.

The Red Sowing was done well. I was hoping we were going to see some people get incinerated to really underscore how dangerous claiming a dragon can be, and that did not disappoint.

Little Oscar Tully verbally suplexing Daemon through an announcer's table was everything I've ever wanted.

I really like the relationship between Rhaenyra and Alicent. That said, I think there are some real issues with the writing that I'll discuss below.

Big fan of them putting Tyland Lannister in Situations.

Aemond committing war crimes and serving cunt as ye olde Sephiroth. 10/10 no notes.

While I do think the tripping balls in Harrenhall arc went on for far too long, I like how the show is leaning into the magic of the world with the weirwoods and insane visions of the past, present, and future.

Women kissing

The Bad

The pacing. Listen, I like a slowburn (one of my favorite horror movies is The Witch which many people find boring), but the slow pacing has to build to something, and this entire season felt like it was just build-up with no payoff. Last season ended with a consequential event (death of Luke), and this season began with another (Blood and Cheese), yet I don't feel like those events have managed to push the plot forward. Even Rook's Rest, which seemed like we were finally getting the ramp up to all-out war that's been teased for one and a half seasons due to Aegon being burned and Rhaenys dying, didn't really ramp up the stakes. We're still waiting for the war, and it feels like Season 2 was just a giant teaser for Season 3 rather than a stepping stone of the whole story. Think of it this way: season 1 ended with a build-up to the war and yet somehow this season also ended as a build-up to the war. It doesn't feel like progress was made; we're essentially in the same spot. The season should have ended with either the taking of King's Landing or the Battle of the Gullet.

Blood and Cheese. There is a reason this event lives in infamy for book readers. It's essentially the Red Wedding of the Dance of Dragons, because of how truly heinous and horrifying of an event it is. But the show toned it down a lot, and I think that was a mistake. Not to mention the fact that the death of Aegon's heir, who was a literal child, only seemed to be an issue for about an episode, and then everyone kind of forgot about it. Frankly, I don't like how the deaths of Luke, Jaehaerys, and Rhaenys were somewhat glossed over other than an episode of some characters being sad. Those deaths should have reverberated with long-ranging consequences and I don't feel like that's the case.

The writing. It's just not as good this season. Yes, I know the writer's strike probably affected it, but still. The conversations are nowhere near as engaging or interesting as they were in season 1, and I'm someone who loves dialogue scenes of political intrigue. I also think some of the character decisions they've made don't work. The biggest issue I have in that regard is with Rhaenyra. I don't actually hate the scene in the Sept (even though I think it is kind of silly how Rhaenyra managed to sneak into KL without being detected), because I like how they establish that Alicent knows that was wrong in her assumption about Aegon and yet she doubles down and they both realize that war is now inevitable even if it all began because of a misunderstanding. But book Rhaenyra is both far more active and ruthless than her show counterpart. There's a reason they call her "Maegor with teats". I thought we were getting some of that "warrior queen Visenya" Rhaenyra during the Red Sowing episode, but the fact is that she's spent most of the season trying to decide on a course of action and trying to do everything peacefully. She should have thrown that out the window after her conversation with Alicent in the Sept. It's especially weird considering she ended season 1 out for blood for the death of Luke. I feel like the writers are afraid that having her sometimes make nasty decisions will make her unlikeable to the general audience. But by doing that, they've also reduced this fascinating woman into a shell of who she should be. Look at Dany and Cersei from GOT; both of them were women in positions of power who did not hesitate to make (sometimes bad) decisions and/or commit horrible acts to further their goals and guess what: for the most part, the audience liked them! Give me "blood and fire" Rhaenyra! Support women's wrongs! Make characters morally grey! LET WOMEN BE AWFUL!!

I also think that the writing is doing Alicent a disservice. They really don't know what to do with her, and its a shame because Olivia Cooke is great. She just feels rudderless to me.

It really looks like the show is cutting Nettles entirely and giving her plot to Rhaena and I don't like this choice. Nettles is an amazing character in her own right, and her relationship with Daemon is key for him to start changing his Targaryen supremacist worldview and for his arc as a whole. Plus, this takes away the significance of Rhaena and Morning at the conclusion of the Dance.

While I like Helaena being a dreamer, they need to give her more screen time and dialogue. Girl had almost nothing to do this season.

I wish we had seen more of Jace and Cregan in the North and the Pact of Ice and Fire. Not saying we need 20 minutes of that, but 5 would have been nice.

I like the idea of that big vision of the future in the finale, but knowing how GOT ended does soften the impact quite a bit. And I don't love that Daemon and Aemond kind of already know their fates?? That's definitely going to hurt their arcs going forward.

The season should have been 10 episodes. Having it be only 8 really messes with the pacing of the story. Not loving the 2 year breaks between seasons either.

The "Let's Wait and See"

Aegon said that Sunfyre is dead. I really hope he's wrong about that because boy howdy that will have major plot implications if Sunfyre really is dead.

DAERON REAL. It would have been nice if he had been mentioned in season 1 and actually seen in season 2, but at least we know he exists and isn't a cryptid. Hopefully we finally get to see him in action in season 3 because poor dude has just been implied for two whole seasons.

I hope we see more of the book's excellent side characters like Black Alys, Benjicot Blackwood, and Sabitha Frey (who we did technically see briefly, but if you're a book reader, you know what I'm talking about). I'd also like to see more Cregan.

Overall, I think the season was a mixed bag. I hope season 3 fixes some of the issues with pacing and writing, because they have a great cast and a show that looks beautiful.

[oddygaul]

Arcane, S2

I feel the same way about Arcane’s second season as I did about its first: absolutely gorgeous, groundbreaking animation and art, hand-in-hand with incredibly uneven pacing & character writing. But I want to be absolutely clear, here, because sometimes I think I tend to emphasize the negative: Arcane is so consistently and gobsmackingly visually stunning that it’s a treat to watch, no matter my misgivings about its other aspects.

Seriously, it’s still hard for me to fathom that this show looks this good, and is this consistent. To produce 8 feature films worth of animation, and look better than nearly every feature film, is a staggering feat. Given that Arcane S1 dropped in 2021, it’d be easy to peg it as another work inspired by 2018’s breakout Into the Spider-Verse – it certainly shares a lot of visual similarities with that style. But while it’s definitely a part of this movement, and has similar aesthetic goals to the Spider-verse films or Alberto Mielgo’s work, Fortiche has been honing in on this style for nearly a decade.

2013’s Get Jinxed already features Fortiche’s trademark heavy 2D effects animation, as well as matte painted environments; the biggest difference is that the models are rendered in a more traditional 3D style, with more realistic soft lighting and less stylized texturing. Their Rocket & Groot shows experimentation with a more saturated palette and flat lighting, while 2018’s Pop/Stars short applies those same efforts to character models more in line with their current style. The music video for Rise, released later that year, stylistically, might as well be from Arcane: the 2D FX take center stage, the cinematography employs a much more dramatic approach, and the compositing work that manages to corral Fortiche’s 3D models, flat environment painting, modeled backgrounds, and effects into one cohesive look has reached its apex. Right on time for production of Arcane to get fully underway!

Anyway, I just think it’s neat that the two titans of this emerging school of 3D animation seem to be a case of convergent evolution, rather than chasing each other's success.

Is there any point to enumerating why Arcane's visuals are so amazing? I can give it a shot, I guess.

