#we are going to be getting some delicious content for song analysis i can feel it!

[epicmiscellaneousponderings]

Miscellaneous Media Moment

Alright so I'm watching the anime The Way of the Househusband on Netflix and writing my thoughts as I watch. This might be a tad unhinged, but here we go. As always if you liked this content feel free to be me a coffee. Also, yes, I do know that there a multiple episodes in each episode but I'm going to number them by how they're contained and labeled through Netflix as that's how I'm watching it :)

Episode 5

A job outside of the house in a cafe interesting, beans =bullets, the latte art of a cat, aww doing it for extra cash to get his wife a present

He's so loud, Again the food in this series really does deserve its own analysis post, overtime is exhausting,

Boss lady of the torii group in a grocery,

this is going to be a disaster of a birthday lol, wow happy birthday song as a dirge, shades and bling

the old boss has a dog, he sewed a sweater for the dog! nice tie in to previous episode, the impromptu cooking is wild,

The cat adventure with the grocery lady

Episode 6

he was totally going to roast that lady's "72 hour" cured sausage, he's taking this show so seriously, man loves his wife so much

the excitement over the steam oven, white powder=flour again nice call back, well that's one way to beat the dough, oven down!, keep warm on the rice cooker is innovative

fire next door, talk about needing proper air ventilation. the cops probably wanted some food, oh its rare eh

I admit nothing, oh nice flowers, oh its not that much and then proceeds to unwrap a dessert feast, rain as a mood killer, they're such a good couple

why would you try hitting a watermelon blindfolded?, the volleyball smacking into them, I love how Miku can be high energy as well, a real man is willing to get wracked protecting his loving wife, her carrying him

teacher au?? what am i watching?, apron art, the intensity in this scene

Episode 7

tapioca milk tea, getting the intel from the streets, the scary smiles keeping the customers away XD

Adding to the arsenal of the blond guy

The waking up to the husband in the middle of the night is seriously ominous, well that was an interesting take on the classic peach boy story, and then they had a group hug,

The hit list of summer assignments, a pen holder, colorful soap, school is tomorrow, the report to the teacher is so good

Tatsu you're so dramatic ( this is true, he a very dramatic king), oh the housespouse meet up, family gopher, the differing interpretations of what he's describing, is that really what Miku is rally like?, listening in one the one side of the conversation, the support from the housewives is so good

Oh, cat adventure of fair fighting with the other cat

Episode 8

urg the rap battle, so unnecessary, the explanation of what a rap battle is, the punch of silence, well ok

take it easy (yeah no, this guy has no chill), febreze the sheets, instant noodles as a vice lol, Masa helping him take it easy but as a horror show, Tatsu kicking him as a flight or fight moment

Wanting second place instead of first for the rice, and Miku wants the vacation, what a bribe, the kid wins of course

buffet battlefield, welp I'm hungry now, fruit with cream cheese is a delicious combo, aww the splitting of a desert

Oh, the dad wants to do the hotpot, Dad and Miku cooking like each other, Miku being a wild child (this explains so much), aww the dad saying she has someone else to protect her now and then Tatsu saying he has the dad's back, the mom being the true master is perfect

Masa wanting make his boss proud through the way of the househusband, tomorrow though

Episode 9

Virus depicted as a group of punks, trying to head off a cold through early preventive measures is such a mood, Miku being the light aww, the light with grenades lol

new threads, Masa is so not subtle, the brown powder as opposed to the white powder, and Masa has officially broken, Pine Dew huh, Tatsu sleeping with eyes open, the utter chaos and Masa being the sober one, the next day drawing of them is adorable

Will I need to use my dagger? no a normal knife will do, the intense music x_x,

The power couple helping the newlyweds

winged pup from the sky, you can't run from boss fights!, the magic girl transformation, the deconstruction of the outfit, Its all a dream and the meeting next week is perfect

Oh no cat adventure this episode

Episode 10

The fact that Miku has such high energy, the toys r us tribute

Sending dog pics to his boss, the bonding over the dogs, the random kidnapping, but its to a dog park

The cafe hurts the guys eyes, too much sweet things, lemon and honey chicken sounds good, the flashbacks paired with the wistful music is a nice choice, I don't remember there being a wasp

ok extreme dental care, um yeah that's not a good way to get a kid to the dentist, gotta face the music

counting to try and get to sleep, calming sounds turning to dark past is hilarious, also him without glasses is rather adorable, accidentally made a whole meal (he's got adhd a bit doesn't he), the cat being awake

the cat adventure with crow/raven

End of Season One!

