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justherefortua · 3 months ago

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rewrite while changing as little as possible

this is my crack at tweaking some things while mostly working within the bounds of canon, with only 6 episodes, keeping most of the scenes, setting, side characters the same… What would you have changed about my or the original plot’s plan?

Spoilers for all of season 4 under the cut

- first of all. squids. tentacles. body horror with the black goo thingy. fleshy goo monster. decaying the earth. eating the earth up. The antagonist of this season should be THE HORROR, the extra-dimensional creature inside of Ben Hargreeves. This will save money on reshooting cgi scenes plus make it specific to both sparrow and umbrella ben for a Ben-centric season, rather than anyone with Marigold + Jennifer destroys the world

- Maybe it’s made of Durango or something, the antithesis of the Marigold, but Ben’s power is to keep it sealed, and occasionally hold power over it. Maybe it is Durango. Whatever it is, it was made when Abigail made the Marigold, and it seeks to consume and make everyone like it. It exists across all the timelines and over the seasons has become smarter and smarter. Not even Reginald and Abigail can understand or control it—maybe it destroyed their original planet, and snuck into the Reginald marigold release thing and got into Ben somehow. To tie in Season 3, The Hotel Oblivion was maybe built to nerf it/hold it? (I heard this was true in the comics since the hotel was used to keep villians? This could be hearsay, haven’t confirmed.) When Hotel Oblivion got used with the reset button, the protections went too which is why the Horror has more influence and was able to alter the new timeline to have the Keepers and Jennifer to set up the conditions for the Cleanse aka its takeover of the world and all the timelines.

- Jennifer as an agent of the Horror, unknowing or innocent maybe. Or knowing—she already wasn’t normal in that tv squid moment and in the shipping container and as a girl being Truman Showed by everyone else around her. A culmination of everything it’s learned about human nature, a lure of sorts for Ben and the rest of the Academy who generally like to save people. An eldritch horror of a regular girl? That would be so cool, just a normal girl with a normal life until it all turns upside down with the introduction of Hargreeves and Marigold and all that stuff. The acting direction could be good to have her be just a little bit off…

- instead of just Five and Lila, EVERYBODY should get in that subway. The subway is so cool. The other timelines are so cool. No one would be mad at a montage if it’s a family bonding montage. It leaves imagination for the family to grow closer together over a short period of screen time. This could be a whole season in itself and would honestly be a wonderful callback to other seasons and possibilities for the final season.

- AT MINIMUM, I think just adding Diego to the getting-lost-in-the-subway-for-seven-years plot would be amazing. He wants to live larger than life, be cool and rugged, and gets monkey’s pawed. Yeah you’re child-free with your wife doing cool action macho survival things every day but guess what? Subway Rats. He and Lila could hit rock bottom, let out all their anger, and then progressively make up over that 7 year montage and resolve to appreciate their kids, the in-laws, and the life they’ve built together. Alternatively, they could decide that their relationship really doesn’t work out and split up. Either way, it’ll be a mutual decision.

- As for Five, he won’t be going through an apocalypse alone and that is interesting in itself. He could bond more with Diego, find himself losing hope and finding it again, suffer complete burnout but be supported, finally work through Apocalypse-Commission-Handler trauma with Diego and Lila. Face the same choice of going back to The Cleanse (of course Diego and Lila are going back for their kids) or staying in safe Strawberry Land away from everything or until everything ends, true retirement. In the end, I think he chooses family.

- For Lila, I think she’s pretty good and principled towards her family aside from THE THING in the scenes we see her in, I’d like to know more about her family, her relationship with her kids, and develop her relationships with the siblings more as well. We got some moments with Allison as fellow moms, but what about Luther, Ben, and Viktor? I think she needs more specificity on how jarring the switch from assassin life is to family life is. Maybe she can open up in that 7 year montage somehow.

- In at least one of the numerous moments that Klaus died and could have went to the void. A moment with Umbrella Ben is all I ask, acknowledging that Klaus is with Allison and Claire now but also seeing how Klaus has essentially locked himself in and is very afraid of the world. 😭 he’d be so proud of Klaus though. ):: i know he’d punch Quinn in the face so hard 🙏 I’ll leave the aus where he’s totally back for the other than very close to canon rewrites

- Because I actually liked the Five Restaurant scene, I think it would be really meaningful for all those Fives to see a complete whole family and band together to help our Five and our family. Bonus if some of the Fives get hugs and tears and breakdowns because of the horrible apocalypses their siblings and families had to go through.

- this is just an overall thing but I think to help their motivation to save Ben everyone should at least elaborate on their past relationship with him, get to know Sparrow Ben as somebody other than a snarky guy, or make an appeal to him at the end when they’re trying to negotiate, even if it is a mix of Umbrella Ben nostalgia… ok this is getting into wishful thinking territory but i think it would have helped LMAO

- Methinks. I actually liked Luther a lot this season, with the stripper job he seems passionate enough about (yeah my man! own that!) and the run down Hargreeves Boy Home he lives in. (he never left the house… 😭) I feel he should have been given more to do. Maybe bonded with Derek and the non-Keeper people in the CIA, i bet they wouldn’t turn down someone with his powers. Maybe followed Klaus along and absolutely tear the motorcycle bike gang to bits for their not safe or consensual sex work shenanigans in comparison to his job. Maybe bond with Diego’s kids since he and Sloane never got to have kids themselves, a parallel he sets up first episode. Actually help Lila with childcare since she seems to be struggling;;

- Viktor and Reginald were fun. You could also add Luther here and it’d be fun too since they’d both advocate for Ben—Luther in particular was the most inclined to accepting Sparrow Ben.

- actually, Luther and Abigail bonding (she’s very nice and he likes validation) and pulling off a double cross with the Gene skinsuit thing would be a good idea until she double crosses him again with helping along the Cleanse instead of trying to stop it. Betrayed by your dad and your mom YAY

- I realize I didn’t suggest stuff for Allison but I liked her this season with Klaus and Claire, all she needed was to get more one on one scenes with siblings or lila, and that pretty much goes for every sibling i just need them hanging out with other siblings ❤️ actually ideally Sparrow Ben I feel like she’d call him out on stuff and be the one to level with when it came to big mistakes, lashing out, being selfish—and afterwards trying to say sorry and be better moving forward. Maybe she rumors him to stop seeing Jennifer to give more plot room for the siblings while keeping the “I can’t stop thinking about you let’s MERGE” idea but he finds a loophole like the sneaky little weasel guy he is (i love him) or Allison let’s it go in order to let him help her when she’s in danger or something idk

- I also like the keepers, very fun seeing everyday people and places repurposed to just have a bunch of guns. Gene and Jean were great, and Sy, guy pretending to be Jennifer’s dad. Fake Jennifer? Amazing. Bud I loved, what a guy!

- The Cleanse. Sparrow Ben and Jennifer have morphed into Goop Monster. The horror has almost won. It is all powerful, it has taken over everything else. It is just the Hargreeves and them in the former wreckage of the mansion, filling with goop. It fills with goop up to their necks and gets into their brains. All it needs is their Marigold, but they have to give it willingly. Taunt all of them with visions of their birth parents, the normal lives they could’ve had but even better, Luther with Sloane and dog and kids, Diego with Lila and his kids, Allison with Claire and Ray and her hairstylist crew, Klaus with Dave, Five with Delores, Viktor with Sissy and Harlan.

- Instead, family chooses their siblings and also the world. They use their powers at the same time and hold hands with Viktor or something at the center because he deserves to save the world instead of end it, combining Marigold or something in a blast that whites out the screen and presumably saves the world.