All of the models are great, and the flat textures + lighting trick is still unmatched. The layouts are incredibly clean – even in the midst of the thickest action, what’s going on is never unclear. The background work is drop-dead gorgeous, whether it’s the frequent, lavish matte paintings or the 3D environments with some of the best damn compositing I’ve ever seen. The action animation is kinetic as hell, with energetic, exaggerated keyframes and creative choreography; these are further bolstered by Fortiche’s stellar 2D effects work, which is omnipresent and adds a fluid, organic touch to the aesthetic. The impressive action sequences are not done at the expense of the rest of the show, though, as even the most staid dialogue scenes are filled with interesting camerawork and emotive character acting. And as if nailing their own incredible house style wasn’t enough, in S2 the team has decided to take on a whole litany of alternate styles and techniques, from charcoal and watercolor montages, to the duplication realspace glitching of anomaly-afflicted hextech, to the wild galactic vistas and monolithic demon fortresses of Viktor’s subconscious.

This season also really makes me appreciate how much leeway Fortiche was given with the character designs. Viktor, for example, is almost early-2000s-comic-adaptation level different from his source material, but he now fits into the world more seamlessly, both visually and narratively, than the half-baked cyborg mad scientist ever did. Outside of Vander, whose transformation into a pseudo-Warwick feels incredibly forced, all the character designs feel more cohesive and mature than they ever did in the game. Plus, it’s wild to see women from League of Legends that actually have distinct, recognizable faces. Turns out all Riot needed to do to get rid of sameface once and for all was produce a multimillion dollar animated series.

even the background characters are cool as hell! look at this smoldering bat man!

it's unconscionable how hot they made Viktor this season btw. I think it's all the emotional availability that really does it for me

As for the rest, well… as before, it’s a mixed bag. The characterization is better than it was in the back half of season one, at least, in that each character’s motivations don’t wildly vacillate from scene to scene. The dialogue, while not particularly memorable outside of occasional quips like “bitchmittens”, is decent enough. The pacing and plotting in this season, though, holy shit… it’s absolutely lightning-fast, and rarely does any narrative development feel like it’s given the time it needs to make sense.

Entire plotlines are wrapped up without much ado so that new ones can be started. After Jinx and Vi’s big confrontation in Act 1, they more or less make up over the course of an in-universe hour the very next time they run into each other. The pivot from Viktor as wizard Jesus to Viktor as world-ending villain is not sold well at all – this is the sort of shift that, in a typical story, would have an inciting incident or tragedy to prove to all involved parties that he must be taken seriously. Instead, Jayce holds one council meeting and tells the gathered citizens that he was attacked by a single robot; after hearing this, everyone collectively agrees the threat is so dire, they’ll need to forget Piltover and Zaun’s long-bubbling enmity and impending war, and band together. Arcane is simply trying to fit too many characters and too many arcs into too little time; characters like Singed and Vanderwick, in particular, feel like they were included as a reference to fans rather than to serve the narrative.

The wild thing is, despite such slapdash plotting, the big emotional beats almost always land. Even if there isn’t appropriate build-up, even if what’s going on doesn’t make much sense, the story’s most climactic moments are always girded by such strong animation, impactful cinematography, and vibey music that you feel what they wanted you to feel anyway. It’s funny; much has been said about the comical lack of subtlety in Arcane’s music sequences, and while these complaints are totally valid, the simple fact is that often Arcane is at its best when it drops the melodramatic dialogue scenes and just decides to be a music video for five minutes.

Somewhat gallingly, Fortiche also proves that they know exactly how to fix these storytelling issues, if only they had the time to do so: in Pretend Like It’s the First Time, the season’s stellar seventh episode, the pace is slowed way down, the scope is narrowed to just two points of view, and the characters and narrative are given much-needed room to breathe. This is what Arcane is missing, I think. The big moments always land, but it’s the small moments in between, the moments that let us take it easy and get to know the characters during their day-to-day lives, that Arcane could use more of.

Anyway, this show is a visual feast, and I appreciate the obsessive levels of care and craft put into it by the creators. As far as I’m concerned, League’s lore, concept art, and worldbuilding have always been more interesting than the game itself ever was, so it’s nice to see a project that’s finally leveraging those strengths.

[zecarnevilcat]

Thoughts after watching Joker folie à deux...

So I watched Joker sequel yesterday, and like many others I didn't like it... It left me with a bad taste in my mouth. The closest thing I could compare it to is when you stumble upon a really bad fanfiction where the author got the wrong interpretation of the themes and characters (and storytelling isn't that great). I had to repeatedly remind myself that I was (unfortunately) watching a canon story and not some bad fantasy from an edgy teenager with too much time on his hands.

(Important note : Speaking of fanfictions, watching that movie reminded me of all the wonderful stories I read, written by fans that did a far greater job at writing what Joker 2 could have been, so kudos to them)

As a disclaimer, I absolutely loved the first movie. I saw it 4 times at the cinema, something I've never done before in my entire life. It was raw but subtle. It was tragically beautiful. It was sad and depressing and revolting and inspiring all at once. It was perfect as a single story. It didn't need any elaboration or sequel. Todd Philips admitted they told everything they had to say in one movie... And I totally agreed. I really hoped they wouldn't make a sequel, that they wouldn’t fall for the cash grab. But then, Folie a Deux was announced... And it would be a musical comedy, on top of that. Of all possible movie genres, they had to choose my least favorite one... But hey, let's not judge before I see it. After all, it the same team with the same actors, writers, director, and musical composer. Even Joaquin returns, although he usually never does sequels... The first movie was already absolutely perfect in my opinion. Catching lightning in a bottle once is already extremely rare, so doing it twice is extremely unlikely. Unfortunately, Folie a Deux never matches the energy of the first Joker. It's messy, and it has nothing really new to tell. (Heavy spoilers under the cut)

I lack time and talent to elaborate properly but here's a list of thoughts I have after watching Joker 2

General observations :

The pacing of the movie is awful. First Joker had that powerful crescendo that led to Arthur's snapping and full transformation into Joker. I never sensed something as powerful and enthralling in the sequel.

The musical aspect was not such a big deal in the end, at least for me. Most of the time it happens in Arthur's head, as his fantasized interpretation of reality. It could have been done way better though, with a better choice of songs.

Music wise, I was also kinda disappointed. I love the OST, but I heard lots of reuses from the first movie and no new composition from Hildur Guðnadóttir ???

That movie loves to quote the first one. Parallels can be really interesting if done well. Unfortunately, here it felt like gratuitous, obnoxious fan service that goes nowhere.  

Cinematography was absolutely gorgeous, like the first movie, I loved it.

Acting was on point. I have nothing to complain about here. Joaquin is still at the top of his craft.

Regarding the plot:

WTF that animated short at the beginning was supposed to be? A foreshadowing of the ending? A recap of Joker? I mean, yeah, we get it, Joker gets all the fame and Arthur all the hate. Was it really necessary to spell it out? Also (personal opinion here) but the animation/style used was terrible. It's a poor imitation of old animated cartoons, done by someone who vaguely understands the vibe of Tex Avery's masterwork.

The love story feels forced and artificial. I get that Arthur is a "romantic at heart" and he never had any romantic relationship before, but it feels so rushed and artificial... The dynamic between him and Harley however was quite refreshing, compared to the usual story between these two.

The plot feels empty and bloated at the same time. There are lots of interesting ideas, but they are never fully developed (barely scraped at best). It’s infuriating really.

All the subtlety, mystery and ambiguity of the first movie is gone. Joker made you read between the lines, Folie à Deux painfully points everything out for the dumbass with a 3 seconds attention span

Something I really appreciated in Joker was the relative freedom it took from Batman’s lore. If you’re familiar with it, you can understand some things on a whole new level (i.e. when Arthur meets Bruce Wayne). But if you’re not, it doesn’t ruin the story. Again, subtlety. What bothers me most is that criticism some (obtuse) people had about this take on Joker: “He CaN’T Be ThE JokEr, He’D Be ToO OlD tO fIGhT BAtMAn” or “ThIS LOsEr Is ToO StUpID To BecOmE A CriME GeniUS”… Yeah, well guess what? I don’t care. The Joker has been interpretated in various ways since his first appearance: goofy murder clown, crime genius, agent of chaos, failed comedian… with a great variety of background stories and motivations. So, twisting the arm of the lore to get a original take on the character doesn’t bother me at all. That’s just the change in continuity. That’s a great part of why I hate the ending.