Alright well thanks for coming to this Miscellaneous Media Moment where I do unhinged and most likely nonsensical rambling of what I watched is a thing. I will most likely continue at some point, so stay tuned and please let me know if this is a format that you liked. Along with any comments on the show that you have.

[lovecolibri]

SaL anon here bestie and YES!!!! My faith is somewhat restored that they will pull off a satisfying bt breakup tomorrow, so get that champagne ready!!! I'm feeling really good about what's coming tomorrow, Buckley siblings reunited, the breakup we're gonna celebrate like New Year's Eve, and Eddie's breakdown with Buck in the room (also the quick tone reversal on L is also making me smile). The next day is going to be soooo long after seeing that clip, and if they give us anything tomorrow TBC

that even hints at what triggers Eddie's meltdown I'm going to need smelling salts. Between all this and the fact that, as I understand LS is supposed to be emotionally heavy too, I'll be picking up confetti and Kleenex on the way home. Oh, and glad you mentioned our 1 year anniversary is soon, either on the 25th, the first song we did (Anger), or the 30th, when I got an official title! Either way, maybe we should take advantage of the 29th, when the new Atlas 3 song comes out!

Bestie and I back to vibrating with excitement!! I have SOOOO missed the Buck and Maddie dynamic! And Buck admitting that he knows why he's been holding on to this relationship that's making him miserable?! (I mean, now there was definitely no need for L, and the tone reversal is cracking me up too!!) We been knew, but now he's admitting it?! Out loud?! Not hiding his true feelings from others?! A few people have mentioned that the eddieana breakup was pushed back to the end of 5x03 when they split 5x02 into two episodes so it was likely written by the 5x02 writers, one of which I *believe* wrote 5x13? So potentially the same writers for the breakups?! I am dyyyyyying for it to be messy. And the potential parallel of Eddie's kitchen being a mess and Buck's typically sterile apartment being cluttered full of boxes?! And if Buck stands up for himself and they have an argument and he leaves because Eddie calls?! Or he goes to see Eddie after?! *incoherent screaming* IDK how I'm supposed to get any work done tomorrow OR Tuesday at least and that's just with 911! I haven't been keeping up on the speculation for LS because I'm happy just watching that show unfold however it does, but I know it's going to be a big one too!

As far as songs go, it's too bad Fear is instrumental song because it would be the perfect one to talk about after this episode, but you always manage to come up with the perfect one anyways! And I knew our anniversary was coming up! I think the 29th and a new Atlas song is a great way to celebrate, plus it will give us a few days to recover from whatever the episode throws at us on the 25th 🤣

Let's get that champagne on ice my friend! BT bones is coming and watching Buck be lifeless with her, and then doing everything for Eddie and being exactly what Eddie needs is going to heal something in all of us!

[johannas-motivational-insults]

Jo’s Top 10 of 2020

I see lots of artists doing that thing where they post a piece from each month of the year... unfortunately my content creation isn’t necessarily consistent and it’s hard to track what month individual fic chapters were posted in, but I figured I’d do something similar and post my Top 10 pieces of content I created in 2020, what they’re about and why I love them. I actually did get a fair amount done this year thanks to the lockdown, but I’ve narrowed it down to these ten that I’d like to reflect on. (To be fair, I’m probably forgetting something huge. Feel free to leave comments if you think I passed over something important lol.)

10. Friendship in the Horde (meta): This is something I’d wanted to write for a while but finally got around to finishing in February. It’s basically a sociology paper lmao, an analysis of the social hierarchies and systems of the Horde. It was also a convenient excuse for me to gush about Catralonnie, an underrated (friend)ship. But honestly this was an important piece for me because I have always identified with the Horde characters way more than any of the rebels (other than Adora, who grew up in the Horde) and part of why is how they are in an unsafe environment and end up forming relationships that are helpful for survival but hinder them psychologically. And I think to understand the Horde characters and really evaluate their motives and choices you need to understand this first.

9. The Sting in My Eyes: On the surface this is just a run of the mill hurt/comfort oneshot, but it was a really important post-canon processing fic for me. I had a lot of feelings about Catra’s relationships with Shadow Weaver and Melog in season 5, particularly about how Catra must have felt really conflicted after Shadow Weaver told her what she wanted to hear all those years but in a way that felt unearned and out of the blue. It was really cathartic for me to write a scene where she struggles with those mixed feelings but has Adora and Melog to help her process them. And I had long associated the song the title is from with Catra and Shadow Weaver’s relationship, and the way she died trying to redeem herself really solidified that connection.