- Same sequence of the alternate timelines being destroyed. Same park scenes with all the cameos from previous seasons and the post credit marigold sprouting, except Sparrow Ben and Jennifer are also walking in the park at the end because they are technically also victims of the Hargreeves and the original Marigold fiasco. Boom. They sacrificed themselves. 🙏 RIP the end

OPTIONAL SELF-INDULGENT ALIVE ENDING (because I want them to be happy)

- Umbrella Ben and the family in the void and they get a tearful reunion and group hug.

- Klaus and Little Girl on Bike have some banter before she’s like fine. An exception for you all. She holds out the marigolds since her whole thing is flowers in her bike basket. Klaus gets to save the family yaaay

- Replace the marigold cutscene with a scene of all of them joining the family reunion in the park with Lila’s family and the kids

- Open ending to if they find those perfect lives or not in the reconstructed timeline, (Sloane Sissy Dave Ray etc) but at least they are together 👍

Things That Should Be More Well Thought Out And Go Through Sensitivity Readers And Be Addressed But I Dont Feel Personally Qualified to Address:

- luther and allison after that scene in s3. also the murder stuff but mostly that. delicately executed apology instead of willfully ignoring it

- klaus after suffering very bad relapse and sex trafficking during his arc and also being buried alive🙏 thats a lot.. to handle

- I feel adding Diego to the 7-years-montage plot would make it so that he and others appreciated a healthy weight for him in comparison to going through malnourishment to at least divert the fatphobic jokes a bit?? idk or we could just cut those jokes in general there’s nothing wrong with having a dad bod

- probably other stuff but thats the big ones that stood out to me

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vanilla-blessing · 7 years ago

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Yu-Gi-Oh! Spirit Companions, Ranked

As I’ve been watching Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS, I’ve been thinking a lot about how characters like Ai are represented and used within the franchise. For lack of a better term, these spirit companions show up in each Yu-Gi-Oh! series as a guide for the protagonist, someone they can talk to and confer with in and out of duels. They play a slightly different role than the main character’s group of friends, often sharing a mental or spiritual connection that elevates their relationship to something closer to kin. Ai is one of the most active deuteragonists throughout the franchise, and so I wanted to take a look at all six of the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime series and talk about how they play into the story and whether their inclusion helps to further the themes of the series.

6. The Crimson Dragon, from Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s

The Crimson Dragon is a being made of sacred fire that, along with the six legendary dragons (the titular 5 D’s), fought against the evil Earthbound Immortals and sealed them in the Nazca Lines. He is the source of all the main characters’ powers, which include energy manipulation, psychic powers, and creating miracles. Although he is the reason the cast gathered together and were able to become a team, the Crimson Dragon otherwise only appears when the plot demands it.

When I first started thinking about this list, I wasn’t even sure if 5D’s had a spirit companion of some kind. It’s really downplayed within the series, since all of the main characters have to share parts of the Crimson Dragon, and it doesn’t really play into the series outside of its role as a plot device. Unlike the other characters in this list, the Crimson Dragon doesn’t talk or interact with the cast, acting more like a guardian than a proper character. There’s no personality there and nothing to real talk about, besides it being kind of a lame design for a dragon.

5. Yubel, from Yu-Gi-Oh! GX

Yubel is sort of a weird case compared to the rest of the characters on this list, since her first appearance is over halfway through the series as an antagonist for Jaden. She was originally a magical guardian meant to protect an individual known as the Supreme King, who wielded the power of Gentle Darkness. Thousands of years after this pact was made, her spirit was placed into a Duel Monsters card, and eventually the card ended up in the hands of Jaden. As it happens, Jaden is a descendant of the Supreme King, and so the spirit within the Yubel card promised to protect Jaden from any and all threats. Unfortunately, Yubel considered any sort of friendship with others as a threat to their relationship, and so everyone who dueled Jaden fell into a coma. In the hopes of helping her find the “power of justice”, Jaden sent the Yubel card into space in a KaibaCorp satellite, but she ended up encountering The Light of Destruction which only corrupted her further. Eventually the satellite crashed back onto Earth and Yubel was freed, allowing her to take revenge against Jaden for betraying her. She does this by torturing all of his friends via Shadow Duels and eventually doing the same to Jaden, equating their shared pain as a sort of love. But, thanks to Jaden’s incredibly large heart, he is able to eventually forgive Yubel and accept her, which allows the two of them to fuse together and free Yubel from The Light of Destruction.

I’ve never really been able to come to terms with Yubel as a spirit companion. She’s an extremely out-of-place element in the otherwise goofy series, to an uncomfortable extent. Between her weird sadomasochism fetish and her overly possessive relationship with Jaden, the whole thing comes off as a strange thing for a kid’s show to do. There’s no real conclusion that effectively explains why Jaden would suddenly forgive her outside of him being such a stand-up dude and destiny-bound to be with her. This is several steps above GX characters talking about “playing solitaire” with their favorite sexy cards from the classic memetic shared video, and I’ve always found it uncomfortable on reflection.

4. Astral, from Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal

Astral is an extra-terrestrial from the Astral World, which is a thinly-veiled sci-fi allegory for Heaven. He is initially sent to Earth in order to garner enough power to destroy the Barian World, which is a thinly-veiled sci-fi allegory for Hell, but is intercepted partway and attaches himself to Yuma Tsukumo, a third-rate duelist with big dreams. When he reaches Earth, Astral’s memories scatter in the form of 100 “Number” cards, and now he’ll need to help Yuma learn how to duel so that they can win back all of the Numbers and Astral can complete his mission.

Astral’s just a real weenie, and a pretty boring character overall. His only narrative purpose for a majority of the series is to bail Yuma out when he makes a bad play, and to talk about how weird human customs are compared to his pseudo-angel alien customs. And there was that one time Astral felt so betrayed when Yuma kept a secret from him that he went crazy and almost killed the both of them via a corrupted fusion. It’s nice that he’s part of the show from the beginning so the plot starts right away, but that ends up leading to another problem, thanks to the Number card gimmick. Because only Number cards can destroy other Number cards in a duel, the way that he’s integrated ends up making almost every duel go the exact same way, all the way up to the very end of the series.

3. Yuto, from Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V

Yuto is one of three characters from an alternate dimension, called the Xyz Dimension, that shares the same look and build of protagonist Yuya Sakaki, who is from the Standard Dimension. Initially believed to be a villain, the truth is eventually revealed that he comes from a world that was decimated by an army from another alternate dimension, the Fusion Dimension, and he’s come to the Standard Dimension to get his revenge on the Fusion invaders. Although he ends up dying in a duel, his soul fuses with Yuya’s, and so he begins to explain more about this dimensional war to Yuya, in the hopes that Yuya can succeed where he failed in stopping the Fusion forces.

Yuto isn’t the most exciting or memorable companion, but I think he’s ultimately one of the ones that was best integrated within his franchise. From his original role as an uneasy antagonist to his revival as a spirit companion for Yuya, he consistently helped push the story forward and provide background information on the main conflict as it became important, which helped further to expand the world and the narrative as a whole. While I think all of the Yuya clones in Arc-V ultimately contributed to the story, Yuto was the one who solidified how the series was going to develop.

His Phantom Knights deck is also cool as hell.

2. Atem/Pharaoh, from Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters

Atem is the spirit of a pharaoh who ruled in ancient Egypt, remembered for stopping a great catastrophe that threatened the future of the entire world. His soul was sealed away in one of the Millennium Items, a set of ancient artifacts that granted great powers to their wielders, and locked away his memories so that they couldn’t be used to threaten the world ever again. Thousands of years later, after his grandfather excavated the Millennium Puzzle, Yugi Moto completed the puzzle, and the pharaoh’s soul was fused into Yugi’s body. Although their relationship was shaky at the beginning as they learned how to handle their shared body, eventually the two were able to work together to help the pharaoh recover his memories and pass on to the next life.