Arthur decides to finally do what seems right and suppress his Joker persona to face the consequences of his actions. Ok, that’s a bold move, but what leads to that decision??? Him being assaulted and then hearing his cellmate being choked to death? A re-enactment of one of his worst memories? The one that might have given birth to Joker? Sorry I fail to see the logic here. Be Joker=be punished, but be Arthur=be punished too???

The courtroom explosion. From that moment on, the movie goes completely off rails. We never see the riots or feel the tension outside the courtroom. And then it goes boom. And then Arthur conveniently goes back to the stairs, and conveniently find Harley standing there. Boy, what a convoluted way to bring him back to the stairs… Remember the stairs? Remember that iconic element in Joker? Remember how climbing up the stairs symbolizes the pain and suffering Arthur is enduring to stay on the right path? Remember him going down dancing and laughing in his flamboyant Joker outfit symbolizing his descent into madness? Yeah, well he’s back climbing up the stairs. “Aren’T wE SmArT?”

And then, Harley dumps him. Because she loved his Joker persona, not Arthur. Wow, never saw that coming. And then, he’s stabbed to death by a random guy. And he smashes his skull against the wall in the process, in case there was a little hope left in you. And then, you realize all of this was made to build that twist: Arthur wasn’t the Joker, it’s the psycho who stabbed him and who’s cutting open his own mouth to become Ledger’s Joker. Also, Harley may or may not be pregnant with Arthur’s son, but who cares. TUM DUM DUM. Everything is connected. The lore is preserved, everything’s back into place, welcome to the DC multiverse!

Which brings me to my final point. Todd Philips actually hates Arthur’s Fleck. Must admit he fooled me here. One of the main themes of Joker was love. Empathy. More of the lack-of actually. What consequences it brings to a poor soul struggling to stay on the right path. To be good. To be nice. “To bring happiness into the world” even if his own life is a shitshow where happiness is nowhere to be found. The lack of empathy is what gave birth to the Joker. Then the plot of the sequel was revealed: the story between Joker and Harley. Although I’m fully aware of the controversy regarding their relationship in the comics, I was really excited to discover their take on the subject with Arthur’s character. Again, love seemed to be a central theme in Folie à deux (with the wild hope it had something a little bit better in store for Arthur… Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong) Was it bad to root for Arthur? Apparently so. It seems you never should have felt any empathy for him in the first place. He’s pathetic, and he’ll never be anything more than that. The script takes a sadistic pleasure in humiliating him every time it gets the chance. It was already the case in Joker, but Arthur dealt with it by letting his Joker persona out. In Folie à deux, Arthur takes the bravest decision ever by metaphorically killing the Joker and facing the consequences of his actions. Even if he knows he’s f*cked for doing so. And what does he get for that? Nothing. The guy murdered 6 people. He’s a killer. He deserves to die. We don’t care about the rest. He’s meaningless. What. The. F. Be Joker=get f*, be Arthur=well, get f* harder! What are we supposed to get out of this?! It's actually impressive how Folie à deux throws out the window all the nuance and subtlety it established so masterfully in Joker. You made us sympathize with this guy even though we knew he was going a slippery slope. You made people question their morality. That’s no small feat. And now you go completely backwards. What a waste. Folie a deux could have been so much better, and that’s what you chose to do. What a waste indeed.

[kingsandbastardz]

Follow You Heart - up to ep13

The pacing and writing is a bit... I'm enjoying it, but I won't say it's rewriting my brain the way MLC and MJTY and JOL did. It's far more lowkey than that... BUT the acting and cinematography is great, and Cheng Lei has surprisingly good comic timing, so he's hitting his notes perfectly. Also Song Yi is perfect. She's cute, she's adult, she has strength. She's not cringe. She's using her own voice to its full range. Perfect perfect.

I love that Shang Beili not have an inside voice, and will throw that battle shout immediately on seeing the ML. I'm seriously laughing my ass off every time he makes an entrance. Cheng Lei is playing him big and bombastic enough to hit the comedic mark, but seriously enough that he's believable as a real threat.

I love that the outside voice-inside is apparently infectious because his men are just as cranky and just as loud in exactly the same way.

Everyone in this show as ADHD because the moment the northern girl shows up with her knives being like "PLS DON'T HURT ANYONE IT'S MY FAULT I JUST WANTED TO SEE IF YOU WERE MY FIANCE" Shang Beili and everyone immediately derailed and... believed her? lmao. I guess because the idea was so preposterous that it had to be real (fake cover stories would go for something far more believable)

Honestly, this is why no one can find who they're looking for.

Also no name, no face, no explanation of circumstances of meeting. Actually, that last one is the most important. I would have spilled that shit immediately.

[a-fantasy-lover-surfing-the-net]

Till the end of the moon review

I recently rewatched the drama and felt like reviewing the first Cdrama I ever watched. After watching some cdramas in the past 7 months since I first watched the drama, I now trust myself to write a decent enough review after somewhat familiarizing myself with the genre and overall cdrama space.

Rating: 9.5/10 (1000 bonus points for searing itself in my mind and staying there even after 7 months)

Acting: 10/10

Story: 9/10

Chemistry: 100000000/10

OST: 10/10

Costumes: 10/10

Hair & Makeup: 9.5/10

Production/Set Design: 10/10

Visual Effects/CGI: 10/10

Rewatch Value: 10/10

Li Susu, an immortal time travels 500 years into the past to prevent the ascension of the Devil god, who goes on to destroy the world in the future. It's a story of love and hate, good and evil, redemption and damnation. The characters are very well conceptualized and depicted beautifully by talented actors, stunning costumes, really good hair and makeup, and great cinematography. The amazing production and set design along with impressive visual effects and CGI really immerse the audience in the world of TTEOTM. This was a high budget drama and it shows... each and every frame of the drama, it feels lavish. If you are even a little bit interested go watch the first episode and l promise you'll be hooked and end up finishing the drama.

Now unto my spoiler filled thoughts:

I find it interesting that the typical backstory themes and some character arcs of the male lead and the female lead have been swapped here. The FL usually has a dead parent or abusive household or terrible luck and so on. The ML usually comes to the FL's rescue or stands up for her and so on. We all know that Tantai Jin is Disney Princess coded given his dead mother, abusive and neglectful upbringing and his animal telepathy powers. LSS both as Ye Xiwu and LSS repeatedly saves TTJ and stands for him. While TTJ also saves her many times, he does not get a chance to stand up for her because she usually takes care of herself and she is not suspected or wrongfully accused where she would need someone to support her. Also, TTJ basically became a part of LSS's family as her uncle took him under his wing and he promised to stay in Hengyang Sect with her in ep 35 before all hell breaks loose. And who can forget that LSS marks TTJ with her Phoenix mark, typical ML behavior.

Their romance is my ultimate enemies to lovers pairing. It has just the right amount of fighting, messiness, animosity and angst for me. I feel that other pairings don't have enough of it for me to consider them as an enemies-to-lovers couple. Their visuals, their chemistry, their acting and the story everything was so great. Who else has three epic weddings in one drama? I am still not able to move on from this couple and drama.