8. Hail Mary, chapter 6: This was supposed to be a short chapter mostly about the backstory between Catra and Scorpia in this au, with some Catradora yearning thrown in. It evolved into a massive, sprawling thing that is very atmospheric in terms of how the setting and vibes are described and how in the moment it feels. Hail Mary is like that sometimes but that type of narration is usually about football games rather than parties, so this chapter was a fun change of pace in many ways. It was really nostaglic for me to write too, the nerves of being a teenager at a party with your crush and how intense everything feels. And the Scorptra stuff really is delicious, it was nice seeing them have that conversation they never got to have in canon and truly make up, and the tiny sliver I added of Catra’s earlier history was heartbreaking in the best way. So this was not what I intended to write, but it turned out way better for it.

7. A Better Son or Daughter (AMV): I’ve done other Adora AMVs, but this one is really my iconic piece. The song is perfect for Adora, so perfect it’s on Noelle’s Adora playlist. The vid itself is a character study about Adora’s mental health struggles and the way she represses them, as well as a tribute to her resiliency and her eventual triumph of getting to a better place in her life. This is a song that gives me a lot of feelings and once I was making it about Adora it gave me even more, so this was a very satisfying piece to complete. I wish Noelle had gotten a chance to see it but oh well, maybe down the line.

6. Hail Mary, chapter 12: This is the chapter that much of the fic had been building to, Catra and Adora in conflict because Catra finally got the chance to be Adora’s hero and Adora shot her down. It’s painfully analogous to canon, both in terms of how (I suspect) Catra felt in Thaymor and Adora’s tendency to victim blame because she’s so pragmatic. There’s definitely some tones of Taking Control in there but Lonnie does a much better job of examining Catra’s psychology and needs than Glimmer did in canon (a writing error imo, Glimmer should have had more insight). Adora just wants to help but sometimes in her quest to do so she disenfranchises others, and this was a much needed look at that aspect of her character. It’s also an excellent illustration of what it’s like to play a peacekeeping role in an abusive household and how stressful it is trying to protect others while also protecting yourself.

5. Unstoppable (AMV): This is not my favorite Catra AMV I’ve ever done, but it might be the cleverest. The soundtrack is a song about mental illness masquerading as a song about being a bad bitch, which is basically Catra in a nutshell. The lyrics are incredibly fitting for her and her arc as it develops over seasons 1-4. The vid itself takes a hard turn in the interpretation of the lyrics, going from talking about how no one can stop Catra to how she can’t stop herself because she’s in such a terrible sunk cost fallacy spiral, and I think I got several death threats over that twist lmao. As someone who primarily deals in angst, there’s hardly a better compliment to be paid.

4. Demons, chapter 31: This one got real dark on me. The concept of this chapter was originally an examination of how comparing abuse can get really dicey but you also have to respect that other people have had different experiences from you and you have to be careful not to equate things or make it sound like you’re talking over someone else. I guess it’s also a bit of a look at how autistic people (like myself) will often explain why they can empathize so others know they understand rather than saying empty platitudes, but that can come off as insensitive or like they’re making things about them. I mean, in this case Adora kinda was making things about her, but she was provoked into it by a parade of comments insinuating she didn’t suffer at all, which was also unfair. Anyway it’s one of the more important Catradora fights in Demons and something I’d written bits of over a year prior, it was that important to the plot, but it also took a turn I was not originally planning. I finished the chapter when I was in a really bad depressive and self-loathing spiral and that bled onto the page, but it worked perfectly for Catra in this scenario... that push and pull of feeling like the world has hurt and victimized you mixed with knowing you’ve done some bad things yourself and feeling like you don’t have a leg to stand on when mourning the ways you’ve been hurt. It’s intense as all fuck but it’s excellent.

3. Hail Mary, chapter 11: Speaking of dark Catra content, this chapter... whew. It was really something else, to read and to write. I have written flashbacks in Demons that are more detailed and even include explicit violence but because those scenes are always in flashback form I never really got the chance to sit in the head of an abuse victim waiting for the other shoe to drop for an entire chapter like I did here. It’s quite different from the rest of Hail Mary stylistically and is both highly sensory and extremely internalized. It took me back to some terrifying moments in my own life so it was difficult but also extremely cathartic to write. It’s important too because it really sets up where Catra was at mentally heading into her big fight with Adora, and that chapter is in Adora POV. This chapter is ranked so high simply because it’s... polished, as @malachi-walker put it. It almost is its own story within the story and really noteworthy as a piece all its own.