Atem, the OG companion and (in)arguably a more relevant character than Yugi after the first season. While in some ways he stole the spotlight whenever arcs weren’t directly centered on the pharaoh, his mysterious connection to the game of Duel Monsters and the expansive world of Yu-Gi-Oh! was interesting to watch develop and grow over the series. He definitely has the best rapport with his series’ cast, and I like the way the relationship between Atem and Yugi was built up, all the way to the end. The original series was really well connected, and the bond between Atem and Yugi was a big part of that.

1. Ai, from Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS

Ai is an Ignis-class artificial intelligence, meaning that he has free will, and he lived along with other Ignis AIs in a digital world called the Cyverse. After a shadow organization known as the Knights of Hanoi tried to capture the Cyverse and its power, Ignis was able to steal information from the Cyverse and hide its data within his AI body. Since then, he’s been hunted by the Knights of Hanoi, as well as SOL Technologies, a company that had used the Cyverse to power its virtual reality Duel Monsters program, VRAINS. After a widescale attack on VRAINS by the Knights of Hanoi, the hacker protagonist of the series Yusaku Fujiki was able to capture Ai, only knowing that he would act as a trump card during his fights against the Knights of Hanoi. So begins the shaky friendship of Yusaku and Ai.

I guess this is a little unfair since the series isn’t over, and the true nature of this character has yet to be revealed, and he’s an AI, but Ai has been the only source of whimsy in a series that otherwise lacks it. VRAINS is a very self-serious series with some heavy themes and crushing implications within its narrative, and Ai plays an important role to help keep the series fun with his flippant attitude, providing some well-timed bits of comedy. He’s very much the comic to Yusaku’s straight man, creating this fun dynamic between the two of them, both in and out of duels. Ai is definitely the most like a mascot of any character in this list, as a lot of his interaction with the world is through exaggerated reactions and mischief that Yu-Gi-Oh! as a franchise has never really leaned into. I also think even the way he interacts with Yusaku within duels is interesting, since granting Playmaker the ability to pull new cards from raw data storms helps keep the main character’s deck fresh and exciting from duel to duel.

-ChorpSaway, Card Game Tycoon

#Yu-Gi-Oh #Yu-Gi-Oh!#Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters #Yu-Gi-Oh! GX #Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D's #Yu-Gi-Oh! ZeXal #Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V #Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS #Vanilla Blessing #List

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justanothercinemaniac · 7 years ago

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Epic Movie (Re)Watch #183 - The Fault in Our Stars

Spoilers Below

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: Yes.

Do I remember it: Yes.

Did I see it in theaters: Yes.

Was it a movie I saw since August 22nd, 2009: Yes. #297

Format: Blu-ray

1) This film has a strikingly strong voice throughout.

Hazel: “I believe we have a choice in this world about how we tell sad stories.”

John Green’s original novel similarly has an incredible voice throughout, as it is narrated by Hazel who is always consistent and clear about who she is as a character. This film works with that character/narrative style well, allowing Hazel to be as strong as she is in the book throughout different narrative devices.

2) Shailene Woodley as Hazel Grace.

Hazel is the voice of this film, much as she is in the novel (in that case a little more literally). To start, Hazel is exceptionally honest. She is not stepping on egg shells but she’s also not being a jackass. Woodley is able to play Hazel’s jaded personality in an empathetic and relatable way. Throughout the film Woodley is nothing short of excellent with the ability to be funny, heartbreaking, vulnerable, angry, loving, and whatever else the story/character needs her to be. It is a phenomenal performance from a great actress and I think one of her best. This film needed a strong Hazel and I don’t think they could’ve cast a better one.

3) Remember how I said this film is strikingly honest?

Hazel: “The only thing worse than biting it from cancer is having a kid bite it from cancer.”

4) Angel Elgort as Augustus Waters.

Elgort is able to take a character who could’ve easily been kind of a creepy guy (a guy who works really hard to get with a girl who says no) and makes him wonderfully charming. Augustus could also easily have been a one dimensional pretentious boy toy. But author Green was able to make him more than that in the novel and Elgort is able to do the same in his performance. He infuses Augustus with a crazy amount honesty and heart, while also being able to play his fear and flaws (namely that of oblivion) in a way which makes him human.

5) A key aspect to this film is not only making sure Hazel and Augustus are strong on their own, but also that they have strong chemistry with each other. The key thing is that you are able to see why they’re friends first. There’s this immediate trust, shared sense of interest, shared sense of humor, and an immediate investment they have in each other. Also Woodley and Elgort are just GOOD together, because of whatever the x factor is that results in sexual chemistry.

6) Augustus’ whole thing with the cigarettes is REALLY extra. I kinda dig it.

Augustus [about why he uses cigarettes but doesn’t lit them]: “It's a metaphor, see: You put the killing thing right between your teeth, but you don't give it the power to do its killing. A metaphor.”

7) I’m probably going to talk a few times about how wonderfully honest this film is. There is no tiptoeing around cancer, it’s not glorified or romanticized or traumatized (it’s already pretty freaking traumatic). It just is what it is and these kids know what it is.

Hazel [about Augustus getting his driver’s license even though he sucks]: “Cancer perk.”

Augustus: “Total cancer perk.”

8) This is SUCH an important distinction.

Augustus [after he asks Hazel her story and he gets her cancer story]: “No, not your cancer story. Your real story.”

Knowing from first hand experience how easy it is to let cancer define your life, I think it’s important to make sure cancer does NOT define you. That when someone asks you about your story, your mind doesn’t immediately go to cancer. I love that the filmmakers and author John Green included this moment.

9) Laura Dern is remarkably strong as Hazel’s Mom. She is able to be positive, honest, but still plays the conflict of being a parent to a kid with cancer in every scene. It’s a great performance from the veteran actress and I think her relationship with Woodley comes through wonderfully. There’s an honest mother and daughter relationship there. They clearly love each other and are able to joke around with each other, even if they’re not being fully honest (which is how most parent/child relationships are). But when they are honest with each other, it’s a wonderful honesty.

10) Nat Wolff as Isaac.

Wolff (who rose to fame early on with “The Naked Brothers Band”) does a fine job in the supporting role. He fits nicely with Elgort and Woodley, feeling like an honest friend as opposed to a third wheel. His sadness and heartache comes through well, he’s able to be surprisingly funny at times, and it’s just a nice addition to the film.

11) Okay, so when I saw this in theaters I just KNEW who had read the book. And you wanted to know how I knew? Because they started crying when Augustus and Isaac were playing video games. That’s it. NOTHING SAD HAD HAPPENED YET! But still from the back of the theater all I could hear was:

12) I geek out whenever they show the “Buffy” scene in this movie. Because it’s a Fox film, so they use things Fox owns like “Buffy” and Aliens instead of like V for Vendetta from the book (although a poster for the film does appear in Augustus’ bedroom). And there’s a parallel: the scene they’re watching in “Buffy” is one of great intimacy for eventual earth shattering heartache.

(GIF source unknown [if this is your GIF please let me know].)

13) This is sweet.

Augustus [after saying okay with Hazel a few times]: “Perhaps, ‘okay,’ will be our, ‘always.’”

Hazel: “Okay.”

(GIF originally posted by @oliversqueen)

14) This film plays remarkably well with visuals. There’s a lot of texting and email correspondence between characters which end up being important to the plot. This could’ve been boring but they use a nice doodle visual AND phantom images to keep our interest. It’s a nice touch.