While the misunderstandings were obviously supposed to lead to a turning point in the story, I feel like it was in character for them to jump to conclusions and assume the worst without fully thinking things through and which then led to them acting rashly. I mean both TTJ and LSS had bad history between them so in the early stages of their relationship where their trust in each other was shaky, it's understandable that they were prone to misunderstandings. Also, they're both not good at communicating with each other. In the mortal arc, LSS was never fully honest with TTJ and they never addressed their past misdeeds properly (like OG Ye Xiwu was very cruel to TTJ and he never talked to her about it and just brushed it off). In the immortal arc, TTJ deceived LSS when he became the Devil God.

For the most part the story was gripping, progressed at a good pace and conveyed many themes that become apparent on rewatches. Though it was obvious that the last 5 episodes and the ending were rushed because the censorship rules changed as they went into production. This was one of those dramas that needed at least 5-10 more episodes to properly flesh out the story. It was a missed opportunity that we didn't get to see LSS ruling the Demon realm and Ami's antics.

Another victim of the decreased episode count is the arc of the second leads. Tbh, I wish that Pian Ran and Ye Qingyu were the SLs but I think I would have enjoyed seeing the complete character arc of Xiao Lin/Gongye Jiwu and Ye Bingchang/Mo Nv and the resolution between them. That said it was appalling that they didn't bring back Pian Ran and Ye Qingyu in the immortal arc. I really missed their dynamic with each other and with the main leads. It is disappointing that they didn't even get an open/ambiguous ending to give us some closure and satisfaction.

The actress did a phenomenal job in making us hate her as Ye Bingchang and Tian Huan. Those characters as villians really worked as they were in a way the ones who had the markings of the female lead (these characters at the start of their stories could easily be heroines in any other story) but they turn into villians. Tantai Minglang was a good, serviceable villian and the actor did a lot with how little he was given. Di Mian was selfish and manipulative traitor who was almost scarily competent. I mean he did achieve what he wanted by becoming the Devil God and opening the Tongbei formation. The point of Devil God as a villian is not his character and his motivations but rather he represents our inner demons and how each of us has the power to overcome them.

Out of all the dramas I've watched, only TTEOTM's entire OST is on my regular playlist to listen to. Every time I listen to "Let's be like this for 10,000 years", I feel the love and tragedy of Sang Jui and Ming Ye's story all over again. It's impressive that a song can make you relive those feelings and the story every time you listen to it. All the songs fit wonderfully in the scenes they're played over and also make us feel those emotions again when listening to them separately.

On my first watch, the dream arc felt a little out of place and jarring, which, in hindsight, was probably due to the fact that it was my first cdrama. Upon rewatch I've come to appreciate that it gives a look into the age of Gods and it shows that the Devil God was so powerful that to stop him the Gods had to sacrifice themselves and only Ming Ye was able to survive. The action sequences here are just magnificent to watch and they definitely seem movie level. It also serves as a warning to the audience, LSS and TTJ that they could also have a tragic end if they don't learn the lessons from it. Unfortunately, in the mortal arc they did have a tragic end. However, in the immortal arc, TTJ is able to learn from his experience as Ming Ye and succeeds in defeating the OG Devil God and becoming the Devil God himself with control over his own destiny.

One of the most prominent themes of the drama is redemption and that love and compassion are powerful enough to change a person's fate. The themes of Taoism and Buddhism are evoked throughout the drama. There are also many other minor themes like the food is used as a guesture kindness (when LSS first gives TTJ a proper meal), affection/care (when TTJ gave LSS the goose themed meal), love (when LSS gives badly cooked meals to TTJ), betrayal and trickery (the poisoned porridge) and comraderie, friendship, brotherhood and familial love (when TTJ shares meals with his sect brothers and master). Both TTJ and LSS have dead moms, terrible fathers and great adoptive dads (Zhao You and Qu Xuan Zi), these are just some observations I made.

I may not love the ending but I don't hate it either as it was obvious to me that they reunite once again and live happily as a family (the audio ending really makes it clear). Even though I'm irritated we don't get to see it, I'm still satisfied that we get a hopeful ending rather than a tragic one.

Until now I've mostly been lurking in fandom spaces by liking and very rarely commenting and reblogging but never posting my own original post. The fact that my first ever post is on TTEOTM shows how much I love it. I'll probably be posting more TTEOTM analysis stuff so be on the look out for that if you're interested. Also, I welcome your recommendations as I'm still a newbie to cdramas and kdramas.

You can also check out my costumed cdrama rankings here.

[romchat]

Cinematography of Falling in Love: Fake It Till You Make It (Ep. 6)

How do you film the complicated process of two characters falling in love?

When we talk about our favorite romantic scenes, we often point to the role of great acting or writing in creating that magical feeling all romance fans crave. But cinematography, the art of visually capturing stories through a camera, can also be a powerful tool in conveying that heady but scary feeling of falling in love.

I think a great example of this is the Chinese drama Fake It Till You Make It (FITYMI).

Set against the cutthroat world of Beijing's Central Business District, FITYMI is a story about finding authenticity and connection in an otherwise pretentious world. The show follows two professionals, Tang Ying, an ambitious attorney, and Xu Ziquan, a successful investment banker, as they navigate the social challenges of their high-pressure jobs. Ying and Ziquan constantly pretend to be more sophisticated and carefree than they truly are, and the show uses their characters to offer incisive commentary about the ways modern life forces us to compromise our sense of self in order to "make it."

It's this context that makes FITYMI such a compelling romance: despite the masks Ying and Ziquan wear in their professional and personal lives, they ultimately learn to show their true selves to one another and fall in love. And it's through the show's subtle use of composition, shot size, and camera movement that we not only see but feel the tentativeness with which Ying and Ziquan cultivate this connection. It's a messy mix of one step forward and two steps back, and the show’s cinematography beautifully matches the characters’ gradual shift from a flirtatious and tender yet largely undefined relationship to one of committed love.

I don't think any episode demonstrates this dynamic more clearly than Episode 6.

Scene 1: "When I Felt Tempted By You"

Something that I appreciate about the show's cinematography is how it treats Beijing as a secondary character. Even when focusing on our two main characters, FITYMI often uses wide shots with deep depth of field, allowing us to clearly see the hustle and bustle of city life in the background. These shots help communicate the loneliness and societal pressure always present in our characters' fast-paced lives.

Because of this, let's pay attention to how this urban background appears or disappears when Ying and Ziquan are shown spending time together.

In this scene, we see Ziquan impulsively call Ying after a difficult day at work. He's leaning against the wall in exhausted defeat, the cityscape in the background dominating the other two-thirds of the frame. He's at a low point in his career and feels isolated by his industry colleagues.

Ying knows him well enough to recognize his mood so she offers to meet and commiserate.

We can see their closeness by the immediate cut to a close-up shot with both characters similarly aligned on the left side of the frame.

So when he rejects her offer, the camera quickly reframes and pans around Ying to the other side, signaling her shift in mood.

When Ziquan gently asks why she stopped talking, there's another cut to a medium shot of Ying against a busy street backdrop. They've stumbled upon a sore spot in their more-than-just-friends relationship.

In describing the dating landscape of FITYMI, Director Li Mo has noted that in this world there is:

"An unspoken self-preservation, the fear of being seen truly, the fear of kindness being mistaken for weakness, and sincerity being seen as foolish. Within these layers is the lonely soul of the city, bearing weariness and fatigue with nowhere to vent, craving sincere relationships yet unwilling to open up due to the fear of being hurt." (translation via /u/lollipopdeath)

Ying obviously wants to be an emotional support for Ziquan and yet she's wary about being seen as the weaker one who fell in love first. She begins to retreat as an act of self-preservation and the camera language loses the intimacy of those initial shots.