2. Demons, chapter 26: This chapter is very similar thematically to Hail Mary 12, just based in the canonverse. It deals with one of the core (but highly neglected by fandom) conflicts between Catra and Adora, where they both need to feel like they can take care of and protect the other but also detest feeling weak or vulnerable themselves. It leads to Adora’s ego making Catra feel disrespected and Catra’s behavior confusing Adora and making her think she’s an ungrateful brat rather than someone who needs so badly to be needed, just like her. There’s definitely some power struggles in this chapter but finally they’re able to get to the heart of it and seeing them talk it out is so satisfying. Getting this chapter published was also important to me on a personal level because, like I said, this aspect of their conflict and relationship is rarely acknowleged for how important it is when really it’s one of the deepest conflicts between them in the series. It’s a scene I started writing pretty much as soon I knew I was extending the fic into something longer because I just needed them to have this conversation, so finishing it was so satisfying.

1. Satisfaction, chapter 3: This chapter took me a really long time to write, both in terms of time to get it published and time I actually spent working on it. It’s the crown jewel of a fic that’s really important to me and I had to get it just right, so I spent more time agonizing over every detail and rewriting things to get them absolutely perfect than I usually do (I’m a perfectionist anyway, but this took it to a whole other level). But in the end it was worth it, because this chapter is damn fine. It’s really hot, as you’d expect from a smut fic, but it’s also an excellent character study of how both Catra and Adora were affected by their abuse and trauma and the issues it raises for them in terms of sex and intimacy. Also, come on, we need more BDSM fics out there that focus on the actual point of it all (the trust involved) and promote communication and do the character work to explain why they might be into it in the first place.

BONUS (from December 31, 2019): One of my favorite pieces of 2020 technically came out in 2019, but I posted it on New Years Eve so most people first saw it in 2020. It’s an absolute banger of an AMV called I’m Not Jesus that’s all about Catra and Adora’s anger towards Shadow Weaver and their refusal to forgive their abuser. Funny enough this came out before Adora’s iconic “I will never forgive you” line, and Shadow Weaver definitely made things more complicated with how she went out, but I think the sentiment still applies.

[s0021114asfilmredo-blog]

Post D: Textual analysis final draft

How is the idea of representation, presents in both ‘Scott Pilgrim Vs. the world’ (Edgar Wright, 2010) and ‘Scouts guide to the Zombie Apocalypse’ (Christopher Landon, 2015) through the four macro concepts?

Textual analysis

For my textual analysis I will be analysing and comparing a scene from both ‘Scott Pilgrim Vs. the world’ (Edgar Wright, 2010) an action comedy fantasy romance in which Scott Pilgrim must defeat his love interests seven deadly ex’s in order to win her away from them as them being alive prevents her from making her own decisions. And ‘Scouts guide to the Zombie Apocalypse’ (Christopher Landon, 2015) an action comedy horror in which three scouts and a ‘cocktail waitress’ work together to escape the zombie apocalypse and save a party full of people from turning. I plan to link my two scenes together through representation and how different stereotypes are both different and similar in both scenes. Although they are classified as different genres, I believe that Scouts guide has elements of romance so the only thing that separates the two is fantasy and horror which could be considered the same thing, but I support these classifications as it's what the directors wanted and in the end no two people’s perceptions of art are ever the same. My first scene (Scott Pilgrim) is the ‘Bi-Furious’ scene in which Ramona Flowers and Roxanne Richter do battle, basically Ramona wins by telling Scott Roxanne’s weakness which subsequently causes her to questionably explode into coins. My second scene (Scouts Guide) is what I’m calling the ‘party-crash’ scene in which the three scouts do battle with the horde, expertly wielding some MacGyver-esque weapons to drive the zombies back, buying time for them to evacuate the survivors of the party, however they are driven back to a dead end and ultimately blow up all the remaining zombies in a failed group suicide attempt (because at the last second Denise shows up via a hole in the wall to allow their escape). Both films were shot in the USA; however, parts of Scott Pilgrim were also shot in Japan, Universal pictures distributed Scott Pilgrim while Scouts guide was distributed by paramount. Scott Pilgrim had a budget of between 85-90 million$ while Scouts guide had a third of this at only 24 million$ (This may/definitely is the reason why Scott pilgrim has the ability to go to outlandish lengths and add comic style humour as they were able to employ more people). Scott Pilgrim was produced by Big Talk films a moderately well-known company but Scouts guide was produced by Broken road productions which I personally haven't heard of before, however Scouts guide isn't yet old enough for me to judge whether it got the publicity it deserved because Scott Pilgrim certainly didn't and was forgotten after about two weeks, being regarded as a 'box office flop', although both films are marketed towards teens Scott Pilgrim is a little tamer only receiving a PG-13 because of the use of violence, sexual content and drug references. While Scouts guide is rated as a whopping 17+ and rightly so, a zombie grandma gummed a dude’s butt, that’s one of the tamer things that happened…