(GIF source unknown [if this is your GIF please let me know].)

15) Oh Gus, look at you being all poetic. Subtle.

Augustus [at a piece of public art of a giant skeleton]: “They’re using a skeleton as a playground. Think about it.”

16)

Hazel [after a great day with Augustus]: “And then this happened.”

[Hazel wakes up in the middle of the night because she can’t breathe.]

Can I just say, from personal experience, cancer sucks. It fucking sucks. It seems like someone is doing well, that they’ve reclaimed some semblance of normalcy. Then cancer shows up to beat you down again. Fuck cancer. Cancer can go fucking die in a pit.

17) Well, this is heartbreaking.

Hazel’s Mom [in a flashback to when Hazel was 13 and dying]: “I’m not going to be a mom anymore.”

This is very key to Hazel’s primary conflict in the film, but more on that later.

18) A film is a story told in cuts.

Augustus: “Well, I demand to see this swing set of tears.”

[Immediately cut to Augustus and Hazel sitting on said swing set.]

19) This is very true of the attitude I have known some cancer patients to have.

Hazel [trying to push Gus away]: “Gus, I’m a grenade. One day I’m going to explode and I’m going to obliterate everything in my wake. And, I don’t know, I feel like it’s my responsibility to minimize the casualties.”

20) Nice to know that Augustus is being honest with himself though.

Hazel [after her mom says she and Augustus are cute together]: “We’re just friends.”

Augustus: “Well, she is. I’m not.”

21) The date night between Augustus and Hazel on the town in Amsterdam is very cute and the connection they’re able to portray with almost no dialogue speaks greatly to the chemistry between Woodley and Elgort.

22) Augustus’ declaration of love is done VERY well.

Augustus [almost out of the blue]: “I am in love with you. You heard me. I am in love with me.”

This scene is very organic and honest. It feels like the most natural next step for not only the scene but their relationship as well. It doesn’t feel forced or awkward it makes sense. And I think both Elgort and Woodley play the scene wonderfully.

23) I kinda realized half way through this film is effortlessly feminist. We make a big deal sometimes out of honest female representation in the media but honestly it hardly comes to mind with this film because all the characters - male and female - are easily honest. You don’t even think about it, they just are three dimensional characters throughout. It’s surprisingly refreshing.

24) Willem Dafoe as Peter Van Houten.

I’m not one to say to never meet your heroes, but if you do make sure your expectations are considerably low. This way if they’re a raging asshole like this guy you won’t be too disappointed. Because that’s what Van Houten is. An asshole. A raging, pretentious, alcoholic douche bag who thinks he’s SO above everything. Literally no part of the meeting Hazel and Augustus have with him goes well, leading to a very expected and very cathartic blow up. Dafoe plays the asshole well, making him a character we love to hate and a nice aspect of the film.

25)

Van Houten: “How familiar are you with Swedish hip hop?”

If you want to avoid vulgar lyrics in your music, do NOT google the translation to the Bomfalleralla. It’s worse than you might think.

26) This is SO key to Hazel’s conflict.

Hazel [asking Van Houten about his characters’ lives after the book]: “But that doesn’t mean her family and her friends don’t have a future [after the narrator dies], right?”

As Hazel will observe later, this is her biggest fear. It seems she has made her death with peace and dying but she is so terrified of how she is going to hurt the people she loves. That is the most key internal conflict she has in the film and one which will be consistent until the end.

27) The Anne Frank House.

More than anything else, this serves as incredible show of strength for Hazel. She is fighting to live, and choosing life over death by deciding to be with Augustus even if it’s only for a limited amount of time. The setting of the Anne Frank House drives home the idea of life’s unfortunate impermanence. I’m sure the use of Anne’s narration underscoring the scene acts as some grand literary device but it is difficult for me to analyze it because I am so invested in Hazel’s struggle in the scene.

28) The love scene between Hazel and Augustus is incredible. And not because it’s sexy or because it’s hot or anything. It is because it is honest. There is this incredible comfort they have around each other. They’re comfortable with their scars, with their tubes, with their limitations. They don’t worry that it will turn the other person off. It is a vulnerability born out of complete and utter trust, a trust which is not abused but respected by both parties. It is incredibly tender and just very loving.

29) Did I mention cancer sucks?

Augustus: “I felt an ache in my hip.”

Okay, Hazel just fucking KNOWS what he is about to tell her. As soon as he says, “I felt an ache in my hip,” you can see it on her face. She knows where this is going because she is uncomfortably familiar with how cancer works. And it’s heartbreaking.

30) According to IMDb:

Soon after the film's release, the street bench on which Gus and Hazel had their embrace was stolen. A few months later, it was replaced by the city of Amsterdam.

People suck.

31) It’s nice to see that this film still has a sense of humor and life to it in the face of death.

Augustus [after Hazel says they should wait until after dark to egg someone’s house]: “It’s all dark to Isaac.”

Isaac [after a second]: “Dude, I’m not deaf. I’m just blind.”

32) One of Ansel Elgort’s standout scenes is his breakdown at the gas station. Hazel even observes that she wishes she could say he’d held his courage and sense of humor to the end, but that’s not how life works. This is very honest. This kid is freaking dying of cancer! Of course he’s going to breakdown! And Elgort plays that sadness totally honestly and in an utterly gut wrenching way. It’s his standout scene in the entire film.

33) I love that Hazel calls him out on this.

Augustus: “I mean I was supposed to be special.”

It doesn’t matter if everyone likes you as long as one person loves you. If you’re important to someone it doesn’t matter that you’re not important to everyone. Just because we’re all not famous or infamous or historic does not mean we are not special.

34) Hazel’s biggest fear is that her parents won’t have a life after she dies, because her death is a fact to her. But when her parents tell her that they’re being productive, that her mother is studying social work and that they will have a life after her death, she is just so freaking happy. This incredible weight has been lifted off her shoulders, she is not the grenade she thought she was. It makes me tear up, honestly.

35) Hazel’s eulogy.

This is the climax of the film. The moment the rest of the movie has been building up towards, the moment their relationship has been leading to. It defines that relationship. Woodley shines in her monologue and Elgort shines in his quiet reaction. It is heartwarming and heartbreaking all at once and just totally incredible. And this line emphasis the impact they have had on each other’s lives:

Hazel: “Some infinities are bigger than other infinities.”

36) There was this analytical post when the movie first came out that pointed out the shirt Hazel is wearing when she learns Augustus died is HIS tee shirt. I just can’t find any post about it because anytime you google, “Fault in Our Stars Tee Shirt,” you get a link to the song by Birdy that’s in the film. If you guys have this bookmarked anywhere I’d love to hear about it, but the fact that Hazel is wearing Augustus’ shirt when she learns he died is heartbreaking to me.

37) Hazel realized something quite important here.

Hazel [after making up a eulogy on the spot different than the one she read for Augustus]: “I didn’t believe a word. But that’s okay…Funerals, I decided, are not for the dead. They’re for the living.”

38) “Not About Angels” is still one of the saddest songs I’ve ever heard. It breaks my heart every time. I feel like breaking down and crying whenever I hear it. Here, share in my pain:

youtube

39) Augustus’ final letter to Hazel is a perfect resolution the film. It speaks greatly to not only Augustus’ character but also the relationship he and Hazel had. It is a wonderful emotional resolution which I think just work beautifully.

Augustus [at the end of his letter]: “Okay Hazel Grace?”

The Fault in Our Stars is a moving and honest film supported by a great cast and a wonderful method of adaptation. The spirit of John Green’s source material is alive and well in the film, with performers like Shailene Woodly and Ansel Elgort breathing incredible life into these characters. The film can be funny and heartbreaking all at the same time, but it never falters in its honest approach to these characters. Absolutely wonderful, I suggest everyone see it.