Ziquan hears the disappointment in her voice and steps into the center of the frame as if sensing this is a critical juncture in their relationship that he must be fully present for. Note how the blurriness of the cityscape background creates a lot of negative space around him. He no longer cares about the outside world; all that matters at this moment is Ying.

Slightly teary-eyed but unable to fully articulate his feelings, he reiterates that he just wants to hear her voice for a bit.

But tired of the games, Ying takes a deep breath and then drops a bomb:

"Forget about that. Let's talk about us. Do you want to know when I felt tempted by you?"

What I love about this moment is that it's a moment of extreme vulnerability but shot from a slightly low angle, giving Ying a sense of empowerment. Low-angle shots can alter the power dynamics within a scene because the upward perspective highlights the importance or magnitude of a character's actions. Asking this question is incredibly brave of her, confirmed by Ziquan's shocked and overwhelmed face.

But when Ziquan doesn't immediately follow her confession with one of his own, Ying once again retreats. Hurt, she claims she was just joking to entertain him and that they can continue being friends. The camera pans and her bitterly smiling face fills the frame as if to build herself up after that blow to her confidence and pride.

The scene eventually ends with a devastating wide shot, Ying but a small figure on an empty bridge. She is still a lonely soul of the city.

Despite the numerous tender and romantic moments they had shared in previous episodes, Ying and Ziquan have firmly placed their masks back on.

Scene 2: "You're Waiting For A Worthy Rival"

Later that episode, Ziquan asks Ying out for dinner and she reluctantly agrees.

As usual, they effortlessly banter about life and love, the scene cutting back and forth between the two as they trade verbal volleys over the hotpot. Their chemistry is undeniable and you can see both reveling in the fact that they've found their intellectual match.

At one point, Ziquan begins talking about the importance of rationality in love, and Ying fires back:

"No matter how time changes, there's one thing that makes women really thrilled. If there's a man who loves her with full passion until he loses himself, until he'd die for her, until he becomes a fool, then that woman would be thrilled, you know?"

Eventually, they settle on the topic of Ying's failed first love.

Like in the previous scene, the show uses increasingly intimate close-up shots to convey the quiet vulnerability of the moment. But this time, there's a dream-like quality to the conversation: the background actors suddenly disappear and the shallow depth of field and spotlight lighting remove any remaining worldly distractions.

Unlike their previous dates that happened against the backdrop of Beijing's busy nightlife, here it's like they're in a world of their own.

As if thinking of Ziquan's earlier rejection, Ying ruefully describes how her first love taught her an important lesson:

"I swore to myself that I'd never enter an uncontrollable relationship nor become the fool who overestimated her charm in love....I should find a rich and cool old man so I won't really be in love. I'll get by with him. When he passes away, I'll inherit all his fortune and enjoy my life in his villa."

Placed in the center of the frame, she speaks directly into the camera and we see a series of emotions play across her face. It's the most revealing she's been about herself with Ziquan.

When he pushes back on the idea of her marrying without love, Ying jokingly asks "Are you jealous?"

Ziquan reluctantly shakes his head but admits:

I've never been so deeply loved by a girl. I'm not jealous--I'm super jealous. Tang Ying, you're not looking for someone out of your league. You're waiting for...a worthy rival."

His close-up matches hers in its composition.

This time, he also took off his mask.

BONUS: shout out to the funniest zoom-in of this entire show.

Seems like Ziquan is well on his way to acting like a fool in front of Ying.

[o0anapher0o]

Final verdict on m&g

Casting: top notch, no notes.

Performances: throughout stellar, especially the leads but, with very few exceptions, pretty great all the way through.

Cinematography/direction: fine, I guess, it’s got a few really good moments, and a few that I would have done differently, but overall just fine. A bit dark, which also affects,

Costumes: With no knowledge of historicity they look great, sometimes absolutely fantastic, I just wish they’d allowed the colours to shine a bit more.

Writing: Meh. I like a few things they did (Catherine comes to mind) and the dialogue has really great moments,  but the pacing is choppy, which seriously hurts the relationship  and character development, and the character arcs poorly balanced. The constant time skips aren’t helping.

All in all a fun show full of great acting but feels inconsistent and weirdly rushed.

Favourite ep: 4

[bengiyo]

The Novelist: Playback (2021) Stray Thoughts

We've watched The Novelist, Mood Indigo, and Spring Life. Let's watch these two try to survive long distance.

Yes, please recap for the people who maybe got dragged to a theater for this.

No car BJ? So glad I watched Spring Life already.

Oh, we're getting a bed scene. I forgive them.

Finally, we're talking about insertion and then immediately going to realistic angles. Good job, BL.

I like the way the age gap is playing into how Rio handles his disappointment that Kuzumi frequents sex clubs with his senior.

Oh, I like that we're getting more interactions with Kamuuda.

Rio's sister is always punking him.

"People who are happy have no need for art or literature," is such a cynical read.

Wow, there is a lot of resentment here.

Oh shit, this woman took out his writing hand. That's ironic. I am amused.

Oh my goodness, are we going to make an even younger boy write for him??

Never have I been happier that a boy was illiterate.

No man is immune to Kijima's sexual energy if he turns it on them it seems.

OR WOMAN, IT SEEMS!

Poor Kuzumi. Rio is a hard man to love.

Oh lord he got this boy doing the writing now. Goddammit.

Oh good Kuzumi is here. Please fix this.

I'm so glad Kuzumi caught him with the boy.

HE REALLY SAID THAT HE ACTUALLY HURT HIS HAND THIS TIME!! 🤣

Is this the first time Rio has said his given name?

I love this woman.

Oh, please don't slow zoom onto just Haruhiko to tell me that they're not going to make it.

Oh, I shouldn't have gotten attached to Haruko.

Interesting. I suppose they did foreshadow that Haruko is popular with men.

I'm going wild over the cinematography of Rio's pacing during this fight. Incredible acting from both of them in this long take. Rio can be such a jerk.

Did Rio never recognize the crazy in Haruhiko's eyes? It was the first thing I noticed about him.

Japanese characters are so good at staying still and pretending to sleep when someone looms over them.

I just love Japanese filmmaking. I love trusting actors to act and I love the composition of these shots.

"It's not about being tough. You become tough when someone is important to you." Come through, Haruko!!!

I'm fond of Shizuo.

I'm glad Kuzumi didn't answer his phone and Kijima has to take the leap of going to Tokyo without reassurance.

Kido, you have a daughter. Why ask that question?

Finally a forthright, vulnerable apology and confession from Rio.

I love that these two always kiss like maniacs.

I just love trains.

Families are difficult, but Rio is still loved.

Hands only, baby!!

Y'all awfully vocal for hands only.

The moon is beautiful tonight.

Wow these two have incredible blissed-out faces.

Oh, Rio. I felt that wall breaking. Goddamn Takezai Terunosuke is good.

"Is there really such a life without loneliness?" is a great rebuttal to Rio's cynical view.

Aww, she smiled for her brother.

I'm so glad things ended well for Haruko and Shizuo as well.

Final Verdict: 10, If You Are Male and Queer Please Watch This Franchise Immediately. I'm giving this movie a 10 for the way the entire franchise has been the most satisfying experience I've had in BL in a really long time. I keep begging for realistic approaches to male-male intimacy and relationships, and this franchise hits it constantly. Rio is layers of bullshit hiding an incredible loneliness and sense of worthlessness, and it was so satisfying to see him claw his way out of that because he found someone else who finally connected to him. It's been a really long time since I felt this good about going back to something I skipped over for one reason over another, and I can say confidently that I fully trust @lurkingshan recommendations. If you are gay and feeling a bit displaced in BL, please watch this, and then ping her, me, @harurio @ginnymoonbeam or @waitmyturtles. I promise it will be worth your time.