 The first significant aspect of cinematography in the sequence from Scott Pilgrim is the use of an upside down medium close up low angle POV shot of Roxanne from the eyes of Scott (see fig.1), this links to the macro concept of representation as it tells the audience that this woman who has come out of nowhere is more powerful than Scott and the fact that it’s upside down mixed with it being his POV represents HIS confusion about why this random woman has attacked him. This shot is important to the macro concept of representation because it subverts the stereotype that girls are weak and paints Roxanne as a powerful character that will pose a threat to Scott as one of the seven deadly ex’s. This is similar to an aspect of cinematography in the sequence from Scouts Guide, as here the director uses both a high and low angle in this scene, a high to show how Kendal in her current situation and a low angle to show the zombie above her. The use of this cinematography tells the spectator that Kendal is weak and powerless to this situation because the camera angle made her looks smaller than the zombie hence, less in control, however it also shows the zombie is in a very dominant position, this can be easily inferred by, one, the aggression he shows to Kendall and two, the fact that in the high angle of Kendall he takes up more of the screen which usually means that that character is more important or powerful. This is important in relation to the macro concept of representation because it shows Kendall conforming to the stereotypical 'distressed woman' role situation in that it follows the Proppian character types and portrays her as 'the princess' instead of letting her fight her own battles and she subsequently has to be saved by Ben. Both these point relate to the theory of representation because separately they both use different camera angles and techniques to portray women in different ways, with Scott Pilgrim the shots used emphasize the strength of Roxxy through low angles and close ups which is unlike the theory of representation which basically states that characters too often conform to stereotypes. While in Scouts Guide, high angles and low angles used are to make Kendall seem week, helpless and in need of assistance which more closely fits what the theory states.

 The mise en scene of this sequence is crucial to gaining meaning, as the term itself means ‘that which is put into the frame’, so we know that everything that is in the frame has been designed to be there. The costume in the scene in Scott Pilgrim worn by Roxxy is very odd compared to the rest of the characters, I understand that they need to separate her as a character from everyone else but it feels like they over dramatized her costume just because her character is gay; to be more specific, her costume consists of a very revealing hoodie that shows basically half a bra, damaged looking leggings, weird fur boots, a spiked collar and very thick black markings under her eyes almost like a sad attempt at camouflage make up, the use of various close ups of some of these things is an attempt by the director to try and fill the audience in that this woman is gay, this is assisted by very saucy face movements in the form of a single eyebrow raise with a ting sound and a sly smile accompanied by a sound one might make if they were eating something delicious (see fig.2). This is important because in relation to the macro concept of representation because it's an attempt to give a visual profile to homosexual/ lesbian women, when in reality, there's no way to know and they're just the same as everyone else. However, this combination of face movements and sounds could be what she’s doing from Scott’s perspective, almost a cliché representations of homosexuals coming from Scott’s brain.

 This is very different to the use of props and colour in the sequence from Scouts guide (though the use of strobe lights), as here the setting of the scene is that the zombies have crashed the party and are about to get Kendall when there's a whistle followed by a slow zoom into a two shot of the three scouts holding very cool looking weapons surrounded by what appears to be dry ice and colourful beams, you know for dramatic effect and stuff. However, this is important in relation to the macro concept of representation because throughout the movie these three characters are painted as these nerdy loner scouts that nobody likes and to have them show up and save every one subverts their stereotype as well as the audiences expectation and makes them stronger characters in a film sense of view. What I mean is that a conforming character isn't always that interesting to an audience because they're predictable however these ones create their own rules which is why they make the movie so engaging. Both of my examples subvert the theory of representations in that Roxxy is dressed quite outlandishly compared to what would normally be expected of a woman while the 'nerdy' guys look quite bad-ass in contrary to how they've been perceived by all the other characters.