#The Fault in Our Stars #Shailene Woodley #Ansel Elgort #John Green #Hazel Grace Lancaster #Laura Dern #Nat Wolff #Willem Dafoe #Birdy #Epic Movie (Re)Watch #Movie #Film #GIF

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mileheitcity-blog · 5 years ago

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Field Trips in Amsterdam

The first week in Amsterdam was filled with field trips around the city. We made our first stop on June 25 to a Food Forest on the other side of town. I found the very concept of a Food Forest intriguing. P Patches and other urban gardens are quite common around many major American cities. Many years ago, during my days with the Boys and Girls Club back in Denver, we did numerous summer activities at one of the local organic gardens in town. It was quite valuable for the kids, all of whom lived in the heart of one of Denver’s Food Deserts. The only grocery store in the neighborhood was the Dollar Tree, which had no fresh produce or really any other truly nutritious foods, so these urban gardens were somewhat of a lifeline for these kids. This Food Forest, though, was an entirely different animal. Built into an old schoolhouse, the Forest makes use of plants that grow naturally in the Netherlands, instead of intentionally planted like at garden. It’s naturally, and strictly maintained. A greenhouse takes care of plants that need more heat or sunlight. All of the pathways at the Forest are natural as well, adding to the natural feel of the entire idea. Everyone who comes to the Food Forest puts in some work as well, which reminded me of Israel’s kibbutzim, or commune farms. Everyone partakes in the labor there, and all wealth generated at a kibbutz is shared. After we all spent time learning and working, we got to share some of the mint tea and lemon couscous made with ingredients freshly picked by classmates, a nice cap to an extremely hot and sticky day by Dutch standards. It was, in a sense, like organized foraging. This particular concept could work in some American cities to alleviate stresses caused in food deserts, but does require some natural foliage to exist. Cities like Seattle, Portland, or Minneapolis might be able to make use of mild summers, while cities like Atlanta or Charlotte could make use of a lengthy growing season and abundant flowering plants. Cities like Phoenix, Denver, or Salt Lake City might struggle without a natural tree canopy, but could still perhaps find other ways to grow food-producing plants that naturally thrive in a more arid environment. While they are not producing for commercial purposes, a concept such as this could do wonders where fresh food is otherwise scarce.

On June 26, we visited the Tropenmuseum, or the Museum of the Tropics. In the museum’s great hall a curator explained that museum was once a celebration of Dutch colonial riches from Indonesia and Suriname, formerly the Dutch East Indies and Dutch Guyana respectively, but now the museum makes great effort to acknowledge the true colonial legacy of brutality and slavery. The bottom floor of the museum is a temporary exhibition dedicated to the diversity of all peoples entitled “What Makes Us Special”. The exhibit does a great job of displaying differing religions, music, styles of clothing, and the ripple effects of cultural appropriation. The second floor is the beating heart of the museum: permanent exhibitions on Indonesia and Suriname. The exhibit is, compared to other exhibits in the United States, unflinching and uncompromising. Slavery and exploitation are openly discussed, and the people affected are deeply humanized. For example: they are referred to as “slaves”, but as “enslaved people”, as their condition of servitude does not define them or strip them of their humanity, but instead was forced upon them by others. The writers and curators do not shy away from clearly stating how an item was received and go to great lengths to acknowledge the people these items came from. I knew very little about the country of Suriname before going to this museum, so that whole section was also quite educational for me. The Surinamese people went through great struggle to gain and maintain both their freedom from slavery and their independence, and the exhibit does a wonderful job of showing their struggle. The Indonesian exhibit is equally as impressive and respectful towards the Indonesian people. Their treasures are tactfully displayed with honesty and acknowledgment. The differences in the Asian and American colonial legacies are also highlighted. This exhibit alone makes the museum worth the entry fee. I cannot picture a similar museum in the United States, or any other colonial power, being so frank and honest about its own role. It was really quite refreshing. Upstairs from the Surinamese and Indonesian exhibits were two more temporary exhibitions: a highlight of the hajj (the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca as required by their religion) and of modern Japan. I found the exhibit on the hajj very powerful and inspiring. While I’m not Muslim myself, the relationship of pilgrimage, of place, and of spirituality crosses numerous religious boundaries. For me, I felt the same about my trip to the Western Wall in Jerusalem back in high school. For others, it might be the Church of the Holy Sepulchre or Varanasi. The exhibit truly humanizes those who much of the Western World has decided to dehumanize and set aside as an enemy. I learned more about the hajj than I ever knew before, and am definitely inspired to learn more about this tradition. The exhibit on Modern Japan was fun, but more of an emotional fulfillment than truly educational. I got to geek out on some of my favorite franchises and movies: Sonic the Hedgehog, Akira, Street Fighter, and many others. Overall, the museum was a really neat experience: honest, frank, self-aware. It’s an experience I hope to have in the United States one day.

Our next stop after the Tropenmuseum was the OBA, or the Amsterdam Central Library. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was how clean, well-used, and integrated into the city the library is. When we got inside, we were shown some of the details of the place and how the Dutch have made their library so warm and inviting for everyone. The children’s section is set apart from the rest of the library on a sunken floor, allowing extra space for young ones to make a little bit of noise and ruckus. The kids even have age-appropriate interior decorations, including a large doll house filled with knitted mice, and their own maker space where an art teacher might help them release a little creative energy. Upstairs is even better for the adults: a café on the second floor and a cafeteria with a view on the seventh floor humanizes the patrons somewhat and encourages users to stick around in the library a little while longer, the shelves are easy to navigate and well organized with good signage, books and media are separated onto different floors to avoid confusion, and they have a dedicated spaces for job training for anyone who needs it, Dutch language immersion for ex-pats and refugees, a wide array of periodicals, comfortable seating to both lounge and study, and of course, fast and reliable free WiFi delivered on a one-month free pass for guests. For locals, the WiFi is included with their membership fees. Unlike libraries in the United States the OBA does charge a yearly membership fee for their services. At first, as a class we were somewhat taken aback. But seeing the OBA in action it started to make sense. Because each patron has a financial stake, they seem to take better care of the space they occupy. The membership fees also allow them a much larger budget than most American libraries, and they can truly cater to those who pay. The fees are not cheap at 40 Euro per year, but are still low enough to be affordable for most Amsterdammers. The membership fee also allows them the flexibility not to charge late fees, which is essentially unheard of in the United States. In the States, it’s assumed that you won’t bring your materials back on time without the threat of some kind of financial penalty. But at the OBA, the patrons are already buying in, literally, so they feel a stronger responsibility to return their materials on time and in good working order. They don’t seem to have too much trouble with people keeping materials. Overall, the effects of true user buy-in are easy to spot in such a place. The very idea of listening to people who use the library and innovating it in such a way in the States seems far-fetched, but here in Amsterdam they’re miles ahead.