[0junemeatcleaver0]

Ok, babe, gonna try to do this without spoilers. But here we go:

The normies have really been freaking out about this one and like...it's not anything to freak out about re: the psychosexual stuff. Like, it's not as wild as they seem to think it is.

But that doesn't stop it from being a really good time!!! I had so much fucking fun watching this movie from, like, 15 minutes onward. The only thing that made the first 15 minutes difficult for me to watch was the realism of it--Oliver is so painfully an outsider that it physically hurts to watch.

Speaking of, there are few things that make me experience secondhand embarrassment or really make me squirm uncomfortably. But those things do exist and they're both in this movie and no one warned me because everyone who has never been on AO3 was too busy talking about the bathtub scene: social isolation at school and wrong side of the tracks fish out of water syndrome. This movie has both in spades for the first, like, 45 minutes.

And as I said, the writing and acting are so good and realistic that it was downright painful. Which is great--that's what they were going for and they nailed it. It was just difficult to know what I was heading into before hand because everyone was talking about other stuff.

Speaking of something that got overlooked in all the hype: I've yet to hear anyone talk about how wickedly funny this film is?? It's a thriller for sure but the darkly comedic elements are they and they really shine.

It's set in '06 and the mid-naughts glitz and sleaze is so fucking perfect. There are some real throwbacks culture wise but it never distracts, just adds to the ambiance.

What else...Rosamund Pike is phenomenal, as per. Plays the perfect WASP. Fucking kills it. But then again, everyone is acting their asses off in this.

Everyone wants to talk about the 'shocking' scenes but I think my favorite (you'll know it when you watch it) is the lunch scene. The red one? Yeah. Incredible writing, incredible acting.

Cinematography? Beautiful. Soundtrack? Bumpin'. Sound was also great, I was very impressed by the fact that it was the first modern film I've watched in a long time that wasn't mixed like pure dookie garbage. The music was never too loud that you couldn't hear dialogue (unless explicitly by design), nor were any diegetic sounds treated like a freight train barrelling through your living room. Wardrobe also fucking smashed it. Set dec was on point.

My only gripe is that it was 2 hours long. I know that's how long movies are nowadays. It didn't stop me from needing to get up every 15-30 minutes to stretch my legs or smoke a cigarette. That being said, the movie is very character driven which I think is best for a two hour run time, as it allows tension to build and arcs to unfold, etc. So ultimately it's fine bc that's a me-specific gripe and the pacing was actually very good.

It's not groundbreaking cinema by any means but it's a tightly contained story that had me thoroughly entertained. 10/10 for a fun, fucked up little movie.

And @apoptoses if you watch it you gotta come yell at me about it because I cannot wait for someone I know to have seen it.

[mirageofadesert]

C-Drama Review: My Journey to You

Broadcast: iQIYI, 2023, 24 Episodes Genre: Romance, Wuxia

My Rating 7/10

A beautiful show with a promising premise, ultimately disappointing with a poorly realized asynchronous story-telling and unsatisfactory ending.

Acting: 6/10 World-building: 7/10 Production: 9/10 Storytelling: 4/10 Pacing: 7/10 Re-watch Value: 6/10  Bonus: for Jolin Jin's and Tian Jiarui's characters. One of my favorite big sister and little brother!

Summary with minor spoilers: My Journey to You tells the story of two assassins, Yun Weishan (played by Yu Shuxin) and Shangguan Qian (played by Lu Yuxiao), who are sent to infiltrate an enemy sect territory, the Gong residence, disguised as potential brides. However, their respective objectives are in conflict with each other, and so are their targets. They encounter two very different young masters and their respective families. Young Master Gong Ziyu (played by Zhang Linghe) surprisingly attains the title of Sword Wielder of the Gong family, but faces accusations about the legitimacy of this status and title. Only by completing three challenges can he prove himself and take up his family's legacy. He falls in love with Yun Weishan early on, meanwhile Shangguan Qian future husband Gong Shang Jue (played by Cheng Lei) distrusts his new bride. In a balancing act, she must win his trust without revealing her true intentions. Thus begins a dangerous game, wherein the lines between friend and foe are blurred. The price? Freedom from the oppressing employers - and their own survival.

My review - spoilers ahead!

The show started out incredible promising: A captivating premise, a darker tone in both cinematography and theme, beautiful sets and costumes, decent special effects and a different voice for Esther Yu. And while the show had great moments, it overall failed to deliver what it promised. So what went wrong?

The short version is that the show suffered from the typical shortcoming: mediocre acting, misguided directing and bad writing.

Esther Yu and Zhang Ling He never stood out to me as particularly great actors, and this holds true in this show as well. However, I don't think the problem with My Journey to You can be blamed on their unconvincing acting, but is rather a product of the direction the writing took them.

The tension arcs get boring really fast: Again and again the female leads are in danger of being exposed (or better: exposing themselves), but by the third time it doesn't feel exciting anymore. The other major plot line is the conflict surrounding the succession of the sword wielder title, which I was never able to care about. I think a different story-line for the ML would have greatly benefited the drama. Trying to make the audience care about him by putting a lot of emphasis on his hard childhood early on in the show, didn't work, because it felt so irrelevant compared to the backstories of the other characters. It didn't give him depth, it actually took it away.  Therefore, the dynamic between the main couple wasn't working either - she was too cold, he was too immature for them to create any interesting chemistry.

The second couple not only had the better written characters, their storyline had more suspense. I have seen mainly Esther Yu being criticized for this drama, so my potentially controversial opinion is, that it's actually the fault of the dull main storyline and the bland ML.

The other big problem are the poorly build-up plot twists. Some of these plot twists themselves were great, like the switch of the medical document and the death of the little sister. While these were great plot points, the narrative build-up wasn't. In retrospect, it made sense we got so much information about the MLs unhappy childhood and complex relationship with his parents, because that build-up both to the medical record swap and the betrayal of the older brother, however... it was just done in such an annoying way, that it made the ML look unnecessary whiny and the storyline boring.

As the show progressed, they increasingly used the element of time-jumps and flashbacks to tell the story. There should have been a better way to deliver tension and twists, than constantly making jumps in order to catch the audience off guard. Part of the fun in mysteries like this is to make guesses while watching, but that only goes so far, when it is all in the editing and crucial information is simply being withheld. And what made this even worse, it that the final plot twist (e.g. the brother coming back) was so predictable, all the asynchronous story-telling wasn't even necessary!

Worst of all was the ending: A twin sister out of nowhere? A villain that was poorly build up? No resolution for the second couple? A cliffhanger for a next season that does not fit the tone of the first 23 episodes and is unlikely to ever happen? Frustrating.

It wasn't all bad: The supporting cast was great. Ryan Cheng, Jolin Jin and Tian Jiarui were amazing! The dynamics between all the other couples were engaging as well. Gong Zishang was my favorite comic relief in any cdrama, and she gave the whole show such a unique vibe! Tian Jiarui's character was right done my alley - I just love my twisted little psychopath in emotional turmoil!

Just one last thought ... please no more Chen Duling? She has been in most shows I have watched this summer and has failed to charm me every time. She is a decent actress, but the type casting of "sad, whiny girl" isn't doing her any favors.

Overall, I think this was a decent drama. I still would recommend you to watch this show, especially if you value intriguing characters over plot!

[kolbisneat]

MONTHLY MEDIA: April 2023

The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling | ContraPointsOkay big movie month! And excited to keep going in May. Are movies back? Did they ever leave? Here’s all the stuff I watched, read, heard, and played this month!

……….FILM……….

Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves (2023) Yes my brain lit up every time I recognized something. I can’t come into this without bias but maybe that’s okay. As a fan of D&D, this worked! Does it work if you’re not a fan? I have no idea. But the story was compelling with some clever callbacks and something I always appreciate: a platonic friendship between a man and a woman! Love to see it. My only hope is that the inevitable sequel has the same actors playing different characters in a different setting. Strahd spooky vampire movie COME ON IT'S RIGHT THERE.

John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) Incredibly beautiful both in fight choreography and cinematography. I really want more movies to be...heightened again, you know? I’d need to go back and watch the previous ones but this was the first time I felt like the fights (and nearly every one) went on for like...30 seconds too long. With that said I really can’t complain about a good movie having too much in it.

The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) It looked great and moved along at a good clip. I was really stoked by the “commercial” at the beginning and thought “oh wow they sound great!” and then that turned out to be a misdirect. What else could this movie have been?

Renfield (2023) Everything I loved about this and everything I didn’t love can boil down to this: the movie felt like a student film with a bigger budget. It was fun and seemed to really enjoy the stunts and gore, but ho boy was the plot and script secondary to all of that. Really enjoyed it.

The Last Waltz (1978) Knowing very little about the Band going into this, they seemed like cool cats. Joni Mitchell really stood out as a bright, weird light and you can really feel Robbie Robertson’s sadness/melancholy in the interviews. 

Taylor Tomlinson: Quarter-Life Crisis (2020) and Taylor Tomlinson: Look At You (2022) Hey both very good. Watching these specials after knowing my parents had already seen (and enjoyed) them gave me a new perspective. Did I laugh? Sure. Did I think “Oh I’m glad she’s talking about this and I hope my parents took note”? Absolutely. She has a bit where she talks about how she does well with moms so why not use that skill to talk about mental health, therapy, and why “sex worker” is the preferred term? 

……….TELEVISION……….

Ted Lasso (Episode 3.04 to 3.07) These last few episodes have really given me comedic whiplash. The bike-training stuff was great, but then the next episode the team has their junk tied together? What is happening? The saving grace, for me, is the consistent character growth that the show pushes. Really great actors in really great roles that rise above some questionable premises.

BEEF (Episode 1.01 to 1.10) Stressful to watch but after the first couple of episodes, I found the stress was overshadowed by the joy of watching these complex characters further tighten their tangle of knots. Incredible writing and acting and it all really left a lasting impression. 

Severance (Episode 1.01 to 1.09) Started strong, had a brief dip in pacing, and then really ended strong. Though I won’t go into details, I found the nature of the finale to be deeply unsatisfying. Too much cliffhanger not enough resolution. Sure the series builds great tension and I loved the stress throughout, but you gotta give us something at the end, you know? Some sort of reward for making it through. Still highly recommend.

……….YOUTUBE……….

Music Supervision by Karsten Runquist A light introduction into why some licensed music just doesn’t click in movies. VIDEO

How This Woman Creates God of War’s Sound Effects | Obsessed | WIRED by WIRED I love foley and seeing it all come together at the end of the video was very satisfying. VIDEO

The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling | ContraPoints by ContraPoints I understand not everyone is online, but it seems like even the most luddite of millennials can’t ignore Rowling’s politics. Great framing and full of undeniable evidence that confirms just how much harm the author is actively doing. Hey I loved the books as a kid but when supporting something is directly benefiting a bigot, you gotta let thing go. Go pick up a Discworld novel.  VIDEO

……….READING……….

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett (Page 366 of 445) Pratchett’s writing is so good that reading a “Christmas” story in April doesn’t feel out of place at all. There’s a genuinely terrifying assassin named Teatime that gives me real chaotic and evil vibes and I always enjoy reading Death-related stories. Such a fantastic world.

Ultimate Spider-Man - Volume 7 Hardcover by Brian Michael Bendis & Mark Bagley (Complete) You know I never liked the designs for the Ultimate version of Green Goblin and Hobgoblin. I’m fine with bulky but I like the pointed hats. Into The Spider-Verse really nailed the balance of the two. Anyway the two collected stories in Volume 7 never really worked for me but that’s the beauty of ongoing serieses...something good might just be around the corner!

Cosmic Ghost Rider: Baby Thanos Must Die by Donny Cates, Dylan Burnett, & Antonio Fabela (Complete) Another reread and I really love how much this just goes for it. I didn’t realize there was more story before and after this so I think I’m going to pick up the omnibus! I don’t assume it’ll maintain this level of momentum but if it hits the same highs at least once more during the run, it’ll be worth it.

Doctor Strange: The Oath by Brian K. Vaughn and Marcos Martin (Complete) I remember not loving this the first time I read it and I have no idea why. It’s tightly-paced and does something I rarely see Doctor Strange comics do: lean into his life as a surgeon. Really great story and just enough mystical stuff to satisfy. Really glad I reread it.

……….AUDIO……….

10,000 Gecs by 100 Gecs (2023) This feels like music I’m not supposed to be listening to but I sure do love it. I liked maybe...half the songs on my first listen but each one is growing on me to the point where I think Billy Knows Jamie is the only track I don’t mind skipping.

60 Songs that Explain the 90s (Podcast) I’ve only listened to a handful of episodes but they’ve all been great! The beginning always feels a little padded and I prefer the episodes with interviews, but I recommend just finding eps about songs you like and going from there. 

……….GAMING……….

Oz: A Fantasy Role-Playing Setting (Andrews McMeel Publishing) Both of my groups are back in Oz! My Tuesday group is busy exploring tunnels and fighting rock creatures to save a castle (campaign diary is here), and the Mof1 crew is actively escaping the crew that was about to bury them alive. We have fun.

Anyway that’s it. See you in May!

[cannolli1]

Django Unchained (2012)

Django Unchained is one of those rare perfect movies. In my opinion it is director Quentin Tarantino's best work. Everything in the movie works together in harmony the soundtrack, writing, acting, cinematography and pacing are all expertly done. I should say that this was the first Tarantino film that I ever watched in about 2014 and it had a profound effect on my taste in films. It is entirely responsible for my love of Westerns and exposing me to the masterpieces of Sergio Leone. I will be getting into light spoilers for this film.

One of the standout parts of the film is the acting. Jamie Foxx is excellently cast as Django. The arc that he goes through is incredibly gratifying and the final scene never fails to leave me with a big smile on my face. Foxx's performance is fantastic, but my personal favorite part of the film has to be, Christoph Waltz's supporting character, King Schultz. In fact, I think his performance transcends this film and is one of my favorite film characters of all time. His mannerisms are what really draw me to his character. The subtly present in all of the performances is what makes the acting standout. In one of the most impactful scenes of the film. Brunhilde(Kerry Washington) is laying on a bed with her back toward the door and a figure approaches. She is mortally terrified, but the audience knows that this is unfounded, but her acting sells this perfect ironic moment.

The technical aspects of this film are excellent. The movement of the camera is spectacular and one of my favorite bits of camerawork, by Robert Richardson, are the snap zoom-ins and zoom-outs that are peppered throughout the film. The slight corniness of the shot just really speaks to me. Richardson also knows when to keep the camera still and during the moments of tension the camera moves very little and moves the viewer towards the edge of their seat. The editing in this film, by Fred Raskin, is just as good as the camera work. The film is tightly edited. The montages move the film along while during the moments of tension the editing slows down so the audience can really revel in the atmosphere of the scene.