 The first significant aspect of sound in the sequence from Scott Pilgrim is the use of theme, I don't know the name of the track because on the music timeline of the official soundtrack it’s between two songs but not actually there on the list, however if it’s one of the two, it’s ‘Latin America’ by ‘Holy Fuck’, both Ramona and Roxxy are both introduced into the fight and each have a different music to accompany them (see fig.3), when the fight starts, both the themes merge together to create a weird techno pixilated song, it almost makes you reminisce of old style arcade games , this use of sound is very intense and not only creates tension for the incoming fight but a sort of hype in the audience that makes you enjoy the scene a lot more. This is very far-fetched but this could be important in relation to the macro concept of representation if it were trying to infer that women could be gamers, I know that sounds strange but, think about it, a comically over-sized hammer, a sword that is also a whip and a very chip-tune-like theme-tune, these are all tropes that are commonly associated with fighting games, there was even a Scott Pilgrim game.

This is similar to an aspect of sound in the sequence from Scouts Guide, as here Landon uses non-diegetic sound when introducing the scouts to the fight, this music like Scott Pilgrims creates both tension and excitement however, in this case the addition of the music could be diegetic since they're in a club which could be an attempt by Christopher Landon to create verisimilitude for the audience and re-enforce the fear of zombies that has been long since forgotten by creating a multitude of similar to real life experiences. This is important in relation to the macro concept of representation in that the music is very similar to that which you might expect a teen to listen to and seeing as though the movie is targeted at teens it makes sense to include iconography associated with teens such as up-beat, music and dance parties. This also relates to the representation film theory, as the theory assigns each demographic a stereotype so it makes sense that they also have related sounds, for example, you would expect someone old to have perhaps a slower soundtrack, possibly country music while a more active person, say, an athlete would have very up-beat inspirational music, probably pop, we use these things as shortcuts to know more about a character in less time.

 The first significant aspect of editing in the sequence from Scott Pilgrim is the use of anti-continuity editing, specifically when Roxxy is about to kick Scott in the head (see fig.4), if you look closely. The time It takes for Ramona to tell Scott Roxxy's weakness is more than enough time for her to have smashed Scott in the face multiple times, you can even see her leg going down the same frames multiple times, it’s like if slow motion was mixed with anti-continuity editing and slammed onto a fight scene by someone who loves comedy. This use of this editing technique is there to reinforce the comedic genre that this film is labelled with and in my opinion does that in every scene throughout the movie, constantly reminding us, the audience that it’s ‘just a movie’. This is important in relation to the macro concept of representation because it might not say anything about the character but it is a fantastic example of how comedy films should be presented to keep the audience smiling. This is similar to an aspect of editing in the sequence from Scouts Guide, as here Landon uses CGI, when the rocket gun is fired by the big kid he lands a triple zombie head-shot and we (the audience) get to travel with the doorknob through two zombie heads finally getting a side-profile of the third zombies head exploding into a fountain of blood and gore in every direction. This use of editing is important because it reminds the spectator that this is also an action movie and also presents the viewers with an epic slow-Mo journey through three brains, who wouldn't want that? This is important in relation to the macro concept of representation, not only because yet again it’s conforming to the expectations of Its genre but this time because it also shows the power of the big kid, someone who throughout the movie had been labelled as someone who needed to constantly be saved, therefore subverting his stereotype. These both relate to the genre theory, not because they show any character development but because they represent their genre, however the theory itself doesn’t actually say that its only limited to characters so I believe that if a character can have certain tropes and stereotypes linked to them, a genre can have certain iconography that does the same but instead makes it clear to the audience about what they should expect from that movie.