The next day, on June 27, we visited the Van Gogh Museum. While I found the exhibition halls themselves somewhat crowded and a little bit underwhelming, their adaptations to accommodate blind and disabled visitors are truly revolutionary. The museum curators do a great job of highlighting the textural elements of Vincent Van Gogh’s work to build tactile three-dimensional models that provide a multi-sensory experience. A scale model of Van Gogh’s “Bedroom” even comes complete with all of Van Gogh’s favorite accessories like tobacco and absinthe. The model is identical to his painting, right down to the decorations on the “wall” and the placement of Van Gogh’s clothing. Blind folks and people with other forms of sensory problems can often find a museum a deeply unwelcome space. Traditional art museums, in particular, are often the least accessible: everything is completely consumed visually. Touching the works is usually not only frowned upon but in many cases outright prohibited. Viewers are expected to be quiet and move through galleries with extreme care. Interactive exhibits are almost completely non-existent. Access to the space itself is often limited to abled people, or least people who walk without the assistance of a White Cane or a wheelchair. But this is completely the opposite: they’re bringing an immersive art museum to people who otherwise wouldn’t find the space accessible. Even as a sighted person (with my contacts in of course), I found the entire experience illuminating. If I were indeed blind, I would be ecstatic that there were an art museum I could attend and feel welcome, feel that I could actually interact with the paintings as everyone else can. They also had a completed tactile experience of Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” that allowed the user to smell the eponymous flowers Van Gogh so eloquently paints. I do wonder how this might work in North America, as our painters generally use different techniques than Van Gogh, but immersion still might be possible: audio clips and narrations of Roy Liechtenstein’s pop art works for example, or tactile scale models of “American Gothic”. All told, while I found the rest of the museum itself less impressive than the Tropenmuseum, the tactile experience of Van Gogh’s paintings might have been my favorite field trip element so far.

Our final stop for the week was a walking tour of the Amsterdam Street Art Museum. This museum makes very inventive use of existing structures and spaces to enhance the displayed artwork. Much to our chagrin as librarians, archivists, and preservationists, we were all stunned that each piece of artwork was going to disappear within five years of its installation. The artists commissioned for this museum put together some truly unique and beautiful work, and they have to do it quite quickly and efficiently. Their studio is literally the street. The museum coordinators do a great job of integrating their vision directly into the community much of the art serves, as well as digitizing the collection for posterity. I was definitely struck by the fleeting, mobile, and almost overlooked style of this museum. If we were not on a tour of each work, I would have merely assumed it was just a popular place for some amazingly detailed graffiti and a few large murals on brick. The art itself is very well-integrated into the neighborhood: it looks like it belongs there. Commissioned artists do a really great job of utilizing existing surfaces and locations as part of their art installation: towering brick walls, small concrete cornerstones, unused doorways, utility boxes, even a bike storage bin. This is easily a concept that could do well in the United States where street art is quite common and local communities are often looking to find ways to prevent people from tagging blank spaces and turning them into eyesores. I also found the idea of a tour itself to be rather immersive: in order to see the art you had to physically interact with the neighborhood as an organism, you had to walk through the well-worn paths and interact with the people who lived there. It wasn’t just modern spray paint art in a giant hall, it was literally art on the street. The museum was not perfect: perhaps a guide map or some signs pointing you in the right direction if you wanted to take a self-guided tour, but overall it was a really cool experience. The artwork was fantastic. Also I think our friendly host may have admitted to knowing who Banksy is, or at least he insinuated it when he dropped the name in reference to one of the more prominent artists along our walk. But that’s a story for another time...

Our first week was a whirlwind of field trips, museums, art, food, and culture. This is a vibrant city with a lot to offer, and the heritage sector in the States could learn more than a thing or two from the way the Dutch have innovated. Food Forests could feed communities without access to grocery stores or fresh produce. The public library can do its part to generate more buy-in from users and create a more welcoming and inviting experience for everyone. History museums can finally start reckoning with and addressing the darker side of colonialism and capitalism. Art museums can adapt their space and their works to become a part of a neighborhood and accessible to all. Truly revolutionary and innovative.

Next week: eh, who knows, probably more field trips maybe? Maybe some of the smaller differences between the Netherlands and the States? Or day-to-day life in the Netherlands? Maybe a museum tour of the ones I visited on my own? Like I said, who knows, next week’s topic TBA

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artisresistance-blog · 7 years ago

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Inside the White Cube: Decoding p.1

Summarize and explain in your own words O’Doherty’s comparison between the gallery space and a church.

Gallery, just like a church, has its own constructional standards that are created for the sake of creating certain “aura” - just like with churches! With the gallery spaces we have very distinctive white walls and the complete lack of natural light. The floor is made so it’s either uncomfortably loud or covered in maquette so it makes zero sound. The artificiality of space also takes out the presence of time and features of the time period. Its an operating room for art. The whole space is constructed so it has an aura of sacredness - you can’t speak loudly there, you can’t run, make noises or do things that are not connected with looking at art - it’s uncomfortable to be a certain person so the space naturally suppresses any humane activities.

Summarize in your own words the changes that the “picture plane” (the surface of paintings) underwent during the period of Modernism.

18th-century composition, according to O'Doherty, is an edge-to-edge horizon, separating zones of sky and sea.

So before the 20 century the content of the painting was mostly around the subject “inside”, it had a very distinctive perspective and went deeper into the picture, while 20th century was more about what’s outside the edges of the artwork and how to extend it.

Speaking of photography, it used the rules mostly dictated by the photographic ratios, but at the same time, content-wise, the medium influenced the framing decision. I think the simplicity of the chemical act influenced the simplicity of showing. Instead of heavy frames of 19th centuries, photography used a simple sheet of board and piece of paper behind the photo. The frames became more symbolic, “fragile”. The framing style was later borrowed by Impressionism. Impressionism marks a very important trend - a myth of flatness and development of shallow literal space put extra weight on the edges. As O'Doherty points out, a signature sign of Impressionism is how the subject is casually softening the edge’s role when edges are under pressure from the increased shallowness of the space.

Cubist paintings are centripetal, gathered towards a centre, fading out towards the edges. The structure is made so the slow movements in the centre are absorbed by the border.

With the example of Matisse, we don’t really notice the frames, he solves the problem with elegance, the content of his pictures is well-balanced, informal structure “is combined with a decorative prudence” so his works are self-sufficient.

1960 William C. Seitz from MOMMA decided to hang Monet’s works without frames at all - and it made a revolutionary effect of the works holding the wall. Works became continuous with the wall.

Further on, O'Doherty states that easel painting (any painting done on canvas on an easel) including Color Field is not properly transferable onto the wall, not without losing edges, surface, grain and a bite of a canvas - all the pieces of illusionism. (???)

While an easel painting stays in the context of canvas, it holds its illusion as a window to a created illusion, so in order to save the illusion outside the canvas, it requires a frame.

Color Field and later modernism compositionally were autonomous, needed no frame because the attention was spread onto the canvas and they were put on the walls to become one with the wall. They remained Salon paintings in the sense that in order for the attention to be well balanced they needed space, air to breath, around them. Abstract Expressionism continued the frameless trend, when instead of being autonomous from the wall, being “a magical window”, it enters the physical dialogue with the wall behind it. “Paintings declare their own terms of occupancy”, as O'Doherty puts it.

From now on, from Abstract Expressionism the status quo was changed completely - another important point in the exhibition history were Frank Stella’s works in Leo Castelli gallery in 1960 when differently geometrically shaped canvases dictated the rules by themselves. They activated the wall, by dictating the geometry, so you’re suddenly aware of the whole wall as a canvas. The internal logic of the works together started the dialogue with the wall.

Explain O’Doherty’s concepts of “the eye” and “the spectator” in your own words.

According to O’Doherty’s description, The Spectator arrived with the leave of the perspective - during Modernism. The Spectator is quite clumsy, male (huh) and obedient. The Eye is snobbish, it can be trained and it us apriori superior to The Spectator. Eye’s function is to observe, and everything can wait while the process is on, but one thing The Eye doesn’t need is content - that’s why The Eye exits the moment Conceptualism comes on stage (or, rather, enters the white cube).