The writing in this film is fantastic. There are so many things that brought up earlier in the film that pay off by the end. In my opinion, that is the sign of a great film, but also of a writer. Meaningful callbacks reward the viewer for paying attention and I feel that it doesn't happen enough in cinema. The film is set in the pre-Civil War South and it uses this setting to its fullest. The film is about a freed slave, Django, who sets out to rescue his wife from a Mississippi plantation. The film does not make light of slavery it shows just how disgusting and reprehensible it was. In a way the film shows how pathetic racism and slavery was by its use of violence. Much like Tarantino's other films there is a lot of blood and violence. The violence here is used in two ways. The first way is to show the horrors of slavery. In one scene there is a death match between two slaves that is incredible violent and incredibly uncomfortable. The second way is for a sort of cathartic release. The climax of the movie when Django is unchained and just kills all these slavers, the audience is awash with catharsis. Seeing blood burst out of these evil people is the perfect revenge.

Before I get into the conclusion I just want to gush about the soundtrack really quickly. The score is made up of recent pop songs, new compositions , and appropriated tracks from spaghetti westerns. All of these fit the film amazingly, but the appropriation of music from other westerns feels so natural. I cannot imagine this film without them. From the title track ripped straight from the original Django film, to the end credits theme (my personal favorite), all of these songs are hand picked to compliment the mood of each scene.

Upon re-watching this film it's been elevated to one of the few films that I would consider perfect. The journey that this film takes you on is unlike anything that I've encountered in another movie so far. I would absolutely recommend this film to any and everyone. I acknowledge that this film isn't for everyone. The violence and subject matter may be a bit much for some. To those that can tolerate geysers of blood and uncomfortable subject matters I say give it ago. If you haven't watched this film already then what are you doing with your time. WATCH IT NOW!!

Edit: I realized I forgot to talk about the music so I had to add a section for it.

[supercantaloupe]

no one asked but here are my thoughts on the new met don giovanni from today. tl;dr: a couple of weird choices made but overall Quite good i liked it

elaine douvas jumpscare at the top lol

federica lombardi and ben bliss as anna and ottavio were the standouts to me. lombardi came out the gate STRONG with fuggi crudele and she keeps it up. and kudos to bliss as ottavio; i often find that he can be a pretty uninteresting character if not played carefully and bliss did a really great job making ottavio Interesting. face journey of the year award goes to his dalla sua pace (il mio tesoro honorable mention).

peter mattei sounds great obviously but is it just me or is he starting to get a leetle bit old for the role. not vocally but physically. like him next to ying fang is like. sure man yeah

alfred walker in the same camp honestly. like he did a great job singing masetto but i'll always laugh when like. giovinette che fate all'amore kicks up and they're like "here's the happy young couple :)" and the bass is obviously in his late forties at the youngest lmao

anyone else think adam plachetka looks. kind of like ted cruz. hello?

anyway i liked plachetka a lot largely because he seemed to actually remember that don giovanni is nominally a dramma giocoso and a lot of his little acting choices brought back some of the humor that i thought was a bit lacking in the production as a whole. also christ they bowl that fucking man across the stage a few times don't they

ying fang did a great job too. the lingering terror in her expression during la ci darem so juicy. also that bit in act ii when they're threatening leporello and she balls his shirt up in her fist even though he's like a foot taller than her. love her so much. also woman pretty

i liked stutzmann's conducting for the most part although nothing much Stood Out to me about it. except like two or three tempi i disagreed with and a couple of spots here or there that felt like the orchestra and singers weren't 100% together right away. but idk i'm not a conductor i assume doing a debut performance at the met with a new opera you haven't conducted before is A Challenge so.

a few scenes felt...strangely placid energy wise to me. notably the opening scene but a few other places too including elvira's arias for some reason? in some cases it's like i think more just could've been done with the blocking while nothing much else was going on but in other places there Was plenty of movement it just felt...low energy. idk. where's the hustle i thought this was life or death here

cool use of the fog rising out of the floor of the stage's incline

although the steep rake to the stage led to a few unintentionally awkward/funny (to me.) camera angles. like they were obviously shooting from stage level and it would normally be a straight medium/wide shot but because of the rake it ends up being a slightly weird low angle (especially funny to me when in terms of cinematography language this kind of undercuts the vibe of the character that's being shown onstage at the moment lol but what can ya do. i'm being very nitpicky anyway)

actually the set design in general surprised me. mostly because for like 90% of the show i'm like "it looks kind of interesting i guess but Why So Brutalist And Plain" although i like that having multiple levels lets there be some creative use of vertical space in the blocking. i was so ready to write it off as disappointing/underutilized to me until the very last chorus of the show they actually Do Something with it and it totally surprised me and i really liked it. made me wait for it! surprised me! credit where credit is due i liked that a lot in the end.

i do wonder though if this production would be completely undone with a little more color in it tho. like i Get what they were going for with all the grey and i do appreciate the roses and blood but i feel like you can still do More with a broader but still limited color palette without compromising the vision. at least you could be more creative with the lighting i feel like the met pretty consistently disappoints me with its lighting (which is usually "serviceable" to "attractive" but not really creative or adding all that much to the scene. sorry but musicals are still beating you at this particular game)

although what was with the ball scene. with the mannequins and random period dress for ottavio anna and elvira but no one else. i liked the costumes but what was the point

also that said re: lighting. a cenar teco FINALLY did something interesting with the lighting and projections. cool and i liked it. except for the fact that the projection was up for too long and you couldn't fucking see what was happening on the stage and don giovanni effectively just Disappeared. i realize this was intentional but either make the disappearance much more sudden/short or show me what happens to that little freak otherwise it just feels lazy

great cello in batti batti o bel masetto. liked.

FANTASTIC orchestra in la ci darem and especially its preceding recit. the combo of the theorbo + cello + harpsichord was so atmospheric, somehow adding both to the romantic atmosphere AND the "psychological horror" thing going on in that scene. which i love honestly that scene SHOULD look gorgeous and feel like a lead weight in your stomach and i love that they went there with it.

also sorry but the champagne aria could be blocked way more interestingly. try harder

mixed feelings on the blocking of the ball scene. i thought the choice to have the whole chorus there but be so still and stiff when dancing was interesting, it definitely conveyed the sort of control through fear that the don has on everybody, but at the same time the scene felt like it was missing life. as well as missing some of the chaotic energy i think is necessary to build up over the course of the scene to lead into the climax. plus what is that act finale? kind of a cop out imo not actually showing us a clever escape of any kind. i will give them points however for having the onstage musicians because i am a sucker for that. i could see one of those oboists onstage was playing a cocobolo instrument...preddy.

okay what the fuck was up with gia la mensa e preparata. i get that it can be a weird/tricky scene to block if you're doing a more Serious And Grounded (and/or Edgy) production (and this production i do think leans more towards that and further away from the comedy potential throughout, with some exception here or there) but dude the tonal whiplash. they go like full on farce for like a solid six minutes there it's kind of bizarre. like it's funny yeah but it feels like it comes out of nowhere and doesn't totally fit...like peter mattei didn't anyone ever tell you not to play with your food. although it was funny when he accidentally beaned plachetka in the face with a dinner roll. literally once elvira shows up the rest of the scene is Fine and i actually really like the way it's blocked and acted from that point on but What Was Up With That

also this is going to sound so weird both coming from me and speaking about this opera in particular but. it felt. weirdly not horny enough? also weird to say cause there was an above average amount of people lying on top of each other on the floor going on too but. like. idk. vedrai carino...a lot of elvira's acting...even some of mattei's i felt like there could've been More done in this respect without it pushing into the realm of excessive or distasteful. they really play up the He's A Sexual Predator angle of the character here but with more emphasis on the predator part and less on the sexual part i think. but idk maybe part of this has to do with me thinking walker and mattei look a little bit old and/or me not being generally as into men. ah well

anyway not to be really annoying all the time but if you liked this production (especially a lot of its aesthetic choices) i am once again recommending the 2017 aix production it's on youtube and it's soooo good. and has a Lot of similarities with this one stylistically. and also i love it