 To conclude I believe that there are both many similarities as well as differences between my two films in relation to the macro of representation, for example, they both have subverting character types but also show women as sort of powerless. However in both clips, this representation is shown most strongly through 'mise en scene' because as a human being the first thing you judge someone by is their appearance, like it or not it happens all the time. For us to be given such flamboyant characters with interesting choices in style and movement, we can instantly stereotype them differently. For example, if we were to open on the scouts about to fight, our opinions of them would be somewhere along the lines of 'they look cool, they must BE cool', however if it was simply an establishing shot of a mundane character walking down the street we may give them negative stereotypes like 'this person follows the crowd' or 'there's no flavour to his/her life'. What I'm trying to say is that how we see people is generally associated with their personality. On another note, some statistics on the two films;

 -Both films were shot in the USA; however, parts of Scott Pilgrim were also shot in Japan

-Scott Pilgrim was distributed by Universal pictures while Scouts guide was distributed by paramount

-Scott Pilgrim had a budget of between 85-90 million$ while Scouts guide had a third of this at only 24 million$

(this may/definitely is the reason why Scott pilgrim has the ability to go to outlandish lengths and add comic style humour as they were able to employ more people)

-Scott Pilgrim was produced by Big Talk films a moderately well-known company but Scouts guide was produced by Broken road productions which I personally haven't heard of before, however Scouts guide isn't yet old enough for me to judge whether it got the publicity it deserved because Scott Pilgrim certainly didn't and was forgotten after about two weeks, being regarded as a 'box office flop'

-although both films are marketed towards teens Scott Pilgrim is a little tamer only receiving a PG-13 because of the use of violence, sexual content and drug references. While Scouts guide is rated as a whopping 17+ and rightly so, a zombie grandma gummed a dude’s butt, and that's one of the tamer things that happened

Although they are classified as different genres, I believe that Scouts guide has elements of romance so the only thing that separates the two is fantasy and horror which could be considered the same thing, but I support these classifications as it's what the directors wanted and in the end no two people’s perceptions of art are ever the same

 P.S. I cannot seem to find clips of the fight scene and I watched it on the television so I cannot add screenshots, however I can for Scott pilgrim.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU-mvVujpGI 

fig.1 

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fig.4 

[mastcomm]

Your Tuesday Briefing – The New York Times

Iowa caucus results are delayed

The Democratic nominating process had a rocky start, after party officials announced early this morning that results from the state’s caucuses wouldn’t be released until later today.

They attributed the delay to inconsistencies in the reporting of results and stressed that it wasn’t because of hacking. Here are the latest updates.

Two of our reporters in Des Moines noted: “With no hard numbers to reckon with, no cold math to disprove the dream, no fewer than five candidates marched onstage to deliver something resembling a victory speech.”

The details: When the results are released, find them here.

Background: After a razor-close finish in Iowa between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders in 2016, new standards this year required officials to submit three numbers — rather than one — from each of the state’s 1,600-plus precincts. That change, and a new app, slowed the reporting of results.

Closer look: People who were briefed on the app by the Iowa Democratic Party told The Times that it hadn’t been tested properly. A spokeswoman for the state party denied that the app’s failure had played a role in the delays.

The Daily: Today’s episode is about the confusion.

Catch up: Here’s a primer on how Iowa’s first-in-the-nation nominating contest works.

On trial today, on the dais tonight

President Trump will deliver his third State of the Union address this evening, in the House where he was impeached just seven weeks ago and a day before a vote is scheduled in the Senate that is likely to acquit him of high crimes and misdemeanors.

It’s unclear whether the president will address his impeachment trial. White House officials said the speech would highlight Mr. Trump’s record on the economy, increased military spending and the appointment of conservative judges.

The Times will offer real-time analysis and stream the address live when it begins around 9 p.m. Eastern. Here’s what to expect.

Related: Mr. Trump’s guests at the speech will include a Border Patrol agent and an Army veteran who struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder, addiction and homelessness. Members of Congress are also allowed to bring a guest. We profiled some of them.

Quotable: Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker, is the former boss of Mr. Trump’s two speechwriters for tonight. “They really have a deep feeling that the more anonymous they are, they’re probably better off,” he said.

New coronavirus death outside mainland China

A 39-year-old man died today from the virus in Hong Kong. He had traveled to Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak, last month.

It was the second death from the virus outside mainland China; a man died in the Philippines over the weekend. Here are the latest updates.

Related: Macau, the gambling hub that’s a semiautonomous region of China, announced today that it would shut its casinos for two weeks in an effort to limit the epidemic.

The details: The virus has sickened more than 20,000 in Asia, and at least 427 have died. Our maps track its spread.

Catch up: As other countries ramped up efforts on Monday to isolate China, the Chinese government called the epidemic a “major test.” The U.S. has imposed its first federally required quarantine since the smallpox era, half a century ago. Airline passengers from China are now subject to two weeks in isolation.