The example I want to mention is the example with tableaux - an environmental, sometimes furniture+decoration, but most importantly, physical collage, assemblage. The moment The Spectator enters tableaux, he feels as an alien in the space he shouldn’t be in. I can only guess that if we think about The Eye in this example, it feels quite the opposite, maybe it’s occupied with the view and the aura, putting up the picture together.

Despite the fact that all the comparisons are quite allegorical, I can make a guess that The Eye is something that works with the aura of the work - it’s something that can be trained, but bases all the conclusions on the feeling, on the aura. It is an autonomous perception, and the fact that it’s autonomous from The Spectator creates the conflict, defragmentation of the self, that is so common for Modernism.

How are the experience of viewing art and the gallery space itself both transformed when art breaks out of the picture plane (installation, performance)?

Both performance and installation shifted the perspective we look with at the gallery space - what they have in common is that they both exist in 3D space, so it changes the perception of the gallery as a whole. Installation, as a 3D work, can be perceived from 360 degrees and there’s a possibility that angles matter. So the movement of the viewer matters - here rises an idea that it requires the presence of the viewer in order to activate itself in full force.

But, statues (that are close to installations) existed before and they also required 360 look - if the installation is interactive, then it requires some action. But besides that, what’s new?

Happenings and performances created one step further in terms of perceiving gallery as space - it’s no longer two-dimensional set of walls, but rather a place where things can happen and … be justified just because of the place? Maybe. What’s more interesting is the symbiosis that happened. Performative practice is not a theatre, it’s not a collage, either, but a mix of two. The gallery space as a space of performances/happenings changed, too - it’s not a theatre with a stage, seats and set of rules, but it’s not a gallery, either. This defragmentation of relationships and rules is again sending us to Modernism.

Finally, what’s the role of the viewer in this mix? The viewer comes to a performance, feels uncomfortable because most of the time there’s no set of rules. What’s the list of actions? All those questions make the viewer think about various actions, the fact of presence, institutions and so many other things.

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superfashionworldme-blog · 7 years ago

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“CWMALLS Warm Love Action” — It Will be More Wonderful with You!

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comiconverse · 7 years ago

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The Massive: Revisited

Due to a cut back in new comic book reading, our contributor Darryll Robson has taken to re-reading chunks of his collection. In this Revisited series he looks back at a selected run of a particular comic to see if they are still worth reading and, for newbies, if they are worth seeking out

The Massive: Revisited

Every year I tend to find a comic that I really love, one that I wait for each month and read first before any other. At the moment this is Image’s Invisible Republic, I just can’t get enough of it, But from June 2012 to December 2014 it was Dark Horse Comics’ The Massive that I fawned over.

Written entirely by Brian Wood and illustrated by a number of different people but most notably by Kristian Donaldson and Gary Brown, The Massive was a tale of ecological idealism in a world on the brink of destruction. A number of characters’ histories are explored as they try to find their place in a new, harsher world. Running through it all is a mysterious character called Mary.

Dark Horse Presents and Opening Salvos

I initially started reading The Massive from its first issue in June 2014 unaware that it originally started in the pages of Dark Horse Presents. In issues #8 to 10 of DHP three short stories introduced some of the characters and set the scene for the rest of the series. The feel and tone of the 30 issues that were to follow was set in place in those early 8 page stories. Although the story developed over the next 30 issues the layout of Brian Wood’s narrative approach and general pacing of the stories was evident from the very beginning.

Those opening shorts were collected firstly as digital special and then reprinted in the first volume of The Massive: Black Pacific

The first Monthly issue kicked off with a story entitled Landfall: Kamchatka. Brian Wood begins his opus by throwing the reader in at the deep end. The characters are all slowly introduced aboard the Kapital with a number of different flash backs setting the scene not only for the main cast but also for the world in general.

The central relationship between Callum Israel, leader of the Ninth Wave, and Mary, his mysterious cohort, is explored by a forced separation between the two in the first issue. Callum is torn between his need for Mary and his desire to find The Massive of the title; The Massive is the main ship of The Ninth Wave and has been missing since the crash. The Crash is a yearlong sequence of events that cripple the world and change everything. Callum feels lost without both the ship and Mary but his duty to his cause and his crew draws him away, prioritising the search for The Massive.

Mary, on the other hand, is a strong, independent woman; she doesn’t think twice about heading out in the ‘zepha’ and take the fight to the pirates. She is strong-headed and appears to have no sense of fear.

The other crew members of the Kapital include idealists, students, ex black ops hitmen and a range of people lost in an unknown world. Each of the central cast gets a spot in the lime light over the course of the run. None of the characters are two dimensional or insignificant.

The Descent of Callum

One of the most captivating elements of the overall narrative is the character development of Callum Israel. Any central character should grow and hold the reader’s attention and Brian wood does this brilliantly with a number of his characters but Callum stands out; Callum is a tragic hero figure. He starts off very strong, very determined. From the moment he is introduced the reader can tell what sort of person he is; a man of principles and beliefs; a man of honour and loyalty. His determination to find his lost ship drives him but he puts his crew first, even if they can’t see that this is what he is doing. He has their best interests at heart.

Unfortunately, this all changes as the narrative progresses. The loss of The Massive, the ever increasing uncertainty brought on by the Crash, and the breakdown of morale aboard the Kapital lead Callum down a dark path that is escalated by Mary’s disappearance and his own health issues. He is a man on the verge of a breakdown and the majority of the Massive gives the readers front seats to his downward spiral. He retreats from the people he has sworn to protect, loses sight of the reasons he started Ninth Wave, and his faith in humanity diminishes almost to nothing. Callum Israel becomes a broken man.

However, Brian Wood deals with this decline with such emotion and empathy. You root for this tragic hero from the very beginning and stand shoulder to shoulder with him at the end. You want to see him emerge victorious, even when he’s at his lowest depths and, with the cancer eating away at him, it suggests that it can only end one, terrible way. Callum represents struggle in the face of unsurmountable odds just as Mary represents hope. But more on her in a moment.

The Megalodon Metaphor

Issue 11 is a spectacular issue. It is the second part of the Polaris Arc and is illustrated by guest artist Declan Shalvey. It is called Megalodon.

In the main story, Callum’s obsession with tracing the Massive has shut him off from the rest of the crew. Mary has turned to Lars to prepare him for stepping into the Captains position if needs be, despite Mag’s obvious seniority; Mary doesn’t trust Mag, she knows what kind of person he is and respects him for it, but doesn’t trust him. A later helicopter accident and rescue brings Lars and Mary even closer, so close in fact that she shares Callum’s secret with Lars. It is a very gripping emotional drama with a tragic end for one of the extras.

However, it is the side story that is of real interest. In the depths of the ocean an ancient beast wakes. A Megalodon has risen from the depths and is being drawn towards the shore, surrounded by a fleet of sharks. In one exciting, nerve teasing scenes, Mary leaps in the sea and touches the leviathan before swimming by its side.

Not only is the Megalodon drawn exquisitely by Shalvey, with some real menace in the prehistoric like underwater scenes, but narratively it is very interesting. The whole sequence acts like a metaphor for the larger story, for The Massive as a whole. The ancient shark represents the Crash, the Earth fighting back against Mankind and attempting to return to an early, simpler time. The scavenger sharks that follow in its wake are the human survivors desperately trying to salvage something from this unstoppable beast that has significantly altered their lives. And Mary is Ninth Wave; continuing to fight its corner while being on the side of nature. Ninth Wave, and Callum Israel especially, have found themselves alone in a vastly altered ocean but their determination is strong, they believe what they stand for is ‘right’. When Mary faces the Megalodon, when Ninth Wave face the after effects of the Crash; they stand firm and strong. And there will be some loses, some battles that can’t be won but it doesn’t alter who they are or what they have to do.

Megalodon is a superb stand-alone issue but is also a magnificent piece to the larger puzzle. It’s about Mary and Callum but more importantly, it’s about the larger narrative. It’s what The Massive is all about.

Sahara

This three-part story is my favourite arc in the entire 30 issue run. It’s part environmental drama, part Mad Max adventure and all Mary centric.

The story sees Mary away from the Kapital and traveling with an all-female security detail escorting a four-mile-long convoy of water trucks, all driven by men. There are some very strong gender politics being played in this arc. The women do the hard work, for the least pay and are expendable. In the convoys hierarchy the water is the most important, followed by the drivers (Men) and then the women. Mary however has other ideas.

Throughout all three issues the narrative is gripping and deals with some difficult issues which reflect almost too closely ideals that are still held in some areas of society today. Wood doesn’t shy away from the mistreatment of the women but he uses his central character as a way of empowering the others. He also adds to this the complication of child birth which is depicted as another trail that women have to go through. At moments it seems like a weakness but only because of forced social beliefs, in reality it’s nothing that can’t be handled and just another part of the women’s lives.

As with the other arcs in the series, one of the true highlights is the artwork. Danijel Zezeij creates tension with a series of close ups and long shots that illustrate the barrenness of the world and the character’s futures. Add to this the amazing color work of Jordie Bellaire and you get some outstanding scenes. There is a sandstorm scene which looks like it came straight out of Mad Max and a night check point sequence in issue 23 that is one of the tensest scenes in the entire run. The unease and fear from the characters is illustrated with harsh black and white visuals. This is perfect comic book story telling.

Sahara is the battle between Man and the environment and Mary is the victor of both.

Ragnarok and the End

The final six-part arc, Ragnarok, ties everything up and in ways that you probably weren’t expecting. With the end in sight it’s not surprising that they find The Massive and a number of Mary’s secrets are finally revealed but to the nature of both, well that is surprising.

The end is quite catastrophic which is befitting the story of The Crash. However, it also allows for some of the most beautiful published comic books. The combination of Wood’s script and Gary Brown’s art produces heart stopping scenes.

The Massive is a story about journeys and endings and how they don’t always link in the way that you would expect. It is character driven and beautifully illustrated by each artist that worked on it.

But is it really the end?

Probably.

Although, there was a six issue prequel mini-series, The Ninth Wave, so maybe this is a world that Brian Wood may return to in the future. If he does, I for one, will be reading.

The Massive is available in a number of collected editions. Ask your local comic book store for them. Darryll Robson is a Contributor to ComiConverse. Occasionally he remembers his Twitter account: @DarryllRobson

The post The Massive: Revisited appeared first on ComiConverse.

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spotlightsaga · 8 years ago

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Kevin Cage of @spotlightsaga reviews... Riverdale (S01E04) Chapter 4: The Last Picture Show Airdate: February 16, 2017 (The CW) Ratings: 1.139 Million :: 0.44 18-49 Demo Share Score: 8.5/10 **********SPOILERS BELOW********** Ever since I laid my eyes on a certain Italian Director's work and saw how shading and colors could impact a single storyline so deeply, I became a bit obsessed. Yes I'm talking about Dario Argento and specifically the first film I saw of his, 'Suspiria'. He is a master of color palette play, and to see a show like 'Riverdale' take on such an iconic color scheme itself, is equally as exciting. As apprehensive of the series as I was at first, it seems that with every episode, I grow more and more attached and assured that 'Riverdale' will be the show that we need it to be. The first three episode built on its murder mystery, what seems to be the series' centralized story arc. I watched as slowly but surely the character's of 'Riverdale' started to pop like its unique blue and gold color palette that enhances that focal red color you see peppered throughout the scenes so well. At one point I accused a few characters of falling back into archetypes, while others fleshed out into 3-Dimensional human beings with a timeless, classic look... But here in Chapter 4, a very character who I accused of being an archetype, Cheryl, admitted it in her own words. She was proud of her straight forward, almost basic nature... It's like a defense mechanism. She's not complicated and that's how she likes it, hearing her admit this in her own way made me grin from ear to ear. It's affirmation that creators of the show know exactly how certain people and certain things are coming off to its audience, which helps me trust in its overall direction. The perfect town, with the perfect parents, and their perfect kids prove that even in near-perfection there is always another side of the tracks... The wrong side of the tracks. In 'Riverdale' that's represented by the Southside Serpents, a biker gang led by one Skeet Ulrich, who's character name we aren't sure of yet, but we do know one huge piece of his identity... He's Jughead's father. Jughead has been our gracious narrator through the series, and therefore we get a big part of the story through his point of view. We learn that the drive-in is extremely important to ol' Juggie... His passionate speech at the booth in Pops where he claims that Quentin Tarantino is 'The King Of Underground Cinema' is a nice thought, and meant well, but we all know that John Waters, Todd Solondz, & David Lynch are 'The Real Kings Of Underground Cinema... But yeah, sure kid, everybody knows his name so we'll go with that, tho if everyone knows his name then he's not really underground is he? That's all besides the point tho, Skeet Ulrich is seen by Cheryl lurking around diner dumpsters arguing with Veronica's mom... Cheryl being the upstanding citizen that she is, takes a pic for proof sending Veronica into sleuth mode. After a bit of lying, Hermione finally comes clean after being caught in the act of passing off money to Serpent Skeet. Apparently even in prison, Veronica's Dad is making moves and one of them is to buy up the drive-in lot to level for a perfect plot of land to build on. He payed The Serpents to hang around and solicitate on the grounds to drop down the value of the land, making it more affordable. Tho if Hermione is constantly having to pay them, even while her husband is locked up, Im not sure it was completely worth it. In the end, the big shocker is dropped when Serpent Skeet asks Jughead where he's going to go.... So not only is Leader of The Southside Serpents Jughead's father, that drive-in theater was where Jughead was living! The qualms that anyone had with this episode had to be erased with that double twist, truly a jaw-dropping moment and pivotal point of the series. How can this not rev you up? It was laid out and placed just like the town of Riverdale itself, near perfect. Now while all of this is going on, Betty is doing a bit of sleuthing herself after she figures out that Archie and and Ms Grundy have more than just a teacher-student relationship. Betty is pulling off some crazy stunts, like breaking into Grundy's car, finding an ID proving that Grundy is not who she says she is, and even finding a gun... And she must have 'got it from her momma', because I don't know why anyone in their right mind would take that gun home and put it in their dresser drawer, especially if they were a teenager with an unbalanced investigative journalist mother with questionable integrity. Of course Alice finds the gun, ravages through Alice's diary (keep all your secrets on your iPhone guys, locked tight, fingerprint and codes) and uses the damning knowledge & evidence to send Grundy packing... Not because she dislikes Grundy, or has a huge problem with the unethical predatory behavior that Grundy is obviously notorious for, but because she hates Archie and that in itself shows how loose of a cannon Alice Cooper is. I love Betty and I love that she's so loyal to Archie, but there's a bit of a crazy streak inside of her that she inherited that from her mother, which we saw in full force last week when she avenged that whole 'Sticky Maple' situation with a little bit of an extra touch. Yeah, it's true, Grundy off easy... Alice just wanted to hurt Archie and Fred just wanted to console his son, who he has just realized was music teacher predator bait... But expect her to be popping up sometime in the future... And if it makes you feel any better, Ezra from PLL pretty much trumps Grundy in the 'To Catch a Predator' boat. At least they pulled the trigger on this one quickly. Now we can move on to bigger, better, and fresher storylines. Something tells me that Riverdale has plenty in store for us all.

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