Go deeper: China is turning to familiar authoritarian techniques to contain the outbreak, including asking neighbors to inform on one another.

Gap widens between haves and have-nots in tech

Alphabet, Amazon, Apple, Facebook and Microsoft made a combined $55.2 billion in net profit in the most recent quarter, making clear that threats of regulatory and legal scrutiny have done little to hurt the bottom line.

As the companies get richer, they’re branching out, buying or muscling aside rivals in ways that could have far-reaching implications for the world economy.

Yesterday: Alphabet, Google’s parent company, reported revenue last year exceeding $161 billion, while its profit in the last quarter of 2019 was 19 percent more than a year earlier.

Related: The head of the antitrust division at the Department of Justice has recused himself from investigating Google because of a potential conflict of interest related to past work for the company, two people with knowledge of the decision told The Times.

Another angle: Disney, IBM and Marriott are among the companies fighting a law, known as Section 230, that makes it nearly impossible to sue platforms like Facebook or Google over content their users post.

If you have 5 minutes, this is worth it

Iraq’s unlikely gallery

Beauty and color in Iraq were largely suppressed for decades by poverty and government oppression.

No longer: A 15-story shell of a structure in Baghdad is full of paintings, sculptures, photographs and shrines that criticize the country’s leadership and pay homage to protesters who have died in recent rallies.

Our correspondent Alissa Rubin sees the unusual gallery as a window into a broader flowering. “It is as if an entire society is awakening to the sound of its own voice, and to the shape, size and sway of its creative force,” she writes.

Here’s what else is happening

Coal in Japan: Plans for up to 22 new coal-burning power plants — one of the dirtiest sources of electricity — come after the Fukushima disaster almost a decade ago forced the country to all but abandon its nuclear power program.

Snapshot: Above, Anguilla, a British territory in the Caribbean that has benefited from two trends in technology: artificial intelligence and vanity internet addresses. Every time an address ending in “.ai” is registered or renewed, Anguilla collects $50.

Late-night comedy: The hosts told the tale of two Kansas Cities.

What we’re listening to: This episode of Literary Friction, a monthly podcast about books, by Carrie Plitt, a literary agent, and Octavia Bright, a writer and academic. “I’m just catching up with its 2019-in-review episode,” says Chris, your briefing writer. “And based on their recommendations, I’ve already added to my nightstand’s ever-growing pile.”

Now, a break from the news

Go: “Beyond Babel,” a West Coast urban dance riff on “Romeo and Juliet,” sets numbers to borrowed pop songs. It’s at the Gym at Judson Church in Manhattan.

Smarter Living: These seven podcasts can help you nurture a healthier mind and body.

And now for the Back Story on …

Reporting from Iowa

Sydney Ember, a reporter on our politics team, moved to Iowa to get to know the state ahead of the caucuses. She wrote about it for our Reader Center. This is a condensed version.

DES MOINES — I was in a tree.

It was November and I had been in Iowa for less than a month, and set out to profile someone who could bring Iowa to life for our readers. Rob Sand, the state auditor, pitched himself as a subject — and then took me bowhunting.

That turned out to involve climbing a tree and quietly waiting for a deer. As my fingers and toes lost feeling in the cold, I thought, not for the last time: What am I doing here?

My goal was to understand the people of Iowa and the issues they care about, in addition to the candidates campaigning in the state and their volunteers, staff members and strategists.

I learned that many Democrats here want above all to beat President Trump — a desire that made it extraordinarily difficult for them to choose a candidate. Some Republicans and independents wanted that, too.

I learned that cars with all-wheel drive can still fishtail in the snow and that pizza from Casey’s General Store is delicious. (But no, I did not try the breakfast pizza, a particularly polarizing Iowa delicacy.)

It might be more practical, and less expensive, for The Times and other news organizations not to move reporters to Iowa before the caucuses. But there is no substitute for spending a lot of time here, experiencing the all-consuming nature of the run-up to the state’s caucuses firsthand.

That’s it for this briefing. See you next time.

— Chris

Thank you Mark Josephson and Eleanor Stanford provided the break from the news. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com.

P.S. • We’re listening to “The Daily.” Today’s episode is about the Iowa caucuses. • Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: Ethnic group making up more than 90% of China (three letters). You can find all our puzzles here. • Hanna Ingber, who started The Times’s Reader Center in 2017, will be the editor of our new technology newsletter.

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